Hello people of Folks.
I’m thinking of starting to include selling DIY Kits of my bags that I sell in my shop, as a cheaper alternative. So I was wondering if I could get some feedback from fellow sellers who also do this sort of thing.
Did it lead to an increase of sells?
Did the DIY Kits sell better than the already made product?
And another interesting outcomes that you come across.
Do share any DIY kits that you have that sell the best.
Any feed back would be great,
thank you
Rachael
Well I’ve only listed 2 card making packs and one has sold if that helps.
I do sell quite of few of my knitting patterns more off of Folksy than I do on Folksy and they are all via crafting forums.
I know a lot of people starting out making things from kits this I know from all the different crafting forums I’m on. Most get into making because someone bought them a kit to make something as a gift. Then they’ll join forums for assistance and find even more things to try out.
Oh yes I have sold the odd sewing kit but via crafting forums not put any in my Folksy shop yet
I sell tutorials, and for some designs the matching ‘materials packs’ - effectively a kit without the tutorial/instructions. I do reasonably well with them, although because the other place offers instant downloads, and has a more established supplies trade, I’d have to be honest and say they do better there (which is not the case with my finished items). I’d give it a go - get a competent friend to test one first so you can hone and be confident in your instructions in particular. In many ways I get more enjoyment from the tutorials and kits than I do from selling finished pieces - my field (beadweaving) is a bit under appreciated generally, but once people are hooked on doing it themselves they do tend to spend! And your bags are lovely, great fun fabrics that would really appeal to vintage crafters - I have a purse half done from a Makery kit otherwise I’d buy one myself. Good luck.
Oh yes! For something as specific and quirky as your bags are, I think kits would go down very well. It can be expensive to buy the minimum fabric from a shop, even if you can source it yourself, not to mention a pattern etc, so a kit can work out quite reasonable in terms of price and hassle. Also, customers could choose their base colours.
Hello Rachael
I think kits would be a great idea, but you need to be very careful if you are using licensed fabrics to make sure that you don’t infringe copyright (either in kits or in finished items you are selling)…
Jane x
I started knitting kits just before Christmas , sold a couple a this site and more still on the other. This one is the best seller so far.
As others say , get your patterns well tested and make sure you have everything you need for the kit
i’m now working this wording into my listings
http://www.tabberone.com/Trademarks/TrademarkLaw/Disclaimers/TabberoneDisclaimer.shtml
cheers everyone 
i’ll get straight on to it
sorry but that disclaimer will not protect you in fact what it’s really saying is you know you are breaking Trademark but you don’t care.
Any disclaimer will be used against you in a court of law.
We as crafter’s cann’t use licences fabric’s to make new items to sell as the fabric is sold for private use only. ie the license fabric is sold under license from the Trademark owner to the seller of the fabric. When we buy that fabric we don’t then buy the rights to the license to use the fabric for Commerical useage ie make it up into something and sell it.
We can only use the fabric for our own personnal use or resell it unaltered. ie as a piece of fabric.
Hope that helps.
Do you have source material that I could look at please as clearly I don’t want to get into trouble but at the same time, would like to find a way that I can make the things I want.
Thank you
I know it USA based but this article gives a different view on it so that why I’m a bit uncertain about it
and then there is this one that also has a comment at the end of the article about using licensed fabric…
Quote: "I have found some interesting things about the use and restriction of licensed fabric bought in the public domain. NOTE: I am NOT a lawyer and not giving legal advice.
Often fabric store employees will point out wording regarding the use of the fabric. The wording is printed on the fabric’s salvage.
HOWEVER -There is nothing in federal or state statute that says a disclaimer on the binding of the selvage means anything at all to the purchaser. The purchaser of the items can’t be a 3rd party to the contract between the licensed manufacturer and the owner of the copyright.
To be with in a legal use of licensed fabric, this what I have found based on some of my research into this situation.
A crafter may use the fabric to make items for resale. HOWEVER…(the great however) the crafter MUST do the below to avoid problems when selling items made with licensed fabric.
The crafter must clearly state that their item is handmade with the licensed fabric and the item is NOT a licensed product by that company . AND there must be a disclaimer that says you are not affiliated with the licensing company.
For example …
It’s a quilt with Disney Princess Fabric. It is NOT a Disney Princess Quilt.
The disclaimer should go like this.
” This is not a licensed Disney Product, it is handcrafted w/care from licensed disney material. Sellername is not affilated with or sponsored by Disney.”
NEVER, NEVER, REPRODUCE a licensed or copyrighted image, by painting, drawing, or using any type of copying.
INSTEAD, buy the images. For example- if you use things like stickers use the PURCHASED sticker. Scanning the design into your computer and printing off as many as you want is copyright infringement and illegal.
DebbieKinil MARCH 5, 2013 AT 1:00 PM
I would not go by those blogs they are not ip lawyers and don’t forgot there’s a difference between copyright and Trademark laws.
And in the USA there are crafters who have tried to use disclaimers like this and Disney has taken them to court. In one case a seller on Etsy lost her house, she even had the sewing machines taken from her by the USA Courts as tools of her counterfeiting. Read the Etsy forums the woman put up a long crying post about what happened to her and how her husband lost his job because she ended up on their news station.
Don’t mess with the mouse as the saying goes.
Here we also have laws that means your work can be taken and distroyed and then there’s all the count costs. It’s just not worth it.
If you don’t have the money to go to court and defend yourself then you don’t have to money to pay the fines.
Disney will defend their Trademarks if they don’t they lose them as will all who have Trademarks they will defend them that means they will go after those who infringe on their Trademarks.