# making money????



## firetiger08 (Feb 10, 2008)

Does anybody make money making jigs ect.. I been thinking about it. i got tons of molds jigs sinkers all the way up to vibes... I would say its easy money just takes time if u paint them. I know i wont become a millionare over night.


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## eyesman_01 (Jan 4, 2007)

I had bought the molds, lead pots, paint, equipment, etc... Even went so far as to get my Excise number from the feds. I also owned a state registered retail outlet so I could legally sell what I made. 

After 3 years of trying, I finally gave up. I can not compete with the mass production units and imports, and make any money. They produce thousands in the time it took me to produce a hundred. 

Not trying to discourage you, I'm just letting you know it is not "easy money". Success can be acheived, but you have to have a product that produces, that no one else makes. Then you have to make it even better and be able to sell it. It is a tough market out there. Just be prepared for it.


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## TIGGER (Jan 17, 2006)

Plus you have the federal excise tax to go along with the selling of fishing tackle. It is 10% of what the lure sells for. It doesn't matter if it is whole sale or retail. It is straight off the top. I have a payment do the 30th. 

John


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## socdad (Jul 25, 2005)

Ive made my own pan fish jigs for years and cant see how youd make any money  With the time it takes and the cost of soft lead is going through the roof. Good luck with it.


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## rjbass (Aug 1, 2007)

I sell my baits on my website and have for years. If you take into consideration the tax that Tigger mentioned, equipment, material,and time....especially the time....there is no real money being made....I do it for fun. I don't let anything go out of my shop unless it is perfect and that doesn't equate to mass production. To make money, you have to either get big or specialize and build a name for yourself like Tigger does. Most people out there are looking for a deal and the prices you have to charge for hand made baits scare alot of would be customers away. I get lot's of calls about quantity discounts, but when you build them one at a time, that doesn't make sense. Anyway, don't want to discourage you, just wanted to give you some facts. Good luck.

Rod


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## hazmail (Oct 26, 2007)

I do want to discourage you!! If you do go ahead with selling them, you may find you are a slave to what people want, and not, what you want to make. Once you get into bulk baits, you have no time to experiment (or fish), or come up with anything new, you eventually fall into line with all the other lures out there and become, just another run of the mill maker.
The only way to do it is like rod says, quality, and keep it exclusive/unique. I am talking from past experience, in a market that is just a tiny fraction of what you have there. Do what you want, when you want and sell/ give them to your mates, you will get independence, gratification and still have friends and a life. Sorry if I sound so cynical, but it's just bloody hard work, for nil reward. pete


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## dampeoples (Feb 8, 2008)

I will agree, it's possible, just hard to make money, you have to do it because you love it.

You also have to decide what market you want to be in, the 'quantity discount' market Rod mentions, or the real market. I suggest staying away from this market, as the stupid businesspeople created it, and now they have to sit in it. You're selling handmade baits, buying a thousand doesn't take you and less time than 1000 orders of 1, what savings are you passing on? Right, yours.

Aim for the true custom market, stuff that the casual builder won't take the time to do, or dream up a new market. 

But first, to avoid putting yourself in the discount market by default, really learn what you're doing. There are lots of folks out there learning how to do something on Tuesday, and launching a website the following Thursday. I personally worked on my craft for three years, refusing to let baits out of my direct sight, or only to very close friends in that time, until I discovered and corrected almost every design flaw I had run across. I still find flaws from time to time, but I'm finding them, not being told about them  Your baits are only as good as your name, or their name, don't rush or ruin it.

That being said, it's possible, you just have to work at it, don't expect instant success, the bad businesspeople have taught the public to purchase on price, you have to show them the truth. Good luck!


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