Do you have a website?

[ExtraMile]

And if so, which one?

Inquiring minds (mine) would like to know, how you get the word out "on the street" that you are building things to sell to the public!

This thread is inspired by ddub.

[dusty]

Just Google your product line and see what your competition is. Notice just how much of your competition is "hand made" items.

Example: TRIVETS https://www.google.com/search?q=trivets ... 8&oe=utf-8

You are going to find that it is a tough market to break into and a tough market to survive in.

Another Example: WOODEN BOXES https://www.google.com/search?q=wooden+ ... 8&oe=utf-8

Notice the prices. Can you afford to compete?

I wish you good fortune.

[garys]

I don't do woodworking to sell. I do only things for my own and my family's use, so I have not needed to make outside contacts.
As already pointed out, the commercial products made overseas are selling so cheap that you can't afford to do it yourself to sell.
To me, the only things worth building are the things you want for yourself, and you want them made a specific way.
The projects I build cost me more in materials than I can buy a finished product for. However, my home made things are built from higher grade wood than the things you can buy cheap.

[reible]

I don't have a web site and I also don't sell things. If I were then I might look to a place like this:

https://www.etsy.com/market/wooden_trivets

I personally find that it is cheaper to buy items then to make them but I opt to make them because of the hobby aspect. People are always asking me to make this or that and I tell them I don't have the time, I use to tell them it "wood" be more expensive but then they didn't believe me so the conversation would continue until I gave them an estimate.... the price of the wood alone would be more then what they wanted to spend. Telling them I'm to busy is not a lie because I am. Who ever thought up having all this free time in retirement was the one telling the lie.

We have a neighbor who sells using etsy, I don't know if she makes any money but it is more of an outlet for her then an attempt to make a living.

One of my brothers has made birdhouses for years, makes 800 to 1200 every year and sells them for $3. They don't sell for $5 so he keeps it at $3 and pretty well sells them all. He does this from his front yard and uses scrap wood and has the free time in the winter to make them. So long as he doesn't look at an hourly rate he is happy.

Another brother did the "shows" all over the country, they had a big motor home and trailer and drove from show to show. Back home they had people making more of what was selling plus they had some tools with them to work on more projects. He had zero free time and made some good money until his health failed. He told me the secret was to have small things that people would take with them when they stopped to shop. If they were large items the people would say they would be back to get one but it was rare that they did. One of the biggest sellers were wooden dog bones personalized with the dogs name hand painted on it. His wife was super talented at that sort of thing.

Anyway it is tough game and you might want to take some time to check out your competition to see what is selling and how much they are charging etc. But keep in mind the game changes very quickly so what is hot for a month may not sell at all after that, so don't get carried away with inventory.

Good luck,

Ed

[benush26]

Not to sound like a business school commercial, but what is your business plan and target audience? Do you have aspirations of selling 10, 100 or 1000 units a month. Do you care if you make money? I have two good friends that sell pens, stoppers and most things turned. They don't sell much, but they like being out and the social atmosphere. One has significantly better products (quality of the end product), but both sell about the same. I don't know for certain, but I don't think that either makes much more than the cost of the booth rental and raw materials. But they both enjoy that time each week.

You've not shown a location, however, if you have a local weekend "Farmer's Market", go there to see who is making what and their pricing. A couple weekends will also show how quickly or slowly inventory is sold. Look to see if the exact same pieces are on display. If you have more than one in your area, visit them all. That should give you a ballpark of your local possibilities. It's not the internet but it is exposure. Is your time and effort worth it? Only you can know.

If you prefer to stay away from the public, previous posters have spoken about the internet. Though I have my own domain name, I've only briefly had a website and it had nothing to do with woodworking.

Many decades back I had a good friend who was quite gifted in making fine furniture. Problems occurred when he took orders and had deadlines. If your business grows to a point where you have orders and deadlines rather than selling inventory, is that something you want?

Ask yourself what you want from it. Devise a plan and jump in! Oh, and don't expect the PLAN to be anything like what REALLY happens . Just sayin'

Best of luck.

Be well,
Ben

[Mike907]

You might try looking at Etsy to see if it would be a good place to market your wares.

https://www.etsy.com/

Mike

[rjent]

Not to sound like a business school commercial, but what is your business plan and target audience? Do you have aspirations of selling 10, 100 or 1000 units a month. Do you care if you make money? I have two good friends that sell pens, stoppers and most things turned. They don't sell much, but they like being out and the social atmosphere. One has significantly better products (quality of the end product), but both sell about the same. I don't know for certain, but I don't think that either makes much more than the cost of the booth rental and raw materials. But they both enjoy that time each week.

You've not shown a location, however, if you have a local weekend "Farmer's Market", go there to see who is making what and their pricing. A couple weekends will also show how quickly or slowly inventory is sold. Look to see if the exact same pieces are on display. If you have more than one in your area, visit them all. That should give you a ballpark of your local possibilities. It's not the internet but it is exposure. Is your time and effort worth it? Only you can know.

If you prefer to stay away from the public, previous posters have spoken about the internet. Though I have my own domain name, I've only briefly had a website and it had nothing to do with woodworking.

Many decades back I had a good friend who was quite gifted in making fine furniture. Problems occurred when he took orders and had deadlines. If your business grows to a point where you have orders and deadlines rather than selling inventory, is that something you want?

Ask yourself what you want from it. Devise a plan and jump in! Oh, and don't expect the PLAN to be anything like what REALLY happens . Just sayin'

Best of luck.

Be well,
Ben

Very true words. You have to remember everything we as entrepreneurs do we compete with the corporate system. There is a huge difference between free enterprise and capitalism. Capitalism IMHO is designed to crush competition and it certainly crushes small Mom and Pop free enterprise operations. Now with that said, it is the David and Goliath story. You need to devise a plan that either lets you get a contract with someone making wigits, find a unique product (hard to do) that people will come to you for, or diversify into many products/services. The business model of modern America is resale. It is why planned obsolescence is so highly engineered in all of our products today, and is what makes the Shopsmith so unique. The absolute BEST model is: you receive a small amount of money from a large group of people on a regular basis. The WOST model is having/making a wigit and then either hoping, marketing, or waiting for someone to come along and buy it. There are woodworkers out there that not only make money, but make a lot of it. Design something that is unique expense (meaning lots of profit) and is sold to an elite customer base.

One thing Ben said that is so true. Don't be surprised when it doesn't go the way you thought it would. Just ride the wave and enjoy it!

Good Luck!

[ExtraMile]

I saw on FB a woman wanted a "civil war era, confederate flag yielding" end table made. I told her, to get me a photograph and I will do my best to build her one.

I have yet to see this photo.

Now I find, that by her requesting this, that there is a real call for authentic "knock-offs" of this type of items. So, onward and upward, I go!!!

[dusty]

How much will your end table cost to manufacture with a rendering of the "confederate flag" built into it? Will there be a "real calling" when you declare a profit making price tag to that table?

You might be better off doing a rendering of the "Rainbow Flag".

[wa2crk]

Dusty
He would be better off putting an ISIS flag on it. After all it was good enough for Wall Mart so why not him ?
Bill