http://www.mahoodsculpture.com/soft-sculpture-dolls/
I’m considering making crafts at home to sell for an additional income. I’ll be making hand crafted soft
sculpture dolls, stuffed animals and some cross stitch work. Without having to resort to the expense of renting space at a flee market or consignment at a shop, what would be the best option to advertise my work and at what leval of earnings would I need to file income tax on any profit I acquire?
Lois, the best low-cost ways to advertise your work would be to do it online, which is where many artists are spending their time these days. And since you’ve come to Yahoo! Answers for advice, I’m guessing that would feel comfortable to you.
{Have a look at this article I wrote for the New York Times about artists exploring new markets for their work: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/business/smallbusiness/27shift.html?_r=1}
eBay and Etsy are two sites that are very popular with artists. There’s no middleman between the artist and the consumer; you can set your price and terms and go from there.
eBay has a huge community of crafters and offers a guide to getting started. http://pages.ebay.com/buy/guides/crafts-selling-guide/ If you’ve already sold other things on eBay and are familiar with the process, that would be a natural place to try. Some artists prefer to sell their work in an online community that is focused solely on artists.
That’s where Etsy comes in. Etsy is basically an online shopping mall where all the stores sell hand-made items. While Etsy isn’t free, it comes pretty darn close. Signing up for Esty and opening your online shop is free. Once you list items for sale in your Etsy shop, you pay 20 cents for each item you list. When you make a sale, you pay a commission of 3.5 percent. Full details on how to start selling on Esty are here: http://www.etsy.com/faq_selling.php
As for taxes, what you’re selling doesn’t matter. Income is income to the state and federal tax collectors. The short answer is that you after you’ve reached $400 in self-employment income, you’ll have to file federal taxes. But your tax situation will depend on a variety of things, including what other kinds of income you have. In addition to federal income tax, there is also state income tax and sales tax, which both vary by state. The Small Business Administration website has a useful section on tax planning for small business. {http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/paytaxes/index.html} Make sure to also talk to your regular accountant.
Angel Buddies – Black Cloth Soft Sculpture Dolls