Moving your wares

[skiwithnoskis]

Where do you have the most success? ie fairs, festival, flea, studios..... What do you consider a good weekend. The i ask is that i just got my machine out of storage been there for 2 years, and i want to make some $$$ so i can buy more tools.
Thanks

[elkriverfab]

I have tried the craft shows, fairs and even the occasional FLEA market with not much luck.
Everyone is after such a low ball bargain that I find myself selling really nice stuff in a market that is out of place for me.

A few months ago I set up at a large event and to my disappointment I was next to a $5.00 mop seller and on the other side of me was a booth full garage sale garbage.

I paid good money for the spot and was told that kind of stuff was not going to be near me

Most of the people told me I should try making my own stuff and not try to sell items bought from a distributor!
I was pissed and explained to them that I made this stuff in my shop and they did not believe me.

Now I do pay attention to detail and make sure my product is made to the best of my ability but I don't think it looks stamped out or is any better than a lot of the great stuff I see posted here.

It is funny how a customer will buy a piece that is made to look a little flawed compared to a crisp perfect cut.

I just have a hard time slopping up my cut files to look a little off, I like perfect pieces or at least in my mind perfect.

I also don't have more than one of the same piece displayed at one time either.
I was told no one could do that kind of work in their shop..........

Let me tell you, I spent two weeks of back breaking labor cutting, painting and finishing every piece.
The ones who were interested wanted to pay $5.00 and under.

One guy who owned a hunting ranch bought every wildlife piece I had in two seconds and knew what I did for a living.
He said he wanted to decorate the walls of his lodge.

I have tried other events and it can be hard.

So many people sell so much cheap crap for such a cheap price.
I could not go that low and pay for materials not to mention any labor involved.

Here is my suggestion.......

Build large pieces. Gates, benches, wet bars and items like that.
Make them unique and one of a kind.

That type of buyer is out there and they will pay cash money for a nice piece.

At one event I saw a guy who built simple but unique benches with wood and metal art combined, fire rings and BBQ fire pits.
None of them were under $600.00
He told me he sold everything in stock and took orders for many more that weekend.


I learned something from that guy that has never failed. He told me my stuff was great but would never be looked at over the cheap items if I did not sell them correctly.

Make larger pieces, mark them up big time (they are worth it) and go big.

He must have known that look I had in my face of hard work, back breaking labor and detail that was not easy to overlook, going down the crapper because of how I was selling in a small booth hoping for the sale to come.

He told me the buyers will come to you and take it home and the bargain shoppers will look at your stuff and keep walking.

So now I spend my time putting all the custom plasma cut designs into even nicer pieces.
Funny thing is, I don't spend any more time building larger pieces (50 small items compared to 5 large and I make more money.

I know some of you guys do good at the events but I have not had such luck on the smaller easy to carry pieces.
So now I build the large pieces and help them load them into their trailers.

I don't know if there is an easy answer to your question, I think you may have to see what happens and feel the customers out.

You may be one of the vendors who does great with the smaller pieces and wall decor stuff. If so.....Go with it and buy those tools you need.

Just my 2 cents on event sales but again............This has been my experience and yours my be totally different.

[stdave66]

Awesome feedback Elkriver! Thanks! looking back at what I have done, I see the same. I have done a couple shows and everybody just wants everything cheap. My best customers are regulars that buy what they want, price is secondary. Almost all that biz is custom, probably 60%.
I have one customer that in the last 6 months has bought a ton of stuff, all custom, money is no object! She offered to have a home show this Tues to help sell my stuff! Most of her connections sound to be in the same boat---money not an issue. We'll see how it goes! My prediction is I'll haul a bunch of my stock items down there, a few will sell, and I'll leave with a bunch of custom orders...I hope!
What's tough for me is I still do a 60 hr workweek at a factory, and I want to do this full time! I'm obsessed with it I guess! On the other hand, probably 1/4 of what I sell is to co-workers, so...

[elkriverfab]

stdave66,

I am sure you will do just fine at the event.
I understand how it is to fit all the making of this stuff into your off time, if you can call it that.

Good luck and make some money!

[DISCONNECTED]

I accept credit cards at fairs and stuff.Definetly helps out.I invested $250 into it ,card swiper and printer(mobile).You can also just do charges from your smart phone,but alot of people want printed and signed receipts.By the way Flea Markets are worthless.I went to one once and when people asked how much is that I said $45 dollars they looked at me like I was crazy.I also noticed a lower class of people at flea markets(low income).Go to art shows in areas where you know people have money.Also you have to have stuff that reflects the part of the country your in.I sell alot of mountain scenery,elk,bear and deer stuff which reflects the area of the country I live in.When I go to alot of shows the ones that I know are worthwhile people tell me how reasonable my prices are and they like the quality.My suggestion is do not charge people a $125 dollars for a 2 foot by 2 foot piece of 14 gauge steel that is powder coated or has a patina on it,unless it is a 3 d piece or it was a handcut piece.Lets be honest there isn't any real talent when you have a machine cut your metal out for you and few people can actually do real finishing on the cut piece.I just have a certain way I do my patina finish that makes me look like I am talented and I won't tell anyone my secret.I know of people who are real metal artists who make plasma cut metal art look like childs play and they can charge big dollars for their stuff.I know when I make something for someone out of metal and it did not require the use of a computer or cnc plasma table it is much more rewarding.

[stdave66]

Well, the home show I described above went really well! Had good sales and a lot of custom orders---most of which they paid for in advance! It was also a lot of fun. I'm sure there will be more from them down the road also. It's quite a different story when your with people that buy what they like, not just all about cost.

[steelfx]

Quote from DISCONNECTED:

"Lets be honest there isn't any real talent when you have a machine cut your metal out for you and few people can actually do real finishing on the cut piece. I just have a certain way I do my patina finish that makes me look like I am talented and I won't tell anyone my secret."

...let me choose my words carefully...ah, what the hell, let me just be honest. It DOES take talent to cut metal art using a CNC system. They don't run themselves. Just learning CAD, in and of itself, is a talent.

A patinated piece, in my experience, will fetch 2X - 3X more than a powder-coated piece. Sometimes more!
And, there are plenty of metal artisans, including myself that are more than happy to share the "secrets"...

p.s. and, it's so dang easy!!

a wise man once said, "unshared knowledge is just useless information"

Bill

[jmsrbrt]

I feel the same way about cutting with a CNC not being artistic. The machine may make it a bit easier, but my machine has never thought of, or put together any of the "art" I make. Sure, you can take a pre-drawn DXF file and cut it out then paint it, but look at all the unique things that people dream up. That's not talent?

[DISCONNECTED]

Sorry if offended anyone on the real talent thing,but I spent 16 years as an automotive and light truck mechanic.Doing everything,electrical,computer problems and everything in between.To me running a cnc plasma table and using a cad program for 2d is a hell of alot easier and requires a lot less skill.Now making metal sculptures,plasma cutting by hand and forming metal by hand is real talent.A talent I wish I had.

[oldsoulmetal]

guess im going to dismantle my machine and slap the last person that said i was talented....... na . i can cut by hand or machine. machine lets me make the pieces i see in my head. it is sad but my first love was carving, i started out carving traditionally then went to rotary tools to carve old men faces on the tips of antler. i was getting so good people thought they where resin casts. then i started hearing the same after a while about talent and power tools used to carve. well if it was so easy then everyone would be doing it! and i wouldnt have a chance at expressing myself in this medium. tools are just that tools.A artisan uses tools to express a notion in his head. luckily we as cnc artist catch that notion before it disappears. I feel sorry for hand artists since they have to spend longer to setup for a project and usually only get to share it once. i can make copies of mine and share it with more people. which helps my wallet a little along the way.

disconnected i got what you where saying. but seriously i cant help if my tools are bigger then a hand artist that choose to drag his torch across metal. it is the means of expression..... and no offense was taken.

[Eagle Mtn Metal Works]

To All
I normally don't get into this type of decision, but God gave each of us our own gifts and talents to use in the way we can. Some of us can draw better and some of us can put together the finished product better. With that said everybody need to just do what they do best and express there gifts and talents the best way they can and don't criticize the other way they do it. People only knock others because they are jealous of that persons gift and they feel that if they can knock others they will feel better. We just need to be more supportive of each other and be proud of what others can do.

We need to help each other develop there talents by complements NOT by belittling them and saying that they don't have any talent because they use a machine. We all started somewhere and we all have developed our gifts and talents over time. The machines just help us get better and faster at it.

Can we all just get along. and build up each other?????????????

[skiwithnoskis]

This thread took a turn that i really didn't expect....

[steelfx]

If that turn was something I wrote, I apologize.

My point was just that it's fun & rewarding to share knowledge & experience.

[oldsoulmetal]

sorry guts was sick as a dog when i wrote my reply to disconnected's post.....
back on topic i found that craft fairs seem to be where i get a lot of business. followed by word of mouth,
I have tried going to all the local weld, fab, bike and atv shops offering my services as well. I've posted buissness cards at local powder coat and farm supply places. but have seen little buissness from that. In my area it seems the wallets are closed pretty tight right now. my biggest order of late came from the local area metal scrap yard. the owners wife stopped me after she found out i was the one scraping all the plasma cut table remnants. She employed me to make several pieces for a new room addition. so in all i guess you never know where your next commission will come from.

[skiwithnoskis]

If that turn was something I wrote, I apologize.

My point was just that it's fun & rewarding to share knowledge & experience.

No your fine. I just didn't think about the original post created a debate about who had talent. But it is all good.