Selling Flies!!!

[WYKnot 0]

Or you could use 'WaterMark Flies'

 

The only advice I could offer, beyond that already provided, is find a good day job; selling flies is not likely to pay the bills. It is fun, creative, and introduces you to some great people.

[FishyboY 0]

9th- Let your name travel by word of mouth. tell like 2 people you tie flies for money and then let it go from there.

 

10th- Expect it to take time to get orders. don't be surprised if you get like 3 orders a year. It started that way for me.

 

Fishyboy,

I disagree with you only in one aspect. Not spreading the word about your flies is not going to help business any. If you only tell 2 people that you sell flies, then you probably won't get very many orders. And if those 2 people don't spread the word, your business will end there if you don't spread the word. I get it that you don't want to over promote yourself or anything, but you have to at least get the word out. And if you're talking to someone who fishes, or whose husband/brother/best friend/whoever fly fishes, tell them: "Let me know if (you/your brother) needs flies." Usually, they'll say, "Do you sell flies?" and you can go from there.

 

1 more piece of advice: Get on craigslist!

 

But great advice fishyboy, very good points.

 

JS.- Yea you are right but what i meant was you don't want to tell 10 people and then end up with needing to tie 20dz. flies.

 

Flytyer14- WYKnot is right. it does not pay the bills and all the money you make usually goes into the next order. that is how it is for me.

 

[jared sartini 0]

9th- Let your name travel by word of mouth. tell like 2 people you tie flies for money and then let it go from there.

 

10th- Expect it to take time to get orders. don't be surprised if you get like 3 orders a year. It started that way for me.

 

Fishyboy,

I disagree with you only in one aspect. Not spreading the word about your flies is not going to help business any. If you only tell 2 people that you sell flies, then you probably won't get very many orders. And if those 2 people don't spread the word, your business will end there if you don't spread the word. I get it that you don't want to over promote yourself or anything, but you have to at least get the word out. And if you're talking to someone who fishes, or whose husband/brother/best friend/whoever fly fishes, tell them: "Let me know if (you/your brother) needs flies." Usually, they'll say, "Do you sell flies?" and you can go from there.

 

1 more piece of advice: Get on craigslist!

 

But great advice fishyboy, very good points.

 

JS.- Yea you are right but what i meant was you don't want to tell 10 people and then end up with needing to tie 20dz. flies.

 

Flytyer14- WYKnot is right. it does not pay the bills and all the money you make usually goes into the next order. that is how it is for me.

 

 

That makes sense. Goes back to your point about not getting burnt out.

 

one more thing:

half off mustad classic hooks at hook and hackle right now:

http://shop4.mailordercentral.com/hookhack...s.asp?dept=1033

 

Not trying to endorse them or anything just trying to let you guys in on a good deal. I'd stock up if I were you flytyer; these are good hooks for cheap.

[Flytyer14 0]

thanks again all. I am mowing lawns this summer for money as well.

 

 

[buggybob 0]

Just another voice from one of the long time commercial tying guys.

 

It sounds like you don't have a fly shop nearby. How do you get your materials now ? Mail order ? If you have trouble coming up with materials now because of low funds or no fly shop close by, you will have a much harder time when you have an order even if it is from friends.

 

Try tying a dozen of one of your favorite flys in a single size, in a single color, in a single session. Lay them down in order from #1 to #12 and decide how many of them are saleable, not just useable, saleable. In other words do they all look alike ?, do they look like something you would buy ? Did you enjoy tying them all in one sitting ?

 

I'm not trying to dissuade you from embarking on this venture, but if materials are difficult to get or you can't find or afford the hooks, or didn't like tying that many flies in a single session it's going to be tough.

 

As others have said, you won't make enough money to live on unless you can tie 2,000 to 3,000 dozen a year, and even making enough for more materials and a fishing trip or two seems to dissapear "somewhere".

 

As Day5 said, family, friends and social life take a back seat. That's a cost you can't price.

[flykid 0]

As far as not paying the bills, I actually heard that someone once put several kids through college by being a commercial fly tyer. But obviously that would much more demanding than what you're trying to do.

[Flytyer14 0]

Yes it would. And i'm 14 so no bills.

[FishyboY 0]

thanks again all. I am mowing lawns this summer for money as well.

 

yea i do the same. and will also be interning at a fly shop.

[Flytyer14 0]

Sounds like fun.

[day5 0]

I made enough money last year to get plastic surgery! Now I look just like Sean Juan.....HEY LADIES!!!!

[JSzymczyk 0]

I made enough money last year to get plastic surgery! Now I look just like Sean Juan.....HEY LADIES!!!!

 

DAMN! I was saving up for plastic surgery so I could look just like YOU!!

 

:wallbash:

[day5 0]

you already look like me!!

[biginjapan 0]

I'd jaut go for your name, i used to tie professonally and just ran under my name. my biggest problem with tying is that the majority of the people in the UK are unwilling to pay the extra for superior flies and would rather by the crap that's tied in africa with poor materials.

Also, how many flies do you average an hour? for it to be worth my while i had to be able to knock out 10-15 standard trout flies an hour at least- obviously some patterns take longer, but you adjust the price

 

oh yeah and expect yourmaterial collection to expand rapidly, people will definitely be asking you to tie stuff you dont have the gear for.

 

go for it and good luck