Learning and selling crafts on the web a massive trend
One of the things I most love about the Internet is all the resources for learning things. Like how to paint, or make jewellery, or even build eco-friendly houses.
And because it’s so readily available and easy to learn, more and more people are learning, and then selling, crafts, as an article on the BBC, Why the Web Is Getting Crafty, explains.
On top of the how-to videos and articles, the web provides communities where you can share tips and ask questions of other artisans, helping to develop your skills.
Then when you’re confident enough, you can sell your wares on sites like Etsy.com, where you can sell what you’ve made to a public that’s eager to have one-of-a-kind accessories that help them stand out from the herd.
Certainly I’ve learned the basics of how to knit thanks to websites like Knittinghelp.com and VideoJug.com, both of which offer easy-to-follow video tutorials. Then I get support and information at Ravelry.com, on knitting, spinning, and dyeing.
I’m considering learning how to sew because I’m sick of the crappy, ugly, identikit clothing in every store from here to Glasgow that I know comes from a sweatshop and is laden in toxins and chemicals.
Since my Nana isn’t within 3,000 miles of me, I can’t sit at her side and learn. I’m shy about taking a class locally, too. So it’s down to the Internet to help me learn the skill of sewing and clothing design.
How will your craft business stand out?
There are a lot of people out there like me, eager to learn new skills for free. 
We’re looking for easy-to-understand, attractive articles, tutorials and videos to teach us a useful skill.
Therein lies a clue for how true craft professionals can pull away from the hordes of amateurs.
Because you have to really know what you’re doing to teach something simply and well. I’ll talk more about this later.
Of course, part of your USP (unique selling point) is what you produce.
The colours you choose, materials, design sense. Maybe you think what you sell is so much better, you don’t need to do more.
But if I look at yarn sellers for example, I see a lot of yarns that look, at least on the surface, to be the same. What’s going to make a customer choose one over the other?
In my next post, I’ll share some suggestions for craftspeople who want to grow their business online can do to stand out from the crowd.
[Thanks to Darcy for sending me the BBC article!]
