Selling outside of eBay or...

Hi everyone....
Do you ever find yourselves crafting until you’re blue in the face, only to realize you don’t really have a use for it after all...!?
But I don’t want to sign up for eBay or other websites either... do you have another solution for this...?
I did sign up for Google+ and have thought about listing something for sale there—I’ve read about it—but it still feels a little sketchy to me...?!
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Best regards

Hi Doris,

if I understand you correctly, you want to sell “leftovers” from your hobbies that you no longer need?!
I think that in reality—if you want to sell them properly and actually get rid of them—it’ll come down to eBay or hood.de.
You’re—I assume—a private individual who wants to sell personal items. In that case, Dawanda or even this sister site, freeminute.net, would obviously be the wrong places for you.
Another alternative is a flea market, though in my experience, certain items (including craft “leftovers” like pattern books [Note: eBooks, such as those offered here on CP, may NOT be resold or passed on!!!], accessories, etc.) aren’t as well-suited for a flea market as they are for an auction site... on eBay, you’ll likely get better prices.
I can’t say anything about Google+...

If you’re on Facebook, you can of course also try selling your materials through the specialized groups.

Best regards, Nina

Hi :)

This is always a tricky topic.... As is often the case: It depends!

-What you’re selling
-how much you’re selling
-at what price you want to sell it
-....

You’re actually not allowed to just make goods and sell them; that would be considered commercial activity and would have to be registered.

For private sales, you’re only allowed to charge the cost of materials, and there might even be limits on how much you’re allowed to do that.

Depending on WHAT you’re selling, you have to follow strict legal guidelines. If you’re selling amigurumi, keychains, or similar items, they’re considered toys and require CE certification. (It doesn’t help to sell them as decorations either... Anything that children might perceive as a toy is, by definition, a toy.)

You’re definitely not allowed to sell things protected by copyright (Minions, The Simpsons, Pokémon, .....).

As far as I know, the rules are a bit more relaxed for clothing; you just need to attach a label stating what it’s made of (please correct me if I’m wrong)

As a platform, you can also use something like eBay Kleinanzeigen; lots of people do that.... Of course, you’ll need to sign up to list anything!

If you take a look at eBay Kleinanzeigen, you’ll see that loooads of people are selling there without registering a business and without complying with any laws,... That works fine until you get caught, and then there’s usually a huge uproar...

So I’d make sure to do plenty of research beforehand to find out exactly what’s allowed, and only then start selling :-)

But I wish you the best of luck!

Dear Dory,

If I have anything to spare—which happens very rarely—my aunt takes it with her to the craft market. She makes wonderful beaded animals, necklaces, and whatever other craft items she can create from beads, and then she displays my little crocheted items alongside them.
Maybe you know someone who can help you with that.

But you know, most of my buyers are among my relatives. My mom loves giving handmade gifts, but she doesn’t have time to sit down and make them herself. She always looks through my stash and picks out something she can then give as a gift.

That would be my best advice based on my own experience.

I’ve had really bad experiences online. Either people belittle the handmade items and try to drive down the price, or there are so many listings that my few items get lost in the crowd.

eBay would probably be the best option for you.
BUT: Before selling or auctioning anything, please be sure to check with the author of the pattern to make sure they’ve given their consent. 

Furthermore, I agree with Krea_Tina. Commercial sales are only permitted under the conditions mentioned above!

Hi everyone,

I understood it to mean that the “leftovers”—the items the OP no longer “tinkers with” or “works on” herself—are supposed to be sold.

When it comes to finished products, it’s actually just as the previous posters said: Legally, you can’t do anything here without a business license! And even then, you can’t just offer items made according to any old patterns (copyright/usage rights, etc.), not to mention the regulations for toys, labeling requirements, etc., that have already been mentioned.

Best regards, Nina