Selling your work

[BobD (Archive)]

If you sell your work, whick projects sell best for you. Feel free to explain why!

Bob

[Woodbutcher68]

I've done good with simple Christmas ornaments and crosses. Some of the more complex items bring praise, but no sales. I also sell turned items and bottle stoppers sell best.

[CanadianScroller]

Selling

I guess it depends if you are selling at a craft fair or at a gallery.

At a craft fair I find although fretwork and portraits do sell well the smaller simple projects offer a better return.
If something is simple to cut, less than 10 cuts, you don't spend as much time and can get a better return on your investment.
It may take a day or several days to cut out a fretwork or a portrait. Most customers don't realize the amount of effort required.
If the same piece of fretwork or portrait is offered in a gallery you can get considerably more.

I never was much of a businessman though so I could be way out in left field.

[Mike in Nanaimo]

I find at the annual Craft Bazzar the Xmas ornaments sell best. I do alot of Nascar Portraits as well sell very well. Here in Canada most of are sales are under $30. Ornaments will be 25 - 40% of are total.
Cheers
Mike

[Jediscroller]

A caveat here, I look at this as a business moreso than a hobby, I think the sales goals between the 2 are quite different. As a rule, I think most hobbyists are happy to cover their costs of materials and make a few extra dollars to buy a new toy whereas as a business, I need to cover the costs of materials (obviously), pay myself a salary, as well as make enough to put money back into the business. I'm not quite there yet, but I have upgraded virtually all of the tools in my workshop (tablesaw, bandsaw, planer, joiner, scrollsaw, etc.), covered the cost of all my materials and show fees and had a little left over. Note that I also sell custom furniture and reproductions as well, so this adds quite a bit to the sales dollars. Most of my sales are through craft shows (either directly or as follow-up business). I haven't approached any galleries yet although it's on my list of things to do for year 3 of my business plan. I think a lot has to do with the venue that the shows are in. I try to only do shows in wealthier areas, I have noticed that my portraits priced at $75 and up are doing much better than those at $20. As far as my pricing goes, it doesn't matter what type of work it is, I figure my cost at 33 cents a minute for labor, + materials + 30% for margin and overhead (saw blades, finish, etc.). Stack cutting 5 or 6 portraits really improves the cost per piece, it's the only way I could justify cutting items that take 10 or 20 hours to complete. I do sell a lot of ornaments and bookmarks as well, but dollar-wise I have to sell a whole bunch of them to equal 1 sale of a $100 portrait, hehehe. One of the keys I think is to have a broad variety of prices to attract buyers of all income brackets.

Kevin

[sheltiecarver]

Bob,
I didn't vote in the poll, because selling is just a now and again thing for me as yet, but the biggies for me have been those thick (3/4") puzzles like the nativity/advent puzzle in last year's (I forget which) issue. Also those words, also of thicker (3/4") lumber - I've sold a good many that say "Whatever" - seems that it is a really popular sentiment around here at this time.
I do have a lot of trouble setting a price for work - if you do an article, the more guidelines to pricing you include, the better.
By the way, I loved the last issue - lots of things right up my alley.
Sandy

[SharonW0111]

I guess it depends a lot on where you are as to what sells. Here in my neck of the woods I can sell the western and scenery better than portraits and the guys love the animals like the deer .. the kids like the puzzles and the ladies buy what they are in the mood for - which is usually what the guys want or a decrative shelve or something in that area. I use to do good selling squirrel feeds and that type - but I found that if I make for fun and what I like then I come out better than trying to please what I think others will like, it just works out better to please myself than to try to think what will sell..People will buy out of impulse and we all know impulse buying is the best way to make a dollar. I don't count my time as much as some because this is good physical and mental therapy for me - cheaper than a doctor - and works wonder for a good past time - I try to cover the cost of my material and a little for a goal of a new -or rather slightly use piece of equipment.. Which ever way it goes I find I have to plan on being left with keeping what doesn't sell and I have to like it enough to not mind being stuck with a piece hanging on my wall . I'd rather have a few different ones than have a lot of one or two I can't use

[Jediscroller]

Hmm, based on Sharon's response, maybe we need to clarify a bit. I consider portraits any fretwork cutting in a frame whether it be scenics, wildlife or people. Am I mistaken in my terminology? If I'm mistaken, then I've never sold a portrait as I do very few cuttings of people, hehe.
Complex fretwork I would consider ornate shelves, large clocks (ala the Dome type clocks, etc.).

Kevin

[BobD (Archive)]

Initially, I thought of portraits as the shadow portraits, but lets expand it to that sort of fretwork. I did mean complex fretwork to be the Dome Clock, etc.


Bob

[SharonW0111]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPSSSSSSSSSS-- my bad then Kevin .. I thought portrate was the ones of the faces of people .... then my vote has to go to portrates too but I would love to try a saw and some shelves too .You may lash me with a wet noodle for my mistake and add some good spagettie sauce with that too...

[Carter-Johnson]

When I first started making jigsaw puzzles about twelve years ago, I met a guy named Mark over the internet. He was a young father who was out of work and beginning to make puzzles for what he hoped would be a living. Jump to the present at www.mgcpuzzles.com. Mark's puzzle income is well into six figures. He charges as much as $1.75 per puzzle piece. We have met a few times and have remained good friends over the years.

A couple months ago I was looking at the plastic boxes in my basement that contain over 280 puzzles of 300-400 pieces each....and that day I called my insurance agent.

I don't sell my puzzles, but I am convinced that small, card -sized puzzles like my Christmas cards would go for $50 at upscale craft shows - and certainly on line.

Just an opinion............

Carter

[Rivari]

This may sound odd and perhaps a bit prying but can some of you "older" scrollers who have been selling items post a few pictures of your work and tell us what you sold it for? I am a visual person and formulas do nothing more then confuse me, if I have a visual of what the end product looks like with it's associated price it would make it a bit easier.

As it stands right now there was a new Charter High School built in our area (Eagle River) and the lady who is the pricipal has asked me to make eagle portraits which is the school's mascot. When I asked how many, she said to keep cutting them until she tells me to stop. Thus far I have made only 4 pieces and grossed $100.00. Many people I know said I am underpricing myself and my work but I have nothing to go on that would make me think they are otherwise.

BTW, on this topic...Max if your still lurking on the board give me a holler, I beleive there is plenty of work for two (if your interested) on this project as I cannot keep up.

[jttheclockman]

Sharon you are correct a Portrait is a cutting of a person. A scenic cutting and it can be framed or not is just that not a portrait. Fret work doesn't have to be complex like a Dome clock. Complex just means more of it. Best sellers change from show to show and year to year. Alot depends on the attendees. What market are you in, what type of show is, and many other factors.

Bob

If you want to do a question and answer thing like you are suggesting why not use the selling angle bit. Now I am not saying what sells best because that is so subjective it would take pages and pages here and you will still come away with no true answer. My thing is have people give their ideas and experiences as to what makes a good show and how you should approach it and the do"s and don'ts of putting on a good face at a show. I think that would be more beneficial. Just my opinion.

[Rivari]

And I just started to understand marquetry versus intarsia...now my portraits are complex fretwork?

I think I'll stick to the old standby phrase, "I make STUFF out of wood".

John perhaps you can write a scroll saw language book, I know I'd buy a copy.

[Forester21]

Well, what I make is small... ornaments (which sell even in the summer), crosses, and earrings. I have found that the ornaments with dates scrolled in them outsell those without dates.... I'm going to see how personalized ones do this year (via the net, not sure how I could do it at a show...)
Theresa