Second Show

[Dan]

I did my second show. This one at a local high school with over 100 vendors, no scroll saw or pens except for me. I got in late and got stuck at the end of a hall. I had great company and we did get lots of visitors. Lots of "ooohs" and "aaahs" and sold quite a bit. The best sellers of my scroll saw work were these sleds. I don't remember who made the pattern (it's from one of the scroll saw magazines from a few years back), but I made a simple modification to the runners by putting in the year. I only had 10 of them made and sold out very fast. Lots of folks said they would be back next year for a 2011 sled. Next year I'll have 30 or 40 on hand. I think I could easily have sold 30 at $8 each. Some said the price was too low. What are your thoughts?

 

The picture was a casualty of sale. The lady buying it unintentionally flung it onto the floor. One of the runners came off. I was feeling charitable and said I would take that one home and fix it and she could pick another one. Well, when I got home, I found one of the runners broken. Oh, well.

 

I also sold lots of hardwood ornaments. Nothing fancy, but I did spend lots of time sanding and finishing them. I think it was worth it. Best of all, we had a great time and met many friendly folks. I'll definitely do more of these shows.

 

Dan

[amazingkevin]

all is fun and games,Interesting sled.how big was it .Got show pictures for us .let's see your table!What was interesting to you there.was it mostly jewery.how many hours was it. i need to see and know more to put a price on the sled.how much was the show.

[Lucky2]

Dan,that's a beautiful sled and what a unique idea to put the year in the runners. It's not a bit of wonder that they sold so well, one reason is because they look so good and the other is because they were a good price. Thanks for sharing this with us,I'm always interested in how well other people do with their sales,and what their prices are like.Your price is the same as I charged for the ones that I made and I didn't put the year in the runners so maybe a couple more dollars,but you don't want to price yourself out of range of what people will pay for an ornament either.

Len

[edward]

I think the price is fair, I sold a few a few years ago for $6.00. I would not raise the price. Edward

[Travis]

I like the modification to the pattern. That looks great! I think $6 is a bit low. But it always depends on your market. If folks are willing to pay $8-12 for the ornament, then by all means charge that much. Check out Target and see what their more interesting ornaments are selling for. You'd be surprised by what they're asking for the China-Made mass produced ornaments. You're selling handcrafted art, which has more value. Especially recent (last few years), there has been a bigger appreciation for handcrafted items.

[Dan]

Thanks everyone. Sorry, but no pics. Forgot to take the camera. I had a 3' x 6' table in a hall for $25. If I would have been in the gym it would have cost $50 but I would have had twice as much room. The sled is about 6" long. I think people would have paid $10 but I don't think I'd raise my price if I had more to sell. There was a lot of jewelry, and stocking stuffers, and yard ornaments. Only a few woodworkers, which was a plus for me. The show was one day for 5 hours and there was a rush in the last 45 minutes.

 

My wife did some shopping for an ornament for my sons and said I was underpricing my stuff, but in the end, we were both very happy with the sales. My wife painted a few ornaments that were made from plywood and I thought for sure those would sell, but people really loved the hardwoods. I'll try to get some pics tonight of some of the things I had left. Everything I did (with the exception of the sleds) were very simple to cut and sand.

[Oges]

Looks good, and congrats on the sales. Looks like you will get a lot of repeat customers with that sled design. The price is reasonable from a customer perspective, as for yourself it depends how much time and effort you are spending on them and the cost of materials, you need to make a bit of profit from them no point just scraping through. After giving my kids teachers a personalised keyring, it has sparked a lot of interest from other teachers wanting one and to also order some for friends and family .. I was thinking around $10 - $15, but they seem willing enough to pay $20 each for them.

 

In the end, if you are happy with the prices you have set, then keep them at that price, raising the prices could affect that 'impulse' buy.

[Clayton717]

congrats Dan, and the sleds look great.

[toolbeltman]

Nice one dan ...Interesting story...thanks for sharing it with us

[Barry5180]

The best part of the whole thing is that you had a great time Dan and that it sounds like you generated some future sales. Glad it was a success. Would love to see some pictures from your next show if you remember to bring the camera..lol

 

Barry