Crafting from home can be a a tricky business. I’ve done a couple of research posts on home crafting companies and the results were pretty discouraging. I realize that there are legitimate companies out there that will pay you to make craft items from home, but there are also a very large number of scams out there. Often what happens is that you pay for a kit to make the crafts but then when you send in your work it’s rejected due to your failure to meet their ridiculously stringent quality standards.
Luckily, there are other options. Many people are drawn to the idea of home crafting because they already make crafts from home. Some sell their handiwork at local craft fairs. Now, there’s a company that has created a “virtual craft fair” where you can sell your crafts without ever leaving your home, Etsy.com.
Etsy is a breath of fresh air for crafters who have had negative experiences with eBay. They’re also very community-centered and have forums, chat, twitter updates and more. They also have what they call Virtual Labs. They hold community meetings in the VL and many Admin have regularly scheduled office hours weekly.
Another side to this story is the story behind Etsy itself. Founder Rob Kalin recognized a need for Etsy after working on another crafts site that provided “advice and a lot of hand-holding” for artisans but no marketplace for their goods. Teaming up with friend Jared Tarbell and fellow NYU students Chris Maguire and Haim Schoppik, he dashed off a fan letter to Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake, the cofounders of Flickr. The two had sold their highly popular photo-sharing website to Yahoo! and, it turned out, were impressed enough by Kalin’s letter to take a look at his start-up. They invited the Etsy team to San Francisco for a month in 2006, mentored Kalin, and helped him raise $615,000 in financing.
Today, Etsy’s staff has ballooned to 70 employees, and the company reportedly grosses more than $12 million a year. In January 2008, Kalin sold approximately 20 percent of the company for $27 million. Investors now value the firm at $100 million.
Kalin recognized a need for Etsy after working on another crafts site that provided ‘advice and a lot of hand-holding’ for artisans but no marketplace for their goods. Teaming up with friend Jared Tarbell and fellow NYU students Chris Maguire and Haim Schoppik, he dashed off a fan letter to Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake, the cofounders of Flickr. The two had sold their highly popular photo-sharing website to Yahoo! and, it turned out, were impressed enough by Kalin’s letter to take a look at his start-up. They invited the Etsy team to San Francisco for a month in 2006, mentored Kalin, and helped him raise $615,000 in financing.
You can find out more about selling your craft items on Etsy at their website.
Tags: Home Business, online business, work at home
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Thanks for posting this! I currently work at home with a couple of businesses my husband and I started, but I’m also and artist and have been curious about the opportunities to make a bit of money from my art. I’m a proponent of creating a niche-based business, though, and I’m having a hard time figuring out how to create a unique niche in the world of crafting. After all, if there are a thousand people on Etsy selling quilts, yours will probably tend to get lost in the shuffle. Any ideas? Thanks!
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Hi Anna, I would definitely check out the community features at Etsy. They have forums and a chat section where you can get some feedback from existing Etsy members.