|
|
Tips For Selling at Craft Shows by: Laura Kay
|
| Sunday, December 28, 2008 |
About the only thing I enjoy more than creating my bead jewelry at home, that my heel selling jewelry to local crafts and shows! I attended hundreds of performances and crafts partipated in many myself. I am still dismayed, however, to see the beautiful pieces and jewelry which are not for sale shows simply because the architect forgot some basic rules of work to craft shows.
Some parts of useful tips and tricks I can offer beginner pearl jewelry artist and anyone else who is just beginning to sell at crafts shows:
1. Know your audience: Try to get an idea of what kind of crowd that you will meet your next show and craft your inventory to meet the crowd. By visiting the show each year is the best way to learn this, there are other methods you can use. Does the city where the crafts show to be held largely upper class or middle class? You may want to adjust your prices accordingly. Do the customers will be children or the elderly? If the vessel is close to entertainment or in a school, I almost always along a little "Kid Displays" where I put all my jewelry small plastic beads. I had more than one child drag her parents at my table to see the evidence I put specially for them. If you want to show in or around a nursing home, you might consider changing your inventory. Older customers love Pearl glasses chains, bracelets with large staples easy and "smooth" pearls that are not specific on the time against the bare skin.
2. Using Cards: Every time I sell a jewel at a craft show I packed in a small suitcase with my business card inside. I do so because, even though I already sold a piece of jewelry, I often have people with me for weeks, months and even years later to see if they can order the same or similar parts for friends and relatives. I also have my list on the website of cards people can browse my articles and in the comfort of their own homes!
3. Be flexible with price: That date also to know your audience. I am generally not put price tags on one of my songs. In this way, people need to learn about prices and I can adjust my prices and a fistful of dollars on the fly, based on the type of audience, the size of the crowd and whether or not I really want to sell the piece. And, yes, I sometimes change throughout the day. Some people come to craft shows expected to haggle, so it is sometimes useful to quote a price for a few dollars more than you can normally ask if you have a negotiating room. May you be uncomfortable with this at first, I find it very useful. I can not tell you how many pieces I've sold only after talking with the customer and chatting about the price. One of my favorite methods is to sell a pair of earrings with a pearl bracelet for only a few dollars more. The client likes to have a "regrouped" and I treat them as two pieces of sales and do a little extra profit.
4. Accept checks and credit cards: Cash is obviously preferable, but the controls are easy to accept. In all my years of attending craft shows that I've never been cheated by someone bouncing checks. Many people bring cash to craft shows, but sometimes there are so many great things by the time the person is your stand, it may not have anything left! Credit cards are a little trickier. If you want to check the credit card, you'll need a power source and a telephone connection whatsoever. Many people, myself included, often simply use a manual credit card swipe with carbon paper. No electricity is required, simply enter the numbers in your computer or electronic machine when you return. To accept credit cards you'll probably need a merchants account and I found that most local banks can help you or point you in the right direction. It is really not very expensive to do. I created my first account and bought my manual swipe coal and less than $ 50.
The sale of pearl jewelry to crafts shows is a surprisingly fulfilling experience and a great ego booster, not to mention a fun way to make a little money. Following these basic tips will help you sell more jewelry and have fun together!
About the author
Laura Kay directs http://www.beadboard.net a Bead Jewelry Resources Blog highlights pearl jewelry resources, supplies, artisans, design ideas and more! You can find more pearl jewelry in Beadboard.net ideas! |
posted by neptunus @ 7:29 AM
 |
|
|
|
|
Post a Comment