Rejected From QVC

Well I got my rejection email from QVC today. At least they were quick to deny me LOL.

The email said my product did not fit in with their marketing plan. What an odd way to reject jam and jelly. I wish I could have got them to taste it. No one really gets my jam and jelly until they taste it.

I tried to sell them gift packs of my wine and pepper jelly. Basically my 2 top selling jams and jellies.

Okay so next I am either going to try HSN or Shark Tank. Not sure which one. I have been reading up on the Shark Tank terms.

One of them is that the production company gets 2 to 5 percent of your companies profits forever if a shark picks you. Dang!! I have to ponder that one some more.

How to Sell Your Products on QVC

I took the plunge this morning and applied to become a "QVC Vendor" aka sell my jam on QVC.

I figured what the heck all they can do is tell me no. They do have a program called QVC Sprouts for smaller companies like mine.

All I did was submit an application with information about my product, attach to an email and hit send.

Click here to see the QVC Vendor application info

They have a whole list of categories of what they are currently looking for. My guess is they are looking now for what they will sell next fall; Christmas season.

Be sure though if you apply that you know exactly what it costs you to produce your items. You must sell them wholesale to QVC. Therefore you have to know your exact costs so you don't lose money. Wholesale can be tricky!

I will keep you all posted on what happens!

Strawberry Balsamic Jam!

I am playing with some new jam flavors and trying to gear up for the spring craft shows and farmers markets.

For a year I have heard how great Strawberry Balsamic Jam tastes so I knew I wanted to try making some.

Well I found some great fresh strawberries at the store and decided to give it a try.

I have to say the taste is amazing! You really do not taste the vinegar but the balsamic gives the strawberries a really deep flavor that they do not have on their own.

Now I am thinking of making it with jalapeno's. Yum. I also made a batch of Strawberry Jalapeno Jam which is hubbys favorite. I made him a 16 oz jar so he would stop eating all of my 8 oz jars LOL.

If you would like to order some of my homemade jam just email me at jamanarchy@gmail.com

I need to get a good picture of it!

More Writers Laid off From Demand Studios

Well one look at the Demand Studios forums shows it is now officially imploding on itself.

As more and more writers get rejected for the new "writer sections" it becomes apparent that this was just another way for Demand Studios to lay off a huge amount of writers without admitting to a massive layoff. That wouldn't look good right before their 4th quarter financial report.

Oddly enough, as of last week, I was still approved for Finance and Money. I specifically asked Jordon on the Demand forum if that meant I was staying in. He replied it did. A few days later I was met with "re apply." So much for that answer.

I applied for the Pets section but still no word. I seriously doubt I will get in but that's okay.

I think what upsets writers more than being rejected is being rejected with form emails that have nothing to do with their application. Many like myself easily meet the "qualification" guidelines yet still get a rejection letter.

I think most writers would feel better if DMS would just call it what it is. Another layoff.

What Craft Items Sell the Best?

I see this question posted all over the internet. People seem to think there is some magical craft item that just sells a ton and makes a lot of easy money. This is just not how it works.

The great thing right now is that due to the recession (or whatever you want to call it) The handmade crafts market is booming. There is a huge return to buying handmade gifts and LEARNING HOW TO MAKE handmade gifts.

So many people over look that last sentence. Probably the easiest most profitable money there is to be made in the crafts industry is teaching your craft to other people. This can be in the form of a class, video, blogs, patterns etc.

So many crafter's are hesitant to sell their patterns or teach a class. Because we are like hoarders. We don't want anyone to know how we made something or sell our patterns because they might outsell us. This is crazy!!

Now not everyone is meant to teach a class. I myself love to teach classes whether it be painting, crocheting etc. There is great money to be made in teaching classes. So if you love people and have a crafty flair; contact your local craft store and see about teaching what you love to do. I averaged about $25.00 per hour when I taught tole painting.

Okay so maybe teaching is not your forte. What about selling patterns? I have posted about this several times on this blog and elsewhere. People that refuse to sell patterns are missing a huge market. This is the easiest highest profit money you will ever make in the craft industry.

People that buy craft patterns obviously enjoy making their own craft items. They are never going to buy your finished craft items, but they will buy the pattern. So this opens up a brand new market for you and a new customer base.

People are going to copy others anyway, so make it easy and make a few bucks at the same time.

The other day I was writing Etsy Product Descriptions for an Etsy store. While researching what her best keywords are I noticed a huge amount of Google searches for patterns in the item she makes and sells.

I advised her to think hard about selling a downloadable e-pattern for what she makes. I think she would be hugely successful if she decides to do it.

So lets say you are new and do not have any original craft design patterns to sell. To be successful you must pick a craft you are passionate about making. I am a firm believer in that.

Then you must pick the right colors and the right price. Quality handmade items always sell as long as they are in the right colors and prices.