There are several ways to learn how people sell crafts, like going to craft shows and scanning the listings at Etsy. But those markets don't tell you what crafts sell. They only reveal what other crafters are making and showing.

There are other places where crafts sell that you can research and learn what the best selling crafts are and how much people are willing to pay for them.

Before you start snatching ideas for crafts to make and sell from the sources described here, understand that it is illegal to copy and sell other peoples designs. If you get caught at copyright infringement, it can cost you legal fines and worse. Use the craft ideas you find through your research to stimulate your own creativity.

The first place to research best selling crafts to make and sell is online at QVCs website. Use the "search" box to enter terms like quilt, or ornament, or birdhouse, or lamp, or just even the word handmade.

QVC will then display items they are selling on TV. Unless you specifically search for handmade items, the results will not be for items made by hand. See anything you could make into a craft and sell? Use your imagination and think about everyday items that could be made by hand.

While you are looking at crafts to make, jot down the prices the QVC items sell for. Determine if you could make the craft for 50% or less of the selling price. If the answer is yes, then you can probably make and sell these crafts for a profit.

QVC is a great place to start your research. They purchase items in large quantity at wholesale prices to list and sell on TV and on their website. QVC has been broadcasting on TV since 1986 so they have come to have good judgment about what sells and what doesn't.

Another place to research crafts to make and sell is ebay.com. Go to their home page and scroll through the "categories" and click on "crafts." Now drill down and click on "handcrafted & finished pieces".

The next step is to go further down the left hand sidebar links and select "preferences." From there, choose "completed listings." At the time of this writing, eBay showed me more than 17,000 listings of handcrafted and finished pieces; all of them a source of ideas for crafts to make and sell.

eBay lets you sort the listings by price, so you can learn even more. What you are looking for is ideas for crafts to make and sell that are already selling and to ask yourself if this is a craft you would want to spend time making.

You also want to note the number of bids for each craft listing because this tells you if there is a demand.

And finally, look at the closing price to discover how much people are willing to pay for crafts like those you want to make and sell. Write down the closing prices these craft items sell for. Can you make and sell the crafts for 50% or less of the closing auction price. If so, you will most likely be able to make and sell these crafts for a profit.

The market doesn't lie. But aside from eBay and QVC, it's a challenge learning what crafts are actually selling. By researching at the sites above, you will discover what craft items people buy and how much they are willing to pay.

Be aware that the season or time of year you do your research will affect the results you get. For example, throughout the months of October, November and December you may find more craft items selling because shoppers are seeking unique handmade crafts for Christmas gifts.

Here are some examples of common home items that can be crafts to make and sell: potpourri, place mats, napkins, curtains, towels, potholders, coasters, baskets, pillows, quilts, room dividers, throws, wall hangings, floor rugs, lamps, chairs, porch swings, stained glass, birdhouses, wind chimes, clocks, mirrors, candles, cutting boards, pottery, plant holders, window boxes.

Remember that copying others designs is against the law. So be creative and come up with your own crafts to make and sell.

There are over 10 million women owned home-based businesses in the United States. Many of them are small niche sites owned by work at home moms. Women are utilizing the internet to turn their small hobbies into big cash.

While being a mom working at home is not a new concept, using the internet is a relatively new method of seeking success. Before the only way a woman could work from home was to host cosmetic or Tupperware parties; today a woman can choose to set up a small niche website based around something she's already passionate about and good at.

Not only does the internet offer an array of options for work at home moms to monetize their websites, it also allows them to work as few hours as possible.

Many moms working at home have built extremely successful businesses working just three hours a day and they earn money even they don't physically work.

Here are some ways work at home moms are turning their hobbies into cash

Infopreneur: You may know a lot of information about something that other women and men seek information for. Perhaps you are a health fanatic and can offer health tips to others. Or maybe you are an avid knitter and would like to share your work and patterns with others. You can publish an online magazine (ezine) for people to subscribe to and sell ad space in the ezine.

You can also add Google Adsense to the website. When someone clicks the ad you earn a commission. Or you can write an ebook for others to download. Majority of moms working at home are infopreneurs. It's not taxing to set up and once set up, the business runs itself.

Affiliate Marketer: Virtually every niche has a product or service attached to it. If you don't want to sell your own, you can be a work at home mom that sells other people's products for them.

Perhaps you have an interest in traveling, you can set up a website offering people some travel advice, and sign up for affiliate programs where you are given your own code and then direct visitors to your affiliate programs. You would then earn a commission for every person that purchased a flight via your code.

Compliment an already established business: Numerous moms working at home already have small businesses that they would like to earn more money from. If you were a photographer, establishing a web presence would be the perfect way to advertise your service 24/7.

There are dozens of ways work at home moms are using the internet to
turn their hobbies into cash. It takes initial work but they work fewer hours and have more time to devote to their families.