/diy/ - Do It Yourself

If you know how to crochet, then amigurumi dolls sell anywhere from $10 to $100 a piece.

Also interested in this. Right now I'm making hand bound leather journals and hollow books. The wife is doing hippy stuff like tarot readings and reiki. We need more variety of things that sell well. We have a permanent table at a market. Also, how do sell online? Just through Kajiji?

I'm not quite sure if this can be sold online, but I can make small wooden models of various stuff. Atm I'm interested in medieval siege equipment so I'm making trebuchets, catapults, siege towers, battering rams... A friend of mine works in a souvenir shop so I'll give her some of my works to put them there and see if anyone's interested.

Pic related, and here's a video of the trebuchet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNNtHx3BIQs

>>285091
I like that idea, but shipping would be a bitch, I think.

>>285104
>shipping would be a bitch

Not really, You just need to double box fragile items. Leave 1-2 inches of space between the boxes and fill that space with packing peanuts or anything else. I used to ship tons of very expensive ($2k to $10k) art glass pieces through all the major shipping companies and regular mail to eBay customers. Everyone raved at how well everything was packed.

I got the boxes from local stores. I just told them what I was doing and they always helped me out and let me rummage through their box dumpsters before compacting everything. Of course I was shipping like 200 items a week at one time.

>>285104
I don't know, I don't have any experience with online selling and I don't know how it all works. That's why I'm putting my stuff in the souvenir shop xD
Here's another thing I made a couple of years ago.

I have been making leather items on etsy for months now. At first it was slow, but it seems as if the bigger your online store is, the more business. I mean that makes complete sense. I wont use the chan to advertise because I don't need to and think it's kind of lame, but for any aspiring leatherworker, handmade leather purses and messenger bags are lucrative as fuck. turn 50-80 dollars of decent leather into a couple of bags and sell them for 250+. having a sewing machine is a major plus. anyone ever need any info just ask here. been thinking about starting a guide to help my fellow diynos out

>>285280
Teach me your ways oh great one

>>285280

I posted in the other money thread about planning to do exactly that. What sort of numbers did you start out with? Like did you make a few things and put them al up at once or did you make one, sell one, make one?

>>285345

I made a few things, took some high quality photos and kept them around. I love crafting with leather, so its a hobby/love first, money maker second. Igs nice to get my funds from this while in college though. UT is a ripoff this year. anyways...I offer the same things all the time, roughly 40 items: from coasters to luggage. at this point i make to order, so that people can get whatever color they want. its cash, its fun and it works pretty well for me. like i said, I will post a guide I am eorking on called "cjacks leather" going over my time management techniques and cool little designs I have figured out along the way

This may be evil but...

>Find a fandom
>Build high quality materials
>Rake in money based on the consumers blind worship of said items

Its a guaranteed source of income if you can build what they need and don't mind taking advantage of their love for said item (depending on how you look at it).

Electronics. That's the basis of my eBay business.

I'm on target for $25-30k total sales this year, probably $12-15k pure profit. I know that doesn't seem like much but I started in January with $1000 and motivation.

>>285367
arduinos?

>>285367
can I be your padawan? please teach me

>>285367

share some secrets mane. most people asking hardly ever try

>>285367
Teach us

>>285357
This guy knows what he is saying. I was thinking of making some pony figurines in solid works and then printing them so I could sell them on ebay to virgins for a few thousand a pop.

>>285367
What kind of electronics?

Here's a new moneymaker for you. Publish a kindle e-book about how you did it and sell it to everybody here through amazon.

>>285389

>audio (receivers, vintage audiophile shit, etc)
>video games (PS3/Xbox shit and old shit like SNES)
>refurbished laptops (buy broken ones, do the quick fixes, flip them for profit)

Unfortunately, all of you guys are a bit late this year. A good bit of my inventory comes from yard sales / flea markets and those start to die down in the Fall/Winter. I do, however, recommend auction houses. Thrift stores can be good too but many of them have caught on to shit, thanks to those fucking reality television shows. Stay away from the storage locker auctions because unlike what the television tells you, those things are not worth your time.

>>285381

A smart phone is your friend. I limit bad purchases by having the ability to research on the phone. A few of the auction houses I go to list their contents a few days before the sale, so I'm able to go in that bitch with a spreadsheet of what I should pay to make a profit.

The key to success is streamlining. Early in the year, I wasn't making a lot of money. As I worked at it, I improved efficiency and now I'm doing around pretty well.

>>285421

one more thing. keep in mind that the guys that have been doing this for a long time as a career aren't exactly internet savvy (for the most part). the main fuckers I have to deal with are in their 40's-60's. there's an advantage thanks to the internet and this can be exploited.

Bamp any more ideas? Crocheing sound good.

leather guy here again. I would love to hear more success stories about selling things online, even flipping for profit.

>>285367
What was the first thing you flipped for a profit?

>>284995
Are the patterns for those specific dolls available free? They're pretty cute.

Also: I made pretty decent money in tf2's virtual economy for a while before I got bored of trying to keep up with the marketbase. only did it for a month but I turned £60 into £600

>>285829
I've heard this story several times, but I've never played TF2, so I have no idea what this is about. Explain, please?

Also: you say you turned 60 into 600, but how many hours did that take you? Is it really worth it, or was it just a side hobby?

good thread, thanks anon
anybody know of any websites devoted to this type of thing? with guides, resources, etc?

I like to make small carvings. My dad's friend taught me to carve when I was fifteen, and I've kept up with it fairly diligently over the years. You can make some pretty cool stuff with a couple knives and chisels, a wood burner, and any old piece of scrap wood you find lying around.

Mostly owls, when I'm making stuff to sell. People seem to really freaking like owls, and they're simple.

my little pony plushes sell for hundreds... some of them have holes in the back for... things. was informed of this by a brony.

I work in a large hospital and have access to lots of disposable medical supplies, including some non-narcotic medications. What things can I steal to sell to make some cash on the side?

>>286001
Oh. Oh god. I made my little niece a plushy of her favorite pony a while back, and she loved it. And there are people out there buying them as fuck-toys

I'm gonna be sick.

>create tumblr
>follow 20 "popular" teenagers
>make stuff from their random posts
>Profit!

Bump for more.

funny that you should ask i made some bank off of these
>>made out of non working controllers dont freak out

>>286002
>I work in a large hospital and have access to lots of disposable medical supplies, including some non-narcotic medications. What things can I steal to sell to make some cash on the side?
you could sew ugly stuffed animals out of bloody scrubs, stuff them with dirty needles and sell them to emo kids.

>>286257
that's awesome!
and i know where i can get maybe 30 non working controllers
thanks anon

>>286001
>my little pony plushes sell for hundreds... some of them have holes in the back for... things. was informed of this by a brony.
yea, but........ does anyone make one that allows attaching a dragon dildo? ;>)

>>285847
I'm playing Tf2 right now as we speak so i can kind of explain to you, hats are worth big bucks, like anywhere from $1 to $50 and sometimes even higher. so just purchasing items from inexperienced players who don't know what things are worth, and then selling them to other people for paypal money or more items to sell again. It's just basic flipping but requires knowledge of the game and items

>>286270
>Pony with a dragon dildo
>Not an anatomically correct horse cock
Disgusting

>>285091
That looks pretty neat. There's a crappier version on Kickstarter that comes a flat pack laser cut kit, I'm sure you can do better

>>286276
>big bucks
>$1-$50

Sorry to break it to you but 50$ is less than you'd make working an 8 hour shift at minimum wage.

If I were to make figures of some kind, what sort of material should i use? Sculpty?
I'm considering making MLP shit

>>286294
If you invest $1 dollar and make $50 back in a couple of 10 minute deals while playing a video game, it doesnt really equate to a day's work in a shitty stinking job.

I also buy and sell video games on Ebay, but lately i've been trying to find more deals on things to buy to maximize profit.

No one here sells the shit and the flea markets base their pricing off of Ebay.

I started out with 20 dollars and made about 400 last month. I'm taking it slow now though because I hit item limits in about a week and can't go full retard until after 90 days.

Be SUPER fucking careful with Amazon! I sold $700 worth of old video games in less than a week, and due to selling so much so fast the put me into review. A week later, my account was cancelled, and they are holding my $700 for 90 days. They won't tell me why either, and I seriously didn't do anything I wasn't supposed to.

Fuck I'm so pissed.

Guys, I've been wanting to get into crafting for fun and profit, but I have no funds to start with.
How should I start? I'm thinking about making a kickstarter but have no idea how to go about that.
Can't really promise anything when I don't have the skill yet.

>>286323
Well, figuring out what you want to do, and how to do it effectively should be figured out before you even attempt to sell anything.

>>286325

For instance, what if someone wanted to start leatherworking as a hobby and eventually maybe sell if they enjoy it/are good at it. What would the start up cost be?

>>286336
To start leather-working, I'd look at online tutorials and stuff like Instructable to get a good idea of the process and tools. But if I had to guess,you could probably get started for less than $50. Then once you have a finished piece, figure out how to sell it. After that I'd recommend checking out sites like Etsy and see what people are looking for,and use that as a basis for future works.

>>284995
These are fucking adorable.

>>285367
Do you generally Auction or Sell your stuff?

If you can get good at chainmaille weaving you can sell jewelry/interesting pieces/armour.

Pic related, corsage I made for my prom date one year. I probably couldn't make money off of it, or atleast enough to offset the material cost (used sterling silver rings for parts of it) but if you take your skills far enough it shouldn't be difficult to find buyers. And it's a fun hobby

>>286351
Not that guy, but the 400 guy.

I generally place everything up for sale for 3 days at .99 and shipping about a dollar our two higher than you'd expect to pay.

I used to set higher starting bids or buy it nows, but I found that you'll get a shit load more views at .99 and the bid war usually starts sooner thus leading to a higher final sale.

Anyone have any experience refinishing furniture for profit. Got some old Wood dressers and such I'm thinking that with a good sanding and some high quality stain it could look new again.

Best way to make money if you're crafty is exploit the shit out of a fandom. Two of the best candidates as of now are My Little Pony and furries. Make some relatively high quality anything, post your wares on Equestria Daily or FurAffinty and watch the money come in by the truckloads.

>>286381
So if you expected it to sell for $4 you'd set the shipping at $5?

>>286400
I thought it obvious what he meant, but no... He means set the shipping at a dollar higher than you would expect to pay for shipping. The item price is a whole other ballgame.

I do leather work for myself and friends but don't charge anything more than materials. If I sold anything I would price it by the piece, depending on amount of work. Not time involved, but based on difficulty. Like a simple bracer pair, dyed/painted and finished, set up with speed laces, probably $30. For an hour of actual work and $10 in leather. Not bad if you can crank them out one after another, or use pre-dyed hides. I work with any leather from 2-3oz up through 13-15oz, but most armor bits are done in 8-10oz, layered if needed.

>>286409
This.

For example:
game boy color costs anywhere from 3 to 5 dollars to ship. So I set a flat rate of 6 for anywhere in the lower 48.

Sometimes you lose a few bucks doing the 99 cent thing, but more often than not you'll make money on even lame ass games. Especially if you buy them in lots and resell individually.

>>286409
>>286415
I just overthought things. Thanks.

>>286294
>> $1 - $50 isn't big bucks.
If you can turn $1 into $50 in a matter of hours while enjoying yourself then you don't need to be on this thread about making money.

I brew shitty wine, and I'm pretty sure I could sell it to high school students and make a killing.

>>286499
Risk vs reward seems skewed in that business model.

Not really DiY but I plan to make playmats, deckboxes and oricas.

I buy shit from dead businesses at bank auctions. You get bitchin deals. Started last december 150k sales this year with another 150k in inventory. Seed money just 30k. I pay 12c/sq foot for warehouse space.

>>286582

whats a good resource for 'dead business bank auctions' ? all i can seem to find are real-estate foreclosures

Anyone have Abby luck with custom Tshirts? Thinking about attempting screen printing and trying my luck on Etsy or something.

>>286629
Been done a trillion times. Unless your ideas are 100% unique (they aren't) and interesting (they aren't) then I don't see any profit for an individual doing this.

Buruccha bump