Last week I discovered a new way to sell crochet. It’s genius and something I never considered as something for crocheters to use. Built specifically for small business to fund their new projects and build a stable future, this platform is a none traditional way to get projects off the ground. Kickstarter is an investment platform where small businesses (like ours) can get their new products funded. And all kinds of businesses do. So is Kickstarter the secret to more crochet sales?
If you go and have a browse around Kickstarter, you will find lots of different kinds of projects looking to be funded. There is an incredibly wide range of genres on there including:
- Comics
- Jigsaw Puzzles
- Board Games
- Trading Cards
- Books
- Theatre Shows
The list goes on and on.
There is also a category for crafts and inside that a place for crochet campaigns.
I recorded a podcast on using Kickstarter for your crochet, you can listen to it below.
How Are The Crochet Campaigns Fairing?
When I was browsing through the Kickstarter site there weren’t many crochet campaigns, but the ones I did see were all fully funded and then some. In fact since I recorded the podcast about it, even more crochet campaigns have popped up and are doing just as well as the first ones I saw.
What this means is that crocheters are getting the investment they need to take their crochet businesses in the direction they want, but it also means they are getting the best prices for their crochet.
Kickstarter is an all or nothing platform. If your campaign doesn’t reach it’s funding target then you receive nothing and those who invested don’t get charged. However if you meet the funding target, the money will be on it’s way to you and that’s when the real work begins.
How Does A Kickstarter Campaign = Sales?
When people invest in a campaign they do it with the promise of something in return. There is also a set cost to receiving a product in return for that investment.
For example if your price for an amigurumi bee is $49, then only those who invest $49 will receive that product. And you can offer multiple items in multiple categories. A simple black and white bee can be $49, but a rainbow coloured bee might be priced at a $57 investment. Want a supersized bee? That will be an $87 investment.
This way you can raise more funds for more effort needed to create each variation of the product you’re offering.
I’m Sorry, How Much Are You Charging For That?
If you read the paragraph above and thought I was loosing my marbles for pricing a crochet bee for THAT MUCH! then I totally get you.
But Kickstarter is not a shop.
People are not just buying a crochet item, they’re investing in your business. They get something in return for their investment yes, but they also get the satisfaction that they are supporting a small business to stay in business and be able to take that business up a notch.
In other words high pricing is not an issue on Kickstarter – it is expected.
It is expected because the whole point of the platform is to give small businesses a leg up. Give them the financial boost needed to really make their businesses work so that they have the funding needed to not only make a living from their craft but to be able to purchase any materials, tech or training that they need.
Kickstarter is all about creating sustainable businesses for the future. This means that there are no bargain basement prices, no rush to the bottom, but realistic pricing with an extra margin on top to give that business a real chance of making it.
The Commercial Production Backlash
There is a growing movement of people who are actively avoiding international corporations and the mass production of stuff. They don’t want fast fashion or something that rolls out of a sweatshop in Bangladesh. They want unique items, designed and made by those who are paid properly with decent working conditions.
More and more people want to buy from small businesses, they want to support real people who get paid real wages and where people in other countries don’t get their labour exploited by faceless billionaires.
These people want to buy from you. They want to see your business succeed because its less money going into the corporate bank accounts and brings more skills, more variety and less exploitation to the marketplace.
There are literally hundreds of thousands of campaigns on Kickstarter at any one time, raising millions for small businesses because of that growing movement that are appreciating the value of having more small businesses in the world succeeding.
So you can set your prices high. Not only to cover the cost of the items you’re promising, not only to pay yourself a decent wage, but to also give you the funds to invest in the future of your business.
Great, So What Do I Do?
Kickstarter requires you to be transparent. You have to state clearly and honestly what people will get for their investment and how much each option costs. You have to tell them a bit about your business and yourself.
You then also have to say what you will do with the funds if your campaign raises more than you aimed for.
Your campaign doesn’t close just because you reached your target. People can still choose to invest afterwards. You just need to be honest about what you will do with that extra cost.
A research trip to Europe, investing in a web designer, putting it towards the cost of developing your next collection – it doesn’t matter as long as you say.
You will also need real pictures of the items people will receive when they invest. No mock ups or AI images allowed.
Be honest and open and you’re all good to go.
An Underused Tool For Crochet?
Kickstarter is not a tool I’ve heard advertised as a way for crochet sellers to fund their businesses before, but it was absolutely built for us.
It is best suited for those with collections of the same product to sell, but it doesn’t mean that you’re going to be making hundreds of items. You can raise hundreds of dollars with just a dozen or so backers.
You will have to promote your Kickstarter though on social media and through your newsletter and other channels. You can’t just sit back and wait for investors to find you.
It’s a way to get the money you need to fund your business and you can create a Kickstarter campaign for future collections of your crochet too and some people are doing just that.
So would you use Kickstarter to fund your crochet business? Have you tried it before, I’d love to hear about your experiences.
