Selling

[Smile Estrada]

Hello.

Well I'm trying to crochet some items to sell but I really don't know how much to sell them for?... My friend has made a table runner that was long and had designs on it and she sold it for about 30 dollars.... All I can do know is little tiny hearts (to be honest) how much can I sell those for? And how can I improve my crocheting?

[magiccrochetfan]

I have no advice on selling as I've really never done it.  

 

But as far as improving one's crocheting, I think we just have to practice.  Also, I try to look critically at my stitches and if something does not look the way I think it should, I rip it out and redo it. Don't wait til the whole piece is done to look it over, look at it every row or 2, so you can quickly catch problems and redo them before you have to undo a whole bunch of work.  

 

I think that good reference books are a huge help, I can compare my crocheting to the photos in the book and improve that way.  Online sites like Nexstitch also have good photos of what the correctly-made stitches should look like.

 

 If you are totally making up your own thing or freeforming, you can make up your own versions of stitches too, but personally i think it is still important for the piece to look cohesive and polished.  Some people prefer a more rustic, unplanned look.  As you practice and make more things you will learn what kind of look you like best.  

[Granny Square]

There are a lot of Holiday Bazaars this time of year , you could go to a couple and see what things are going for. 

 

It might depend where you are; I'm in sort of a semi-rural area and crocheted items sell for hardly more than the yarn, sometimes less.  You might get a little more for something if you package them to look a little more upscale or gift-able, like a couple of scrubbies tied in ribbon with a dollar-store wooden spoon, or a wash cloth rolled around a dollar-store soap tied in a ribbon, that sort of thing.

 

I wouldn't expect to get right selling $30 runners.  That's pretty unusual.  Even the antique doilies around here, made with impossibly tiny thread, go for just $1-2 each.  I've seen a shirt-box full of doilies, more modern (maybe a generation old, made with thicker #10 thread, go for $5 for the boxful- so sad.

[goodtaste]

Can you do custom items? There are a lot of people selling their crochet, and although I believe there is room in the market for everyone because, like snowflakes, we are not the same, you must stand out to be able to sell your times. If you make what everybody else is making, you probably will not get too far. Let me give you an example, if you knew how to make really precious baby layettes (your own, not stealing copyrighted material) and you could get hold or expecting moms (perhaps by running an ad in your local penny newspaper) you could offer to make them a special layette for baby's coming home outfit in their favorite color, and because it is a custom order, charge a little higher than otherwise they would be willing to pay at their local WalMart. You need to tap into an audience, and crochet for that audience, and become an "expert" there, otherwise, it's like hitting a target in the dark! Best wishes to you!

[Smile Estrada]

 

Can you do custom items? There are a lot of people selling their crochet, and although I believe there is room in the market for everyone because, like snowflakes, we are not the same, you must stand out to be able to sell your times. If you make what everybody else is making, you probably will not get too far. Let me give you an example, if you knew how to make really precious baby layettes (your own, not stealing copyrighted material) and you could get hold or expecting moms (perhaps by running an ad in your local penny newspaper) you could offer to make them a special layette for baby's coming home outfit in their favorite color, and because it is a custom order, charge a little higher than otherwise they would be willing to pay at their local WalMart. You need to tap into an audience, and crochet for that audience, and become an "expert" there, otherwise, it's like hitting a target in the dark! Best wishes to you!

[Smile Estrada]

Thank you

[goodtaste]

You are most welcome! Hope it helps.

[AsheSkyler]

Etsy and eBay can be good places to compare prices if you know what you intend to sell, and there are a few guides out there on general pricing.

[mandymae]

Hello.

Well I'm trying to crochet some items to sell but I really don't know how much to sell them for?... My friend has made a table runner that was long and had designs on it and she sold it for about 30 dollars.... All I can do know is little tiny hearts (to be honest) how much can I sell those for? And how can I improve my crocheting?

 

I pretty much agree with everyone else, practicing is the best thing you can do for your crochet. Start with easy patterns and work your way up, learning new techniques and improving your pattern-reading skills (sometimes this is the biggest battle!) I do sell crochet, and I usually try to get an idea of what people want, find a pattern that allows me to sell my finished work/create a pattern and then set a price that allows me to pay for materials, labor and shipping/handling/PayPal fees. I know that in general, I tend to undercharge, just because I like to keep busy and keep customers, but Etsy is a good place to browse to get an idea of what to charge.