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Supplies are what make a craft. Unless you are making somethingwhere you can use regular household items, or that don't needanything but the buyer to complete the sale, then supplies aregoing to be a major part of your crafts.

Finding a supplier that isn't going to cost you an arm and aleg, and still have good quality might be a challenge at first. But, in my experience, it is always better to pay just a littlebit more for good quality, than it is to buy bargain basementmaterials and have your customers be disappointed when theoverall quality of your craft is poor.

Once you combine your experience with the supplies and theexperience of making the craft, you will soon realize where youmight be able to save a few pennies on supplies, and where youshould just pay for good quality.

You'll need to have several excellent sources for supplies thatare readily available in order to be a successful crafter.Initial research, then time and experience will be necessary foryou to find your best suppliers in terms of cost, quality andpromptness of delivery. Here are a few tips on getting the bestsupplies for the lowest prices:

Comparison shop with several vendors, and even after using oneor two, keep an eye out for better deals. With a little bit ofextra effort, you might be able to find the materials you wanton sale, or at a lower price at a different vendor.

Ask other craftspeople for recommendations. Word of mouth isone of the best ways to find deals. If you belong to a craftgroup or if you know other people who craft, talk to them aboutwhere they are getting their supplies. They may give you agreat lead on fantastic prices.

Always buy wholesale'all you need is your resale certificate toqualify. Wholesale eliminates the middle man in many cases. You should be able to save a great deal of money on craftsupplies if you have a craft supplies wholesaler in your area.

Buy in quantity for greater discounts, maybe even by partneringwith another crafter. It's the same is if you go to the grocerystore ' usually, the more you buy, the better overall deal youare getting. It may cost a little more out of pocket, but yourcost per piece goes down significantly.

Use recycled materials and recycle what you can from your pastinventory. You never know when scraps of other supplies willmake great pieces elsewhere on your craft. This is a great wayto save money on your supply cost.

Keep track of your supply inventory so you can order in advanceat better prices for busier seasons rather than waiting untilthe last minute. If you wait until the last minute you usuallydon't have time to find a deal ' you just need the suppliesfast! This could end up costing you a lot of money.

Do your best to get 30-day terms, so you can pay suppliers afteryou've sold some product. You will probably have to pay withcash or credit the first few times that you go into a store, butafter they recognize your patronage and you qualify with theiraccounting department, you can get terms that allow you to pay30 days after you purchase the supplies.

Supply costs are one of the biggest costs when you are settingup your craft show business. As mentioned earlier, most craftsrely on materials of some sort or another. In order to ensure atidy profit at the end of the day, you need to control thematerial expense so your prices stay competitive and you sellmore product!