| Chances are that you fancy starting your own | | | | be able to complain. |
| scrapbook business because it is already your hobby | | | | #4 There are a number of ways that you can sell |
| and passion. Luckily, scrapbooking is becoming a very | | | | your goods, either at crafting exhibitions open to the |
| popular pastime for lots of people, both young and old. | | | | general public or on the internet. eBay is a very popular |
| Because of this demand, you should be able to tap into | | | | way to sell goods as there are so many loyal |
| this lucrative market. | | | | customers shopping on eBay already. If you want to |
| There are many stores selling craft products however | | | | promote your eBay or web store the easiest way is |
| there is always a place for niche sellers like you. If you | | | | via forums. Find craft forums on MSN, Yahoo or via |
| decide to specialize purely in catering for the needs of | | | | your favourite search engine. You should get involved |
| scrapbookers, then you will need to find yourself a | | | | in discussions and give advice to people who are |
| reliable wholesaler. | | | | looking for inspiration. This is an ideal way to gain trust |
| #1 The first thing to do is to find all the craft | | | | from your customers and become known as an |
| wholesalers you can and request price lists. The | | | | expert. Be careful not to spam the forums i.e. don't let |
| internet is the ideal place to look for wholesalers. There | | | | your first post be a link to your craft store. Instead you |
| are many directories which list wholesale suppliers, | | | | should introduce yourself and talk about your love of |
| some you will have to pay for whilst others are free. | | | | scrapbooking. |
| #2 Once you have found all the suppliers you can, you | | | | There is a lot of hard work involved in setting up any |
| will need to look at their terms and conditions such as | | | | business and you should not go into this lightly. Make |
| minimum order, carriage costs and delivery times. | | | | sure that you do a business plan, take notes of how |
| Compare what each wholesaler has to offer and do | | | | much stock you will need to hold, work out your profits |
| not be afraid to bounce them off each other i.e. you | | | | and decide if you are prepared for this. If this is the |
| could say "XYZ craft wholesaler has a minimum order | | | | first business you have set up, find out if there are any |
| of $50, can you match that?" | | | | business advisors in your area. Many advisors are |
| #3 When you receive your order, make sure that you | | | | provided free of charge by the government so you |
| check to see that it is complete and there are no | | | | should make use of all the resources you can. Once |
| damages. Some companies will only allow you a few | | | | you have your company set up and running then I'm |
| days to check that there are no problems. If after that | | | | sure you will agree that it has been well worth it. |
| time you find there are missing items then you won't | | | | |