I’d like to become a seller, but I have some concerns. Can you please help me?

Hi everyone,

I haven’t been on Crazypatterns for very long, but I’m a passionate crocheting mom and am always coming up with something new in my head. Right now I crochet a lot for my little daughter, e.g. dresses, pants, hats, beanies, little jackets, etc., since I can’t go back to work yet. I don’t want to keep asking my husband for MONEY; I want to have my own money and be able to contribute.

How much can you earn here, and what’s the best way to go about it? 
Do I need to register a business? File a tax return? Etc.? 

I’ve never been self-employed before and am a complete beginner.

It would be great to get a few tips; maybe you can put my concerns to rest.

Warmest regards 

Ramatou-Laye

Hi Ramatou-Laye,
welcome to our forum and portal.
As soon as you’ve uploaded your first pattern, you’ll automatically be granted access to the authors’ forum, which is packed with information on all aspects of patterns, sales, marketing, and more.

But since you need this information right now, here are a few key points to start with.

Have you already tried writing and designing a pattern?
That’s important, because it will help you figure out if this is the right fit for you. Just use our free patterns to learn.
https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/kostenlos

Once you’re sure that writing patterns, working on a computer, using image editing software, etc., are a good fit for you, please talk to your local tax office; they’ll tell you how your work is classified for tax purposes. They’ll also answer any questions you have about whether or not you need to register a business. You’ll definitely have to file a tax return, yes.

It’s impossible to give general estimates regarding earnings. The top sellers make quite a bit of money from this.
It just depends on how much time you’re willing to invest and how well your patterns are received by buyers. But your earnings also depend very specifically on the quality of your patterns, your photos, your product descriptions, etc. And your designs have to appeal to users. That’s also part of your “job”: marketing, taking and editing photos, and writing product descriptions.

But don’t worry—you’ll get the hang of it.
Take a look at the product descriptions from top sellers and learn from their photos as well.
Take it all step by step.

If you really want this, if you’re passionate about it, if you have the drive to sit down day after day to work on it and learn new things, then you’ll succeed. And then financial success will follow. I wish you every success, and I’d love it if you chose to sell through Crazypatterns .

@Authors
Could you post here in this thread all the tips you wish you'd had right at the very beginning?
There are always newcomers who have questions about this. Anyone who hasn't uploaded a pattern yet doesn't have access to the authors' forum.
If this is well received, I'll ask Alexander whether we can pin another thread at the top. That would be great, thanks.

Most importantly, before you start selling, even before registering a business:

Have the pattern tested! 

Writing patterns is not as easy as people often think. You have to think of every little detail, and nothing can be taken for granted.
It is immensely important that the pattern is written clearly and without errors. 

So my advice is this:
Before you decide to earn money by selling patterns, make sure your patterns are suitable for others to work from. Have two or three people work from them and check them for errors. It is even better if there are beginners among the testers, because if they can manage with your pattern, you can assume that others will understand it too. 

Hi :)

I asked a very similar question a few weeks ago and got some great answers! Take a look:

https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/forum/topic/18663/was-muss-ich-steuerlich-beachten-um-anleitungen-verkaufen-zu-koennen

Maybe that’ll help you, too.

Awesome, you guys are great... I’ll write a pattern and send it to both of you if you’d like? Krea_Tina and Wollness_Oase

Yeah, it’s a shame that you can’t try it out without registering a business first...

Thanks, I just started reading through this...

@Ramatou-Laye
Unfortunately, you can’t do this without registering a business. As soon as you’re selling with the intent to make a profit, you need to register a business. However, you can deregister it at any time.
If you’d like, feel free to send me a pattern.
But since I design my own pieces, I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to work from it myself. It’ll definitely be enough for me to look it over and make sure it’s clear, though. :-)