Many pagans earnestly desire to spend their lives in a wholly pagan manner. That’s not an unusual reaction – it occurs in all religions. Unfortunately, one of the major differences between paganism and other religions in the UK (things are slightly different in the US) is the lack of organisations you can join and become a professional pagan. There are no pagan churches; no ordained ministry; no monasteries or convents. Pagans remain in the world.
So the answer for many pagans is: become a pagan artisan and sell your pagan goods to other pagans. That way, you can spend your life devoted to pagan things. Right?
Wrong.
The most successful artisans I’ve come across tend to make work that is accessible to many religions, or to both pagan and secular markets. The point is, that increases their markets exponentially. they not only have a much wider customer base, but they have access to many more events or sites from which to advertise and sell. And, let’s face it – many pagans don’t have a lot of money. OK, you might think differently if you attend a pagan conference, but those don’t occur every week; and the trader has to sell every week if they want to eat and pay the rent. :p
In addition, market stalls at pagan conferences charge the earth. So the trader has to have a reasonable expectation of sufficient sales to cover his or her expenses and still make a profit. After all, beside the cost of the stall there was the hire of a van, the fuel costs, getting up at the crack of dawn to load the van, unload it, stand on your feet for ten hours, reload the van and drive home.
So maybe you could sell online? That would be easier, wouldn’t it? After all, there’s ebay and etsy. Well, ebay charges are high and the cost of postage is high. So, to be successful, the optimum is to sell stuff that is lightweight and small. Jewellery is good; cauldrons are not. But you need to check out the market, especially on etsy. The quality of goods offered in the US is far higher than those offered in the UK. And many people shop around a number of sites. It’s no good making something to the standard of your own skill and expecting that to appeal to people enough for them to part with the cash. As one (non-pagan) trader I knew told me: “There was a girl in here the other day, about 16, offering her handmade cards. I pointed her to those I sell and told her ‘come back when what you do is as good as that’.” And the market is crowded – there has to be something special about your goods that stands out.
OK, so maybe your own stuff isn’t up to it – but maybe you could sell stuff that is made by others? After all, there are pagan warehouses everywhere, stocking pagan tat : commercially manufactured dreamcatchers; industrially turned singing bowls; crystals by the pannier, blasted from Mother Earth and polished using immense carbon footprints. And everything else – tee shirts and pictures and hangings and altar cloths and anything else with images of wolves or Native Americans. Then there’s all the brassware and woodware bought in from India. All sorts of crap that has nothing to do with the UK and everything to do with handing over cash. If you want to resell this, you can’t do it on etsy. So it’s ebay or up at dawn to run your market stall every week… and don’t expect to make a living off one stall. One every day is better. If you want to run a shop, remember it’s not merely the rent, but the shop fittings, as well. And ensure your stock is changed regularly, as people hate seeing the same, tired items, every time they come in.
OK, so maybe that isn’t for you. How about cloak making? Except the market really is full of those. Rune maker? Ditto: you need to have something special. How about painting them with your own blood? That would be very authentic… and would probably sell. You might not be able to do that a lot, though. 😉
There’s another thing to consider. The popular pagan events you might want to sell at tend to coincide with pagan festivals. Odd that. So you may to get used to making the choice between trading and celebrating, as you may not be able to do both.
Hmm…have you ever thought it might be easier to get a job? 😀
Leaves from a Book of Shadows 