A Way for Weekend Woodworkers to Make Some Extra Cash

As a hobbyist, you may dream of making woodworking your career or retiring to your wood shop and producing money while enjoying your passion and retirement. I largely considered the enthusiast who does it for fun, makes items for himself and gives them to friends and relatives. After a while, your garage becomes full of forgotten items, which could be sold for fresh wood or tools. Professionals must make what customers want in the shortest amount of time to make a profit, while hobbyists can make whatever they want. You don’t have to make as much on work as a professional, but you may. “Breaking even” is bad for businesses but fantastic for hobbyists.

Before starting a woodworking project, choose a product line. Decide how? Select products that satisfy needs, desires, or wants. Market research—find as many plans, patterns, and kits as possible. Make some of these. It’s good practice and you’ll have things to show friends and neighbors.
Were they liked? Which? Can they be embellished to make them more appealing?

Check your sources before starting with 15–20 items. Attention to woodcraft pattern, plan, and kit sellers. They choose profitable initiatives well. Catalogs frequently identify these. Their catalog covers feature their finest selling. Front-page products sell well too. Around-the-order-form products sell well.

Read Craft & Carpentry Magazines and Websites—Read as many as you can. They will keep you current.

Product Testing – After you’ve considered all the above and chosen your first projects, don’t commit until you’ve tested them at a local craft fair. Make 12 of each item. Test at a local show. This show is not a moneymaker. Your goal is to learn how to make money. Give your products a good pricing range. have some low, middle, and high. Do not raise or drop pricing on fast-selling or slow-selling items at this exhibition. Record how long an item sells and consumer comments. Get a precise reading.
You may need to attend multiple shows before “rolling out” your product line. Learn from the first exhibition to price your products for the second. Testing is the only way to create a popular product line. Attend more shows and test more products to find the “correct” product line sooner. After a few shows, drop a product and replace it. Make money. You shouldn’t keep a project just because you like it and think it’ll sell well. Drop it if it doesn’t sell.

Marketing depends on what you manufacture and what’s in the garage. Smaller, less expensive things are easier to sell, move, and ship. The average wood-turning enthusiast makes more things than a furniture manufacturer, which takes more time. Start with the obvious: garage sales, free/low-cost ads, local craft markets, and church sales.

Consider whether you know anyone who can sell your products in their shop or give you flea market booth space. Avoid overlooking low-hanging fruit. The internet has opened doors.

Facebook and comparable sites can produce sales like classified ads. Free, more people will see it. Facebook Marketplace and other sites take a commission but have a large audience. Start a website. Online marketing is inexpensive and straightforward. WordPress.com, WIX.com, and more offer free blogs. Blogging is optional. Upload a photo and write a description for your online catalog. A comprehensive website costs a little. Self-perform. If you don’t need something complicated, why pay someone? Consider a website too costly or difficult to manage. Weebly and Google Sites offer free websites without ads, while a dot com domain costs R 150 – R 300 per year. Help with technology