# Hobbyist thinking about selling on Etsy



## Cutzalot (Dec 30, 2018)

I am a hobbyist woodworker who is going to retire in about a year. My family thinks I should try to sell some small projects on Etsy. I am thinking on a very part time basis- after all I am retiring! Can you share some of your experiences with me if you have done something similar? I am not a designer and almost all of my projects are from magazine plans. Are there any legalities I should be concerned about?


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

I would also think about making somethings that you could stockpile and sell at craft fairs and such.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I tried Etsy for a couple years.
I found it to be not worth my time I think my work was too expensive for most. There's a lot of competition on Etsy they have no problem comparing your work to others.
I calculated I was making about 10 dollars a hour at best. Local craft shows and woodworking competitions I like better. With the China virus here it will be interesting to see what happens in the near future. 
I currently have a good stock pile of boxes and containers.
Good Luck


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## wildwoodbybrianjohns (Aug 22, 2019)

I havent tried Etsy. One thing to consider is that Etsy is loaded with junk. And people have to wade through all of it, before, maybe, they come across your stuff. There are a bunch of alternatives, like Etsy. They all have their plusses and minuses.

Here are some:










There is also one where the members judge a potential member´s work to either allow or not. I dont recall the name of it offhand, but shouldnt be difficult to track down. This one is tailored for crafts of high calibur.


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## Woodchuckswife (Oct 24, 2014)

I do good on ETSY, But dont expet a bunch of orders right away. I have over 800 sales. Watch out on shipping costs, ETSY always says your shipping costs are to much. Make shure you find out the true cost from the shipper. I live in Wis. and shipping to Cal or some place out there will cost over DLB. as any where else Good Luck

Wisconsin Wood Chuck.
Chuck


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I was denied to sell on Handmade at Amazon when they first came out. I guess I wasn't crafty enough


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

You need to design your own products, not build from plans, as that will generally violate copyright.

I've had a site on Etsy for a year without a *single* lead. Now I can't even FIND it!

Good luck but tell your kin that expecting a retirement shop to pay for itself is like expecting to pay for a 40' flying bridge fishing boat by the savings in fish dinners …

Not to mention trying to make it pay might take all the fun out of it.


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## Cutzalot (Dec 30, 2018)

Thanks for the responses. I can see Etsy definitely has pros and cons. I have some more research that says the plan is copyrighted but not the product. I.e. you can't copy the plan and sell it but you could sell the product you made from the plan. I may write Woodsmith to see what there position is


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

You may want to try selling through local stores depending on what your making. I have had good luck doing it that way. I sell wholesale only. No consignment of any kind. Margins are lower, but I get paid for what I make.

Depending on what your making, I doubt you will have copyright issues. Wood smith is protecting their print. Not the product.


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