Selling Your Goods

[tasogarenootome]

Hi everyone, if there's already a thread for this, I'm sorry, please tell me!

OK, so I'm still only a few years into sewing, but the reason I wanted to take it up was because I wanted to make clothes based on designs I liked but could never find anywhere (stuff in my head or based on fashions I saw when I was in Tokyo). The stuff I make isn't all that great or anything, but I like it...so I was really surprised when I wore it to school one day and had people offer to PAY ME TO MAKE THEM THE SAME SHIRT! I was ecstatic and I thought maybe it would be cool to open an internet store through a website or ebay.

So that's where this thread comes in. Have any of you guys ever sold your creations, especially through a store setting? I'm really excited especially cause I could really use the money, but I'm very nervous. I'm nervous about whether or not people will be satisfied and even more I'm nervous because of things I've seen on eBay - I don't know if anyone has ever seen the caps with the kitty ears on them? I was on there looking to buy one one day and I went between two sellers' auctions and from the descriptions, it seemed the sellers were having a dispute over whose design was the original, accusing the other of stealing, etc. I don't use a pattern for my clothes (which is why what I can make well is limited), and though I'm a little nervous about someone stealing my idea, I'm more afraid someone will try to take recourse against me if their clothes are similar to mine. What do you guys think? Did you encounter any other pitfalls when trying to sell your stuff or create an online store? Do you have any other advice?

Sorry this opening post was so long, but any advice is greatly appreciated and thanks again! ^^  

[Story From The Stars]

First of all, it's cool that you're clothes are that popular.
Secondly, if you're worried about people throwing a fit, there are a few things. Try to come up with proof of when you created the design, and if you can, try to come up with a way to prove it's original. Also, unless the design is copyrighted, it doesn't matter if 100 people have the same design, there's nothing you can do about it. And if they have a copyright, even if you came up with yours on your own and first, they've got a copyright, so yu cna't keep making it.
Basically, unless they're the only one with legal rights to it, it doesn't matter.  

[tasogarenootome]

storyfromthestars

First of all, it's cool that you're clothes are that popular.
Secondly, if you're worried about people throwing a fit, there are a few things. Try to come up with proof of when you created the design, and if you can, try to come up with a way to prove it's original. Also, unless the design is copyrighted, it doesn't matter if 100 people have the same design, there's nothing you can do about it. And if they have a copyright, even if you came up with yours on your own and first, they've got a copyright, so yu cna't keep making it.
Basically, unless they're the only one with legal rights to it, it doesn't matter.

Thank you for your reply! They're not really that popular, just a few people and it's a new experience for me. Thanks for your insight on the copyright thing - I don't mind competition, etc, but the thought that someone else could legally force me to stop selling is intimidating. I will try and get a copyright or find some way of protecting myself. Thanks for your advice!  

[Zahra Ovaci]

One thing to watch out for, most crafty people tend to undercharge for their services, and hence get swamped with orders right away. Charge an appropriate amount for your time, plus whatever materials would cost if you had to go and buy them all at once (in case you're not counting something because it's from the stash). Don't sell yourself short! The people who really appreciate handmade goods will respect the work you're putting into it enough to pay what it's worth. If someone tells you "But I could buy a shirt at old navy for $20!" just tell 'em that you're not sweatshop labor. I'm not sure what pricing standards are for sewing, but I know for knitting I wouldn't charge less than $300 for a custom sweater, and depending on what was requested possibly a lot more. Remember, your time (even your "fun" time, when you're making crafts) is the one thing that's not replacable. It's your most valuable resource!  

[I be me]

and I have heard of a lot of people selling their things on etsy
it is a store like ebay but specifically for crafty people.
just google etsy  

[Umberella]

I really like etsy.com for handcrafted things and it is also inspiring to see what other people are working on and getting paid for!  

[firrantello]

I third http://etsy.com
A fair number of people here use them. I've found that since they deal with paypal and all that, it's one less hassle for me. Between what paypal and etsy charge, I lose less than $2 on sales. And it's easier for a lot of people to pay credit/debit/whatever than cash these days, so that's a bit of a help for selling too.

Zahra Ovaci mentioned a good thing, prices. I'm slowly learning to not feel so bad about asking how much I want out of something. Perfect example was an alpaca scarf I knit for a friend. While I do like her and I love she commissions me, I seriously undercut myself. Yarn itself was $30 and I only charged her $45. Scarves take a while to do. A $15 profit to me is about what I expect out of a hat. So yeah. I think the general rule of thumb is to take materials and then either double the cost or even to to 150% on medium size/time things. Yeah, a sweater is extreme, you're going to more than double or even triple the cost sometimes. But for armwarmers or something, it's a little different.

I'm iffy about ebay for a few reasons, the least of which is how many times I've gotten screwed by sellers there. Their fees are much steeper than etsy's and they take a larger chunk (unless they've changed since last I looked which is entirely possible). If you want me to ramble on more, ask some more questions wink  

[Tes]

~
I would advise against trying to sell in a store setting. You may end up struggling to keep up with demand. I think that selling online through your own website or etsy is a good idea, especially as a beginner (at least to the business aspects)

One thing I might mention is that people say a lot of things that they don't really mean. I don't mean to sound harsh or anything, I'm sure the quality and look of your work is great, They may really like your stuff but frankly whenever someone in highschool says they would totally buy it they rarely if ever follow through. I know because I faced up to the same thing.

Copyrighting clothing ideas is one of those tough to pin down things. If you see something you like and you make something like it but don't but the other brand on it, or use the exact same pattern you're in the clear (I am fairly certain anyway). There are only so many different types of clothing in existance, and really you can only copyright something if it is a unique method of production that has been created by you (patterns do count as though as long as they're not super basic).
If someone rips your ideas then you obviously have good ones, just keep on making more and making them better than your competition.
Unless you use someone else's patterns claiming that they're your own, there's not much they can do law wise to force you out of production.
~

 

[tasogarenootome]

Tes

~
I would advise against trying to sell in a store setting. You may end up struggling to keep up with demand. I think that selling online through your own website or etsy is a good idea, especially as a beginner (at least to the business aspects)

One thing I might mention is that people say a lot of things that they don't really mean. I don't mean to sound harsh or anything, I'm sure the quality and look of your work is great, They may really like your stuff but frankly whenever someone in highschool says they would totally buy it they rarely if ever follow through. I know because I faced up to the same thing.

Copyrighting clothing ideas is one of those tough to pin down things. If you see something you like and you make something like it but don't but the other brand on it, or use the exact same pattern you're in the clear (I am fairly certain anyway). There are only so many different types of clothing in existance, and really you can only copyright something if it is a unique method of production that has been created by you (patterns do count as though as long as they're not super basic).
If someone rips your ideas then you obviously have good ones, just keep on making more and making them better than your competition.
Unless you use someone else's patterns claiming that they're your own, there's not much they can do law wise to force you out of production.
~

Thanks everyone for your advice. I know I'm taking a big risk and ultimately may never sell an outfit, but after listening to y'all, I may go set up a store on Etsy and give it a try. Thank you guys so much for your help! ^^  

[Zahra Ovaci]

One thing to think of, I know a lot of Gaians are younger people, but Etsy and Ebay and whatnot do require credit cards to set up seller's accounts. Me, I don't like to bother with credit cards, though I have been thinking of getting one specifically for Etsy.  

[firrantello]

Zahra Ovaci

One thing to think of, I know a lot of Gaians are younger people, but Etsy and Ebay and whatnot do require credit cards to set up seller's accounts. Me, I don't like to bother with credit cards, though I have been thinking of getting one specifically for Etsy.

This is true. Etsy only uses it to charge the listing fee though. Everything else can be done through PayPal. Which, again, does require a credit or debit card. But yeah. Buying through Etsy you can actually use several methods.

Actually, I think for Etsy you can pay through a checking account, but also, lots of younger people don't have those. Oh well.  

[Tes]

firrantello

Zahra Ovaci

One thing to think of, I know a lot of Gaians are younger people, but Etsy and Ebay and whatnot do require credit cards to set up seller's accounts. Me, I don't like to bother with credit cards, though I have been thinking of getting one specifically for Etsy.

This is true. Etsy only uses it to charge the listing fee though. Everything else can be done through PayPal. Which, again, does require a credit or debit card. But yeah. Buying through Etsy you can actually use several methods.

Actually, I think for Etsy you can pay through a checking account, but also, lots of younger people don't have those. Oh well.

~
I don't see why one couldn't get a chequing account. I got mine when I was 15, for free and I only had $5 in it for the longest time. I also had a paypal account since I was probably 18 or something silly, without having had a credit card; I just needed a bank account and to verify my address by having them send me some mail, and like all of 65 cents to make sure my bank account was real.
I have been selling stuff online since I was about 16 or something, so it's not like it's impossible for the younger gaians to make sales online. They just need to take the innitiative to get themselves set up.
~

 

[tasogarenootome]

I'm 22 and have used eBay before to sell some manga and stuff, so hopefully Etsy will work out. I guess I can understand the rule about having to have a card/account and be a certain age on eBay and Etsy (I keep thinking of this story I saw on ET years ago where this 12 year old boy took his parents' card and ran up a good amount of money on it buying things merely to resell them at higher prices - it might have worked better if he had put money back on his parents' card. ^^)

Anyway, thanks for the heads up and advice! ^^  

[PoppyDadswell]

tasogarenootome

Hi everyone, if there's already a thread for this, I'm sorry, please tell me!

OK, so I'm still only a few years into sewing, but the reason I wanted to take it up was because I wanted to make clothes based on designs I liked but could never find anywhere (stuff in my head or based on fashions I saw when I was in Tokyo). The stuff I make isn't all that great or anything, but I like it...so I was really surprised when I wore it to school one day and had people offer to PAY ME TO MAKE THEM THE SAME SHIRT! I was ecstatic and I thought maybe it would be cool to open an internet store through a website or ebay.

So that's where this thread comes in. Have any of you guys ever sold your creations, especially through a store setting? I'm really excited especially cause I could really use the money, but I'm very nervous. I'm nervous about whether or not people will be satisfied and even more I'm nervous because of things I've seen on eBay - I don't know if anyone has ever seen the caps with the kitty ears on them? I was on there looking to buy one one day and I went between two sellers' auctions and from the descriptions, it seemed the sellers were having a dispute over whose design was the original, accusing the other of stealing, etc. I don't use a pattern for my clothes (which is why what I can make well is limited), and though I'm a little nervous about someone stealing my idea, I'm more afraid someone will try to take recourse against me if their clothes are similar to mine. What do you guys think? Did you encounter any other pitfalls when trying to sell your stuff or create an online store? Do you have any other advice?

Sorry this opening post was so long, but any advice is greatly appreciated and thanks again! ^^

can you show us your work?