How to Make Money Building Outdoor Furniture

Diagram your prototypes for quicker production and assembly. Though you may occasionally make a custom piece for a higher profit, it is very beneficial to also prepare standard templates for easy reproduction. Your outdoor furniture, though handmade, does not need to be entirely original every time you produce it---disassemble your best furniture, tracing the various pieces and keeping track of the hardware needed for the final product. With these blueprints in hand, you'll be able to produce your product much faster, thereby decreasing your labor costs and increasing your profits.

Advertise your products locally. Community bulletin boards and free online classifieds sites allow you to spread the word about your handcrafted outdoor furniture.

Consider online audiences as potential buyers. When diagramming your favorite pieces of furniture, you may also want to weigh each piece for shipping concerns and also keep track of assembly directions if it's easier to ship the product unassembled. Consider selling your product on Internet websites featuring homemade furniture; this drastically increases your potential customer base.

Sell at local flea markets. You can reach a large number of people with a professional-looking flea market booth, purchased at a much cheaper rate than traditional store-space. Make sure you project professionalism by having business cards and contact information available.

Research consignment shops in your area. Many communities have furniture or crafts stores that sell products on consignment, meaning that they can be displayed in the shop at little or no cost to the builder. When a piece of furniture is sold on consignment, the final sale price is divided between the builder and storefront.