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Living In Woodbridge VA > Crafts > Sell Handmade Crafts
Sell Handmade Crafts:
Set Up An Online Shop
Trying to sell handmade crafts? Arts and crafts definitely deserve to be shared.
It is a sentiment shared by all those who merely dabble in a hobby to the seasoned artisan and everyone who participates in the numerous crafting communities available online.
Actually it is easy to find and use online crafting communities. They provide a place to connect, collaborate, learn, and educate, buy and sell your crafts.
Crafting communities such as www.artsefest.com and Etsy.com enable like-minded and gifted artists, designers, and crafters the ability to communicate and share their joy for their work.
Crafts are a "family thing". We are totally into crafts - of all types including scrapbooking and knitting! In fact, we've purchased unique holiday gifts from several of the Etsy crafters during the past few years. This year will be no different as several items are already on the "wish list".
Ready To sell your handmade crafts?
Calling all artists and crafters...
Showcase your crafting expertise to our website visitors!
Whether you are interested in selling your handmade crafts, or talk about a favorite hobby or offer an art, craft or hobby related service, we'd love to have you share your handcrafts with everyone.
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Here are my favorite top online crafting communities:
Etsy.com is the premier crafting community hosting a huge variety of talented artists. Buy, sell, just window shop the more than thirty categories of crafts. Not only is it easy to set up shop on Etsy but they also provide all the tools required to promote your business. Several detailed guides are available from pros to help you increase your profits and make the most of your Etsy experience. In fact, we will probably open up a shop for our crafts in the coming year.
Craftster.org is an online forum. Created in 2003 as a place for crafters to share, post pictures, and even provide systematic instructions for their creations.
Geared toward the more adventurous crafts and crafters, they are the home of fun and witty slogans. Projects and blog posts are organized by category and date. Some posts include a photo.
There are also a number of forums and blogs listed so it serves as a gateway to a number of other fantastic crafting sites and sources of information. Craftster also includes a calendar, which tracks crafting events all around the world. Membership is free and users are encouraged to create a profile, to participate often, and to spread the word.
Getcrafty.com, home of the "Craftistas", is a comprehensive online crafting site. Getcrafty.com operates as a directory and lists:
- crafting forums
- crafting blogs
- Stories
- Pictures and a Wiki
They also have their own forum, chat room, and blog. It is fabulous, welcoming communities of people who love Martha Stewart however do not aspire to be her. They believe in the joy of making things, of crafting, rather than the joy of perfection. The founder of the site, Jean Railla, also wrote a book titled "Get Crafty: Hip Home Ec".
Membership at GetCrafty.com is free and users are encouraged to blog, chat, swap, and share. Membership includes a free blog, free newsletters, a free online picture album, and tons of online crafting fun.
Crafterscommunity.com is another full service online crafting community where you can sell handmade crafts. It offers a crafters directory, a list of top crafting sites, a banner exchange, and a pen pal service. There is a forum, featured crafts are listed and updated on a regular basis.
Featured crafts include pictures and systematic directions. Projects are also listed by holiday and type of project. For example quilting, paper craft, beading etc. The site offers a forum, chat room, and photo sharing. There is also a comprehensive list of projects, which is updated regularly by members and facilitators. Membership is free and each month members receive an email containing:
- Fun Craft Projects and Ideas
- News and Happenings
- Free Contests
To make the most of online crafting communities it is advised to find one community to connect with. Establishing a rapport with other members takes time and activity. To simply register and read the posts is fine however; people who take this approach are missing the social aspects of an online community.
A crafting community is a great place to make friends, learn, share crafting knowledge but above all - sell handmade crafts.
Where to sell handmade crafts in Woodbridge, Virginia:
I've sold my handmade craft items in various boutiques in Occoquan, the many large craft shows held in local schools and High Schools, craft shows and fairs held in community centers, VFW posts and other special juried "events". In fact, I even sold them at home parties. By the way, the school craft shows are usually held close to holiday time. They were always lucrative and brought in plenty of custom orders. However, no venue ever compared to online sales.
Naturally, there is the Occoquan Crafts Show. Need I say more? You need plenty of inventory to make it worthwhile so get those little elves going, build up your inventory, and don't forget to fill out the forms - early!
Creating the Hive has an extensive listing of Virginia Arts & Crafts shows. It often pays to venture a little farther afield to sell handmade crafts.
From Hard goods to E-goods: Send for our course on how to Price Your Products with complete confidence.
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