Brad the (Semi-Professional) Builder

Hey Family!

If you've read my previous post, or if you've just hung out with me at all in the last year, you know that I've developed a serious love for woodworking. We've all seen obsessions and hobbies sweep the family - Dad loves his maps, biking and old western movies, Anthony (and now Ladell, Marty, Cameron, Mike, and Kyle) LOVE their disc golf, Abby loves baking, Mom loves puzzles, Cory and Joel love being engaged, Kathryn loves reading, Eric loves running, Norma loves cleaning Dominicans teeth,... I could go on forever, baby! Point is, my hobby and obsession, and the challenge to get better and grow my skills has really piqued my overall interest in my hobby of woodworking.

As you know, I've built quite a few things for our house, including a coffee table, flower boxes, a TV stand, and some shelves. However, after a year of hard, progressive work, some generous family members, and a couple of really good steals on furniture, our house is pretty much full. I wanted to continue to build things for fun, but there wasn't a whole lot of need (or capacity) for anything else to be made around the house. I took advantage of the Christmas season and made Abby a coffee mug holder, Dad a bookshelf, and Cole a step stool, but it was mid-January, the holidays were over, and I still wanted to build. Plus, I had recently decided that I'd like to save up money that I earn outside of my job to buy a new guitar, so that was extra motivation for me.

Dad's bookshelf

Cole's step stool 

So, being the business school graduate that I am, I went ahead and posted a few pictures of my builds on Craigslist and Etsy, two sites that are pretty popular for amateur sales like my own (Craigslist for local sales, and Etsy for national sales). Here have been my experiences with both...

Etsy 

To start selling on Etsy, I tried to take some "artsy shots" of my TV tray, added in a picture of Kathryn, Elsy and I to make my "shop" homepage to look like I was a true family man, and waited to see if anyone would be interested. Selling on Etsy only costs 20 cents per listing (plus 4% of your sales), so it really wasn't a huge risk to put something on there.

Initially, I received very little feedback. I finally got a few people to "favorite" (The Etsy equivalent to a Facebook "like") my tray, but just because you favorite something doesn't mean that you are going to buy it. My favorites would fluctuate from day to day, sometimes being as many as 10 and others as low as 2. Finally, I got my first sale! It was a mom from North Carolina, Holley. Long story short, I created a gray stained tray, and sent it out to her.

Picture of the TV tray at my house before I sent it out

The hardest part was figuring out the best way to ship the product. It's not something that can come un-assembled, but it's also not something that can fit in a generically sized box (plus, I learned that even an extra inch or two of a box can be the difference between a $30 and $90 shipping cost!). I finally decided to just go ahead and create my own box from a Uhaul extra large moving box (something I probably would have asked for my mom's help with in high school). I duct taped the HECK out of that thing, and it was on its way. The total shipping was roughly $30, and I had charged $25. I sent a message to Holley that it had shipped, and she stated that she was excited to get it! My favorite part of any build is when the other person reacts to it, so it was fun to get this review from Holley:

Custom paint and professional!! Not only is this seller the nicest person and best custom service but the tray table is exactly what I asked for color and style!! Beyond impressed with the custom artistry and professionalism!! Highly highly recommend to anyone looking for custom, unique professionally build and finished furniture!! 

Coffee Table in Holley's house, once completed

Obviously I was overjoyed and very honored to receive such a high review from her. I've only sold 2 items thus far on Etsy (the other is on its way to New Jersey currently), and it's more of a thrill to sell online than it is a huge money-maker - after shipping costs and Etsy gets their cut, you really don't make too much money. Either way, I hope that this other buyer is as satisfied with it as Holley was! I think eventually (if the craigslist orders ever die down), I'll add more small items to the Etsy shop, like iPad and iPhone stands, reclaimed pallet shelves, etc.

Craigslist

The brunt of my business and orders have come locally through Craigslist and on Cerner's classified listings. I created a quick ad one night, and it was the same kind of story as Etsy - no one contacted me for a few days. Then, suddenly, I received 2 orders in the same night, including one guy who told me that he wanted to pick it up the next day! Being the ignorantly optimistic guy that I am, I thought that was easily doable. So, I set out to Home Depot at 8pm on Saturday night to gather my lumber for the coffee table! Sunday morning... around 3:30... I finally finished :) Although it was a huge time-consuming project, it felt great to have the guy and his wife come the next day and his wife look at it and say "I love it!" And to get paid for making it for them was almost surreal. This was the first piece of furniture that I had sold (long before anyone bought from me on Etsy), and it got me excited to make more.

The first of many coffee tables, started and completed on the same night

Since my first coffee table sale, I've received and fulfilled orders for 3 more coffee tables, and I have 14 more orders for tables (either coffee, console, or end tables) to create and sell. I've learned my lesson, and I now tell people it will take 2-3 weeks to have their table ready for them.

A few weekends ago I went out and bought wood to make a small cottage, and somehow managed to fit it all in our little SUV. Shout out to the Ford Escape!

Will it fit??

Amazingly, it will!

Because of the increase in orders, I've started doing them step by step in bulk, which has definitely helped my efficiency

Bulk build of the coffee table legs

Bulk build of the side table legs

Needless to say, I'm enjoying the adventure of making stuff for people on the side. I set out to raise enough money to buy a new and improved guitar, and I'm on track to get there by the end of the month!

My garage on Saturday night - a rough build of two "X" end tables, an "X" console table, and 2 coffee tables