Best selling item of the year.

[Donny Lawson]

I know everybody makes alot of different items throughout the year and enjoys making each piece. Now, what is your best selling item that really got people wanting more? I will have to say it's been a rotten year for me. For some reason the things I've made this year hasn't sold at all. I've made alot of ink pens,bowls, and some mini birdhouse ornaments. My sales are down over 90%. I do not do craft shows as of yet. I have items in a consignment shop but only 2 pens have sold in the last 3 months. It's very disapointing. Any advise out there????????

[Greg Just]

My sales via Etsy and at a consignment shop are down a bit, but I have sold a fair number of travel mugs and cocktail shaker. Pens have never done very well. Not sure if people are just spending less or what is going on.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Donnie my best sellers are pepper/salt mills, bottle stoppers, pens and bird house ornaments.

[Jim Burr]

Pens always! Just have to find a niche. Stoppers are mills do great and platters do well. I stumbled on something a few months ago that I was asked to market in Wine Country...could be a good $$ avenue.

[Reed Gray]

That is called 'welcome to the world of retail sales'. I never could sell pepper mills. Last year, at a 5 weekend Christmas show, I sold more rolling pins than I had in the previous 5 years total. Some years, boxes fly off the shelves. Other years, they just sit. Bowls were always a mainstay though. Individual person size to family size with walnut oil finish. They always seem to sell. Hollow forms, seldom. Some spurtles, tops both plain and fancy, Irish potato mashers, you just never know. I never tried to sell pens though.

robo hippy

[Fred Perreault]

Now I sell out of the house, and at up to 5, 1 day local craft shows per year here on the Cape. The spots cost from $50-$75 per show. 3-4 years ago I had stuff in 3 Cape galleries, and I never sold a total of more 12 pieces any year. I feel that the markup and competition with other gallery media items was the cause for slow sales. 2 years ago. sans gallery displays, I sold 200+ items for the year, last year I sold 240+ items total, and this year I will sell more than 275 items. I make what might be called "functional" bowls, plates and platters of various sizes, and 95% of the turnings are from wood I retrieve from my local area using my pickup, trailer and 2 Stihl saws. The local wood angle is important to my customers. I have made a few distant trades for wood, and bring some maple down from the Gaspe peninsula during out annual visit there. Natural edge bowls are the most popular at all the shows, and larger platters are slow to move. Naturally, figured wood such as crotches and unusual shapes are very popular as well. I count myself very fortunate to be able to cover my expenses, and most of my time. I have not spent much time advancing my work to the level of some of the hollow forms and fabulous artwork displayed by some of the Creekers. And the LOML seems to embrace my time spent in the shop..... hmmmm... :)

[Bill Bulloch]

Did Fred say "Local Wood"? -- Donny has the largest collection of "Local Wood" in the State of Georgia, without a doubt.

I like making Southwestern Style Segmented Pieces, but at the Georgia National Fair this Year (October), I sold two bowls. With those sells I looked back over the years and decided that my bowls were selling three to one over these Southwestern Pieces, so I decided to make more bowls. Then, in November and first half of December, out Club's woodturnings were the feature event at the local Art Center. I sold 19 pieces there -- And you guessed it: most of these were Southwestern Sytle Segmented Hollow Forms. It's hard to predict what is and what is not going to sell, so my suggestion is put it all out there and see what happens. Still though, the Ornamental Birdhouses are by far my most popular item.

[Allan Ferguson]

It is a crap shoot for sure. I won't see many sale until this spring when we do our outdoor Friday Market. Just started to do some mini bird houses. They are selling. I should have had some made up earlier. Oh well! There is always next year. Allan

[wes murphy]

Bolt Action Pens, can't make them fast enough

[Mark Levitski]

Natural-edge burl bowls are #1 for me. They are more difficullt to turn, especially w/ bark inclusions and voids. In about 5 or 6 shows a year and in 6 galleries that represent my wife and I, that is what people seem to like most of my turnings. My wife creates free-form tree branch furniture and accessories. Our local woods for these are predominantly cherry and maple. My suspicion for success with both her pieces and mine, besides the particular style and good form, is an excellent finish. People put their hands on things and really notice the extra effort in that dept.

[Donny Lawson]

Bill Bulloch is probally right about the wood. It is unreal of the amount of wood I see and could bring home in a days time. I just do not have the time to process it all so I try not to bring any home. I think I need to change my name to the "Wood Collector". My yard is full of wood now. I brought home some Pecan and some beautiful spalted Oak yesterday,along with my Walnut and Box Elder last week. If I could turn it as fast as I brought it home that would be great.
Bernie, I've not made any mills yet but it is on my to do list. I do have a kit, forstner bits /w extension and all the items needed. Hopefully I will get to it soon.

[Lee Koepke]

Ive churned out over 60 special order pens, and probably another 10 or so at shows and wifes store. Ive sold a handful of bowls, about 15 wine bottle stoppers, and a semi-load of cutting boards (they are not round, sadly!)

[John Beaver]

The only thing I know is that you can never predict what will sell. I mostly make "art" pieces but I do bring a handful of bangles to my shows. Usually I can cover the cost of the show with the bangles. My "wave" vessels are my signature and of course those sell the best, but the pumpkins I make are pretty good sellers, (except I had two beautiful ones at my last show and neither sold). I occasionally bring a large decorated salad bowl or two, and those usually sell (women tend to like large bowls). The surprising thing is I almost always sell my most expensive pieces. I suppose that's because they are my best pieces, but every show I've done, my highest price piece has sold.