No interest in my handmade crayon tote bags on Marketplace

[Helensalsa]

Hi everyone,
I'm hoping for a bit of advice from fellow parents. 😊
I've recently started making handmade Disney-themed children's crayon tote bags and have listed them on Facebook Marketplace, but unfortunately I haven't had any enquiries yet.
I'd really appreciate some honest feedback from a parent's point of view. Is there anything that would make you more likely to buy one? Is it the photos, the description, the price, or is it just not something you'd look for on Marketplace?
I genuinely believe the quality and price are good, but I'd love to know what I could improve. I've shared them on a few Strood Facebook groups too, but still haven't had any messages or comments. Similar products seem to sell well in shops like Argos, so I'm wondering what I'm missing.
Any constructive advice would be hugely appreciated.
Thank you, Hels ❤️

Pen holder is not deep enough so they will keep falling out. I would spend all my time putting pens away individually instead of being able to grab them and shove them in. I would rather that bit be inside the bag

Just not something I would buy really, I'd just think all the pens would fall out, it's not very practical. I'd get a pencil case.

I get loads of those type of canvas tote bags from conferences and events. I wouldn’t dream of actually paying for one.

I have too - I'm concerned that a child's face and location are on Mumsnet.

HQ said they're waiting to see if the OP returns to the thread - which isn't really good enough.

I’ve seen them on Facebook marketplace and it’s £20 a bag

The little girl in the picture is cute, but do you really want her image on facebook, or on Mumsnet?

• Stop using unlicensed fabric or you'll get sued. Disney are VERY protective of their copyright.
• Your product design is impractical and not executed well enough to tempt the bespoke market
• Pencil or crayon rolls are more practical. I used to sell those for a local charity and they went well. Applique an initial if you want to personalised them.
• Etsy is better for crafters than Facebook Marketplace. It's like trying to sell patisserie at a car boot. Wrong clientele.

Good luck!

I found OP's surname by searching for the price of this crayon bag . . .

I will report too

Hmm yeah that's concerning. OP you have to be careful.

I don't see the point tbh, surely crayons and felt pens are all kept in a plastic box with a lid on, why on earth would you wear them?

You look like you can sew so maybe diversify your items, I would buy a home made peg bag or a dirty laundry bag for taking on holiday and separating your clean and dirty clothes.

Search for the bag and you go to her own Facebook page plus more photos of the bags and child.

I don’t understand the product. Bags are for keeping things in not outside of? If it was an apron could understand but there’s also a H&S risk of child running. Sharp pencil or scissors (know they shouldn’t but could happen) jabbing into them. For carrying risk the crayons will fall out. Who needs to carry crayons around this way? When windy or outside just not practical. Not sure of price but to pay you properly it would need to be steep.

All that said why not do market research? Best products start bottom up from need not an idea 💡 top down?

It doesn’t look at all practical.

As I’m uncomfortable with this little girl being
shown on here and easily identifiable, I reported this post.

I suspect this was a non too subtle attempt at advertising, expecting lots of "please send me details" rather than being a genuine "what is wrong".

This. Disney are savage when it comes to protecting their brand. You cannot sell handmade items with Disney characters on - they WILL sue you and they’ve shithot lawyers. It’s not worth it. I saw a seller on Etsy go down hard for just this sort of thing. You can use the fabric to make things for yourself but you cannot sell them for profit.

I wondered if it was some kind of revenge post, especially if OP can be identified irl

selling handmade is hard! it's great that you have created this. I do wonder with a different product you may have more success.

The things I look for handmade are baby clothes, new baby gifts (I have bought outfits and blankets with my nieces name sewn on before) anything gifty really.

Also gifts to give out at birthday parties! I spend £5-10 per kids' birthday party but would usually grab somethign at the store for convince. If I could buy 7 handmade pencil cases for £50 I would spend that. If they were rewrapped in wrapping paper even better! I would like a cute label that mentioned it was handmade by a female business owner and would also like really lovely cute fabric.

goodluck! it's great to show your daughter that you can make money online :)

Same, plus we know the area she lives in, and the background photo details

Ok so, I've had a nosy at your other items, your dice bags are way better than the 'crayon tote'.
If you scale up the dice bags, you could market them as knitting/crochet project bags.

In all honesty I have a 7 year old and I accumulate so much stuff from parties, birthday and Christmas, arcade visits, gift shops, hand me downs, I just don't go out of my way to buy anymore tat for her. It's all bloody landfill at the end of the day

Agree with this. Was an attempt at covert advertising that has gone awry because of all the excellent feedback on why the product isn't selling.

OP, maybe take some of the valuable advice and go back to the drawing board. Being able to sew is a handy skill, but this bag isn't the best showcase for it.

I was basically going to say all of this. I don’t want to be overly critical but when I saw the bag my first thought was that it was a good beginner sewing project. It’s something I could knock out in about 30 minutes and it would be perfectly functional and last ages but it doesn’t have the finishes that I’d want on a £20 tote bag.

I’m sorry to be a downer, but this looks like a pointless object - children don’t tend to put things away as soon as they’ve used them, so why would you hold crayons in individual pockets? A pencil case would be more effective.

Nice idea in theory, although impractical.

I'd make an A5 or A4 size tote (neutral fabric) with a matching pencil case, perhaps with a D-ring or other type clip to attach the two together. You could embellish the front of the tote and/or pencil case with the child's initial.

Don't stop sewing! If I were you, I'd kept making things like that for my own children, using them as guinea pigs to see what works and what doesn't.

Anything with Disney print, Harry Potter, Minecraft etc is subject to copyright laws, so be very careful what you choose. I have made stuff in these prints as gifts, but never to sell.

Onwards! 💐