Went to the big Charlotte Craft Show a couple of weeks ago. Had over 100 booths there from all over the U.S....but not one turner. What's going on? I've accumulated over 100 bowls, candleholders and lamps that I can't sell. The main reason is that the retailers mark them up too high to sell. Sold some to the Mint Museum here...but a bowl I sell them for $75...they mark it up to $175...so they don't sell many of my bowls. Any suggestions appreciated.
Wholesale can be a problem. It certainly doesn't work for me. The usual mark-up is to double the wholesale price, or keystone pricing as its called. I've never come across bigger mark-ups, but it is up to the retailer. Having said that, I doubt that the difference between $150 and $175 would make a lot of difference to sales volume. My experience (in rural Nova Scotia) is that once you get above a ticket price of $50 you really do have to wait for the right person to come along.
As for the crafts show, there could be many reasons why there are no woodturners there. Maybe none of them made it through the jury process. Maybe woodturners have found in the past that that show is not profitable for them. Maybe woodturners find craftshows are just not the right venue for them.
My experience with the few shows I do each fall is that they are only marginal in profitability. Most of my sales volume is in $10-$20 items, and is fairly reliable. The larger ticket items are a crap shoot, but they can turn a mediocre show into a reasonable show. I have yet to do a show where I make enough money to be really happy considering all the work that goes into it. Additional benefits I get from doing local shows are people coming to the studio later, people coming and taking a turning course, or making other contacts, perhaps someone with a tree they don't want:)
I think your answer may be presentation. You don't say where you are other than Carolina but I imagine things are the same everywhere.
I sell my work mainly where I know people have money in their pocket. I like Jewelry shoppes that accept consignment. If I catch them marking a piece up higher than 30% I complain. If I catch them doing it again, I gather my goodies and leave. You can avoid monster markups by having a consignment agreement signed ahead of time.
BTW, I think $75 is pretty cheap for anything but a very basic bowl.
>InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.