Scrapbooking: A Fast-Growing Niche Market on eBay

Scrapbooking: A Niche Market that's Huge in America and Growing Fast in the UK.  

Get in on this business idea fast because scrapbooking is one of the most popular grown up hobbies in the USA and a profitable niche market on eBay.com.

Here's A Great New Product Idea, Targeting A Niche Market that's Huge in America and Growing Fast in the UK.   Join It Now, Specialise in Selling Your Own Unique Products on eBay.com, or Become the UK's Top Provider of 'Must Have' Products Before Others Beat You To It …..

At first glance scrapbooking looks like one of those 'Only in America' concepts; most people don't really see themselves sticking pretty pictures into albums like toddlers do in nursery.  At least those were my own first thoughts!

That first impression is only partly correct, because scrapbooking is one of the most popular grown up hobbies in the USA and a profitable niche market on eBay.com.

But the hobby looks also to be gaining ground in the UK, something you can easily test by checking the frequency of searches for scrapbooking information in the USA and UK on www.overture.com.  Overture tells how many times particular words and phrases were keyed into search engines during a specific recent month and is very useful for predicting Internet marketing trends, including on eBay.

According to Overture, in March 2006, 147,864 Americans keyed 'scrapbooking' into search engines, compared to 8839 in the UK.  68020 Americans searched for 'scrapbook', against 4959 in the UK.  They're high figures on both sides of the Pond so if you think scrapbooking is just for Americans, you'd best think again.

A measure of currently greater popularity in America than the UK is the fact that, on eBay.com, Scrapbooking has its own sub-category under 'Crafts'.  In the UK scrapbooking goes with cardmaking under Crafts > Cardmaking and Scrapbooking.  That may soon change but for now there's a great opening for you to sell to a growing UK market or to export British made scrapbooking materials all over the world.

Scrapbooking represents a more organised way to preserve memories, usually photographs, special documents, letters, than simply throwing everything into a drawer to get lost or crumpled or fall down the back of furniture and disappear forever.

Scrapbookers use much the same books we all did as kids into which they slot their special items, sometimes using glue, more often hinges.

Some stunning documents are created and scrapbooking really has developed into an artform with millions of people worldwide creating physical scrapbooks or developing digital scrapbooks on computer.  They're often given as gifts or kept as family heirlooms. 

A Whole New Business Has Grown Up Around the Hobby

As for all popular pastimes a multitude of tools and special materials are sold to make the hobby easier, more enjoyable, and creating far more professional scrapbooks than those we remember as children.

So you'll find eBayers selling scrapbooks, newsletters about scrapbooking, digital cameras, computer software programs, fabric flowers, metal charms, ribbons, glues and adhesives, tickets for scrapbooking classes on a Caribbean Cruise Ship, and much more besides, as a trip to ebay.com will reveal.

These are the things you'll find selling on eBay.com, they sell in high quantities, and some sellers specialise in this area:

Scrapbooking

Adhesives, Glue & Tape

Computerized, Digital

Cutters and Trimmers

Decoupage

Dies

Die Cutting Machines

Embellishments

Idea Books

Markers, Pens

Organizers & Carriers

Paper Piecing

Paper Punches

Photo Mounting Paper

Scrapbooking Albums

Scrapbooking Kits

Scrapbooking Paper, Pages

Scrapbook Patterns

Scrapbook Templates

Scrapbooking Tools & Equipment

Stickers

Other Scrapbooking

Within those sub-categories you'll find hundreds or thousands of different products, some unusual and prolific best sellers; others rather mundane but essential; some highly mysterious.  Scrapbookers are like kids at Christmas, they love lots of mystery items in one big parcel.  So it's no surprise to discover that mystery auctions predominate in the scrapbooking section and regularly fetch several thousand dollars a time. 

Take a look at completed auctions to see sellers specialising in mystery packages which are little more than big boxes packed with bits and pieces you can often pick up cheap at flea markets and complete business clearance auctions.  Most items fall in the overall sub-category of 'Embellishments', including stickers, fabric flowers, buttons and beads, ribbons and bows, tags and self-adhesive flat back plastic charms. 

Mystery Auctions

The most successful mystery auctions show just the container and a few unidentifiable pictures and snippets of information about the contents.  Bear in mind most are sold by American sellers, to American scrapbookers, buyers who could purchase components individually on thousands of U.S. sites dedicated to scrapbooking.

Be Unique

Imaging offering products enthusiasts can't currently buy online, such as items and packages you've made yourself or purchased in the UK from purely domestic suppliers.  That's where the big money lies as the following ideas show.

*  Study U.S. eBayers selling smaller items, such as charms and bows, ribbons and stickers, look for similar items available from local shops or UK artists and craftworkers.  Visit liquidation auctions, especially disposing of stock from shops once selling gifts, souvenirs, fabrics.  Look in Yellow Pages for local auction houses specialising in liquidation and bankruptcy sales.

*  Look for items you can make yourself and package for British and overseas buyers.  Look at reports listed later, produced by American eBayers, which include ideas for making scrapbooking materials.

*  Package items in lots of 12, 24, 36, more if stock is plentiful.  Place items in  small plastic bags available from office suppliers and other major stationery outlets (look in Yellow Pages).  Design your own packaging label, the kind you see on bags containing herbs and notelets, which are usually folded and stapled across the bag's open top with a hole to hang packets on display units.   Create a template about 4 inches by 6 inches - you can resize it later - and add the product description, number of items included, your own business name, your contact details.  Print on heavy paper or thin card and arrange several to a page to cut wastage.  Fold the label horizontally, place over the flattened open side of the packet and staple in place.  You'll probably need an industrial or office stapling machine which you'll also find at office stationery suppliers.

*  Buy items in bulk from bead shops, craftwork suppliers, at flea markets and boot sales (beads, old jewellery, vintage craftwork materials), and look for ways to distinguish your stock from competing UK suppliers.  Mix and match the contents of your packages to differentiate from anything other people can sell.  Add items no longer available in shops, such as vintage beads and small craftwork creations (your own or from other artists).

* Package by theme and look for subjects not already offered on eBay, find a niche to dominate.  Some themes are well-supplied: babies, school, cowboys and Indians, birthdays, weddings, Christmas, Halloween.  Avoid these unless you find something really different and focus instead of under-served themes, such as one particular animal species, one profession, a specific hobby or interest.  Ideas: maps, famous magicians, aviation, gypsy lore, mediaeval London, vintage postcard images, Victorian medicine labels and chemists' advertisements.

*  The public domain is a great place to look for out of copyright images from which to create your own scrapbooking items or to sell on CD for others to pick and choose from.

*  Get a strong foothold in the UK market by encouraging newcomers to the hobby.  Use our free eBook as inducement to buy your scrapbooking products, or sell the book really cheap, even give it free, and promote higher price products directly to people obtaining the book.  Promote subsequent products on or outside of eBay.

Avril Harper is a triple eBay PowerSeller and author of BANK BIG PROFITS SELLING VINTAGE TOPOGRAPHICAL VIEW POSTCARDS ON EBAY which you can read about at: http://www.sellpostcardsonebay.com and MAKE MONEY TEARING UP OLD BOOKS AND MAGAZINES AND SELLING THEM ON EBAY which you can read about at: http://www.magstoriches.com