can i have your help and suggestions???

[bettykelly123]

i really enjoy making little dresses and skirts for my two daughters and when i showed a friend what i was working on today she said i should try and sell them.
its something id love to try doing on line but i need some help. (well lots of advice really)
firstly can i have some help choosing a shop name.......
then how do i set up a web site and how much would it cost.....do i need a web site or should i start on ebay or etsy?
can anyone offer any advce on things ive not thought about.
many thanks

You'd be best off testing the water by setting up a free online shop with one of the craft websites such as etsy or folksy, they work in a similar way to eBay, but are aimed at crafts , saves laying out for a website until you know for sure you have something enough people want to buy - sorry can't add links as on my phone, but you'll find them if you Google.

I wouldn't recommend going straight laying out a lot of money on a website etc, you'd need to be aiming at a bigger business to make it worthwhile + the fashion industry is fickle + its not as easy to make money without any real experience as people often think, as you might be lucky, but take it slowly + don't over stretch yourself - good luck :)

I echo rockinhippy, don't fork out for a website when no one even knows of your existance.

Start on Etsy and Folksy, go to craft fairs, see what's around ou in the way of local crafty groups etc or little boutique shops that might sell your stuff for you.

Take it slowly, test the waters with a few items on Etsy. Follow other people who sell similar things to you. Maybe start a blog where people can order your items but you can also just blog about what you make etc and why.

Good luck! I hope you do well.

I also know a few people that sell on FB. Not sure if it is worth selling on ebay, handcrafts are so undervalued anyway & I think ebay buyers are looking for bargains not craftmanship.

Yes and a blog is good, most of the people I know do give-aways to build up their following - offer something you have made or some of your stash should you reach 50/100/150 followers etc. Quite often you have to subscribe to the blog to take part in a giveaway or like the fb page, sometimes you have to mention the giveaway on your own blog, all these help to spread the word.

You can set up a blog really easily on your own using blogger or wordpress.

I've sold hand crafted stuff on e-bay getoutofmypub & was surprised to find it pretty good, I did cover myself with a high starting price, but ended up selling the items for more as I had a few people fighting over them - I did promote them as limited runs, only 6 in existence etc etc & it was the run up to Xmas & it was gift items, which I think helped a lot.

So I wouldn't rule it out all together, but you do need to look at what you sell in comparison to others - I have tried it with ladies clothes before which is something I know well & found it pretty much as you say, but I was getting rid of samples so probably didn't put as much effort in & didn't have high starting prices - selling is weird, sometimes pricing high actually gets you sales

I wouldn't recommend Ebay to any crafter unless they were going to sell a lot of crafts and by that I mean loads. Reason being I really think a lot of crafters on Ebay down sell themselves and aren't doing themselves or other crafters any favours. You'll see beautiful things that must have taken ages to make selling for peanuts. Plus there are more fees. Try starting with Folksy.

thank you all so much its given me loads to think about. your right thought to start small. think ill make up a few dresses and give to a friend who runs her own beauty business so i know she would tell her customers if she liked them. think its the best was to start i think plus ill look into etsy and folksy too. again thank you all for your help x

Don't forget about insurance as well.

ranty what type of insurance would i need. sorry if this is a stupid question but i had no idea i needed insurance .

I've been making & selling for years & never had any specific insurance, apart from when I was doing things on a much bigger scale

so don't worry about it

If you're set on having a website, why not get a free blog from wordpress.com or something, and use that instead? :O)

I second the suggestion of starting on Etsy, as you'll get a lot of "passing trade" from those that you won't from your own separate website. Good luck!

folksy is the UK equivalent of etsy, though I have bought off both. I have also bought of notonthehighstreet too.

A blog is a good tool to support your eselling, as you talk about what you make etc, sometimes offering discounts or prize draws can tempt people in.

I think small scale you don't need to have additional insurance, just make sure your contents cover is enough for your stash and machine should the worst happen.

It may be worth making up a few more samples and talking to your friends, co-workers and playgroup/babygroup as well, the more input the better. Some people want to pay a pittance for things that are beautifully hand crafted and don't realise the time put into something like that.

It's also worth looking at how long it takes to make one item from scratch, how long it would take to make 4 & 8 items at the same time, you may find that a little bit of time saved can help your item costs as well. I like to break things into steps so that I can do all of that bit and then start the next step. It's sometimes something simple that can save you alot of time. MiL is a big fan of chain stitching, as in lining things up to go through the machine in a chain, then snips apart to assemble.

kellestar thanks so much very valuable advice. thanks also to everyone else for your help and support x