Do I need craft insurance?

public liability insurance for craftspeople

So you’re ready to turn your craft hobby into a business?

What started as a hobby, is starting to become a bit more than that. You’ve been selling your handmade crafts to friends and family, but now “You should try selling these online” has started to be a phrase you hear a lot.

So, you bite the bullet, “Right, lets see if I can make my craft hobby into a business”

You’ve made sure that your products comply with all of the relevant legislation, you’ve done the testing, you’re ready to go, what else might you need to think about. Click here to read top-tips-for-starting-a-craft-business/

You should ask yourself, do I need craft insurance?

What insurance do I need for my craft business?

Let me walk you through the craft insurance that is offered by us at Ian W Wallace Ltd, and things to look out for if you’re comparing insurers.

Public and Products Liability

This covers you in the event that somebody makes a claim against you, because the product that you have made has injured them, or caused some damage, or, if you have managed to accidentally injure someone, at a market or during a teaching workshop.

We refer to this as sleep easy insurance. Nobody expects or wants this sort of thing to happen, but what if it does? Public and Products Liability insurance will give you the peace of mind, should something unexpected happen.

Where does the cover apply?

Our insurance will cover you to sell online, through other peoples’ shops, and selling at events, such as craft fairs and markets (when we are finally allowed to) This isn’t covered as standard by all insurance policies, so make sure you do your homework before opting for the cheapest craft insurance policy you can find. All insurance policies are not built equally, and the old addage buy cheap buy twice really can apply!

What products will the insurance cover?

Likewise, make sure the policy that you want to take out can cover all of the products that you want to make. Not all insurance companies will cover all crafts, so ask the questions.

How much will it cost?

Whilst you’re shopping around is, in addition to the basic cost of the insurance policy, what other potential fees might you be hit with?

If you start to make new products, will it cost you anything to add them to your policy? How much would it cost to change your address? If you increase your cover, will there also be an administration fee? All of these things can make what started as a cheap cover, to quite an expensive exercise. Whilst on that subject, we do not charge an admin fee for information updates. If you increase your cover, you will only ever pay for the pro-rata additional amount – no extra fees!

Start shopping around by getting a quote with us

Why Britain’s Crafters must adapt to these new challenging times

Crafters must find new and inventive ways of doing business if they want to survive further lockdowns and fewer craft events to attend.

It has been approximately seven months since Britain first went into a lockdown due to COVID-19 completely changing the face of the craft industry.

Crafters now more than ever need to change with the times and evolve because if they don’t, their craft businesses just won’t survive.

Get your business online

Rosie, the founder of Organik Orangutan needed to find a different way to do things and now offers soap making workshops online.

‘ I’ve often been asked if I do online workshops but I’ve always said no as I honestly didn’t think I could! So, yes because of COVID I had to run them online or my little business wouldn’t survive. I send out all the ingredients etc and run the workshops on Zoom. They’re going really well and I was surprised at how easy it is. I actually prefer it in some ways ? and intend to continue. I will be adding new workshops soon.’

Selling online

If you haven’t sold online before, you’re in for a real treat because there’s an online opportunity out there for everyone. Social media ie, Instagram and Facebook are popular sales platforms, because they are relatively easy to learn and free to use.

There are a number of ‘build your own websites’ now about on the market, so giving you a way of getting online without spending out on a web designer.

There are also online shops that you can sell through, for example Etsy, folksy, and conscious crafties.

Rosie of Organik Orangutan during a soap making workshop

Stand out from the crowd

Taking your business online is a golden opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

You can offer your customers a truly unique experience when they buy from you.

I recently purchased a handcrafted leather binder from a crafter through Folksy. When it was delivered, it was very securely packaged, which I appreciated. When I opened the outer plain packaging, I was overwhelmed to find a beautifully wrapped binder, presented in a bespoke box. To top it off there was a handwritten thankyou for my custom. I cannot even explain the joy this gave me, but I can say that it made me feel special as a valued customer. Would I have received the same treatment face to face at a craft fair? Who knows, but it was definitely a great experience receiving this treasure through the post, and because of that, I desperately want to buy from her again!

So what are you waiting for? Adapt and evolve your craft business, you won’t regret it.

Monthly online event for crafters

The monthly online event for crafters in August/September is Knitting Hill Carnival

Sunday 30th August – Sunday 27th September

We host a monthly online event for crafters to showcase, exhibit and sell, to try and assist during these strange times, when actual craft events are a tad sparse. ⁠ This monthy Ian W Wallace Ltd proudly presents Knitting Hill Carnival

Knitting Hill Carnival will last a whole month.⁠ Starting on Sunday 30th August⁠

Here’s what you need to do to take part⁠:⁠

  • Follow @ian_presents #ian_presents and @ianwwallaceltd to keep up to date with all the news on our monthly online event for crafters.
  • ⁠To exhibit your crafts, make sure you tag @ian_presents and use the hashtag #ian_presents and #knittinghillcarnival⁠
  • ⁠Please share this post with everyone. Together, we can make this the biggest and best event yet!!⁠
  • Please encourage your family and friends to support us by getting them to follow @ian_presents and #ian_presents and #knittinghillcarnival⁠
  • Emphasise that we need them ALL to follow, like, comment, tag, and of course, to buy from the crafters shops if they can.⁠

If you would like to take part in Knitting Hill Carnival or any of our monthly online event for crafters, and haven’t yet got any public and products liability insurance in place to sell your handmade crafts, this can be done nice and quickly by clicking the Get A Quote button below.

Products Liability covers you, if a claim is made against you for injury or damage caused by the normal use of the product. Insurance is not just going for events you know. ?⁠

We already have a myriad of crafters joining us this month, any we will be sharing links to their Instagram pages and their online shops, but we have plenty of room for more if you want to get involved.

Our previous events have been an absolute blast, with good online interaction from ‘stallholders’ and ‘buyers’ alike which made for a really good buzz, and a lovely welcoming atmosphere.

We are so proud to be able to offer something like this for our customers, and the best bit is that we really feel we are getting to know you, putting faces to names, and getting an even better idea of how the craft industry ticks. You never stop learning right? We are becoming a lovely big craft family community 🙂

So, we will hopefully see you there,

All the best,

Naomi Wallace (Great at customer service, awful at making coffee!!!)

Marketing your craft business

There’s no denying it, lockdown has made us all reevaluate how we can continue to do business, in the absence of physically going out and about in the public arena.

Many, if not most, have turned to online sales to fill the void. So now you’ve set yourself up with a website, or have started selling through your facebook page, what next? How do you get people do find out about you and your craft business? How are you marketing your craft business?

As many of you will read read from previous posts, we have started hosting online market through social media, to try and give you crafters a shout out, and showcase what you do. Now after two online events, we are finally starting to learn how to get the word out, so people can go looking for you online.

Now, this by no means we are experts – quite the opposite in fact. However, the amazing crafting community are always quick to help and offer help, and are constantly educating me on the use of hashtags and ‘tagging’ people in posts.

So, what I would really like to know is, how do you market yourself and your craft business? Where do you advertise? Which hashtags work best for you?

Get in touch with us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter under the hashtag #ianwwallace ltd and give us some top tips on how you are marketing your craft business.

If you also wanted to share pictures of your work on Instagram using #ian_presents then they will be visible along with our online stallholders for our virtual markets.

All the best,

Naomi

#craftinsurance #ianwwallaceltd #ian_presents #onlinecraftfair #independentretailer #craftersofinstagram #lockdowncrafts #crafts #craft #makersgonnamake

Things are looking up..

With the news of outdoor markets being able to restart from next Monday 15th June, are you prepared to get going again?

Understandably, many crafters needed to lapse or cancel their policies, due to the lack of events, and thus the lack of income, but now that craft fairs and indoor/outdoor markets are starting again, is this the first sign that we may be able to return to some kind of normality?

Or perhaps this was the year that you were planning on starting a craft business, and then disaster struck and the world indefinitely put up a ‘Closed – back in 5 minutes sign’

Well, now’s the time. As the news that events are going to reopen, filters through the population, all we can suggest is, avoid the rush later, and get some insurance sorted now.

With us, it’s easy peasy, you just need to complete an online quote on our website which is http://craftinsurance.co.uk

And to make things more manageable whilst things get rolling again, there is the facility to pay for your insurance by monthly interest free direct debit.

Stay safe, stay crafty

Naomi

How to make Christmas Bunting

Amanda Brown of Cotton onto Sewing in Dorset shows us how to make festive Christmas Bunting in our latest video. This is a great sewing machine project and can be adapted for anytime of the year not just Christmas!!!

Ian Harris

We recently visited Ian Harris, a ceramics artist based in Corfe, Dorset. His work is really interesting so it’s our pleasure to share this video with you this month. you can find out more about Ian’s work at https://www.ianharrisceramics.co.uk/

Stuart Akroyd, contemporary glassmaker

During our recent visit to Harrogate, we were fortunate to speak to Stuart Akroyd, a contemporary glassmaker about his work. Watch the interview now:

A beginners guide to knitting

Now we KNOW that many of are experts in your own fields but have you ever fancied knitting your own garments? Well, Rachel Hobby has put together the ultimate (it says here!) beginners guide to knitting. Have read through it we’d have to agree as it’s a great resource for anyone who’d like to have a go at knitting.

You can read the guide here.

DancingGoatCrafts

I’m just a girl who can’t sit still…

I grew up around amazingly skilled women who knitted, sewed and crocheted; thankfully they taught me the basics. As I got older, my Auntie Phyll enrolled me on a beginners patchwork course with her and we were off!

I’ve enjoyed learning all my life and thankfully, in crafting, you never stop learning; there is always another technique or craft to be tried and improved. Though my Aunt has sadly passed, I have a lot of friends who enjoy making costume, patch-working, crocheting and knitting and her voice, along with the oft repeated rustic wisdom of my Grandmother ring in our ears as we work.

Learning new crafts has allowed me to see projects from unspun wool through to woven and crafted complete items. Starting from as early in the process as possible is something I have always found fascinating. It allows me to know exactly where and how materials are sourced and how they are prepared. It also gives me the opportunity to lower the miles associated with a final product. If there’s anything you would like to know about what I do or the processes I use, just ask – it will give my husband a break from having to listen to me witter about my crafts!

If only there were more time to sit and craft…. 

View my Etsy shop here