I got started by literally going from shop door to shop door. I took a stack of matted pieces and would walk into a shop and ask if they'd be interested in selling them. Yeah, it was really hard. And yeah, it did a whole lotta good! I met some wonderful shop owners that way! And I learned what consignment is!
Let's start there. With consignment. A lot of artists HATE consignment and won't do it. I do it all the time. I think it really depends on your situation
How it works is a shop takes some of you art with no charge. Then they set about selling it. Mostly, with my shops, at the beginning of every month, they send me a check for what sold the month before.
The key to making it all work well is organization and working with good people!! I pack an inventory/wholesale price list in with what I give a store. I keep a copy for myself. When they send a check, they send an inventory of what sold. That way we can both keep track of it all, and then I can refill them with things they have sold.
If you think you might want to try this, I would recommend starting with shops where you actually can meet the owner. If you have a good feeling about them, then I'd give it a try. You can see from the shop's point of view how this is a good thing. But it's a good thing for you too because once they see that they can sell your stuff, then sometimes they just start buying it. Or they just start taking more. The are more liekly to give you a try.
The down side is obvious. And yes, I've been taken quite a few times and lost quite a lot of money doing this! There are several reasons I keep doing it. One, is I really think that it helps shop owners. They have an incredibly difficult road and it helps them to survive. I think it builds trust and working together and a lot of good things. I also know with bone sighs that the more you have, the more you sell. And this way allows shops to have more stuff. So it helps me too!
I do think that if you are careful and work with shop owners you trust, it's a good thing.
Okay, that's consignment. If you don't like that kinda thing, then you work on selling it. By the way, a lot of shops don't like consignment because of the paperwork involved for them. So you will find shops that would prefer buying stuff! That really depends on how financially set they are.
I stumbled on a good way of pricing things without even knowing it. I figured out what my bottom line was, and that is my wholesale price. You will find that every shop raises their prices a different percent. Instead of getting all involved with that, and worrying about different prices and how to handle who does what....I just gave my bottom line. Then they can do whatever they want. This works for either way...consignment or buying.
Here's something that was totally out of character for me, and something I've been grateful that I've done all along. I picked my bottom line price and I stood by it. I believed it was fair and I never changed it for anyone. I heard it all. I heard the prices were way too high, I heard that I could get a whole lot more for them, and I heard they were very fair. I was surprised at my holding steady when someone got kinda aggressive about it all. But the bottom line was that I believed in the bone sighs and I believed the prices were fair. That got me thru a lot. I highly recommend really giving that some thought. When you believe in something, you can stand by it. And you really want to have that belief
before you start all of this! You don't have to believe your an artist, but you do have to believe you're fair and offering something of value.
Okay, another way I got shops was I actually sent out boxes of samples with return postage enclosed.
Yeah. It was cumbersome and I lost a lot. But I did get some stores that way. I got one of my best shops that way too! I think probably a better way to deal with that would be to write some emails or snail mails and point people to your website. Much more economical! Thing is, they can't hold it in their hands. So if you have something that you could send, that's something to consider. I'm glad I did it and glad that I don't do it anymore!
So, okay, maybe you don't have a website....and what if you can't afford to have one made just yet??
I'm pretty behind the times with 'MySpace.' I've just now decided to get on there! So I don't know anything about that, but I think that's an easy place to be your website for a start. I've seen a lotta people do that kinda thing! So you can always have that!
Beyond that, there's some places on line that can act like little websites for you and I think they are a great idea! I know of two, and I imagine, there's a gazillion out there!
One is www.arteallwordsandart.com. You join artella, and they create a little shop for you where you can sell right there. There are fees, but the fees are incredibly reasonable, they do all the upkeep of your pages, and you get a spot where you can have a little bio and your picture. They are totally affordable and a great spot where you can send people to view your work. They charge a small set up fee, I believe there's a small yearly fee, and then a small percentage of your sales. It never feels like anything you can't afford. There are groups there that you can join and talk with and learn things from.
Another spot like that that I know of is www.goodhandarts.com. Their fees are set up differently. I believe they set up your spot on their site for free. Again, you get a little picture and a small bio, and your work gets sold from their site. They have a higher percentage fee that they take from your sales. You just incorporate that into your prices, and you're fine.
My sales from both spots have never been wildy exciting. They were just a great place for me to start and send people to look at stuff. It was good to have a place on line I could send people. Now I've become attached to the people at both sites and just kinda keep it all going because I like to keep in touch with them.
Now...suppose you actually have some money stashed away.....and you have enough for one shot at something. Should it be a website? Well, I don't know. :) but here's something else for you to think about that might work just as well if not better than a website.
It's a place called wholesale craft,. www.wholesalecrafts.com. It's like an on line trade show. A place where shops go to shop. This is a place to consider if you want to leap right into the big time where you would be filling orders for different shops. And yeah, everyone of them is willing to buy!
The price range for this place is something just under $400, I think. That's a yearly fee. You set up your pages thru their site. You have your picture, a bio, and all your work on their with their wholesale prices. Shops come thru and place orders. You get that emailed or faxed to you and you're set!
I was on there a few years back and did really, really lousy there. And then a few years later, I tried it again. It's worked nicely this time. It's not like I rake in tons of shops. But it's steady and those shops generally make return purchases. The thing I did differently this time was decide to go full force into it. I didn't have to budget so much the second time around. The first time I payed my fee and nothing else. And it flopped.
The second time, I've done their “features” that they have and I've advertised in their catalogs. So the price goes way higher way fast depending on what you're doin'. I think it's a really good place for someone who's dedicated to make it work and wanting to really fill some orders!
It's really nice as if you did a trade show, that costs a whole lot more, and it's a whole lotta work. I think trade shows are good because you get to meet people and you “get out there.” But for a shy person like me, I like this a whole lot better!
All this makes me think of festivals and shows. By all means, do them! They're a ton of work, and many times a bust. But when you hit a good one, it feels great! And you meet a lot of people that way and make some wonderful contacts. Festivals and shows differ from trade shows as shops are shopping at the trade shows. Just regular ol' people are shopping at the others. When you do a festival, meet the other vendors. Ask them which shows work the best for them. Ask them which shows to stay away from!
One of the things that helped me a lot was just asking people for their thoughts and advice. A lot of people are really willing to help. All you gotta do is ask!
I don't do festivals anymore. I found them a ton of work and the money not as good as I hoped. BUT I wouldn't trade having done them, and I think they helped me a ton. I really think it's one of those things that you have to do. And I know some people who make their whole livings off of them! And make quite a good living that way!!!
Another outlet is catalogs! Don't forget catalogs! Hard to get into...but my gosh, if you do, it's great! My catalog that's worked for me has been Femail Creations. I would love to be in a bunch! It's just not that easy! I keep trying. Guess there's a ton of competition out there...and it depends on what you do. I would think jewelery would be a great product to offer.
There's some place you can go to that shows you all the catalogs there are that are out there! No kididing! And of course, I don't remember that site. But google it. You can find stuff as you go bumbling around. Then go to that catalog's website. They usually will have something about product submissions right on their site.
I can't think of anything else. But if anyone writes with more questions, I'll just tack them on here and we'll go from there. So, just holler if I missed anything!
It's a crazy journey, but like with any journey, it really is one step at a time and one thing leading to another. Just start walking, and it all starts happening!
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