Goosey Gander

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions and advice. I wish you all well in your boating adventures ?

Crafting is therapeutic for me, an hour spent crafting is far far more valuable to me than the hour I spend earning money in accounts. It may also make somebody smile. I will alway spend time designing and creating regardless of financial gain, or loss from it.

Aww thats lovely ? I’d like to see more people selling on the Hungerford to Reading stretch of the K&A. Even in the summer, I rarely see anyone and I walk parts of it several times a week.

My crochet baby shoes that take 1.5 hours minimum to make and cost approx £1-2 in yarn have sold for £10 to £12. When I priced them at £15 in various different places they didn't sell - no one was interested. Yet people happily pay a fiver for 2m of paper bunting that takes 10 minutes ☹️ ?. I am not intending to sell anything ‘cheap’ or below what its worth. One day I’d love to earn all of my living from my creations.

My crochet baby shoes that take 1.5 hours minimum to make and cost approx £1-2 in yarn have sold for £10 to £12. When I priced them at £15 in various different places they didn't sell - no one was interested. Yet people happily pay a fiver for 2m of paper bunting that takes 10 minutes ☹️ ?. I am not intending to sell anything ‘cheap’ or below what its worth. One day I’d love to earn all of my living from my creations.

My comment about not making money, is not because I don’t want to, but because the reality is this: I might spend 2 hours making a crochet hat for eg, then there is cost of yarn. Even at Minimum wage per hour, that would be over £16 and would not sell for that. I am likely to only trade 6 - 8 days a month. I just plan to enjoy what spare time I can, making art and sewing on my boat. If someone would like to buy those things, I want to be in a position to sell them without getting into trouble. Therefore, I am not really going to make a profit/earn a living. Anything I do sell will help towards mooring, maintenance and licence fees. I certainly won’t be selling anything mass produced in Asia, or anywhere else. The comment was certainly not intended to be offensive.

Yes it is, I will call them and CRT tomorrow to see if I can finally get this resolved. I wonder who has a spacecraft? ?

I spoke to the Market Traders Association today, I was advised that they do provide cover if the pitch is licensed’ Even if thats a boat. Told me to refer to the policy handbook for information. I found this under the exclusions. My boat is 7m, so this looks promising perhaps ?

? Thank you everyone for your advice. I will be making some calls, and will report back. ?

Thanks Dave. Tomorrow, I will call Simply Business and CTR to try and get to the bottom of it. Thank you everyone for your advice. I will be making some calls tomorrow, and will report back. ?

I’ll screen shot the email from CTR

Aww thank you, I will. And yes, thats the plan. ?

Canal and Rivers Trust rules are that you must have a Roving Traders Licence in order to sell anything. To have this licence, you must have third party business public liability for any accidents involving the boat, even though nobody is getting on it. And, you also have to have product insurance. I think if you are caught without one you can be fined, or lose your licence. My basic third party insurance doesn’t cover any commercial activity and no insurers will cover me with a 50yr old boat - even though no person will Be boarding the boat. If somebody tripped over a mooring rope whilst purchasing a painting, I wouldn’t be insured if they sued me. I have emailed a few more insurers and will try Simply Business. I feel like Im at a bit of a dead end to be honest ☹️ I just wanted to feel a but more purposeful in what I fo on the boat and get some of my crafts out there. Its the closest I can get at the moment to owning a craft shop.

Unfortunately, that is to expensive for me. Especially as what I will be doing is not going to make a profit. I’ll stick with craft fairs.