How to start selling handmade crochet and knitted items

[Bailey711]

Hi

i looking to start selling my crochet and knit wear baby items men’s would like some help where to start

Honestly? I think they are beautiful, but I'm not sure there is a market for them. I knit and with the cost of wool, and how long a garment takes I don't think other people realise how much hand made things should cost.

How much are they costing you and how long does each one take from start to finish?

Sadly this is my experience. People think handmade = cheap.

You could try etsy, but tbh it's full of temu shit these days.

They do look well made but I don’t believe there is a market for these type of items anymore.

They're gorgeous, I do love seeing babies in knitted cardigans...

Pop them on Vinted

Folksy might be better than Etsy.

No one is going to pay the amount it costs too make them let alone any extra to make a profit. This has been the issue with handmade items for a long time and only had been made worse by how easy it is to buy cheaply from abroad.

The trick is to find something that is quick and easy to make that you can sell on at a profit. Good luck.

I haven’t seen a baby in a handknit cardigan for years. But my friend gave me a dear little crochet cat she bought me for my birthday this year . It’s about 6 inches long and holding a little handwritten verse.

I tried selling crocheted hair scrunchies on vinted which are really easy and quick to make. I sold a few, but no real profit so wasn't worth it.

Practically nobody dresses their babies in handmade clothes any more. Probably because they are a right nuisance to wash. Even our local charity shop won't accept handmade baby items, and they've not done so for about 20 years.

A friend of mine sells knitted & crocheted items online, but she is outstanding, been doing it for years, and has a waiting list for her stuff.

The market is saturated and you'll struggle to make money on this. Not sure what's going on with the white thing bottom right, maybe don't include that as an example of your work!

If I was in the market for handknitted baby items I'd knit them myself I'd want them made with quality yarns and not cheap acrylic, and more contemporary designs.

You need to avoid buttons as they're a safety hazard for babies.

Similar items get sold from a table in our major hospital foyer. The deal is the hospital (or friends of the hosp) gets 10%. I think they must sell as they keep returning among the rota of table sales.

Edited to say I wonder if traditional patterns using funkier yarns might be a thing?

Do you have to consider fire regulations with children’s clothes?

Also, how much do you plan to sell them for? You can get baby cardigans in Sainsbury for around £10 and Next for £15, so equivalent to an hour’s pay. How does this compare to how long they took to knit, plus price of wool?

I agree that there isn't really a big market for these type of items, however lovely they are. That said, I have seen similar on my local market and in the Women's Institute market. I feel these items are beloved by grannies and great grannies and they knit them for their grand/great grandchildren, but parents these days don't dress their babies in them.

You could try taking a table at things like Christmas fairs, where people go looking for good quality handmade gifts, and you can chat with customers.

Otherwise you will struggle, because, as others have said, the cost of time and materials is never going to be recouped by a sale. It only works if you are doing it as a hobby, have access to fairly cheap materials, and wouldn't be doing anything more profitable with your time.

They're very cute and you obviously have a talent for crochet 😍 but you will struggle to find buyers, I'm afraid. People don't value handmade and just want cheapo Shein Shite 😭

I get orders for items like this all the time, I post on a market place at work then get orders from word of mouth from colleagues friends and families. Just this week I sold a car seat blanket, hat and cardigan to one lady at work. I get a lot of orders for little amigurami keyrings too

They're cute but quite dated. A few elderly relatives gifted me similar items when I had my babies 18-20 years ago & I did use them but they wouldn't be something I'd buy.
There's some lovely modern patterns & natural yarns in different colours that might be more marketable.

All the things said above. Also, not intending to be rude, but these little tops are pretty old fashioned looking. I dabbled with selling crochet during COVID and it's very hard as you need to promote yourself endlessly on social media and it's really not worth it financially. I just make things for myself and family now.

If you want to sell crochet you are better off going down the amigurumi/teddy route, these sell alot more than wearables.

There’s hand knitted baby items advertised on my local facebook marketplace, would be worth trying that. Also could add that you are happy to knit from customer supplied patterns. I used to knit for local wool shop years ago so that’s another option. Good luck

I remember reading on a similar thread, that someone made more money out of teaching the craft, than she did out of making and selling the items.