Selling your wares???

[John Terefenko]

After I look and see all the wonderful turnings here I wonder how are you all selling your wares??? Do you have web sites and are they working out or do you do shows and if so what kind of shows??? Are these the way to go to sell these turnings??? Thanks.

[James Combs]

Oooh, your suppose to sell your turnings?? I thought you were suppose to give them away or stack em in the corners.:eek:

I have done a few craft shows and sold a few items at them, nothing to shout about though. Sold a few pens via word of mouth advertising, again nothing to write home about.:) I do have a website but I rare see any visitors. I keep trying though besides the fun part is the turning.:D

[Jeff Nicol]

John, I used e-bay for a long time then after a while I built a client list of repeat customers. Some use the site "ETSY" and set up a little on-line shop there. I also have items in 2 shops/galleries and just through word of mouth. Once you start selling people will find you if what you are selling is what they are looking for. I take a lot of consignment jobs for memory pieces turned from a tree that had meaning or burial urns etc. I have done some furniture repair making spindles. I did a couple of craft shows and demos at the same time and that was not my favorite thing but they work too.

Hope that gives you some insight,

Jeff

[Bernie Weishapl]

I sell in a couple of art galleries now with a 70/30 split and they do all the paperwork and wrapping. I did the craft show scene and never had much luck. Most times it was just making back my booth fee. Wasn't worth my time or trouble as most there are looking for deals. I sold more out of the one art gallery here in town than I sold in 3 yrs of doing craft shows.

[Dennis Simmons]

I have set up in local markets only to get the word out, I am now retired, and have these items for sale. I do best putting my items in a bucket, and go in stores,in small towns. I do very well with this. I also have items in well know gift shops. You need also print some cards. My biggest problem is my wife see's things on the lathe, and most wind up on her shelves, keep your lathe cover close. If you could eat compliments however, I would never be hungry.

[Jack Mincey]

I sell most of my stuff in a local Orvis shop that I've worked for in the summer and on weekends for the last 20 years. Orvis is a high end Flyfishing and Outdoor clothing shop that sell the top of the line flyrods for over a grand with a reel. They sell 1 or 2 of my turnings a month which is great and since I've worked with them so long they only take 25% which includes the sells tax. I've had clients that buy a bowl or HF at the end of a day of fishing on the river with me as part of my tip. I think of it this way, a husband and wife come into the shop and the husband buys a thousand dollars worth of fishing gear while the wife looks around. How can he tell her that my work is not worth the price I have on them. It works great.
I was invited to put my work in an Art Gallery this fall which worked out well. I feel on hind site that I had to many high priced items and not enough lower priced items. They sold one of my bowls for just under a grand, but the other items that sold where in the $200.00 range. I really think that I will be making a lot more smaller lower price items in the future since they do seem to move fast.
The last way that I sell, is on hunting forums. I seem to have got very lucky with the sound of my turkey calls and crow calls. After a couple of hunters bought my calls and posted their opinion of the sound which they get from them all I have to do is post pictures of my latest batch of calls and they are sold in a few days. It has got to a point that they just PM me and order calls now. I am working on 5 right now that where ordered by customers that heard of my calls or have bought one in the past. I have something coming out in Jan. that should prove to sell a few more calls next year, I will just have to wait and see.
Jack

[Jim Burr]

I've always been a pen turner; working at 2 hospitals and for the Gov't, word of mouth is best. Our medical Director gave a talk at a conference we sponsored. As a Thank You gift, I gave him a pen. Three weeks later at a Board meeting, the Hospital Board saw it and they wanted pens too. When he ask me if I would do it, he also asked what I would normally charge for that kind of pen...I told him. He said "Charge them double, they can afford it" That was about 400 pens ago.

[Rob Cunningham]

I'll be in my first craft show Wednesday. The staff association at work is having their annual Holiday Fair at work. The table is free, so I figured I have nothing to lose. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Lee Koepke]

We just finished our third craft show ... we did pretty good this time. But, I do mostly flatwork, as I have just started turning ... it offers a variety. My wife also does several other craft-y types of things, so we have a little for everyone to look at.

By far, my co-workers have been my best customers ... they seem to buy everyone of my new 'prototypes'. I am now finishing some orders for friends/family for Christmas presents ....

My website is now starting to get a little bit of traffic.

[Greg Just]

I have a shop on Etsy.com, an arrangement with a shop on consignment and word of mouth. Sell a lot to co-workers too. I make the travel mugs and carry one with me at work for advertising and sales.