4 Things All Crochet Business Owners Should Know

Thinking of starting up your own crochet business selling items that you’ve made? Here are our four top tips for making your venture a success.

Don't target crafters

At the moment, you probably follow lots of other crafters on social media, and it may be tempting to invite them to buy your handmade items. However, crafters are less likely to buy homemade products, because they may feel they could create something similar themselves. Instead, concentrate on targeting non-crafters. These are people who will be more interested in your actual finished product, rather than the technique you used to create it.

4 Things All Crochet Business Owners Should Know

Don't undervalue yourself

The biggest mistake many craft sellers make is undervaluing their work. There are many different formulas for working out a price, but at the very minimum you need to factor in how much your time is worth in terms of pounds per hour, the cost of materials and other expenses such as selling fees. For example, if it takes you two hours to make a child’s hat, working at £7 an hour, from a 100g ball of yarn costing £2.50, you’ll be looking at a price of at least £16.50. Compare this price to other similar items on your preferred selling platform, then take it from there. Remember, just because you might be reluctant to pay that price for the item, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a viable market out there made up of people who would be willing to pay it.

Know the law

Check whether the author or publisher of the pattern you are using allows you to sell items made from it. Some designers are fine with it and ask for a credit in return. To avoid infringing copyright, don’t make anything that features someone else’s characters, logos or names and also avoid using the names of popular brands, such as Disney Frozen, in your listings.

Find your niche

In an ideal world, you want your business to become the go-to place for a particular item, whether that’s classy crochet beanies or zany amigurumi aliens. Filling your online store with all manner of different items dilutes your vision and may put buyers off. Find your USP and stick to it, rather than trying to appeal to everyone.