Sale items

[*karen*]

Hi I have a 2 day craft fair this weekend and was thinking of marking my prices down and having a sale.

I am changing the type of jewellery I make and have decided to concentrate on the bridal market and therefore really need to shift my current collection so I can buy new stock.

I was thinking of offering 25% or 30% off but wasn't sure whether to do this from the outset and to mark all of my items down before I get to the fair or to see how things go and then mark items down.

The other thing I am concerned about is whether this is unfair on other crafters but on the selfish side of things if I don't make some money this weekend I may not be able to continue with making jewellery as I am loosing too much money.

Any advice?

[flurogoddess]

I tend to mark my stuff down after lunch. I think sometimes the fairs tend to pick up round about that time so if they don't then I put big sale stickers on.

I'm also a bit concerned about this weekend with the weather - last time at this venue I took £1 - I am committed for 5 days this weekend! Eeeks!

I've promoted this fair pretty well online and I'm putting up posters where I can and am handing out discount flyers, that might be an idea for you, you could put some discount flyers in local shops....?

[janetdc]

Personally I don't like to see other jewellery makers selling their goods off cheap. Obviously it affects the sales of others but also people will come to expect your work to be cheaper and I think it undervalues the work that you have put into it. On the other hand i absolutely understand why you are thinking to do so this weekend. Whatever you decide I hope you have a successful time selling.

[Amethystjewellery]

I don't think that you should mark down your jewellery either. Sell off your current stock at a price that will cover your costs and then sell your new bridal range.

[annnoble]

Hi,

I have certain items on sale as people like to rummage, I have pendants in grip seal bags in a nice glass bowl and I have earrings on cards. Normally all my items come with chains and boxes so the sale items work well and I get more of my stock on display. I also have an a4 sign saying sale items from £4.

I have found in today's buying/selling market you need to have a diverse range of product and things to draw peoples attention. A sale usually does this.

The other way to go is to have a show special offer all items £xyz for this weekend only!!!

Ann

[CeeGee]

Only you can decide the right way to go, but as you're looking to shift volume rather than make high margins, maybe you could offer multi-buy discounts? Eg, buy one pair of earrings, get another half price?

Let us know next week what you did & how it went, and good luck!

[silversurfer]

I think you must do what is good for you, in these trying times, people are not making the money on jewellery they once were, so you must change your marketing strategy to suit in order to survive.

I agree that it is not easy making and selling items, and what's more, people expect things for nothing these days. Good luck with your fair.

[sherrielinda]

good luck

can't help with your question but good luck at the fair & let us know how it goes.

[Fair Do]

Hi Karen,

Here's another angle on the situation ...

If you mark your stuff down part way through the day and a customer comes back and says "hey, that's not fair ...I paid full price" ...what would you say/do? Just a thought!

It's also true to say that "all's fair in love and war and retail" ...so go do battle ...but be ready for the cries from the other stall holders!!!

Sorry, just playing devils advocate! I truly hope it's a good event for you.

Fair Do

[elainem]

Im afraid i have to agree with the last comment, all is fair in love and war. Multi buy is agood idea to go with however if you choose not to be so ruthless.

Each time i have a craft fair i have a sale box, and bag up the items that have been made a while.

Good Luck
Elaine

[goldieab]

Sale Items

I recently attended a fair and was selling off my old stained glass stock (I now concentrate on fused glass items) and priced all stained glass really cheaply. Lots of people told me how cheap they were and I basically explained that I was selling off old stock and once it's gone it's gone. I did not have big sale signs, I just explained to customers that the prices were extremely low due to selling off stock.

The stained glass sold extremely well and made alot of money.

i know you are selling a different type of craft, but the principal is the same.

i would price all items but not have huge sale signs, and explain to people who show interest why they are cheaper. If you plug the fact they are getting a bargain, people are even more keen to purchase it.

Hope this helps.

Good luck

[*karen*]

Hi

I did decide to do a sale but I waited to see how the morning went but when it came to advertising it I felt really uncomfortable so just put a small poster on my stall that couldn't be seen from afar (what a wimp!)

Unfortunetely the weekend was a complete disaster and I only made one sale of £6!. Things were so bad that I didn't turn up for the 2nd day which I normally disagree with as I think it is unfair to other's but I couldn't face another 6am get up and 1 1/2 hours travel there so I decided to spend the day with my family.

The show was so poorly advertised that the people in the same village didn't even know it was on.

This is the 2nd show I have done where the craft fair is part of a larger show and has been a complete disaster with no customers and no advertising. The craft fair organisers do their bit but the actual show organisers just don't advertise. All in all a complete let down and I have lost a lot of money.

Has anyone else had problems with sales this weekend?

[CeeGee]

Really sorry to hear you had a bad weekend - sometimes that's just the way it goes unfortunately. I didn't have a stall this weekend, but did visit a fair and didn't see any money changing hands. To be honest I was disappointed at the fair itself - don't want to say which it was, but it was a well established fair and yet had a lot of stuff that looked bought in. Such a shame as it undermines those who have made their goods themselves.

[manda]

I'm sorry you did so badly we havn't done any fairs this year due to them being so awful last year we did one where there was no one through the door over over 2hrs and it was a 2 day fair.

I'm sticking to wedding fairs from now on.

[*karen*]

I'm sorry you did so badly we havn't done any fairs this year due to them being so awful last year we did one where there was no one through the door over over 2hrs and it was a 2 day fair.

I'm sticking to wedding fairs from now on.

I am moving away from my 'everyday' jewellery to bridal jewellery and really want to concentrate on the wedding side but I am concerned about doing wedding fairs as the table costs seem to be so much higher.

Do you find that they are very expensive. I also do not have that many tiaras in stock but thought that it would be ok if I did a sample of each design so that I can work from comissions booked on the day rather than to carry a lot of stock.
Any tips on the bridal side?