Handmade Crafts

Handmade Crafts questions and answers

Check out the latest article on Free Christmas Crafts at the GetCrafty.com Crafts Website.

Q: Are logos/team mascots illegal to recreate in handmade crafts?
I do a lot of PC (plastic canvas) and needle point work on various things. I saw a very cute Eagles tissue box that seemed like it would be a popular item. Is it illegal to recreate school/professional mascot logos on handmade items with the intention to sell them at craft shows? I don't want to get in trouble with copyright laws so hopefully someone knows.

A: For your own use or as gifts to your family members I doubt if anything would ever be said. However, The logos are copyrighted and require a license from the copyright owner to reproduce them for commercial sale. Producing them for sale without permission is a violation of the copyright laws and could result in a lawsuit.

Q: Handmade crafts?
I make things from wood, any ideas for the fall festivals

A: wooden pumkins,pumkin candle holders,card holders, leaves,turkeys, I make wreaths and I paint and glue wooden leaves and pumkins on them...also pine cones

Q: how many of you would like handmade crafts from africa?
i sell african crafts and jewellery, howm any of you would like to view them and experience Africas richness and culture?

A: I would be willing to view them for five seconds.

Q: Do you still buy handmade crafts?
Are there still people interested in purchasing handmade crafts? I'm not talking about stuff from the wholesale catalogs that is imported. I would like to start selling in craft shows. I hand paint on shovels and love to do tole painting for the holidays. I have tried E-Bay with no luck, it costs way to much to list and paypal is too expensive. Would love your feedback, Thanks!

A: Absolutely! People love to buy homemade crafts. That is why they have craft shows. If you are doing it just for the enjoyment and to earn a little extra money, that is great. You probably won't get rich selling crafts unless you can market them to a large customer base and mass produce them.

Q: How would I find handmade crafts from 1776 through 1825?
I need to be able to view some of these crafts on the computer.

A: www.textilemuseum.org

Q: What type of license do I need to sell handmade crafts at shows/festivals in wv?
If it is a general state license, what code would that business fall under? Does this license allow me to also sell items from my home? If I think I can sell more than $4000 of items in a year, what type of license would I then apply for? And last question, will getting a business license negatively affect my IRS refund? Any help is greatly appreciated

A: License? We don't need no stinking license! I don't think you need a license to sell things at craft fairs and swap meets and such. Just go out and sell your stuff. Just do it! First find a place to sell your stuff, then ask them how much it is for a space. Then if you need to comply with any more red tape, I am sure they will tell you. If you are going to sell stuff on e-bay, just start selling it. Just keep track of your profits for income tax purposes. As far as selling stuff out of your house, you would probably need a local license for that. Any money you spend for any licenses would be a deductible business expense. As far as affecting your tax refund, there is absolutely no way anybody can say right now, it depends on so many factors.

Q: What is the best website to sell handmade jewelry and crafts?
I'm not having any luck on ebay, so I would like to find something that is not an auction. I do alot of different kinds of crafts like jewelry, paintings, home decor, kids, etc.

A: ebay

Q: If i will sell my handmade crafts to bookstores, gift shops, how to wirte a proposal to these stores?
if i am going to sell my handmade bookmarks/handmade jewelry to the stores, what should i indicate in my proposal?

A: I would go in and talk to the manager/owner in person. See if they are interested in carrying your crafts. If so, then you can make up a contract saying that you will deliver so many a week for so many weeks. The best thing to do though is to get them in the store without a contract first. Give the manager a few to try and sell and see how they do, if they sell well, the manager may want to carry more. Hope this helps! :-)

Q: how much money people would pay for a handmade (crafts) product?
hand made is a doll for instanse.

A: Unfortunately as an artist, artisan and craftsman I have to tell you that with all the cheaply manufactured items on sale and mainly from china of course, people are not willing to pay a lot of money to make it worth your while to spend all those hours making something by hand. You will never get paid the amount equal to the time you spend. That's why people just do crafts for a hobby.

Q: whats a good site where you can sell your handmade crafts??
i like to knit, crochet, and make beaded jewlery. i wanna save up to get an ipod touch so i need to make somekind of money!! does anyone do the same and make a lot of money sellin somthin online??

A: www.etsy.com www.strictlyhandmade.com

Q: Where is the best place to sell crafts that are handmade?
Hi, I am a very crafty person interested in selling my items, is there any place other than ebay to sell my items.

A: Hi there Well, it depends a lot on what exactly your craft is. I make jewellery and back in 2004 - 5 I had great success selling it on E-Bay. Sadly not any longer, the market there for jewellery is just too competitive unless you have a niche item that is very much in demand (but these tend to only be "hot" for a few months at most) or unless you are working with precious stones and Sterling silver/gold. I've looked at etsy, which some others have recommended, and while it looks as though jewellery doesn't sell overly well other items do - so it may be worth a try. The best advice I can give you if you're considering selling on-line other than through your own website is research, research, research till you are sick of researching - i.e. look at what sells and what doesn't, if it sells then how it's presented - it's the only way. I have also found that local church and school craft fairs are a brilliant market for my jewellery - I am in the UK, don't know where you are, but it's another idea to try. Good luck from one crafter to another!

Q: Etsy, anyone here use Etsy selling your handmade crafts?
Any Etsy dot com users here? If so are you finding sales very slow?

A: Craft sales are slow everywhere. I use Artfire.com. It's a lot like Etsy. I've only made one sale so far, but I've only been using it for about a week...

Q: Why do you buy handmade or craft items?
How often will you buy a handmade/craft item?

A: I like to support other artists & local businesses. And the craftmanship is usually very good. Handmade items stand up to wear and time much better than mass produced.

Q: Etsy and Ebay - Anyone Know any other sites for selling handmade crafts?


A: I just ran across it and don't know how it works but you might want to check out craftfinder.com.

Q: Has anyone ever sold their handmade crafts on etsy.com?
I wonder if it is shopped by a lot of people. They seem organized and have some really great stuff. http://www.etsy.com Did you actually sell anything?

A: I have put a few things for sale on there. It's way cheaper than e bay and they do get a lot of traffic. It's 10 cents an item to post. So hey, try it, see what happens. Good luck!