One of my favourite blogs is created by Carol at "The Polka Dot Closet," here's a link...http://thepolkadotcloset.blogspot.ca/
In her latest entry, Carol has resuscitated a past posting (referring to her own little antiques shop/booth) called "What Sells and What Doesn't," and thought it would be a great starting point for my first entry of January 2013...
Because I make what I sell, it seems like I'm working just as hard as when I worked full time at a regular job...but the money is certainly different. I often wonder if buyers assume that my work is a 'hobby' or that I really don't need the money..both assumptions are untrue, sort of..
If I had to depend solely on my crafting sales, I would be in trouble. I am single and self-supporting, so that puts me at a major disadvantage for being able to ride it out when sales aren't going well.
Therefore, try and stick to what I know will sell (or what I hope will sell!) all within the loose framework of desire...
What I mean by that is I refuse to start turning out an assembly line of the same old same old just because it will sell...I would get bored, hate myself, etc. I prefer to be inspired by my ideas..and I have way too many of them to keep up.
Still, I do want to sell what I make, so there is a constant discussion in my tiny brain about what to do, what to do? This quandary is thankfully relieved by those who approach me for custom work..which is of course my favourite...
I sell every Saturday at an outdoor farmer's market, and yes, even in the Winter..I live on the West Coast of Canada, so we are usually more temperate than the Prairies or the East., in late Spring and Summer, .I also sell at a weekly market (Wednesdays) in a nearby town called Chemainus, which has a brisk tourist trade, and is famous for its murals. Wish that we could sell there in the Fall and Winter too, since the tourists keep coming all year and I do well there, but the town's business community still feels as if we are 'stealing' business form them..not true, our market is part of the attraction of coming to Chemainus..nonetheless..these are the sorts of things that are constantly changing, so always expect the unexpected when you sell to the public in a publicly-controlled space...
As for the actual subject of all this, what sells and what doesn't, I can only say that it ebbs and flows like the tides...
Hats, right now, are in seeming decline, and I'm selling lots of scarves..and fingerless gloves are finally starting to sell for some reason, after being a waste of time for so long...used to sell booties, too, but they aren't working for me at all since last summer, and kid's hats always seem to attract buyers...the reason, I'm fairly certain, being because they are unique.
Price point is important, and because I spend lots of time on my stuff, and use the best materials I can, I charge what seems to me a moderate amount..but many find my stuff expensive. As most sellers of just about anything know, if you can keep your price point at or near $20 or less, you will sell more..but I really can't do that, so have accepted that the chances of people lining up to pay for my work are gonna be few and far between. You, as a creator and seller, have to decide what you need for yourself to keep going...
I truly believe that what sells is what you loved making..maybe not the minute you put it out on the table, but if you are happy with it, it will find a home.
I've come so close at times to taking certain hats and putting them in the bin (for women's fund raising) that I keep , but the minute I'm convinced that a hat is unsaleable, sure enough, that is when it sells. so if you are interested in instant gratification, one of a kind creations may not be the way to go for you.
If you can find a tourist hub, that will probably work for you..I only sell my handmade jewelry in the Summer, but have been selling so many hats in those warm months that I'm starting to believe that I should add jewelry to the mix in Winter, too...who knows?
Part of the job is constantly editing what you have, and keeping an eye out for what is happening with your work on a seasonal basis..
I also do seasonal craft fairs (indoors) and I'm finding that they are not worth the much higher costs, at least not last season, but then, the economy may or may not have something to do with that, as all of last year was down from the year before..
If you can, keep records of sales that you can refer back to..it's astounding how much information these simple records really can provide.
Whew, this is really longer than I had planned...I think that to sum it all up, what sells and what doesn't (for me) is more about what you love doing and the patience and knowledge to offer only the best, because your best is the only thing worth doing.
No comments:
Post a Comment