Can I easily Sell My Crochet Online? This is a question I see repeatedly in some of the crochet Facebook groups that I am a member of. I will admit I have often asked this question myself. Crocheting is something those that crochet truly enjoy and they want others to enjoy the items that they have worked countless hours to create.
Not to mention when you love to crochet you often end up with more items than you care to keep for yourself. Do you really need all 47 of those beanies you made? Selling your items seems like the most logical next step to take.
I also asked “Can I sell my crochet online?” and I gave it a shot. With that, I do have a small amount of experience with selling crochet items online, so I will tell you about it. Last year I started making baby bonnets because I was expecting my first grandchild, a girl. I figured they were cute, the pattern was free, so why not try to make one for the baby. I fell in love with the pattern and before I knew it I was crocheting more and more. The pattern was so easy, I didn’t even need to read it anymore and they worked up so quickly.
The pattern I used was the THE BLUEBELL BABY BONNET by Maisie and Ruth. Below is a link to their Pinterest page.
I was posting pictures of my progress on Facebook to share with my friends and family. One person commented saying I should sell these bonnets. I had not really considered this. I was just enjoying my time learning and improving my crochet skills.
Since I had now made several Bonnets and had extra I thought perhaps it was time to give selling them a chance and see what happens. I put a listing out on Facebook Marketplace with two of the bonnets. I had it listed for $10 for local pick-up or shipping for an additional $4.(I felt this was a fair price as it only takes a couple of hours to make and technically I’m still learning.) Two days later I sold one!
I was stoked, but before you get too excited, please know I haven’t sold anymore. I eventually took my Facebook marketplace listing down and did a listing on Etsy. Still, I have not sold anymore. I have, however, made several and gave them as gifts for friends who are expecting or have recently had babies. In the near future I plan to give Facebook marketplace another go since Fall and Winter are coming soon.
Is it profitable to sell my crochet items?
Selling crochet and being profitable won’t be easy. Crocheting in general is a slow process, so the amount of money you will get for your time might not be what you are expecting. Keep reading for more obstacles you might face to make a profit.
How do I price my crochet?
Following “can I sell my crochet online?” the next question is, “how do I price my crochet?” There is really no easy answer. The standard answer that most people give is “3 times the cost of supplies”. Some people consider this method crazy because it shorts them an “hourly wage”.
Here is my personal opinion on this. Crochet is a VERY slow process in general. Even small items take a decent amount of time.
Let’s use the example of a hair scrunchie. Let’s assume it takes you one hour to make it and the hourly wage you pay yourself is $10. Are people actually going to pay $10 for 1 scrunchie? I certainly wouldn’t.
Let’s continue this example with the scrunchie and one hour of crochet time, but this time let’s look at 3 times the cost of supplies. You bought a skein of yarn for $6.99. So the cost of supplies times 3 would be about $21. Now if you consider you could make 10 scrunchies from that one skein of yarn, your price per scrunchie is now $2.10. Now I agree that is too low for a crocheted scrunchie, but I think it gives you a STARTING point to figure out your price, not an end result.
Next example, one blanket that you made using 10 skeins of $6.99 yarn. Now your price has become $210 for a blanket. Is that a fair price? What if it took you 40 hours to make it?
I I think the best way to price crochet items for selling is to go with a price that is fair. Not a price based on the cost of supplies nor based on the amount of time spent to crochet the item. The way I look at it is if crocheting is your hobby, it doesn’t matter how long it takes. You’re not necessarily “working,”to make money, you’re enjoying your time crocheting and you’re getting a few dollars in return for time spent on a hobby.
Now obviously if crocheting is what you do for a living, then a fair price might not make you any actual profit. It is definitely a thin line and there are many options to consider.
Shipping Cost
As if pricing isn’t hard enough to figure out, listing items on Etsy is even tougher because now you have additional fees to consider, not to mention the cost of shipping. For example, yesterday I was looking at some crocheted items on Etsy. The item itself was selling for $5.50, which was not a terrible price, but if I purchased it I would have to add $4.50 for shipping. The shipping cost is just about as much as the purchase price!
On a small item such as this, the seller and the buyer would benefit more from selling multiple items instead of a single one. Not all items can do this though. This is where you have to put a lot of thought into each listing. For example, the same scrunchie from above, what if you sold it as a set of 3. The shipping would likely be close to the same for one as it would be for three making it “cheaper” to purchase 3 at a time instead of 1.
Do crochet Items Sell?
Another factor to consider, will your crochet items even sell if you put them online? Marketplaces like Etsy are saturated with crochet. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that getting your items seen will take some work.
You will likely hear the term oversaturation a lot, but that doesn’t necessarily mean competition. Sometimes it can also mean demand. I have heard it explained this way: How many different types of bread are on the bread isle? Have people stopped making bread?
When it comes to selling things online there are a few extra things you need to learn. Probably one of the most important of those things is SEO, or search engine optimization. That is really just a fancy way of letting the search engines such as Google know what you are trying to tell them.
In Layman’s terms you need to know how to write good descriptions and headings and such so that Google knows what you are trying to sell. That way when a potential customer searches Google for an item, Google can match them to the item you are selling if it fits what they are looking for.
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Alternatives for Selling your crochet online
After you have asked and answered “Can I sell my crochet online?” maybe you will decide on an alternate route. Not all of us are able to give money to our favorite charities, but there are so many ways you can donate your crochet! There is always a need for newborn hats in the NICU units, nursing home residents could always use blankets or lap blankets, hats and scarves are great for homeless shelters, and don’t forget the dog and cat shelters, perhaps they would like a blanket.
Christmas time is also a great time to donate handmade items. Not only to homeless shelters or nursing homes, but even places for kids. I am always seeing the “angel trees” at public places where you sponsor a kid for Christmas, but if you don’t have the funds to do that you could crochet something small for each child, or even just a few of the kids.
There is also a Facebook group called “Random Acts of Crochet Kindness” where people all over create small crochet items to leave in random places for strangers to find. It is a way to brighten the day of someone you don’t know. Some of the posts on the Facebook page are from people who have found the items and not just from the people who have created them. People usually have a photo of the item they found and where they found it. It is just proof that people appreciate the random acts of crochet kindness when they find them!
Other items to consider if you are looking to donate are pocket hugs and worry worms. You can read about them here. I am currently working some up to donate.
Another popular Facebook group for crochet donation is Operation Gratitude. This is a private group page dedicated to donations for our soldiers. Within this group you can find out what to crochet and the colors and sizes required. There are even “clear your stash” challenges!
Crochet is such a beautiful art, but selling your items is not always feasible. I think you should definitely try, nothing wrong with that, but if it doesn’t work out remember there are always other options available. So, when you ask, “Can I really sell my crochet online?”, maybe do a little selling and a little donating. A lot of times people want your items, they just can’t afford them. Especially in this economy we are currently in. Your donation or gift might just be what one person needs to make it through another day.
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