I receive commissions for purchases made through highlighted links in this post.
Yes, you can make money sewing. Especially, if you have a hot item that is popular. Particularly before Christmas. I think of the popularity of the cabbage patch dolls in the 1980’s and how they were a big seller in the private sector because stores were selling out of them. Anyone with a little sewing skills could get the pattern and sell them for a profit on the side. That is how I purchased them, through the private sector, in the 80’s because I didn’t have a sewing machine at the time.
So what is the popular item this year in 2020?
I think it is the Waldorf Doll. Have you seen it? It has the sweetest face and is being sold at a premium on Etsy. The market to me is just right for such a doll since it is so hard to find sweet looking dolls in the stores these days. The doll is cloth, which makes it huggable and washable for younger children and comes with a variety of clothes patterns to accessorize. This gives you an even bigger market, because you can sell the doll plus the clothes and people will come back for more clothes.
The one thing you will need to do before you set up to sell the dolls is to put one together yourself. This will give you a time and materials audit for what you will need to charge and also let you know how many dolls you will be able to make in an allotted time period.
Locally you could take a down payment for the dolls with giving an estimated time of fulfillment and then receive the remainder after you have completed the doll.
The down payment would pay for the supplies and you would just be out your time if the person changed their mind and I do not think they will because these dolls are flying off the shelves.
If you click on the purple links on this page it will show you a picture of the dolls I am talking about. I have to show you that way because I could not find a picture of them that was not copyrighted.