How To Promote Your Business Locally (& Gain New Customers)
Whether you have plans to keep your business local or grow it globally, promoting it locally is the best way to start. There are so many benefits to selling your handmade products locally. Sure, a local audience is smaller, but it’s also less competitive. And many people understand the importance of supporting local businesses to…
How to Build a Recession-Proof Business
A recession is a part of the economic cycle; they’re unavoidable. As a business owner, it’s in your best interest to prepare for the economy slowing down at some point. The following are not only good business practices, but they also help make your business more recession-proof. 1 – Improve profit…
What to Sell at a Farmers’ Market (17 unique ideas)
Farmers’ markets are a good way to make extra money or to test out a new business idea. However, it’s important to sell the right product or you can end up losing money after vendor fees, your time spent preparing for and selling at the market, plus time and money spent making/preparing inventory. This article shares several…
Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing
There are only two ways to get more customers; 1 – You find customers (outbound marketing) 2 – Customers find you (inbound marketing) If you simply make products, post them online, and wait for customers to come to you, it’s the equivalent of saying there’s a party at your house but neglecting to…
How to Make your Handmade Business Copycat-Proof
Dealing with a copycat is never fun. I’ve dealt with it many times throughout my entrepreneurial career, and continue to. I remember the first time it happened in my handmade business. I started sewing mittens using the fabric leftover from the handbags I made. At the time, I had been in…
How to Use Color at a Craft Show to Attract Shoppers
If you want a craft show display that stands out, you must strategically use color. Color is what catches the eye, evokes an emotion within seconds, can help tell a story, and much more. Using color effectively so your craft show display catches shoppers’ eyes is fairly easy, but it does take some thought. Here are…
How to Avoid Etsy Copyright Infringement (is Disney & fan art allowed?)
When it comes to Etsy copyright infringement, and what can and cannot be legally sold, a lot of Etsy sellers are going by what other Etsy shops are selling. They figure; that person is selling a Disney-themed product, so it must be okay for me to sell one too. The problem with those guidelines is that there…
Unique Etsy Shop Ideas (+ 100’s of popular products to sell)
Do you need ideas for an Etsy shop? Starting an Etsy shop is relatively quick and easy, but making sales on Etsy can be harder. Obviously, what you sell on Etsy will have an impact on how much money you make. So you want to start with a product that has the potential to…
How To Make Your Product Stand Out
A USP (unique selling position) is something EVERY business needs to stand out. But a USP eludes so many business owners. It’s easy to identify when a business has a good USP or a bad USP (or none at all). But it can be difficult to explain what gives a business that “it”…
Top Searched Products (Spring 2022)
Each year, I put together a list of trending crafts people can make and sell. This year, I wanted to create a list of the most searched products on the Internet. This list is based on stats I’ve researched, rather than the opinions of industry experts. I’ve updated this list for the second…
Is Selling on Etsy Worth it in 2024? (Reviews & Alternatives)
Selling on Etsy is worth it in 2024 because it’s one of the quickest, cheapest, and easiest ways to get your handmade products online and hooked up with a shopping cart function. It’s also a low-risk option when compared to building a website. You can set up a professional-looking online shop in a matter…
How to Find (popular) Things to Sell on Etsy
Many websites share the best things to sell on Etsy, but base their lists on Etsy shops with the highest number of sales. This information can be found using tools such as Erank or Handmade Hunt (or CraftCount, which has recently shut down). These tools can be misleading when it comes to what’s popular…
Why Does Etsy Take So Much Money? (is there a cheaper way?)
Etsy is a platform for selling handmade, vintage, and craft items. Etsy charges a small fee for each item you list on the platform, as well as fees when you make a sale. Find a complete breakdown of how much Etsy charges per sale here, as well as examples of the fees you can…
Craft Trends to Ditch in 2022
Each year, I create a craft trends list (here’s 2022’s craft trend list). Some trends only last a few months, while others can last for years. So I like to look back and use a few handy tools to determine if people are still searching for and buying the crafts on last year’s trend list….
Handmade Jewelry Trends (2022)
Each year I create a list of craft trends handmade business owners can make and sell. Since a handmade jewelry business is such a great business to start, and jewelry is such a popular category, I also compile a list of jewelry trends. Check out 2022’s jewelry trends that can be applied to a…
8 Ways To Determine if an Etsy Seller is Legit
There isn’t an approval process sellers must go through before they can open a shop on Etsy. Anyone can join. Etsy may shut down a shop if they receive complaints, but there are many shops that fly under the radar long enough to make several sales. Because it’s so quick and easy…
How to Open a Case on Etsy (if you’ve been scammed)
There are millions of sellers on Etsy, and the majority of them are running legitimate businesses. However, there are times buyers don’t receive the items they’ve purchased, or they receive something different than they were expecting. If this has happened to you and you’re unable to resolve the issue with the seller, you can open…
Is Etsy Safe to Buy From? How to Avoid Getting Scammed
Yes, Etsy is safe to buy from because of its secure payment system, the protection Etsy offers buyers, and its review system. Etsy has been around since 2005 and has processed billions of dollars in transactions. There are millions of sellers on Etsy, most of whom are trustworthy. If you buy an item…
How to Make Selling on Etsy Easy
Etsy is one of the most popular platforms for buying and selling handmade. Its low prices and simple registration form make it easy to sign up. But is it easy to sell on Etsy? Is Etsy Easy to Sell On? Etsy is easy to set up a shop and list your products; it’s not…
The Best Place to Sell Handmade Products Online
There are so many platforms to sell handmade products online. But which is the best place? Just like anything in life, the answer is subjective. It depends on where you live, what types of products you sell, your skill level online, and several other factors. Where is the best place to sell handmade products…