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So I've recently decided that I would love to do stamping or scrapping in some form or another as a career. My husband is very supportive and says that I'm free to do this as long as i make as much as I do now. I'm just wondering if you CAN make a living while doing this. If you have any ideas or you are successful with this and don't mind sharing I would really appriciate it!
Thanks in Advance.
Pam
Well, like any new business...it will take time to actually make money. So please keep that in mind, no matter what you choose to do. (Sell your cards, design your own stamps, become a Demo for a company, etc.)
You have to treat it as a real business though. You'll have to set work hours for yourself, advertise, and make calls.
But yes, you can really make money if you really work at it. Good luck with what you choose to do!
So I've recently decided that I would love to do stamping or scrapping in some form or another as a career. My husband is very supportive and says that I'm free to do this as long as i make as much as I do now. I'm just wondering if you CAN make a living while doing this. If you have any ideas or you are successful with this and don't mind sharing I would really appriciate it!
Thanks in Advance.
Pam
I would say that if you find a good outlet for selling cards you could do very well. I sell thousands of cards a year but is money I put right back into my soldier project by purchsing cardstock, adhesives and mainly postage.
I would not want to do it full time or I would come to dislike going in to my stamp room after awhile...I do not want that to happen.
Blessings and good luck to you.
I would say it depends also on your city and if you have a lot of festivals, craft shows, and such where you could sell and if the public is willing to
pay enough for you to make a profit. In some areas, the people may be more
willing to hand out the money for cards than others. And, of course, as already mentioned you would need some way of getting your name out there
so you could sell on a regular basis.
__________________ My Blog---My Gallery---My PinterestI'm a Punchkateer! (Prez) FOREVERDirty Dozen Alumni2014 CAS Spring DT--- Inspiration Challenge Co- Hostess 12/02/17-12/28/19 Watercolor Wednesday Design Team Hebrews 13:2Brenda
It's VERY difficult to replace the earnings of even a low-paying job with scrapbook/card sales, being a demonstrator, teaching classes, or any of the other ways there are to make money from your crafting. You need to really sit down and write out all of the costs and expected earnings, and figure out what your hourly income would be. Now factor in taxes, lost benefits from quitting your job, like insurance, and see if a crafting business can really compete.
The economy is extremely unsure right now. I'd urge you to think very carefully before quitting a stable job.
I wonder how much folks make off of Ebay sales. I saw a set of scrapbook pages (2) go for 1500 dollars. I realize that is not the norm but it seems people will pay if your good.
__________________ ************************************************************** Deborah "Imagination is more important than knowledge" ~ Albert Einstein
It's VERY difficult to replace the earnings of even a low-paying job with scrapbook/card sales, being a demonstrator, teaching classes, or any of the other ways there are to make money from your crafting. You need to really sit down and write out all of the costs and expected earnings, and figure out what your hourly income would be. Now factor in taxes, lost benefits from quitting your job, like insurance, and see if a crafting business can really compete.
The economy is extremely unsure right now. I'd urge you to think very carefully before quitting a stable job.
I agree!
__________________ Jeanne S - Inky Paws SCS Moderator
I wonder how much folks make off of Ebay sales. I saw a set of scrapbook pages (2) go for 1500 dollars. I realize that is not the norm but it seems people will pay if your good.
So I've recently decided that I would love to do stamping or scrapping in some form or another as a career. My husband is very supportive and says that I'm free to do this as long as i make as much as I do now. I'm just wondering if you CAN make a living while doing this. If you have any ideas or you are successful with this and don't mind sharing I would really appriciate it!
Thanks in Advance.
Pam
If you mean make a living as in "pay-the-mortgage"/sole provider type salary/career, my honest answer would be "No."
Generally speaking, most crafters make what is referred to as "pin" money.
Take the family on a nice vacation, install a swimming pool, buy a new car or put the kids through college? Absolutely, depending on what you avenue you decide to pursue and how much time you want to devote to it!
But, before you ditch that steady/solid job you already have, I'd definitely keep Krystie's advice very much in mind:
Quote:
Originally Posted by krystie lee
. . . It's VERY difficult to replace the earnings of even a low-paying job with scrapbook/card sales, being a demonstrator, teaching classes, or any of the other ways there are to make money from your crafting. You need to really sit down and write out all of the costs and expected earnings, and figure out what your hourly income would be. Now factor in taxes, lost benefits from quitting your job, like insurance, and see if a crafting business can really compete.
The economy is extremely unsure right now. I'd urge you to think very carefully before quitting a stable job.
Good luck to you, and definitely do your homework. ;)
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I wonder how much folks make off of Ebay sales. I saw a set of scrapbook pages (2) go for 1500 dollars. I realize that is not the norm but it seems people will pay if your good.
Gasp! I wonder if there is any buyer's remorse when this happens, I just can't fathom why someone would want 2 pages for that much. I've seen some gorgeous Tear-Bear pages that were TDF that anyone would be so blessed to own go for up to $300.00 but 1500???! I'm just so shocked, lol. It must have been beyond breath-taking!
Would you consider doing both full time for awhile? Its a lot of work and you may feel overwealmed, but in this day and age, I'd be more concerned about keeping a stead income from your day job.
Would you consider doing both full time for awhile? Its a lot of work and you may feel overwealmed, but in this day and age, I'd be more concerned about keeping a stead income from your day job.
I wish you luck!
I would have to agree here, but how about working in an established scrapbooking/stamping store in your area and branching out from there? I'm not sure of the skills you have, but this, if available, could help to supplement your creative endeavors.
Nancy
__________________ Visit my GALLERY...you know you want to...or at least I WANT you to!
The pages were paper piecing and had a mermaid theme for a little girl and lots of glittery stuff. Maybe it was katie holmes bidding for little Suri lol.
Anyhow on making money, I once did craft shows in the summer to supplement my teaching job. I am a fine artist and have a fine arts degree. I painted on clothing. There is a lot involved with doing shows. There is the show fee, the cost of gas getting there, the cost of keeping your supply stocked, don't forget taxes. Most craft shows now have a tax person walking around and taking down your tax id number to make sure you report your earining. Also lets say you did good at a show, then your inventory is wiped out and you put the money you made into new inventory. All this and not counting your time you put in. I would say after all was said and done I ended up with a few bucks but mostly broke even. It was fun at first to see someone buy your work. After you get over that then you will see the picky customers that say I like this but can you do it in pink for me? Then you have customers calling you just before Christmas with huge orders and your so successful you don't have time for your own Christmas stuff. I don't know it was an experience but it was not worth it for me.
__________________ ************************************************************** Deborah "Imagination is more important than knowledge" ~ Albert Einstein
Last edited by Nicole's Mom; 03-31-2009 at 12:21 PM..
I know a bunch of professional designers that quit designing and are now working at accounting or business jobs because they couldn't enough money coming in each month to pay their bills.
With the economy so messed up, it might be a good idea to keep your day job and just try some sales on etsy or ebay or at craft fairs to see how that works out before you jump into anything that you might regret later on.
In my case, the answer is no. But maybe you can make it work. I also agree with those that say look long and hard before you leap. Most people that I know that have turned a hobby into a profession have started it as a side business and only gave up their "day job" after the side business is flourishing enough to support them. People are cutting back everywhere and I'm sure scrapping/stamping is included.
Personally, the pressure to make money would take all of the fun out of it for me. I am a SU demo, but purely for my own enjoyment. If I end up with a few customers, great! Now I have new stamping buddies. But I could never do it with the intent for it to be a business.
MOST scrapbook pages on ebay DONT sell at all, (Jenn the one that sold them for 1500 has loyal ebayers) but there are MANY MANY layouts for sale on ebay so it is difficult to get a sale. Especially with the economy how it is it is very difficult to start making real money in scrapbooking or cardmaking.
My best advice to you is become a demonstrator for a company (SU or CTMH, etc) that way the brand sells itself and you aren't starting from scratch trying to make a name for yourself. As a demonstrator, you can still try to sell your cards and layouts as well. Even as a demonstrator, many find it hard to make a decent amount of money.
Wow I certainly got alot of quick responses! I'm not saying by anymeans that I would quit my job tomorrow and hope that everything would work out. I've just been wondering about this recently and thought I would ask for some opinions. Thank you for all of your honest answers!
I would also lean more towards the "no" category. I've read lots of threads on here about this topic, and the views expressed so far are pretty much the same. Unless you have something to really differentiate you, a niche, and a good business background to give you some technical skills, I think it is hard to be profitable.
I always think about this too b/c when I make something for a gift, people will say "oh you should sell that" and I have to explain to them that for the time and $ I put in, with the price point I would have to charge to make anything, people would think ridiculous.
And I also have the same feeling that after a while your beloved hobby would feel too much like work and would lose its luster.
Also, being a person familiar with the tax system, there's a lot of stuff on that end that people don't understand about operating a business legally.
Maybe just find some friends and family that will buy cards so you can at least substantiate your crafting expenses. Good luck!
Like most creative fields, scrap/stamp/craft businesses are tough to break into. It takes time, perseverance, a thick skin, and talent -- at a minimum. Then, depending on which route you go, there's all of the stuff involved in running a business (legal, accounting, marketing, sales, customer service), deadlines, pressure to be brilliantly creative all the time ...
There is money out there to be made but it's highly competitive for those dollars and an extraordinary amount of work for the cash rewards that may come in.
i do sell some of my cards, i don't 'make money' at it, just put it into more supplies.
i am afraid it would suck the joy out of it if i turned it into a 'business'
just my opinion
I agree! I think it would be a kick to make a living doing this but I really think it would be very difficult! And I fear too that it would take the fun out of it and become very stressful! I think you would have to be really, really good!
Just for kicks, I just put some of my cards on a brand new website, its not even up and running totally yet...its in the building stages, brand new. (http://tatteredscraps.com/) But I did it to see if I could sell some just for fun. To see if I could make some fun money just to buy more stuff to make cards with! Snort! You know its an addiction thing! I guess I will see how it goes....
I do not know about scrapbooking and making card but I can say that I work fulltime and earn anough money for living as a painter. I do teach painting, own a studio/boutique and teach painting all accross the province (I am in Quebec Canada) and publish into magazine. I am doing this for 6 years full time as I earn as mush as I was earning as a Computer Scientist which was my previous job.
I guess that with the effort, creativity you can earn anough. If I would have time I would probably design my own stamps collection, advertise it, going to show...
Location: prolly in my 'rubber room'... in the mid-west
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Originally Posted by Mothermark
I agree! I think it would be a kick to make a living doing this but I really think it would be very difficult! And I fear too that it would take the fun out of it and become very stressful! I think you would have to be really, really good!
Just for kicks, I just put some of my cards on a brand new website, its not even up and running totally yet...its in the building stages, brand new. (http://tatteredscraps.com/) But I did it to see if I could sell some just for fun. To see if I could make some fun money just to buy more stuff to make cards with! Snort! You know its an addiction thing! I guess I will see how it goes....
good luck!
i've seen your stuff, i am sure you will have some takers!
i, too, have wondered about this. i am a teacher, and i use the summer to create everything i possibly can, and then sell it to teacher friends. i would say that it just pays for the majority of my craft studio supplies and new die cuts/ribbon/adhesive/display equipment/ink refills, etc. i spend LOTS of hours and really don't think i make money - i'm trying to keep better paperwork so that i actually know, but i wonder, outside of being a serious demonstrator (selling at every opportunity to every person you possibly can) or designing your own line of products, if it really could be a steady income...
it seems like the competition is so high, both between crafters around the nation, and international sourcing. i feel like i can't get my foot in the door, but i'm trying!
This is an interesting question. All I can add from my experience, not as a card maker but as a line art and painting artist is it is very difficult to get a following and sell your items online.
LOL all my money plus some from taking a retail job to cover cost and bills goes into making the artwork and very little profit has been made. (ink cost and my professional printer liked to suck profit down the drain.... it's in retirement now and probably will be until things change, if ever.)
I've been debating if I wanted to start my own stamping company and have been playing with numbers for the past month to see if its even worth trying to jump into at the "moment in time" <---- the economy : )
I'm on the fence all the time about if I should be trying to push forward.... and I definately agree, art was more fun without the hassle of wondering if it could get a sale. (totally takes the fun out of it fast)
if you must try, keep your job and build your business on the side! believe me, the stress of trying to make a living off of a craft or hobby can eat at you.
It depends on what you do, and how you do it. I agree with an above poster...once you HAVE to do it, you don't want to even go in your stamp room. I did it, and I wish I hadn't. Now it's back to just a hobby, but it took a long time to get back to that.
On average, stamped items like cards and small gifts sell for just a few dollars each at craft fairs. People do make a "real" living in the crafting business and actually support themselves, but trust me they're not doing it with $3 cards and $8 decorated composition books.
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
I wonder how much folks make off of Ebay sales. I saw a set of scrapbook pages (2) go for 1500 dollars. I realize that is not the norm but it seems people will pay if your good.
That was, I believe, the highest selling layout ever on eBay. That is definately NOT the norm and should be tossed out because its no where near the average.
I don't think you can pay your mortgage if you're in CA with sales from stamping, I know I havent been able to but you can make some lunch money and some more supply money with it
I'd keep my day job for now while the economy is so iffy but whatever you decide...Good Luck!
I would say from my standpoint that this is NOT the time to give up a job with salary and benefits to try to make a living as a demo, LSS retailer, or whatever you had envisioned. There is such a large trend of layoffs right now. People are changing their spending behavior in dramatic and unexpected ways.
People DO tend to spend their dollars for home activities in such an economy, so if you are already established in this business, or the pet business, or home gardening business, you might be okay. But this is not the best time to enter into any new venture with established competition. Things will change again, improve, but it might be best to be patient . . . ;)
I wonder how much folks make off of Ebay sales. I saw a set of scrapbook pages (2) go for 1500 dollars. I realize that is not the norm but it seems people will pay if your good.
Are they still on ebay? I would love to see those pages!
Well, I think I just answered my own question. I was just looking on ebay through the completed items. I didn't see the $1500 one, but I did see several completed premade scrapbooks and scrapbook pages. I didn't realize that those could sell for so much, but considering the work and money that goes into making (and selling fees) I wonder if they really are making money. (Well, maybe you can make some money), but my guess would be that maybe the seller makes them for a hobby, not necessarily a business.
I think a 'craft' business is the hardest type of small business to start. You'd think it would be easy, starting a biz with something you are passionate about. But that makes it more difficult - it's harder to concentrate on good business practice. Most people tend to think they'll just up their production a bit, find a few fairs, and the customers will come.
It truly would be a business just like any other business. Go to http://sba.gov and read up on all the requirements - they've also got some business plans. That's the key - planning. What you want to do, who your target market is, what makes you special over all the other people doing the same thing, what is your niche....
I've got a full time 40 hr/week job, and also a 40 hr/week business as a soapmaker. I've been doing soap for 5 years, and it took me a good 3 years to start making a good profit. I've been growing slowly, thinking that this will become my retirement job. That might be a good possibility for those who are getting 'up there' like I am
But if you're passionate about it, you can do whatever you work hard for.
If you mean make a living as in "pay-the-mortgage"/sole provider type salary/career, my honest answer would be "No."
Generally speaking, most crafters make what is referred to as "pin" money.
Take the family on a nice vacation, install a swimming pool, buy a new car or put the kids through college? Absolutely, depending on what you avenue you decide to pursue and how much time you want to devote to it!
But, before you ditch that steady/solid job you already have, I'd definitely keep Krystie's advice very much in mind:
Good luck to you, and definitely do your homework. ;)
Very wise words.
__________________ ~ Jennifer Ellefson Created From Paper, a paper crafting blog
On average, stamped items like cards and small gifts sell for just a few dollars each at craft fairs. People do make a "real" living in the crafting business and actually support themselves, but trust me they're not doing it with $3 cards and $8 decorated composition books.
Based solely on my own personal observations and experiences, I'd concur with that . . .
From what I've seen, in the majority of the cases, the folks that actually "make a living" within the craft industry are doing more business/administrative type work. Most artisans nowadays have day jobs that pay the bills, with their art is a side venture.
In this economy, and the sheer saturation of every day crafters all trying to earn from their creations, my guts tell me anyone would be hard-pressed to support just themselves, let alone a family, doing "creative" work unless what they create is pretty spectacular (unique, compared to what every other Tom, Dick & Harry are doing), little or no competition to contend with, and high demand.
I know one particularly gifted, and well known graphic designer who left a regular job to try, and has since returned to a day job for a steady pay check.
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
Can you make a living stamping?
