10 Ways You Can Make Money With Macrame – How to Start a Macrame Business

Do you want to keep your Macrame hobby affordable? Start a Macrame business, sell your items or teach others how to start. Here are 10 ways you can make money with Macrame!

Affiliate links may be sprinkled throughout the awesome, free content below. I’ll receive a small commission when you purchase from my (Amazon) links (at no extra cost to you), which I’ll happily spend on more colorful macrame cords!

How to make money with Macrame?

It’s a great time to start your Macrame business and I’m so excited to share 10 ways you can make money with Macrame / your favorite hobby!

From opening an Etsy store to becoming a Macrame teacher on YouTube, this popular fiber art offers many opportunities to become a lucrative side hustle.

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If you have specific questions about setting up your Macrame business, make sure to join our Macrame Business Support Group on Facebook!

You can use the search function of the group to look through a wealth of knowledge from our almost 10k members or post a new question. We’re always happy to advise and help you on your way!

Before we dive into the subject of how you can make money with Macrame, there are a few basic questions that always come up when launching a Macrame business that I’d like to cover first.

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How do I come up with a name for my craft business?

Coming up with a name for your Macrame business is a lot of fun but there are some important factors to consider before settling on a name. Especially if you plan on selling your work online and may need a website in the future.

1 – Choose a unique name

Make sure you can register your business name as a domain name and that you can claim the name on all big social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

2 – Keep it short and sweet

A business name needs to be short and clear. Try to include (key)words that relate to your Macrame business. For example, Knotty Knots, Magical Macrame, Knots & Knits, etc.

3 – Make it future proof

Make sure your name doesn’t limit future growth. If you plan to sell other crafts than Macrame or maybe expand on the range of items you’ll offer, let your business name allow for this.

How do I price my Macrame?

One of the most frequently asked questions I see in Macrame groups is how to price Macrame items.

Asking other people how to price your work is the worst approach you can take to start your Macrame business. The price of your Macrame item needs to be determined and calculated by YOU according to your:

• Material cost – What did it cost you to make something?
• Hours worked – What is your hourly rate?
• Competitive research – What are local businesses or online stores asking for similar pieces?
• Who you’re selling it to – Are you selling it online or to friends and family?
• Shipping cost – What will it cost to pack and ship items?

Always calculate the price of items including shipping costs before you start so you will know what price to charge a customer.

How to start a low-risk Macrame business

When you launch your Macrame business, make sure to keep the costs and your financial risks low.

Don’t spend all your money on cords to then realize you might not like running a business, or that it’s costing more time than you anticipated.

Definitely don’t start your business selling giant and pricy wall hangings. Big projects take lots of time and money to make and they’re much harder to sell than some cute keyrings or plant hangers.

Once you have a solid customer base and more custom orders, you can expand the range of products and gradually increase the size of your pieces, cost of material, and items you can make.

Is macrame expensive to make?

The cost of material for your Macrame projects heavily depends on the size of your piece and if you’re using high-quality supplies.

If you’re just starting out, you can opt for cheaper quality cords to keep costs down. Always make sure to ask your cord stockist if they offer bulk pricing which means you’ll get a discount if you buy large quantities.

TIP: If you’re making projects for kids, pets, or items that can be worn always make sure you order Macrame cords with an OEKO-TEX label to guarantee the material has been safely manufactured.

How much does it cost to make a macrame wall hanging?

To calculate the cost of a Macrame wall hanging it’s important to calculate the total length of cords you’ll need to make it.

For a medium to large wall hanging you’ll usually need about 150-200 meters of cord. A 100m spool of cords can cost between 10 and 20 dollars (depending on brand and quality). Also take into account the cost of a dowel, beads, etc.

Everything combined it will cost around 30 to 40 dollars in supplies to make a Macrame wall hanging. If you sell your work, make sure to include your hourly rate on top of the costs of the material.

Is selling macrame profitable?

Starting a Macrame business can definitely be profitable. You can open an online store, sell your work at craft markets, or make money from publishing your videos on YouTube.

Some business ventures will take up more upfront investments than others, so make sure you pick one that suits your current financial situation.

With Macrame becoming more popular the competition on marketplaces like Etsy has increased a lot so it can be harder. There are a few ways you can make sure to stand out:

• Create unique items (or maybe a matching collection of items)
• Use trendy colors
• Take photos with good lighting and edit them with apps like LightRoom
• Use social media (especially Instagram) to promote your business

How to Use Instagram to Successfully Launch Your Macrame Business – NEW Instagram for Makers Course by Offhand Fibers Starts August 1st!

How do you start your own macrame business?

Most people will immediately think about opening an Etsy store to sell their work when it comes to starting a Macrame business but there are easier and less time-consuming ways to make money with Macrame.

Setting up and running a Macrame business is exciting but it’s important you also think about the amount of time you’re willing to spend on it because it will definitely keep you busy.

Selling custom pieces or cords can take up a lot more of your day to manage than selling digital patterns or making a YouTube video.

I’m not saying these things to scare you but I know from experience that opening an online store can appear very easy (and romantic) while there’s actually loads of work to be done behind the scenes you might not have considered.

Running an online Macrame store means you are responsible for every aspect of the business, which are:

• Ordering and keeping track of stock material to produce items
• Having enough space to store material
• Pricing your items accordingly to make a profit
• Photography and text for product descriptions
• Packing and shipping of items plus dealing with missing packages
• Being available for customer care and dealing with complaints
• Managing your social media for marketing
• Your financial business administration

How to approach Branding

Branding is important for your business. It can define what your business stands for, the style of your creations and how you speak to customers.

I definitely recommend making a logo (and optionally also business cards) with a free tool like Canva and writing down a short description of what your business is focused on.

When you sell items make sure to include your branding in packaging by adding a small flyer with your social media handles and attaching a small label to your pieces with your brand name.

If there’s something unique about your items, make sure to mention it. For example, your work is inspired by the unique location you live in, or you use specific eco-friendly materials for your creations, etc.

10 ways to make money with Macrame

Let’s discover 10 ways you can make money with Macrame and see what speaks to you most!

1 – Sell your Macrame pieces to friends and family

Before you open your online store, it’s always a good idea to practice running your Macrame business by selling small items to friends and family.

Practicing with people you know will help you become more comfortable with pricing your items accordingly and it will teach you how to manage costs and your time creating.

3 tips to sell to friends and family

• announce on your social networks that you make and sell pieces
• invite people over for a nice meal and display your Macrame throughout the house
• don’t be afraid to show off photos of your new hobby at work and at social gatherings (macrame is super trendy, people will love to know more!)

TIP: Many people will request you to make certain items for them that will be too challenging for a beginner. Make sure you learn how to say no to requests for projects you don’t want to take on.

2 – Sell your Macrame Pieces at local Craft Fairs

Setting up your own Macrame booth is so much fun and will help you connect to new customers.

People who visit local craft fairs to buy items aren’t looking for expensive Macrame pieces. Make sure to offer a fun selection of small and simple projects that you can price according to the audience. Good items to sell at a market are:

• Plant Hangers
• Keychains
• Bookmarks
• Market Bags
• Small Wallhangings
• Earrings
• Christmas Decorations

For more tips read my NEW guide 10 Tips to Make Your First Macrame Craft Market a Success including 10 Booth Display Ideas for Your Inspiration!

3 – Become a local wholesaler

Do you have some cute local boho stores or flower & plant shops in the area? Approach them with a small selection of your best small Macrame pieces and show them what you can make.

Who knows, maybe they will allow you to display items in their store or even buy some at wholesale price to sell!

4 – Give local workshops

There’s a big chance there are people in your neighborhood that would love to learn how to make their own Macrame wall hanging or plant hanger. So why not set up a fun local workshop and teach others your amazing knotting skills?

To promote your workshop you can hand out flyers in your area and local stores, post in a local Facebook Group, and ask your neighbors and friends.

5 – Start a YouTube channel

Do you enjoy making tutorials and teaching other people how to recreate your work? Then make sure to try your hands at starting a YouTube channel.

YouTube can be an amazing way to make money with your Macrame skills. I’ve worked with many talented Macrame teachers over the years and I’m so happy to see their channels grow beyond 100k subscribers!

You don’t need a fancy camera or sound equipment to shoot a YouTube video. Simply grab your phone, use a tripod and record yourself making projects.

There are a few things that will help you grow your YouTube channel faster

• Keep the video under 15 minutes
• Make a pretty and clean YouTube thumbnail with Canva
• Edit the material in a way it covers the most important bits (and not the entire knotting process)
• Use the right keywords in your video title
• Fill out the description and use the correct tags
• Share your video everywhere

6 – Make an online course

Are you handy with a camera and do you have experience teaching? Then why not create an online Macrame course to sell on platforms such as SkillShare.

There are no applications or approvals and you can work at your own pace to publish your class to Skillshare whenever you’re ready.

7 – Start a Blog about Macrame

Do you have a lot to say about Macrame, why not start a blog? There aren’t that many blogs focused on Macrame and it’s a great way to teach people your skills.

Once your blog gets enough traffic you can monetize it with ads and make money with affiliate marketing through advertising products people might want to buy.

8 – Sell your Macrame pieces online

There are multiple ways to sell your handmade Macrame pieces online. You can open a shop on a platform like Shopify or Squarespace, join an online marketplace such as Etsy and Big Cartel or use your social media channels such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Before you open your shop make sure you’re aware of the fees a platform can charge for sales and calculate these extra costs into the price of your items.

Also, research how to pack and ship items and how international shipping works regarding import and export taxes to countries outside of the US (if US-based) or Europe (if based in Europe).

9 – Sell your patterns online

Instead of selling your pieces, you can also teach people how to recreate them. Selling a pattern is an easy way of making money with your Macrame business as it’s less time-consuming. Once a pattern is up in your store, all you have to focus on is selling it.

Most people prefer a video with a pattern but you can also use photos. Make sure to test out the pattern on some people before putting it up in your shop to prevent mistakes. I definitely recommend buying some patterns from other talented creators on Etsy to get a feel for how to make it look professional.

10 – Become an online cord stockist

Many Macrame artists start a business where they sell Macrame cords and supplies. Although you can definitely make money selling cords, the margin on each cord spool can turn out to be quite low which means you will work very hard for not a lot of profit.

Running a cord stockist business can be very time-consuming and complex. You’ll have to import cords from various countries and therefore deal with international taxes plus import fees.

Keep in mind that you’ll need a lot of space for storage and that shipping boxes of cords require you to manage heavy packages every single day.

That’s a wrap!

Thanks so much for reading the entire post! I really hope it gave you some clarity and insights on the different ways you can make money with your Macrame skills.

I wish you all the best in starting your Macrame business and can’t wait to hear all about your success! Make sure to join our Macrame Business Support Facebook Group if you have any questions or are looking for other Macrame makers.

Don’t forget to follow Macrame for Beginners on Instagram for more tips and inspiration!

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