Lockdown is a tough time for everyone, and with the pandemic continuing to rage through 2021, a lot of us will be stuck at home for the foreseeable. It is important for all of us to find ways to make money during this time and many of us have used our skills to make money at home.
If you want to bolster your income this year and make some extra money at home - why not create items and sell them? There are lots of ways to make items and sell them from your home and today we want to show you some of the most creative and how to do it.
Choose a skill
The first thing you want to do when choosing a creation to make. There are lots of fun things you can do from the comfort of your home - whether you have an existing skill or you pick up a new hobby during lockdown. Here are some of the most popular ideas you can try this year.
Painting
Painting is a fun skill and one that is often relaxing. If you have a passion for art work and are looking to capitalize on it, why not paint unique paintings and sell both prints and original works? There are lots of paint types and methods to play around with so have some fun creating and see what you come up with!
Sketching
If you have a serious eye for detail and enjoy creating realistic sketches - one great way to make money from this is to draw people’s pets and sell them. Original sketches can be created easily using some artist pencils and a piece of paper, and you’ll be able to sell these both locally and online.
Baking
If you love to create food and you have started baking during the pandemic - one way to pass the time would be creating some fun bakes for people in your local community. Learn how to make fudge, creating bakes for occasions and for general enjoyment is a fun way to make some money and you could even start your own business from this if it becomes popular!
Photography
Photography is a fun hobby, and one way to make some money from home is to print off your photographs and sell them in frames. Whether you do landscapes or wildlife photography - you can create some stunning pieces of artwork that people will want to hang in their homes and offices.
Knitting
Often a skill seen in older women, knitting has become more and more popular over the years. It is not something that many creative people partake in and enjoy. You can find many diverse knitting patterns and crochet patterns out there and make everything from gloves, hats, scarves, clothing, pet clothing, and even pet toys. Have fun creating some brilliant things at low cost and make a lot of money from your creations.
Gather supplies
Now is the time to gather your supplies to make your fun creations. When it comes to creating something to sell it is important to invest in the right supplies to produce the best products. But artist grade paints or pencils, thick wool, and a good quality printer. Once you have your supplies ready to go you can start creating some brilliant things.
Create a workable space
Once you have your supplies and an action plan it is important to set up a workable space for yourself. This could be a large work surface in the kitchen for your baking, a bright room in the house where you can paint, or a quiet office space where you can work in peace. Make sure you have space to work as well as an organized place to create.
Have fun
The most important thing to consider when creating items to sell is to have fun doing it. It is so important to have some fun when you create your masterpieces, and you’ll be able to entertain yourself and spend your days doing something you genuinely love. Have fun every step of the way and only create things that you want to create.
Consider packaging
For packing up your products for sale you need to consider contacting a product packaging company for the best quality gear. Packaging is important for the overall look and feel of your product and often you can get good quality packaging supplies quite cheap for your purposes. You need to balance the need to protect your products effectively during transit with the need to reduce the amount of plastic you use, so instead of using bubble wrap and air cushions, consider using starch foam peanuts and shredded paper. Protecting against water can be hard without plastic, however, so plastic bags might be your best option. Good packing supplies will protect against things like bumps, falls, rain and extreme temperatures, so choose high-quality materials to prevent damage.
Consider price
Pricing is a difficult thing when making your own products because a lot of us get imposter syndrome and don’t believe we can charge the same as a professional. The truth often is that you can indeed charge the same as someone else, and you should not short change yourself for anything. If people want a great product made by you, they will invest in it.
Think about shipping costs
Shipping is the next step in your creation process and this is where you can start to negotiate. Shipping is an important part of your process because you will need to ensure the safe transport of your goods to their destination. You also need to think about whether or not you need to ship items yourself. If you are a baker you could either drop things off at a customers house or ask them to collect. This might be easier and it will save you a lot of money.
Consider the long term
When you are looking to start creating items for sale, you want to ensure that you have an idea about the long term impact. Starting any sort of off shoot like this will likely result in you needing to register for self-assessment tax so make sure you are ready for this commitment. Long term, you could end up changing your career entirely and this could become your full time job. Be sure that before you start you are ready for the upkeep of this once life gets back on track.
Enjoy creating and selling your own things today and consider the impact it could have on your life.