Wholesale for Handmade: Why are Daily Deal Sites so Great?

Many handmade artists turn to daily deal sites for a boost in sales, when they are able to produce many products but are not receiving many sales on their website. There are now a few "Daily Boutique and Handmade Deals" websites out, and while they all operate differently, they all have their perks. Here is a compiled list contrasting some of the daily deal sites out there.

Groop Dealz is a site that features many deals a day. This website requires membership to access the deals, which is free. Crafters/sellers can fill out a submission form to be considered for feature, and after that may have to send in samples of product to ensure quality. Groop Dealz keeps 30% of profits, but not any fees for shipping. After the deal ends, sellers receive half of their commission, and the other half is kept until all orders are filled. From personal and other's experiences, it may be difficult to hear back from staff when trying to get a deal featured. Fees from credit cards and PayPal are taken care of my Groop Dealz, so no worries there! If you are interested, visit Groop Dealz on facebook.

Fair Ivy is one of the more unique handmade wholesale sites out there, and I think it is a marvelous idea. Fair Ivy buys products in bulk to put into their surprise gift boxes, which range in categories from women, girls, men, pets, and then everyone.

To initially get your deal featured, email  newproducts@fairivy.com with photos and links to your online shop. If they are interested in your products, fair ivy will contact you with more details. TIP: always look at past products that they have featured on their site and blog to get the feel for what they are interested in. From what I can tell, packaging is a big thing because that is all that the potential buyer will see for your deal.

There are obviously many perks that come with selling with Fair Ivy. One is that you don't have to ship out individual orders, but one bulk order, which saves on shipping costs and time. You wouldn't have to worry about shipping costs anyways, because Fair Ivy reimburses shipping costs. However, you do need to intensely gift wrap each item, with company info and the process you used to make them. Fair Ivy pays 40% of the normal price for your products and will buy anywhere from 40-100 of any individual item (they hint at the number 60, however).

Your item is featured for 1 month, and during that month, sellers are forbidden from advertising their deal at all. After the deal is over, one is allowed to do basically whatever promoting they want.

Overall, I just really love this site. It's adorable. While I don't have any personal selling experience with them, I love surprises and may order a few in the future. Please visit Fair Ivy on facebook.

Very Jane is another daily deal website that features multiple sellers a day, and one "main seller". Their goods vary from handmade jewelry, to household goods to accessories for electronics. The site layout is easy to maneuver, which is always a plus.

To become a featured seller, first email featureme@veryjane.com. If an item sparks interest, you will have to send in a sample for quality checks. Items are featured for 24-48 hours, first as a main seller and then the deal moves over to the side bars. After the deal time is complete, Very Jane sends the seller their percentage of profits and all shipping fees, as well as a spreadsheet with customer's addresses and emails. Very Jane takes 25-30% commission, but a higher fee for items priced under 5 dollars due to credit card charges. Communication with Very Jane is quick, clear, and friendly. Sellers can be featured multiple times depending on deal outcomes. A huge benefit with Very Jane is that one can make items as they go, and not have to have a huge amount of items finished by a certain deadline. 

It seems as if Very Jane has a huge following on facebook, which results in a good amount of sales. So, why don't you visit Very Jane on facebook. 

Sassy Steals is unique as it features weekly giveaways, that include the items that had been for sale earlier that week. It is required, however, to include a free item to put into that giveaway in return for the feature.

One can apply to be featured on their website here. If they are interested in featuring your product, you will be contacted promptly and asked to include pictures, as well as dates for when you would prefer your feature to run.

When your deal is running, payments are sent almost immediately to your paypal account. After your deal ends, you will also be sent a shipping list. They let you keep all shipping fees that you have earned.

Deals run from 48-72 hours, and Sassy Steals takes 20% out of all payments they process.

Help Sassy Steals gain followers by visiting them on facebook. 

Cheep Boutique features one "deal of the day" and several others from previous days, which you can see as you scroll down the page. If you would like to be featured on their site, you just have to fill out this form and wait (a short while, a guarantee you) for a member of their team to contact you with more information. 

As a featured seller, every item you sell Cheep Boutique takes a commission but no shipping fees. Each deal runs for 6 days, during which you can check the status of your orders any time- which is a very nice commodity. 

Visit their facebook and sign up for their mailing list! 

So, in conclusion, why are daily deal websites so awesome?

• They increase exposure to small businesses 
• Can create a new stream of return customers and traffic
• A great way to boost sales in slow times

There are some factors to consider, however. Would you still be making money with the dramatic discounts you are putting on your products, as well as the hosting site's commission? Don't forget to include shipping and material costs. Will you be able to ship out a mass amount of products within a reasonable time frame? I can sure say that it can be very difficult to create and ship multiple orders quickly so that customers are not disappointed.

In the comments, be sure to leave your experiences with the websites above or any daily deal website alike. What was your reaction to buying or selling on these sites? Leave me a comment or question!

<3 Laura