William's Arts / Crafts Business Blog March 2008 Archive

Staying Close to Home
Fuel costs are really eating into profits for crafters these days. If you do not have to travel to find decent shows, you should consider staying close to home. Local ... Read More

Sunday March 30, 2008 | permalink | comments (2)

Stressful Situations
You got to admit, at large shows with thousands of people visiting your booth in an endless stream, events can sometimes be quite stressful. When we leave shows like that, ... Read More

Sunday March 30, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)

Finding The Right Type of Event
Matching the event to your craft is important. If you sell fine crafts on the high end of the price scale, you will very likely do poorly at flea markets ... Read More

Sunday March 30, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)

Big Shows vs. Small Shows
The idea behind a post from the forum is that larger shows (150+ exhibitors) sometimes seem to lose the quality of smaller events. Accepting buy/sell and not paying as much attention ... Read More

Sunday March 23, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Post-Holiday Discounts On Supplies
Do you use Easter-themed items in your crafts or displays? If so, now's the time to save money on these types of items. Post holiday sales can enable you to stock ... Read More

Sunday March 23, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Online Inventory
How much inventory do you need for your online sales? Of course it all depends on the number of sales that you are having. But keep in mind that the minimum ... Read More

Sunday March 23, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Getting Started Selling Crafts
If you are considering selling crafts professionally, here are some preliminary ideas to go over before you start. First make sure there is a market for your craft. Ask ... Read More

Sunday March 16, 2008 | permalink | comments (2)

How Safe Are Checks?
Any time you accept checks for payments, you will run the chance of losing money. And unfortunately, people who intentionally write bad checks know that craft shows are easy targets. ... Read More

Sunday March 16, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Craft Show Rules
Following craft show rules is very important, especially if you find one of those elusive "great craft shows" we are always looking for. You do not want to risk being banned ... Read More

Sunday March 16, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Mistakes to Avoid Selling Crafts
When starting out selling crafts, there are some common mistakes people make. The biggest is under pricing work. If you do not pay yourself enough in your pricing, you may find ... Read More

Sunday March 9, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)

Good Pictures = Great Website
If you are selling your crafts online good photos are a must! Make sure you have a quality camera that can take clear images of your products. If you are uncomfortable ... Read More

Sunday March 9, 2008 | permalink | comments (3)

Mailing Lists and Marketing
A powerful weapon in your marketing arsenal is a well-built and properly maintained mailing list. These days a lot of crafters are using newsletter via the Internet to keep in ... Read More

Sunday March 9, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Discounts and Sales on Retail Crafts
Should crafters have "sales" on their products at craft shows? Many promoters will not allow sales or markdowns on crafts at their events. And for good reason! If you have ... Read More

Sunday March 2, 2008 | permalink | comments (4)

Should You Accept Credit Cards?
A discussion in the forum right now is all about the merits and pitfalls of accepting credit cards at shows. If you will be attending very many shows you will ... Read More

Sunday March 2, 2008 | permalink | comments (3)

Top Craft Site Mistakes
The most common mistakes people make when starting a website are not having enough marketing and not providing enough information on the site. Remember that with a website you are not ... Read More

Sunday March 2, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)