How many of you sell the flies you tie?
[ul]
[li]Sell because you have made to many & need room to make more.[/li][li]Sell to pay for your hobby.[/li][li]Sell as a side business.[/li][li]Sell as a full time business.[/li][li]Don’t sell.[/li][/ul]
About 10% of my gross income yearly comes from fly tying. It might be more like 15% in 2013. I try to tie 3-7dz/day from early October through May and probably average 1dz/day in the summer even with guiding.
I think you left out a category of tyers that sell their flies…
The concept of the Hindu cow always makes me think of the fulldress tyer that won’t fish his flies, or worse, the tyer that never leaves his bench to fish any flies. I enjoy tying flies and lots of flies are not available the way people want them tied. I get all sorts of requests to tie non-conforming, elsewise unavailable flies. I do it because I do not revere my cow so much for all the things it could do for me that I will not avail myself of those things…
I don’t sell any flies. What I would lose on each fly, I would make up for in lack of volume! LOL
I tie not quite enough to keep my fly boxes stocked every year, several hundred flies.
PS. Hap, I thought you ate cows. And moose, and caribou, and…
And pigs, and bears, and sheep, and mountain goats, and deer, and bison, and elk… and lots of other things… 
Not uncommon for me to tie dozens of flies at a single sitting… or sit longer and tie just one… or even just part of one.
There are tens of thousands of hooks here on hand, yet there are never the exact ones I seem to need. So I buy hooks by the thousand and always seem a little behind on the buying curve. Just got in 6k hooks and need to order again… 
No way we use this many flies, but they do seem to go away.
I don’t sell them but, it seems I give quite a few away each year… to trees, rocks, bushes, fish, friends…
Me too! Along with docks and mangroves too…
Why do you ask ???
I don’t sell but I give away on the stream or donate to organizations.
I give some away, donate some. I was paid for flies just once that I can recall…and only because the guy INSISTED on paying money for them. I would have just given them to him.
My daughter is doing a school project on home type businesses & she thought that the tackle crafting market would be a cool subject that none of her other classmates would choose.
Currently as a side business, I also have a day job (which is taking over more than I ever intended it to). In the past I have done it full time. Its a hard way to make a living, but I’ve done worse! If I can give you any specific information to help with your daughters project I will.
Cheers,
A.
I sell a few flies and a few more crappie jigs… and never for much more than materials and shipping cost. Just a good way to get the next order of materials paid for!
I give away some flies to fishing buddies and people I run into on the stream. I also barter with flies occasionally – eg, trade flies for leaders – and I sometimes donate fly boxes to worthy fundraising causes. But no selling for me that would take would make it a job.
I don?t sell them but truly enjoy giving many of them to my friends or people I meet on the river who are struggling with a fly that simply isn?t going to work.
I don’t sell any. I’ve found that making money off of something I love tends to make me start regarding it as a “job”. That being said, I do give quite a few away. Those I give away go mostly to the four or five guys I fish with, but when I see someone on the stream that appears to be new to fly fishing, I’ll often offer them a few flies that have been producing for me that day.
I don’t sell my files. I don’t wan’t to deal with the Federal Excise Tax as well as the assorted other taxes I would need to deal with such as Sales Tax, etc.
However I have traded flies for fly rods, fly reels, trips (provide flies instead of boat fuel), conventional lures, rods, and reels, lines, books, meals, etc.
I do not sell any flies. Like others I share and traid or make for those that can’t.
This may help your daughter. I buy less than one percent of the flies I use which
would account for 3 flies a year.
Like most have stated, I do not sell any flies. I do a lot of tying since I teach fly tying to the boys at Arrowhead Ranch plus I teach fly tying to disabled vets at the local VA Hospital, but, I do not tie flies to sell. I give a lot of flies away to others on the river plus I do some tying for the local fly shop on a “as needed” request, but, just run a store credit for those which is mostly used for fly tying material.
I would much rather tie when I want to instead of tying because I have to. My fly tying is my stress reliever, hobby and something I can do to release creative energy and I would not want it turned into a “job”.
i do store credit as well, the barter system is the way to go it seems. i have a few “customers,” they ask for small orders like a dozed pink lady’s for next October … i am apparently too generous with my flies though, i usually just give them the order… they are usually a simple tie, and i cant justify charging for them… i end up getting “donations,” they usually insist on covering the cost of materials at least.
-spoof