What kind of craft shows do you guys do. I haven't done any yet but I do see pen turners at them pretty regularly and the one thing they seem to have in common is that they don't sell many pens...
What kind of craft shows do you guys do. I haven't done any yet but I do see pen turners at them pretty regularly and the one thing they seem to have in common is that they don't sell many pens...
What kind of craft shows do you guys do. I haven't done any yet but I do see pen turners at them pretty regularly and the one thing they seem to have in common is that they don't sell many pens...
Smitty
Can I ask why you are even considering any craft shows or things of this type???? You will never do the volume you claim you do here. Please do not judge all craft shows as the same. There maybe many reasons people choose to do shows.
-------"Well I sell about 30,000 Rizheng kits a year (mostly on eBay) and get far more feedback comments commending the quality than knocking it. I wouldn't sell them otherwise because I have an unconditional return policy and if I got them back I wouldn't make any money at all. I also couldn't live with a lot of bad feedback on eBay...I don't think there is anyone who buys moderately priced pen kits who has not had some issues from time to time. "-----
If you are selling just kits, why not add some finished pens and you are set. Going to shows is and takes alot of time and added effort to sell your product. Maybe expand to the other selling online stores.
At a craft show, you need to "sell the sizzle". A bic will make a line on paper very reliably.
Here your main selling point is "reasonable quality for cheap". If you do this at a craft show, you CAN sell a lot of cheap pens---I've watched people sell the China sets at shows for $10 a set. Sold a lot of them, but with a $600 entry fee for the four day show, I suspect they went home "breaking even".
Pick a good flea market ($25-50 per day entry fee) and sell to your heart's content.
OR adapt to "selling the sizzle".
OR just keep selling "low end kits". That works, too!!
I don't do craft shows, only juried art shows. With the RIGHTS are there we do pretty well:
RIGHT product
RIGHT show
RIGHT sales approach
RIGHT display
RIGHT weather
RIGHT advanced marketing
If any of the RIGHTS go wrong, then sales aren't so good.
Remember that the competition is not other pen turners, it is every seller at the show who is competing to make their product stand out and sell. Potential buyers spend their time, pay for parking, and pay show admission fees with the intent to purchase a few nice items for themselves or to give as gifts. The competition is fierce, standing out is a challenge, offering a bunch of pens that look much like many other people are offering will not help you stand out.
What kind of craft shows do you guys do. I haven't done any yet but I do see pen turners at them pretty regularly and the one thing they seem to have in common is that they don't sell many pens...
I have no intention of giving up my kit business. I like to turn pens so I need to find an outlet, I was wondering about craft shows...
At a craft show, you need to "sell the sizzle".
When I went to OK I took several pens made in OSU and OU colors:
Orange and black...padauk or Chacta Viga and ebony
Scarlet and cream...red box elder burl and birds eye maple or ash.
Basic slimline pens, made slightly larger in the barrel.
I labeled them OSU Pens, and OU Pens.
There was a small craft show and I added the pens to my aunt's craft booth and sold all six for $25 apiece.
If you live in a state with a rabid college sport population, this might be an option for that "sizzle".