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I moved recently to a new apartment. Turns out there's a card maker living here who has been selling cards for $1 and has been doing it for 11 years! She is a painter and hand paints her cards, mostly flowers and animals. I make one of a kind cards and some some 3-D crafts, usually using SU or GinaK materials. There's a bazaar coming up for residents & open to outside buyers. Should I try to sell some of my stuff? What should I charge given this situation? Any thoughts would be much appreciated, fellow SCS'ers.
__________________ My word for the year 2024 is CLEAR
You might have a problem if you want to charge more than the $1 that the other crafter is charging for her cards. Although you do make one a kind cards, her cards are also presumably one a kind too. If you are okay with charging only $1 per card, then you might want to test your market to see how they are received, since they are probably very different from what this woman offers. However, without a doubt I would certainly try the 3-D crafts.
Hope this helps.
__________________ Elizabeth
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Hand over the chocolate, and no one will get hurt!
I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it. I would tread very carefully, you don't particularly want to alienate your new neighbours especially as you have to live nicely next to one another. I would be very careful to offer significantly different products than the hand painted ones so it isn't direct competition. Given that she has had this niche market for 11 years be prepared that you could receive a cool reception it she/they think you are pushing in on her territory.
I agree with the 3D crafts and maybe matching/coordinating sets with cards if you want to do cards. And also agree with being prepared for only $1 a card.
It would be a good idea to differentiate your product and definitely you can't sell above $1. Be prepared that she might see you as competition. Have a chat with her let her know that you are selling 3D craft cards. The other alternative is to make bookmark on your card.
I cannot believe anyone can make money selling a card for a 1.00, unless it is bare bones. Set your price to something that you make money. Don't worry about the lady who is selling them for a 1.00. Maybe once she sees you are getting paid for your materials AND time she might increase her prices accordingly. I just cannot see selling something at a loss to compete.
Good luck!
I am assuming that others will also be participating in the bazaar besides the one woman with the $1 cards. If nobody else made stuff it would be a boring sale. i would make my cards the way I always do in my own style. Maybe ask the woman if she is ok with you selling your cards that day. But as for price, I would sell them as I normally do. I can't see how she makes much money especially if she is providing an envelope. It may just be for pure enjoyment on her part.
I have some artist friends and truthfully it is nothing for them to "whip" up a card. Quite often is off cuts of other things they were working on - so yeah, they do make money because they consider that would have been project in the bin rather than a sale. I wonder if this is a similar case with this lady...
Although you are asking about cards, I would make some, but would try to find some other niche that you could fill. . . altered composition books? treat bags? Post-it holders? Branch out. Maybe even discuss options with the cardmaker to show you are sensitive to her position and seniority
I think the key here is "open to outside buyers." I think you should treat this event as you would any other venue or craft show where you might sell your work, and price it accordingly.
It would be different if you were only selling to the people in the apartment building/complex. Then there might be a perceived "loyalty" issue among the buyers, and to be fair, there might be that feeling among the residents who have been buying from this lady for a while. However, who says they can't buy her cards, and buy from you, too?
Since the event is open to the public, I don't think you should let her price for her cards determine what you would like to sell your cards/items for.
I did quite a few craft fairs a year or so ago. Some I sold well at, some not so good. I felt I had my things priced fairly and didn't come down on my prices, even when sales were slow.
I decided I would rather bring them home, give them to loved ones and friends, or donate them rather than let a stranger who was only eager for a bargain devalue what I had done.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Last edited by buggainok; 09-18-2011 at 08:42 PM..
Or, you could not participate this year and just go as a buyer. Check out what there is, not only from your painter lady neighbor but from the other vendors, too. You might find the event is so small that it's not worth your time to crank out any kind of inventory. Or maybe it's huge and no one will notice that you both have cards and you'll really want to plan for next year.
Have you met her? It might be an option to befriend her and make cards together...share a booth? Just a thought...I love to make new friends and I would love to have someone to make cards with if I was in a new place. It could develop into an amazing friendship for you both...just saying....
blessings.
I wouldn't ask permission from her, nor would I lower my price to a ridiculous $1. You are an artist too. I'm sure that if she were showing an exhibit of her work in a gallery with other artists' works, she wouldn't expect them to ask her if it was OK. Be friendly, be nice, and try to have something different from what she's offering. Don't over-think it, and have fun. JMHO.
Personally I think if I found myself in a new neighbourhood just as a bazaar came up, I would go along and support it as a buyer, treat it as a way to get to know some of my new neighbours and see what kind of things are on offer to help me think about potenitally selling in the future.
A dollar sounds very low to be selling anything hand made - I would certainly want to find out a little more about people's buying habits and tastes before I considered turning myself into a seller in that situation. If they're really only willing to pay a dollar for a hand made card then I'd probably decide against trying to sell to them, to be honest!
I would go as a buyer too. My Mom lives in a neighborhood full of apartments & highrises for the elderly. They are always having bazaar sales. It does attract quite a crowd. Especially since it's right in a university area too. I know if one seller has cards and another seller has cards you can hear people saying "Well, her cards are $2. Why aren't your cards $2?" Me, as a crafter I want to throttle them when I hear them tell a seller that. ;) I understand what they are saying too because it is a neighborhood bazaar. People are making assumptions since you are all neighbors the prices should be the same. I know it seems silly. That's what I have witnessed. I go to a lot of these since I also spent my teenage & college years in this neighborhood. I just turned 4+0.
I definitely agree with a couple of the other OP's. Definitely befriend her. If you don't want to go as a buyer. Talk to a few of the neighbors so you can get a feel of the show and then price accordingly.
Don't worry about alienating any one. Most of the neighbors are going to come over and talk to you anyway. It's a big neighborhood bazaar which is also known as big gossip fest. You can make some really great friends who will be a big supporter of your work.
When I go to a Bazaar fest I don't even sale anything. I go to see everyone, help out and relax. I still have a big fan following in my Mom's neighborhood for my work. I get to meet new people who just want to talk about my work because so and so had to tell them all about it, lol. I have a lot of fun. Another reason I don't sale is that I teach my Mom's gossip group how to craft. So, they use these sales to show off and gossip, lol.
Like some of the others say, I would definitely not price my work to match hers- sell for what you always charge. You say she hand-paints hers, yours are going to be very different from what she does so I don't see it as competition. I'm fairly sure you will have more than one person there selling baked goods for instance- but they will probably all be baking different stuff, each to their own area of expertise. Simply, she has a choice of what she charges, and if she feels that the $1 tag covers her costs, then thats down to her. You don't have to be bound by it. Incidentally, I think going as a buyer only this year, then selling cards at the next one may actually look as if you took the idea from your visit, and possibly cause a worse reaction.
I think I would go to the bazaar this year as a customer. You know there is a card maker but there might also be other craftpersons in the complex. You can examine the variety of offerings, the quality and meet your neighbors. There might be a crafts group that you can join.
A friend of a friend makes hand painted cards but the poor quality of the workmanship of the card detracts from the quality of her paintings.
I belong to a church craft group and we have a card exchange. I am, by no means a professional, but some of the cards that are swapped are ..... I don't even send these as donations because they are so poorly constructed that some fall apart, are made with cheap, flimsy paper or are only just covered with stickers, etc.
Just had another thought on this- by charging the same as her, you really could be seen as directly competing- another good reason to charge your normal prices.I have someone at work who took up cardmaking when she saw mine, and she does sell some at work. I charge what is realistic for the time & effort & materials it takes (mainly they are personalised for Weddings etc).I don't know whether she undercuts me or not, and I really don't mind either way. Charging less than I do would effectively be paying for the privilege of making the cards, and I'm not going to do that.
I don't think you should worry about this other seller at all. Unless you are creating and selling the exact same items, you aren't really competing at all. You are selling something similar and you should do as you choose. It's no different than any other vendor fair. Target doesn't choose to not open a store because there is a WalMart nearby. Give the customers a choice. Not everyone wants to buy a hand painted card, even for a $1. I know I wouldn't because that's just not my taste.
Thank you very much everyone. I am going ahead and taking my chances. I have introduced myself, admired her cards, and guess what - she is in charge of selling the tables, so she knows, and yes, there will be a lot of different things for sale including desserts. Am undecided on what to charge.
__________________ My word for the year 2024 is CLEAR
Thank you very much everyone. I am going ahead and taking my chances. I have introduced myself, admired her cards, and guess what - she is in charge of selling the tables, so she knows, and yes, there will be a lot of different things for sale including desserts. Am undecided on what to charge.
Sounds great. Good to know you won't be blindsiding her. I'm sure you will do great and I bet the regulars will be happy to see a new table!
I never have luck with cards at my sales. I usually sell framed stuff and nugget boxes and book,arks and make a killing. I think I have sold 2 or 3 cards all the years I have put them out.
I've been very busy creating different things, mostly cards and gift tags. My dd says I should charge $1 each for my cards including an envelope, and .50 for more simple ones and the tags. I want to ask $2.00 or even $2.50 for cards, & $1.00 for tags. She says making $ is more important and if I charge too much, no one will buy any. Thoughts anyone? Thanks.
__________________ My word for the year 2024 is CLEAR
Making $$$ is important. If you charge too little, you will not have money to replace the supplies you invested in your items. You need to sell your items at a reasonable price for you and the purchasers. Maybe, many of the shoppers are on a fixed income so that is why the other cardmaker charges so little. JMHO
There is no way that you're going to "make money" selling your cards for $1. You may MAKE SOME SALES but in the end you won't be making money. I would do as others suggest and price your cards a little higher. You are offering something totally different from what the other lady offers. Your supplies cost a lot more than hers do. (Assuming she's using acrylics or watercolours...) $2 is still a steal for a hand-made card!!
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I saw somewhere once that there is a very fine line dividing 'Handmade' from 'Home-made', and that generally, the price charged was the main distinction- handmade is more expensive! And, that your price is a sort of valuation of your work- and if you don't value it highly enough, neither will someone else. You should charge what YOU feel to be realistic, not someone else's opinion. You know how much time/effort/love went into each card- you want at least to cover the cost of your materials, and preferably make yourself a little profit.
I saw somewhere once that there is a very fine line dividing 'Handmade' from 'Home-made', and that generally, the price charged was the main distinction- handmade is more expensive! And, that your price is a sort of valuation of your work- and if you don't value it highly enough, neither will someone else. You should charge what YOU feel to be realistic, not someone else's opinion. You know how much time/effort/love went into each card- you want at least to cover the cost of your materials, and preferably make yourself a little profit.
ITA!
__________________ Denise
"If a person who indulges in gluttony is a glutton, and a person who commits a felony is a felon, then God is an iron.�
― Spider Robinson
I don't think you should concern yourself with this other seller. This includes in the pricing department. Price your cards according to the time, effort, supplies used and quality of work that you are doing. If they are priced right, they will sell.
I go to art fairs all the time. Always there is more than one jeweler, one painter, one...etc. All charge what THEY feel is a fair price for their work. I suggest you do the same.
Maybe, just maybe, that neighbor of yours doesn't value her own work. Maybe she doesn't think her work is good enough to charge more than $1.
I totally agree with what Michellesscrap said (above). Don't be intimadated by what your neighbor has chosen to do. Do your own thing! Price your work so you can get back the cost of your materials and some for your time. Or, why bother participating at all? You'd be losing money!
Last edited by RosieLP; 10-08-2011 at 11:33 AM..
Reason: error
Is competition okay?
Thanks, any more comments/ideas?
