Never project your own income level and lifestyle into pricing your leather goods . Never be afraid to upgrade your prices .
You have thousands of people on instagram trying to compete with each other with lower prices for leatherwork that should be double or triple the price .
The days of you trying to price compete is over , let the thousands of other leather crafters fight over dropping their goods to low , when they go low you go high . There is a market for high price quality products , just imagine you selling the same product as everyone else , but their prices are low and the same as the others , but you are the one to have the courage to double your price , that customer will buy the expensive item because they will think because the price is higher it must be something better than the others , even if they can,t see what that difference is , there is a market for expensive items , you just have to have the courage to pull the trigger .
It is very easy to view the world in economic terms befitting your own life and circumstances. Remember that there are people out there whose perception of value and a fair price are radically different than our own. Don't fence yourself out of those markets by assuming that everyone thinks and feels as you do.
I see so many extraordinary pieces of artisanship craft leather goods . I often wonder how many of these goods are being sold for way less than they could or should have netted. Think above your own station. It usually pays handsomely.
Marketing Handcrafted Leathergoods
I have been working with leather for more than thirty years, In that time I have attended countless craft markets, owned and run four retail shops and set up a small manufacturing unit and wholesale leathergoods operation. I have become very wealthy with the craft i love , i figured its about time i pay it forward and help my fellow leather crafter make money . When you learn the steps it take to make money in leather crafting it becomes a walk in the park , so i advise you to read every word over and over until you understand how simple it is to get paid with your leather work .
Market Research
Marketing depends largely on knowing who your customers are - or who you think your customers might be - and precisely what they want to buy. Market research allows you to find out what people want to buy, ergo it tells you what you should be making. Remember: it is much easier to sell people what they want than to try to sell 'em stuff they don't need.
Start out with family and friends and then move on to groups and clubs to discover what people in your area are looking for. If you are really brave then go and ask people in the street. You could be surprised at what you discover.
Personal promotion
Always carry a top quality piece of your work with you. Wear one of your own hand-tooled belts, carry a bag you have carved or a briefcase you have hand sewn. People always notice unusual or beautiful things and will often ask where you got an item from. You won't get a better chance to promote your own products.
Demonstrations
Take every opportunity you can to demonstrate your craft alongside your sales operation. People love to see something being made especially if they can't do it themselves. You will make a lot of friends and sell a lot more products if you demonstrate what you can do. I mean its as simple as setting up a table on the side of the road , put a bag in your sowing horse and start saddle stitching a bag , i guarantee you people will stop and ask question , and that becomes your opportunity to reel them in .
Photography
You might want to start out by getting some great photographs of your products - if your budget is limited use your iphone camera and good lighting will give you a professional look , a set of lights and a burning desire to create is a huge asset. You can use these pictures to develop all kinds of marketing collateral such as postcards for putting in store windows and to be handed out everytime somebody comments on your belt, bag or briefcase or asks why your hands are that funny color...
Flyers
If you are a computer geek grab a copy of MSPublisher (or any other desk top publishing package) and create yourself a three fold flyer with pictures. You can promote a huge range of items on one of these and best of all you only need print what you need , i would put these flyers in doorways , in public places , at gas stations , your neighborhood coffee shop , you name it , if you think the flyer game is outdated your sadly wrong my friend .
Postcards
I used to have some very simple postcards with the words HANDTOOLED LEATHER in big letters at the top and a couple of nice pictures underneath that brought me in loads of work. Best still they got people to call me to talk about stuff they wanted. I couldn't always help but after a chat they often came back with other ideas.
Noticeboards
You could put business cards, postcards or flyers onto noticeboards at colleges and big office complexes. Find friends who work in these places and persuade them to pin cards up for you. The simple approach is best.
Another good trick is to make up your flyers with printed 'tear off' strips underneath so people can rip off a copy of your phone number or email address to take home with them - that way your flyer stays on the board.
Tags
Make tags for your leathergoods that carry your contact details. People like to see who made an item and, if they are pleased with the way it performs, you will have made it easier for them to re-order from you. You can also use a tag to promote bespoke/custom leatherwork. Be inventive - how about using your leather scraps to make your tags? All you need is a rubber stamp or a Sharpie.
Niche markets
Cosplay have always been a great source of business for me. I love 'em all but I don't expect them to have big bucks but they do spend . If they are your target market then you might want to think about the sort of stuff they might need and produce yourself a mini catalog of good leathery things for distribution at Medieval Fairs and the like. You will be surprised how these catalogs are kept safe until the cash is found to make a purchase.
Dog equipment is another lucrative market for the leatherworker because it constantly needs to be replaced. Hand-tooled collars and leads are good sellers and can lead to bigger orders. I use to walk the park and find a person with the prettiest dog and i would give them a free collar because if i found this dog to be cute other people did as well and someone will ask question about that collar . Try your local pet shop with a sample of your work also .
Online marketing
Build yourself a website ,Go to Blogger or one of the other free blogging sites and see how easy it is to create an online blog for free.
Go to spreesy.com and open up a free shop where you can put pictures of your products with description and prices and get paid .
Don,t work with Etsy but its up to you , i live by the motto , if i put the work in why do i have to pay a outsider for doing nothing , but thats just my thinking .
Always remember that people can't buy from you unless they know you are there. You will need to make sure your website URLs are clearly visible on all your marketing materials and social media .
You should also try to get other websites to link to your pages - add a link to your Facebook , twitter , instagram and wherever else you hang out online .
Your job is to enjoy your work , and stay focused on the client. Always try to make what they want (which is not necessarily what you want to make) and make your marketing materials look as good as your leatherwork.