Handmade Greeting Card Business

The question is how do you go from simply giving your fabulous cards, to getting people to buy them from you?

First, identify your strengths. Are your best cards intended for celebrations? Comforting? Getting a quick laugh?

Begin developing your card line from here, and create designs you can easily reproduce yourself, whether you are handcrafting the cards individually, or using a computer to produce them. Create half a dozen designs in each category, so that potential buyers choose their favorites.

Think about a name. Choose a name that says something about your greeting card business, or one that can pair well with a logo. If you’re stuck, brainstorm with friends and family as to what to call your card line, or what your logo should be.

If all else fails, find a graphic design or ad agency to help you out. Branding is a very strong selling point, leads to repeat sales, and distinguishes your cards from others’ lines.

Pricing and Packaging
Create pricing structures. If you plan to sell to retailers, you will have to create a wholesale price list, and have a suggested retail for each card. You may want to pre-print the retail price on the back of the cards so that you have control over the value of your work.

This will also establish a price for individual sales you may make yourself at craft show, or to friends and family.

Think about packaging. If you consider your cards individual works of art, invest in crystal clear envelopes to protect them from shop wear. You may decide at some point to package your cards in an assortment, or in a multi-card pack of the same design, so investigate boxes with clear covers for your packaging.

No matter how you furnish the cards, choose the best packaging you can for your greeting card business budget, as it will add perceived value to your card line.

Making Sales
When you are nearly ready to roll out your product line, identify shops and galleries in your area that may be interested in them, and make appointments with the owners or buyers. Also, search the internet for gift or stationery shows that serve retailers.


If you can afford to attend one, your line of cards will receive much more exposure than if you go door to door, as the shows are often regional or national. Have sales flyers with images of your cards, or a color catalog made up, so that people who don’t place show orders have something to refer to later.

Don’t rule out local craft shows, as nowadays the trend is to support local purveyors and craftsmen. This is one of the least expensive ways to get a lot of people to see your products, as well as purchase them.

Tell your story—how you started your greeting card business, what led you to begin selling your cards, how fulfilling it is for you. When a product comes with a story behind it, buyers remember the story, and pass it on. Word of mouth is free advertising.

Growing Your Greeting Card Business
As your business grows, you may have to learn to delegate responsibilities in order to expand your product line, increase sales, attend shows, and keep up with production. You may switch from printing out your line yourself, to jobbing it out to a high-quality printer. You may hire friends or family to package up and deliver your wares, while you work on new designs or make calls.

You may send your sister to work a show booth for you, while you stay home to fulfill an order. Choose what you absolutely have to have control over, and what you actually love to do—like designing the cards. Delegate the rest as you can afford to do it, and enjoy the ride to the top!