| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Leezard |
Posted - Dec 28 2007 : 05:12:35 AM
I'd like to bend your ear. I'm more specifically looking for thoughts and ideas from ones who've sold homemade items wholesale, so to speak, but am more than willing to accept information and ideas from anyone who'd like to give it! My sister and I have been discussing trying to make up some bath items (soap, bath fizzies, lotion, laundry soap, etc.) to sell at a few stores that are local to us and possibly at farmers markets. We know two people who own small stores that we think might be interested in things like that, especially with them being locally made. So what I'm looking for is information on your experiences getting going with that type of situation. I know a few of you make things similar to those at home and sell them through stores so I would really love your first hand experiences.
Do you sell the items to the store and then they mark them up and sell them? Does the store have a special section for your goods and when they sell something of yours they mark it down and pay you monthy or bi-monthy for what you sell? How did you market yourself to the store to get them to carry your items? Have you been able to make much of a profit by going this route? And anything else you'd like to share I am more than willing to read! If you'd like to email me with your thoughts and information about this that's just fine as well.
Thank you!
http://ruby--slippers.blogspot.com/
www.leezard.etsy.com |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Leezard |
Posted - Dec 30 2007 : 05:50:59 AM
Thank you to all three of your ladies for your invaluable information! I really appreciate you taking the time to type up your thoughts about this kind of thing. I'm going to read over it a few more times and may come up with a few questions for you too :) Thank you again!
http://ruby--slippers.blogspot.com/
www.leezard.etsy.com |
| abbasgurl |
Posted - Dec 28 2007 : 8:19:01 PM
My advice. First go on a "look see" visit to area shops to determine where your products might do well. Bath and beauty items can be sold in specialty gift shops as well as salons & spas. Don't take samples with you, or ask questions-just observe. If you'd like to approach local shops I suggest calling in advance to introduce yourself to the owner. Tell them a little about your products and ask if they might be interested in setting up an appointment to see your things. It is considered bad form to walk into a store "cold" with samples asking to see the owner. Most shop owners will not buy from someone who approaches them this way.
I don't sell wholesale because my items are one of a kind and very time consuming. I sell my dolls through a local home decor/gift shop. I set a price and the shop owner adds what she feels the market in her area will bear. She keeps whatever she gets above my asking price. She approached me after seeing my things in a store in another community. Another store a few doors down also asked me to sell to them, but I have promised shop owners to only sell my things to one store in each community. They like this, as they have unique things that no one else in their town has.
Kim gave some great advice too!
Rhonda
I'm a one girl revolution. |
| Kim Frey |
Posted - Dec 28 2007 : 1:05:53 PM
I've been on both sides of the retail coin... both selling wholesale and consignment to shops, and helping run a family store that sells for other crafters. So, here's 2 cents worth!
:-)
Selling wholesale... Most stores that purchase on a wholesale level will double the price you charge them. Sometimes they even add a little more for shipping. This might seem like a lot, (especially since you do the actual making of the item!) but when you consider all the overhead the store has (mortgage/rent, utilities, advertising, help, etc.), it's just barely enough. And they're also putting out money for items they HOPE will sell. If not, they have to have room in the selling price to mark it down on sale so they can get their money back.
Selling consignment... Some stores will take a display of your items and charge a consignment fee, keeping for themselves anywhere from 10-40% of the selling price when they pay you. Usually they work on a monthly basis, sending checks out at the beginning of the month. I've also seen shops that only send checks when you reach a certain amount of sales so they don't have to write a check for $5. Consignment is a little messier in the way of paperwork, which is why many shop owners prefer to just buy items outright. However, it is also a great way to fill a store without putting out a huge amount of capital.
Some tips...
Make sure your product has a reasonable retail price. That means, if you are considering wholesaling it, can you afford to make it for HALF of the retail price? Will you still be happy with the price after you've gotten an order to make several hundred of them? (This is the voice of experience talking! Been there, done that!)
Make sure your retail price is consistent. If you sell soap to a shop for $1.50 and they mark it up to $3, then don't to a craft show around the corner selling it for $2! If one place buys wholesale and another charges a 20% consignment fee, make sure the selling price is still the same. Wholesale shops can mark up a little higher, but often it's good to recommend a retail price of double your wholesale.
Choose your shops carefully. There is a lot of competition in the specialty gift market! Try to find the best location for your products and offer it to them first. Don't over-saturate an area, or it will take away the "specialness" of finding your products only in certain shops.
Another option is to sell things yourself... at craft shows or farm markets, on a website, at Etsy, etc. You're in charge of your own pricing then, but it's also a lot of work, travel, packing, & shipping. But that can be fun too!
Be consistent about checking back with the store, either to see if they need more items, or to refresh your display if its on consignment. Shop owners like to know that they can get more quickly if they run out!
I've also found that keeping my products' reputation as being unique, special, and not mass-produced is better than trying to produce oodles of something and get it into lots of places. I tried doing mass production years ago, and burnt out VERY quickly. Of course, there's always bread & butter items that you can turn out quickly and buy the groceries with, but find a good balance for you between mass and one-of-a-kind.
And packaging makes the product! Really think about the way you'll display or wrap your items. The types of shops you put them in will help determine the types of marketing and packaging.
Selling yourself...Press releases to local papers often result in feature stories! If you're doing something unique, let the press know! It'll help you and they'll often mention the shops that carry your products, so it helps them too. You might also make up a brochure to go along with your products, write little How-To articles about your craft, or offer recipes or alternative uses for your items. (Hubby says to check into zoning & licensing... especially when going public!)
I hope that helps a little! I'm definitely no expert, but usually find these sort of things out the hard way!
:-P
Best wishes on your new adventure!
Kim :-)
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. ~Ecclesiastes 9:10
http://thistledewmercantileblog.wordpress.com/
http://thistledewmercantile.com |
| Tina Michelle |
Posted - Dec 28 2007 : 11:01:32 AM
I used to sell my bath and body products to local stores here several years ago. What I did was to make up a complete display basket of a variety of soaps and also offer the owners of the stores free samples.
I would then sell to them the entire counter display for a set wholesale price. Each bar of soap was sold for something like $1.50 they then sold it for $3.00 a bar.
I used nice square baskets with an excelsior filling.
The soaps all had real nice labels.
I would make sure to always dress up as if I were going out to a job interview. Nice dress, shoes, etc.And approach it extremely professionally.
I wound up with about 5 stores this way.
I would then do a monthly call back to the stores to ask if they needed more supplies. Alot of times they did.
Of course back when I did this..everyone and their sister were getting on the soap making bandwagon and sales started declining after a while so I got out of it.
But I would create specialty items for those that asked..for the health food store..I made herbal scented items using their essential oils.
For a ladies specialty boutique I made the soap rose petals , and also a specially scented talcum powder that they then poured into silver salt shakers.
I used to make the most wonderful smelling bath salts that was called Ocean Breeze. I'd use a wee bit of sea kelp in it and then a fragrance called "Rain" and a touch of greenish blue food color..it smelled so much like a crisp lovely day at the ocean.
Anyhow..that's my tips, ideas.
Oh, and I'd get paid monthly if they needed new items they simply would tell me how many of a certain scent then I'd deliver and they'd pay upon delivery.
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~
visit me at:
http://gardengoose.blogspot.com/
and at www.stliving.net
you can also check out my etsy shops at:http://GardenGooseGifts.etsy.com |
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