Ian33568
|
Does it all add up?I am really baffled......craft stalls seem to be in abundance here selling some great stuff (as in UK). Wanted to try something like this myself and realise first you have to have a good product however....
No one ever seems to buy anything much.......how do the sums add up? with Transport, raw materials, rents for stalls, insurances, self employed contributions, etc etc.........profit margins cannot be that much given the competition - how does it all add up or are most of these 'small traders' only just breaking even or worst still - operating at a loss.
|
Dee J
|
Have you considered that the main purpose of a craft stall may not be to sell product on the day, but as an advertising tool for private commissions?
Dee
|
Ian33568
|
| Dee J wrote: | Have you considered that the main purpose of a craft stall may not be to sell product on the day, but as an advertising tool for private commissions?
Dee |
I can see your logic in say....a craftman furniture maker or metal worker but what about the leather work, woodturners, hundreds of jewelry stalls, soap makers, greeting cards etc .....doubt there are many seeking commissions from these traders.
|
Dee J
|
I was supressing my cynical side and looking at the best I see in what I would consider true craft work - hand made items with a long, useful and beautiful life - thereby justifying a significant purchase price.
Many of the small low cost items must either have a very small craft input, or, as you say, produce little in the way of profit...
Dee
|
thos
|
| Dee J wrote: | I was supressing my cynical side and looking at the best I see in what I would consider true craft work - hand made items with a long, useful and beautiful life - thereby justifying a significant purchase price.
Many of the small low cost items must either have a very small craft input, or, as you say, produce little in the way of profit...
Dee |
Most of it is probably made in China.
In Monceau market I was approached by a woman selling hand-made wicker baskets that I had no need for (very hard sell, with sob story) for €50 that looked just like the ones for sale in Casa.
Here in what is for now Belgium we have quite a few marché artisanale. The prices some people charge are quite incredible eg €10 for a country wine when that price buys a lovely Burgundy. The price may reflect input costs but does not relate to the cost of alternative product, so I can't see many takers.
|
mochyn
|
I sell through a small craft shop at Lake Vyrnwy. Very seasonal but people know it's there. Better and less expensive than doing craft fairs.
|
pookie
|
| mochyn wrote: | | I sell through a small craft shop at Lake Vyrnwy. Very seasonal but people know it's there. Better and less expensive than doing craft fairs. |
what sort of stuff do they sell there Mochyn? Field trip maybe? 
|
mochyn
|
| pookie wrote: | | mochyn wrote: | | I sell through a small craft shop at Lake Vyrnwy. Very seasonal but people know it's there. Better and less expensive than doing craft fairs. |
what sort of stuff do they sell there Mochyn? Field trip maybe? |
If you like! We could pop up there next week. There's all sorts, made by locals (with a few tea towels thrown in). From cards to furniture and some crafting supplies too. And there's a tea shop next door.
|
pookie
|
| mochyn wrote: | | pookie wrote: | | mochyn wrote: | | I sell through a small craft shop at Lake Vyrnwy. Very seasonal but people know it's there. Better and less expensive than doing craft fairs. |
what sort of stuff do they sell there Mochyn? Field trip maybe? |
If you like! We could pop up there next week. There's all sorts, made by locals (with a few tea towels thrown in). From cards to furniture and some crafting supplies too. And there's a tea shop next door. |
Teashop, now you're talking 
|
