r/myog • u/Admirable-Delay2152 • Aug 16 '26

Question Feasibility of selling bags at markets and online for side income?

Hey yall. I’ve been sewing for my job for the past 3 years on a Consew 339RB-4. It’s simpler stuff than bags, but I’ve gotten super fast at it. I’ve taken an interest in bag making and have made my first few totes and sling bags. I used to want to design my own clothing when I was a teenager, and I’ve realized I actually have the sewing skills to sort of do it now, so this is really exciting for me.

I’m in a super fortunate position right now because my work is allowing me to use their Consew and giant self-healing tables after hours whenever I want. They can also cut me acrylic pattern templates for me for free. I figure once I have 2-3 bag patterns I like, I can just make a few bags each time I sew at work.

Is this a viable way to make a nice chunk of change on the side while i’m in school? Or is it oversaturated? I would be selling at craft fairs/markets(there‘s a TON near me), but also online. I‘m thinking of a $100-300 price point for the bags that take me ~1 hour or less to make, $400 and up for bags that take longer. My goal is to sell 30-50 in my first year. I’m not sure if thats unrealistic or not.

If anyone here does this and could share their experiences, I would be very thankful.

22 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

37 comments sorted by

34

u/TooGouda22 Aug 16 '26

Depends on the bag and the design/features.

Honestly $100-300 per bag is going to require your design to stand up to the big players as well as the high end boutique shops. $400 will get you a custom backpack fit to your body.

I’m not saying it’s impossible to do what you are asking, but the quality and design will need to be on point at those prices

3

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26

My goal is to make stuff like master-piece and yoshida porter, but slightly more grungy. I know that’s a high bar, but I feel like I can critique myself well enough to know I’m not delusional about the quality lol. I was thinking of doing 3 simpler, lower priced products for the first 6 months to see how it goes. A tote($80-100), cross-body($100-150), and sacoche($80-125), then if those do well I’ll start thinking about more involved designs and higher price points.

18

u/Ok-Invite9426 Aug 17 '26

as someone who is likely your target market (likes a grungier aesthetic but also has the disposable income to spend a couple hundred dollars on a bag and enjoys supporting small businesses), i can confidently say there is no universe in which i would spend $80 on a tote bag

7

u/NonBinaryKenku Aug 17 '26

💯 agree. The world is awash in great tote bags for cheap. You would have to somehow have a better design and materials than LeSportsac for that to be remotely viable for me.

To spend a couple hundred on a bag, it has to be perfect and ideally unique functionally. The only bags I’ve spent close to that kind of money on are Tom Bihn backpacks.

-1

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 17 '26

interesting… now I’m really confused about pricing because even a lululemon tote is $70. I guess worst case is I have to lower my price if they don’t sell

9

u/Ok-Invite9426 Aug 17 '26 edited Aug 17 '26

i don't think lululemon totes are worth $70 either. brand/status does not appeal to me in any way (which is one of the reasons i would spend actual money on a well-made bag from a small seller). that's a different group of people.

EDIT: for example, i went to a craft fair this summer, and there was a man selling bags made from recycled/reclaimed materials. they were so cool! unfortunately he didn't have a larger messenger bag, which is what i'm in the market for, otherwise i certainly would have purchased one. i think if he did have what i was looking for, it very likely would've been in the ~$250-350 range.

2

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 17 '26

i really appreciate this perspective. thank you!

4

u/TooGouda22 Aug 17 '26

Lululemon unfortunately is a horrible example because they are basically a price gouging marketing campaign parading as a manufacturing company.

They have stuff made cheap overseas and then mark it up 500 or 1000 percent. That lulu tote bag is likely $12 on alibaba from the same factory.

Cottage US makers do in fact make tote bags worth $50-$100… but they are using high quality materials, have great features and design, and look good too. We are talking cotton rip stop canvas grown and woven in the U.S. designed by an engineer who loves camping type stuff.

Is it really worth $100? The bag is not IMO, but I can make my own so to some extent the price is worth it to some people because it wasn’t made for $1.75 in China.

1

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 17 '26

True, I guess I brought it up because if people will pay that much for some dinky little bag just because of the name, surely someone else would pay the same or a bit more for a bag that’s actually high quality. I mean, I fall for marketing too with the Japanese brands like Master-Piece and Porter(although they’re actually extremely well made).

I’m actually in school for engineering right now funnily enough, so designing these bags is very reminiscent of CAD for me lol.

I’m going to be using really nice materials and hardware because at the end of the day, I want to use these bags too. I guess I’ll just go for it and see what happens!

7

u/TooGouda22 Aug 17 '26

The trick is going to be the price point for what you make for the people you can get in front of. Some people will be put off by an extra $2 on lower end items while others will pay an extra $5 without hesitation. In larger ticket items like you are discussing you will be competing against established online cottage makers and companies like north face and Osprey and Timbuk2 and whoever else.

People like me who will drop $300 on a backpack require it to be dialed in for mountaineering or lengthy backcountry trips etc etc. if your bag isn’t offering comparable features and function, no one will buy it even if it’s cheaper. Tote bags typically don’t ever go for more than $50-100 for strong durable functional designs and the people who buy them are legit tired of the cheap polyester ones mass produced over seas that are $25-30 in the high end.

20

u/vapor_development Aug 17 '26

High price items generally don’t move well at markets. Have some on display for sure but if you have designs for things in impulse buying range ($50 and under) make sure you keep them stocked.

2

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 17 '26

That’s what I was kinda worried about. I was thinking that doing higher-priced, high-quality bags would be better than trying to compete with the more basic stuff, but I could be totally wrong. I guess I’ll just go for it and see what happens. I hope I’ll at least make my money back in the worst case.

2

u/vapor_development Aug 17 '26

It’s rough out there, I found markets to be a real endurance test.

If you can get your local scene figured out - then right now you’ve got probably a month or two before holiday markets seal their applications. Holiday markets tend to move bigger items.

Good luck!

19

u/mellowwhenimdead Aug 17 '26

I make bike bags, live in an insane biking town, and have done really well at maker markets. My bags range from $60-$150 and people aren’t hesitating to spent the $$$. I spent a lot of time working on developing my brand identity and I think that helped a lot. It also doesn’t hurt that I live in a touristy town and people are just freaking jazzed to buy something hand-made here for their bike. I say go for it.

11

u/willisnolyn Aug 17 '26

I haven’t sold at markets in a long time but when I did… no body spent more than $100. Markets are more about marketing than sales. I think as a small time maker you’ll see a profit by going for high end work. You can’t make enough volume to compete with the lower end prices.

1

u/Analog_Account Aug 18 '26

Markets are more about marketing than sales.

Yessss. My wife has a small business and attends markets on occasion. Sometimes tries to clear out certain items but mostly its for marketing. She will usually make enough to pay for the stall, but I don't think she's ever made enough to also cover a fair wage for the time spent on it.

9

u/CrazyCacatoe Aug 17 '26

High-quality and solid design in less than an hour of work (including material prep)?

I'm curious as to what I'd be looking at. It'd be an amazing hourly wage, though.

2

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 17 '26

Step 1. Sew 30-40 hours a week for 3 years. Step 2. Consume adderall.

Only slightly joking. I think 1 hour or under is where i would put my simplest bag designs i want to make. Up to 2, MAYBE 3 for the rest. I’m really trying my hardest to figure out the time/quality ratios. It’s only going to be worth it for me if i can keep the hourly wage high tbh.

2

u/CrazyCacatoe Aug 17 '26

Yeah, the never ending balancing game of quality Vs quantity... Anything up already?

3

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 17 '26

I’d estimate I’ll have my first bags up for sale within the next month… Definitely some good prototypes at the very least. I’ve made some  simpler bags out of scrap this week to see how fast and well I can make them, but nothing I want to share yet. My next goal is to pin down the first 2-3 designs, fabrics and hardware I want to go with for this first batch.

I’ll def come back here and post some pics!

1

u/CrazyCacatoe Aug 17 '26

You better DM me everything you have right now or else i'll sleep everything but well tonight.

0

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 18 '26

I’m sorry but my warranty won’t cover lost sleep over my bags 

6

u/CBG1955 Aug 16 '26

Markets are over saturated in some areas, and depending on where you are your price point might be a bit high. Are you using leather, vinyl, etc? Are they simple totes, or more complex creations? Before you commit I would highly recommend you visit the markets and check out the competition.

Be mindful too, if you design your own patterns having templates cut is fine. If you are using a purchased pattern you may need to ask the designer's permission to cut a template - doing this may be a breach of their copyright.

2

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 16 '26

Yea I hear you. I’m definitely going to some markets near me soon to check them out. I’ll be using things like Cordura, waxed canvas, and leather, and designing my own patterns! I truly think the bags will warrant the price point, but you’re totally right about location being critical. I think my area is wealthy enough for this to be viable, but I suppose I won’t know until I give it a shot.

3

u/CBG1955 Aug 17 '26

Would love to see some pics of your creations :-)

This is my latest - a rare use of vinyl, I usually use leather.

https://imgur.com/PeR9kmw

3

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 17 '26

Give me about a month and i will totally come back and post pics here!

That bag is beautiful. Amazing job! Did you make the pattern yourself too?

2

u/CBG1955 Aug 17 '26

Thank you!

This is a purchased pattern - I know my limitations. I consider myself quite advanced experience (60+ years' overall sewing) but pattern making isn't my forte.

5

u/ruckusmountaingear Aug 17 '26

If you’re making bags in less than an hour, please share the recipe!

6

u/BackgroundLion6545 Aug 17 '26

I sell quilted bags and accessories full time. My medium is cottons, denims, cork and vinyl, though about 80% is quilting cottons.

My best sellers are items priced $15-25.00. I have a range of fully pieced a quilted bags priced over $60 and I am lucky to sell 1-2 a day at large jury type of shows. I have a range of larger more expensive bags to round out my line which is about 40 different items.

Additionally to sell higher priced bags you need to be at higher end juried shows which are more expensive and usually require a polished well displayed booth. My next show in September cost $475 and had a $50 application fee.

Properly displaying bags is not a cheap endeavor. I use grid walls that allow me to tailor my booth with purse waterfalls, hooks, shelves and baskets. These are long and heavy and every car purchases for the last 17 years has to accommodate my set up.

It can be profitable, for me it is an ok second income in a household but does not keep a roof over my head. Finding the correct shows of people willing to spend hundreds on a bag and a show that accepts your product may be easier said than done.

1

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 17 '26

Thanks for the insights! Luckily at my work I have access to everything I need to build a really nice displays for my booth plus branding for free or heavily discounted.

Honestly my goal is really only to make an extra like $5000 a year from both in person and online sales. If I managed that, I’d be ecstatic. Definitely not trying to live off this lol. My area(southeast michigan) has a good amount of craft shows with high-end items, so hopefully I’ll fit in. That is, if the juries accept me lol.

How long does it take you to make your best selling bags? I’m really trying my best to get the entire process down to under 2 hours for a $150+ bag…

6

u/BackgroundLion6545 Aug 17 '26

I am in southeast Michigan as well. My best sellers are not $100. So the items that sell the most can be made in minutes. I can count on one hand bags I have sold over $100 in 17 years of selling in metro Detroit. I have done a good amount of all the local shows except Ann Arbor which does not seem to like sewn items (jmo).

I think to gain a foothold in high end bag market you will need leathers or corks, for me in cottons and quilted goods this is just not as likely.

Since every thing is free or cheap for you definitely give it a go. Time will tell if it is a viable model. For me I need a mix of products and price points to gain sales, guess most who sell handmade will tell you that.

My best selling tote which is priced starting at $35 takes maybe 20-25 minutes, my best selling crossbody that is $25 under 20 minutes.

3

u/jacksbikesacks Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26

I sew for a living as well and more than understand where your head is with pricing - kudos for recognizing your value. That said, branding takes time and the goal starting out is to get your name out there. Far more people will take a chance on a new brand for $20-40 than what you listed above. For a market, I'd suggest a few items in that range that take ~10-15 minutes and make a bunch of them in many colors/patterns. Then have one or two of your higher end products for sale/show/conversation starters.

1

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26

Just checked out your site. You make some quality stuff! Would you say online sales are more lucrative than markets, and should I invest more time in that?

1

u/jacksbikesacks Aug 18 '26

Thank you! The beauty of running you own business is you can push it where you want. There are vastly different strategies to each avenue and learning by trial and error is the only way to know if it works. Start simple and just see what happens

1

u/Admirable-Delay2152 Aug 18 '26

That’s very encouraging. Thanks for the advice!

1

u/El-Unocornio-Negro Aug 17 '26

Bags of what? 😁

1

u/Legal-Ad6141 Aug 18 '26

Depends on the bag of course but I'm more than happy to support local makers. When you are ready to post you're creations I'll 100% be on the lookout for them! Better paying someone like you than some corpo.