I have just started making larger items (usually make small boxes for specialty shops). Someone, on this forum, suggested to another person, to use Craigslist. I found one in the closest city to me (about 45 minutes away). I have the ad ready and pricing and all that. My question, what experience does everyone have with it? I am not quitting my day job, just yet, so I can still eat, but would like to start getting my name out there. I don’t have alot of income to do a ton of marketing. Lots of my work is going to have to be word of mouth, at least for the moment. Any suggestions?
Thanks.
Robin
Replies
http://www.craftsreport.com/
You might try reading the Crafts Report for marketing info. Place like Craig's List, Ebay are the worst place to generate clients. Bottom feeders looking for deals next to nothing. Who wants to sell for less than the cost of materials? Look at the taunton press book on selling your wood work http://www.taunton.com/store/pages/070220.asp
Bottom feeders is a little harsh. I referrenced craigslist before in a discussion about scams saying that craigslist warns about specific scams that we were talking about. I didn't recommend it for selling items that people have made.Aside from being a little harsh, you are right. It is not the place to sell woodworking projects. It is typically a bargain site for people selling used things, such as furniture, tools, etc. I keep an eye on it looking for people wanting to get rid of hardwood lumber in my area. I have had some luck with that.Tim
I thought the Crafts Report was for crafts. I'm trying to generate sales of furniture. Also, I seen people on this forum talk about having used Craigslist to generate revenue. I'm confused.
Furniture is crafts and the marketing applies equally to furniture or pottery. Lots of folks start with craft shows to get the word out and generate a market base so you don't have to do craft fairs anymore.
Try Craigs List but I still think it's targeted at the wrong market. If you make a good product it will sell. The problem with selling in places like that is people will often ask can you do better on the price, meaning sell it to them for less. When someone asks if you can do better, raise your price. Better for you anyway.
Some of them are bottom feeders. Some are just frugal and can't afford new and are making do. Some are buying for resale. Ever have a tag sale and notice the early birds are typically dealers.
What ever works to generate sales is worth trying.
Have you looked at the Woodworkers Marketing Guide I referenced to earlier?
I agree completely with what the others have said. Craigslist is a bargain lookers site, in my area Boston, when someone posts something that is retail priced (tools mostly) people will post replies tearing that person up and telling them to get lost.
Those people cost buyers, the quality is much further down the list. What about consignment shops? Or some local antique/furniture dealers? That might be a place, if not they could help more with how your locale works for your line of work.
The main thing is you want to gear your work towards people who want quality where price is at best a minimum factor.
"Lots of my work is going to have to be word of mouth, at least for the moment." If you're building larger pieces of furniture, part-time, word of mouth will probably keep you as busy as you can afford to be and build your reputation for zero dollars. Craigslist is specifically a non-commercial marketplate, explicitly stated on their web site. Not to say people don't use it otherwise, but I wouldn't waste time putting my woodworking on there.
eBay can be a useful advertising mechanism. But you have to have a web site to make it work! Once you get a gallery of items built and have a focus and a bunch of pictures, you can throw a few items on there, protecting yourself with reserve prices, and link to your web site. People who are looking for quality items may not buy the particular piece you placed in the auction, but the increase in traffic to your web site could easily pay off in sales.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I actually have to disagree with some of the comments on this thread. I used to live in San Francisco and used Craigslist as my sole outlet for side projects. (I was just looking to make enough money to pay for shop space.)
The trick is, don't post things for sale. Instead, search the "wanted" section for any postings that sound like the person is looking for a custom piece of furniture. Then approach them by email with a pitch and samples of your work. I found a few big-ticket jobs this way.
Matt Berger
Taunton New Media
That not a bad idea. Although what works in San Fran might be at least much harder in most other locations. San Fran has a lot of money and silicon valley isn't far away. There are not going to be very many places with that type of money. So Cal, NYC, Boston, and a few others but it would be much tougher in rural areas.
As long as you are going to be making one-of-a-kind or limited production, word-of-mouth is the way to go, plus any publicity you can get from local print or broadcast media -- like free newsletters, community papers, craft or hobby outlets, etc. However, you must treat word-of-mouth (also called referrals) as a goal or objective. In other words, make a decision to promote referral business by having some kind of handouts (even if only business cards or printouts from your computer) and get them into the hands of people who can reach other people so they'll tell them about your work. Your best resource to do this are those who have bought from you or anyone who may display your work. Customers are always willing to tell others about "their" woodworker because it justifies their decision to buy from you and reinforces their judgement about you.
Think of it this way: any way you can get your name out to people, and continue making those contacts, it is going to help. Every time you make a sale or design a new product or have your work displayed is an opportunity to contact people on your list and tell them something. Don't hold back. You never know how something is going to get around.
Oh, and one more thing -- don't be bashful about asking people to tell others about you!
Edited 9/29/2005 11:34 am ET by Jimma
Many local libraries offer seminars? for lack of a better work on all sorts of activities from cooking to travel to just about everything else. It might be possible to create a presentation that explains/teaches some element used in your items as the draw to get people interested.
There are lots of libraries and some of them are in very upscale communities. Just a thought. Good luck:)
Hi,
I love Craiglist and have made about $5000 as a direct result in the past 5 months.
It's all in the advertising. I just posted some Ping golf clubs and bent over backwards to explain the clubs and the deal. Pice of cake.
Free and you can add 3-4 photos too. Blows Ebay out of the water.
I have seen no place to post messages concerning the ads so I wouldn't worry about being hassled that way.
I recommend it highly as an outlet to be found.
Warnie
One obvious problem with selling something on Craig's list is that the items move through so quickly.
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