2019 Craft Market Season is OVER!

[Iguanadon]

And not a moment too soon... I'm beat... I'm fried... I'm DONE! 

My last event today was mediocre which kind of summed up the year.  Sales $$$ were down 12% this year compared to last year. 

2019 - 943 puzzles sold at 24 events

2018 -  1072 puzzles sold at 20 events 

I started hearing more and more at events "We bought 2 of your puzzles last year and we love them!"  Great to hear, but no additional sale.  That's why I started doing the key/leash holders and I look forward to really showcasing them next year after test marketing them the past month.

I'll stockpile puzzles over the winter as usual and will also make a decent quantity of the popular dog breeds as leash holders to have on hand at events.

Anyway, a solid year for a "hobby" business.  I have some final orders to cut the next couple of days, then I'm DONE DONE!

Merry Christmas to all.  Especially my puzzle zombies out there. 

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by Iguanadon

[dgman]

You’re a trooper Scott!

[bandaideman]

Happy for you. Merry Christmas. You are Done for the year Right. So snuggle in your bed for a long winters nap wake up in time for the Easter Bunny.

[scrollingforsanity]

sales were down here a bit as well Scott. I heard the same quote. I bought your puzzles or ornaments last year and really love them. I think that's just part of the craft show gig. There are always new people moving in.   

[kmmcrafts]

Sorry to hear that the sales were down over last years sales.. but glad to hear you made it through another season and gave it all you had.. take time off and then revamp for next year.. 

My sales are down 14% on etsy.. but where they're down on etsy is more than made up for on the other sites.. so far my totals are on track with last year..  but who knows.. my year doesn't end until the 31st LOL ..This year was a crazy year for me and i had too many distractions to keep me from actually working the interwebs to get a good sales year.. so I'm quite happy that so far I've not made less money even though I did a lot less work.. I might come back with an awesome year next year hopefully.. but who knows what life will throw at me and where it'll all end up.. 

Some year I need to tally up what number of ornaments and clocks etc I sell.. I can tell how many orders I have but not what those orders are... without counting it all out by hand... and I'm way too lazy to work for that number.. LOL

 

Wishing you a better sales year for 2020.. I think your leash holders will help improve sales next year..

[rjweb]

As they say a well deserved rest is for the king of puzzle zombies, enjoy the holidays to you and your family, RJ 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Boy that line must be making its rounds this year. I too heard that same line but for other clocks and baskets. Heard it more this year than years past. I even told one lady well i have many new items I am sure you can find something new to buy. I always try to add a few new things every year because of that. Many years ago I was doing one of my well known shows that every year was a winner. I had a return customer that every year she and her husband had to buy something from me. One year she shows up with a photo album and starts showing me all the things she had bought from me over the years. Have to say one of my all time best customers. I think I furnished her entire house. She never complained about buying from me before. I hated to see that show die but it did when the person who ran it passed away. Never recovered. 

Time to relax now IGGY and get ready for next year. It was a productive year. 

[Woodmaster1]

Congratulations to those of you that do shows and online sales. I am glad that woodworking is just a hobby for me. I occasionally make things for charity silent auctions and friends so l admire you guys for your ambition. I might have to start selling my things my wife says their is no more shelf space for the boxes or bowls that I make. I told her I will just make more display shelf space. She didn't like that idea.

[John B]

1 minute ago, Woodmaster1 said:

Congratulations to those of you that do shows and online sales. I am glad that woodworking is just a hobby for me. I occasionally make things for charity silent auctions and friends so l admire you guys for your ambition. I might have to start selling my things my wife says their is no more shelf space for the boxes or bowls that I make. I told her I will just make more display shelf space. She didn't like that idea.

That is the reason I first started selling toys all those years ago. I was using the toy-making as a therapy of sorts and after awhile the shed and house looked like Santa's work shop. The War Office suggested we get a stall at the local monthly markets and away we went.

[Jim Finn]

     My sales for the year are also at an end. I tried selling beside a Christmas tree sales place that a friend has but the sales were dismal.  Not enough traffic to make it work for me.  His tree sales are good though.             I'll not try that next year.

     My gross sales for this year were within 2% of last years sales.  Not my highest years, but just fine with me. 

     I also started making toys 12 years ago and selling them.  After two years,  I started making boxes and still sell 160-200 of them a year.  Well over 2000 now.  Almost all of my sales are bought for gifts and people tell me that they are well received so they buy more to give to others.  I get a lot of repeat business that way.  I also offer something new each year and that helps with sales total.  Lately I am tired of making boxes with inlay so tomorrow I plan to start making more toys.  Toys to donate because I sell few. I will do that about a week and then likely I will go back to making boxes, or whatever I can dream up.

       I am cutting my hours in my shop from 35 to about 20 per week.  Getting old I guess.

[Woodmaster1]

32 minutes ago, Jim Finn said:

     My sales for the year are also at an end. I tried selling beside a Christmas tree sales place that a friend has but the sales were dismal.  Not enough traffic to make it work for me.  His tree sales are good though.             I'll not try that next year.

     My gross sales for this year were within 2% of last years sales.  Not my highest years, but just fine with me. 

     I also started making toys 12 years ago and selling them.  After two years,  I started making boxes and still sell 160-200 of them a year.  Well over 2000 now.  Almost all of my sales are bought for gifts and people tell me that they are well received so they buy more to give to others.  I get a lot of repeat business that way.  I also offer something new each year and that helps with sales total.  Lately I am tired of making boxes with inlay so tomorrow I plan to start making more toys.  Toys to donate because I sell few. I will do that about a week and then likely I will go back to making boxes, or whatever I can dream up.

       I am cutting my hours in my shop from 35 to about 20 per week.  Getting old I guess.

I think working that much overtime a week would be tiring. 

[edward]

My sales were also good for the year and special orders also, Have one order to finish and I will be making something for my grandson.  Will need to do some cleaning in the shop in the next month, sorta been neglected  for the most part.

[Jim Finn]

9 hours ago, Woodmaster1 said:

I think working that much overtime a week would be tiring. 

No "overtime"  I am retired with a pension.

 

[Woodmaster1]

Same here Jim. I enjoy everyday because it's a Saturday.

[Denny Knappen]

We hear that same line or similar at ArtCrafters.  “You have a wonderful store with lots of unique works.”  And then they walk out the door.

[Iguanadon]

17 minutes ago, Denny Knappen said:

We hear that same line or similar at ArtCrafters.  “You have a wonderful store with lots of unique works.”  And then they walk out the door.

Ha!  I joke with another vendor friend of mine "I earned 22 'Your stuff is amazing!' dollars today!"   If only we got paid based on compliments. 

[John B]

19 minutes ago, Denny Knappen said:

We hear that same line or similar at ArtCrafters.  “You have a wonderful store with lots of unique works.”  And then they walk out the door.

I know where you are coming from Denny. If I had a dollar for every compliment I wouldn't have to sell a thing and would be a multi  millionaire 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

If I had a dollar for every person that has touched my baskets over the years I would have given everything else up and just did those. I hear people say I have no place to put it. I always shoot right back, you have a dinning table right. That is where they belong. Heard every line imaginable over the 35+ years doing this.

Edited December 16, 2019 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[ScollSaw Slasher]

Guilty as charged! When wandering  around at craft or art shows, I can shoot the bull with a vendor for 15 minutes complimenting the heck out of his or her wood crafting. Then I walk away with no purchase because I know in most cases, I can do it myself (or think I can). Secondly, got too much of my projects hanging around the house without adding someone else's.

[Rolf]

Considering that I only do 2 events a year one consignment where I just drop things off, and the other is our local church. We did very well at both. Several of the other vendors were complaining that their sales were not so great compared to years past. Some of them have the same old stuff every year.  We always have new items and am always amazed at how many repeat customers we have for the ornaments.

I should really maintain a spread sheet to track  it.  At our Church fair we have 2- 8 ft  tables  with mostly $12 ornaments. I didn't make many larger items this year. The fair is run by the United Methodist Women and I give them an additional 10% of my sales. I have no more room for any substantial toy additions to my shop so the toy fund is expanding. 

 

 

[poupster2]

I totally get what you are saying Iggy, After doing Craft fairs for 4 years now and mostly selling ornaments and tea lights, I feel that I've somewhat saturated the market around me so , next year, I'll be going to places that I've never been to before just to validate my theory. I only do show from September to December so I've got a few month to decide where to go!