Sunday, November 27, 2005

 

Well. That Was Profitable.


Or not.

My friend sold three hats and a scarf. I sold a cat toy. Total income for two days for two talented artisans? $43.00.

I do believe I'm going to have some splaining to do to my landlord. We do, however, have sufficient dishcloths for quite some time to come.

(No, I'm not in danger of eviction, I'm just going to have to dance a little).

Let's try this again next year, shall we?

Comments:
Oof. Craft show, I'm presuming? Been there, done that, sadly. And made only the slightest bit more money in the process. Better luck next year.
 
First few times out, I barely covered my table rent.

I sincerely believe that the "high end boutique" route is a better one to follow. If I ever do it, I'll let you know.

I do not (currently) craft for $ or food.

I think my word is a variation of "elkhorn"-eolkhrn)
 
Oh no, that sucks! Have you tried selling anything on e-bay? Like sets of 4 dishclothes or whatever ... I don't know how something like that would sell on ebay though. Hmmm.
 
Sorry to hear about the low earnings. At least the fair forced you to experiment with different ways of drying wool, though, right?
 
That bites after the fits all the drying and spinning to have stuff ready in time put you through. buuuuut... perhaps kermit and some of his buddies could make an appearance on eBay for those of us who Do appreciate you?
 
Two big problems with craft fairs:

1. You get the cheapskates (like me) looking for stuff, but not interested in paying high-end prices... even if the stuff is worth it. Sadly, present company excepted, much stuff at these craft fairs isn't.

2. The majority of potential customers have been "Wal-Mart-ized". They expect to pay $25 for a hand-knit wool sweater. I've had these dunces try to threaten me with "Well, I can BUY it for $25." I then sweetly tell them to go do just that... among other things. But seriously, you can't get them to understand the cost in time and materials on items you have made.

Conclusion? High-end boutique, consignment, or by request is the way to go if you want to craft for money. Personally, I gave up on it. I just can't deal with the customers.
 
Awww, that sucks.

Luckily the guild booth I had a few items with does not charge me a table fee to be a part of it. Heck, I don't even have to be there. They only ask 5% of my "take" and the Arts Council that sponsers the sale takes 10%. 15% of what you sell is very little to ask. I have heard that boutiques mark everything up by 100% and that makes it hard for the craftsperson to earn enough to make it worthwhile.
 
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