What is your experience selling makes?
Do they take a long time to sell?
What sells best?
Is it worth it? Would you recommend it?
I know this has been asked before, but I went through the topics where it was and there were little or no replies.
can’t speak for myself, but someone tested one of my patterns to sell as a make back in june and it still has not sold here
@TheForestFrog I am making things to sell and I highly recommend the no sew turtle pattern by The Friendly Red Fox because it is fast once you make one and easy to memorise the pattern, it turns out super cute and obviously is no sew! And it is also free on her blog!
my experience
I don’t sell makes on Ribblr often, but I think I’ve sold about four makes on this platform since 2023. As a reference point, of those makes that were only available either in person or on Ribblr, I’ve sold roughly 50 in person.
My experience has been favorable; I’ve had no issues with customers (that I’m aware of) and my money is received in a timely manner. I like being able to change the status of an order and add notes/tracking numbers for customers.
what has sold
In terms of what sells here, my experience has been a bit of a mixed bag, with two sales coming from plushies, one from wearables, and, most recently, one from home goods (a basket). I think something is more likely to sell if it’s especially unique or niche (like, from a fandom or franchise someone enjoys) and my sales seem to reflect that. For example, both plushies were food themed plushies, making them more unique, and the wearable was based on Hello Kitty.
worth it?
Even though I don’t sell often, I feel like it’s worth it for a few reasons. 1.) I love the idea of designers getting a percentage if I sell something made from their pattern. 2.) It’s pretty easy to make listings, so it’s low effort (imo). 3.) You never know who’s looking and because it’s so easy, I’m like: what do I have to lose?
I also think it’s possibly worth it from an exposure standpoint as Ribblr promotes makes in their weekly roundup of featured items, so if nothing else, people are more likely to see your creations, possibly following your makes, and perhaps, eventually making a purchase.
buying makes
Edit: I thought it might be helpful to add that I’ve also made a purchase of a make from Ribblr (a granny square cardigan in some of my favorite colors) and to elucidate why I made the purchase. Obviously I liked the colors, but I knew I likely wouldn’t find the time or energy (or attention span) to make a granny square cardigan for myself and that compelled me to purchase it instead of trying to make it for myself. So it might also be worth considering what items someone involved in the craft would be more likely to purchase, if that makes sense.
Edit 2: I also want to add that rises in shipping costs have made it more challenging than ever to sell online for a price that would likely feel reasonable for a consumer, so it is just something to consider when selling online.
My brain is sleepy so I may have forgotten something, but if you have any questions for me, let me know.
Im not sure about on here specific but coming from and etsy pov. I feel like it might be hard because i feel like not a lot of people know ablout ribblr (even for patterns) . I just found out about it maybe a year or two ago). But even then i feel like it would be hard wothout a strong social media presence to help promote your makes (which is where i feel short and partially why i closed my etsy shop- i have an ista page that i started in 2021 and i just recently got over 100 followers- gotta beat the algorithm and i often dont have a lot of time to post reels and whatnot to do that)
Also before you do, you might want to see if it requires any sort of licenses to sell online with your state. Depending where you are you might have to register as a business and get a sales tax license.
I have never sold any makes on Ribblr, only in person. Imo just looking through the makes, I don’t think it’s worth buying some or must stuff off Ribblr. For example I can’t imagine buying a bee that is small and people sell at markets for like $12 for $40. Or a small axolotl that I see people sell for $8-10 for $45.
It is hard to sell handcrafts in general because most people don’t know how much work goes into making them and don’t appreciate them so will never pay what they are actually worth in terms of the cost of materials, labor and talent. You’ll be lucky to recover the cost of the yarn. This is why I won’t sell what I make
Selling to other crafters is hard too, if like me, if I want an item that much, I will make it myself
I agree. But it is typically worth it at markets, which is what I focus on.
I think that they would sell better at markets than online anywhere, especially if you have a wide variety of items to sell, in various sizes
I agree! Unless you are one of those huge YouTubers who sells out in minutes
Haven’t sold anything for months so I don’t use this option anymore
Bummer!