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How to Sell Sewing Patterns Online Right Now

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Recently, I talked about a few sewing jobs ideas in which you could do from home.  Granted, these online sewing jobs won’t make you a ton of money, but they could earn you a few dollars in your spare time, maybe enough to pay the car payment.

In today’s guide, I wanted to talk about how you can sell sewing patterns online.  It’s another sewing-related guide, but you may be interested in it if you create patterns or have some laying around the house.

If you’re crafty and you know how to make sewing patterns, then this is a post for you.

Below, I will talk about websites online in which you can sell your patterns.  The great thing about some of these options is that you can sell your patterns over and over, creating a decent passive income.

As always, I’m 100% honest and only recommend what I feel is worth your time.  Let’s begin!

Sell Sewing Patterns Online With These Options

Craftsy

Craftsy is a very popular website catered to crafters.  At first glance, the website does focus on crafting classes and supplies; however, you can sell your patterns.  The nice thing about the site is that they don’t take fees nor do they take a commission.  Payments are made via PayPal once your sewing patterns sell.

Etsy

Etsy is one of the most obvious options, but I wanted to list it here just because I try to cover all bases.  Etsy, as you probably already know is insanely popular and it caters to the crafty crowd.  Do keep in mind that Etsy has a variety of fees, charging $0.20 just for the listing and another 3.5% for each transaction.  The nice thing, however, is that the money goes directly to your PayPal once a purchase has been made.



Lovecrafts

Lovecrafts seems to be the most user friendly of the three I mention here; however, they seem to have the least amount of traffic.  Picture it as a social media platform of sorts that enables you to sell your patterns. It doesn’t mean you should at least consider it, though, as it is free to list your sewing patterns.  They have some of the lowest fees, only charging 3.5% and a processing fee.

Raverly

Raverly is an inclusive website for knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, and dyers.  According to the site, it’s made up of millions of users from around the globe.  On the site, you can keep a notebook of sorts, where you can show off your pattern designs as well as create an online store, where visitors can buy your patterns, either individually or as a packet.  They must be uploaded as a PDF in order to be eligible, however.  The site does charge a fee, about 3.5% commissions and processing fees, but it’s free to list a pattern.

eBay

eBay, another massive powerhouse like Etsy, is one to consider, but I don’t think you will have much luck here, the reason I put it lower on the list.  It’s worth a shot, however.  The thing about Etsy is that’s catered to a crafty crowd, so your sewing patterns will reach a more targeted buyer; however, eBay is so broad, your patterns may get lost in the ecosystem.  But, if you have a vintage sewing pattern packet that you know is being searched for, it’s worth a shot.  Nonetheless, it’s one to consider if you want to just put a listing up and see if anyone bites.  You can always choose a store option so that it doesn’t work like an auction.

So, Are My Patterns Worth Something?

Yes.  Whether it’s a vintage pattern or something from a family design, you could earn up to $50, sometimes even more if it’s rare.  This will depend greatly on the pattern’s rarity.  However, if you’re selling a unique pattern that you made, then you should expect much less, maybe $10 to $25 at more.  And, this is a price if you’re selling in bulk.  In the end, you can expect about $10 to $30~ per sale.  Just don’t forget to factor in the fees.

How to Make More Money

Since almost all of these options require you to market yourself, there are a few things you can do to potentially increase your sales.  Here are some tips I have found from a variety of sellers online:

Write a good product description:  Be sure to be as detailed as possible but not too wordy.  This will include the pattern’s size, the cut, the year it came out, who made it, etc.  Pictures speak a thousand words, too!  Be sure your descriptions are based on your pictures.

Pictures:  This brings me to my next point.  Make sure you know how to take good pictures of your patterns.  Your buyers will want to see as much of the pattern as possible to decide if it’s worth investing in.  This means good lighting and a good camera.

Start an e-mail list:  If possible, try to gather as much information as you can about your customer.  There’s a good chance they may want to come back to you for more patterns in the future if you release them.  You may have to direct them to a personal website in order to do so.

Reviews:  And, of course, build your reviews.  The more reviews you have, the more likely someone will buy from you.  Think of anything you buy online.  You love to see the reviews, right?  Good customer service, such as communicating quickly and going above and beyond can do wonders for your rating system.

Research:  And, lastly, research your competition.  See what’s selling and figure out if your patterns have an opening in the market.  Like clothing, patterns may have a trend, and it’s so important to know what’s selling in today’s climate.

Final Thoughts

If you want to sell your sewing patterns, it can be done.  The nice thing about most of these sites is that you can sell your patterns over and over again, creating a nice passive income.

The same can be said about older sewing patterns as long as it’s the original.  Never make copies of copyrighted work as this will get you in legal trouble.  Just like selling a DVD, CD, etc, you can legally sell a sewing pattern you don’t own, as long as it’s an original.

All of these websites work in a similar way.  Create a storefront, post your patterns and then market yourself to start seeing sales come in.  Remember, sales won’t cover overnight; it’s going to take some work!  It’s also best to know the fees you’re responsible for as well.

That’s going to do it for now.

As always, feel free to comment below if I’m missing any options and/or you want to comment on what I have already mentioned.  Thanks for stopping by.

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Tom Nathaniel

Hi! My name is Tom Nathaniel, and I created LushDollar to help share my honest thoughts on everything money. You won't find gimmicks here. It's the Internet's most honest money site after all. I graduated from Arizona State University, and I have worked in the finance industry since 2006, consulting with multiple Fortune 5000 companies.

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