Ready, Set, Sell

[Raymond Overman]

Well, it's time for the local Spring Festival again and Dad and I are going to be setting up this Friday and Saturday on Main Street, Fort Mill, SC. We're going to have a Jet Mini VS doing some demos and have our wares out for the public to see and buy. Hopefully we'll have as good luck as Tony did at his show.

Anyway, I put the items I'm taking on a web page attached to a Paypal shopping cart so that maybe I can provide for a few more customers who would like to use a credit card or even Paypal. Wireless Internet access is great! I don't know if it will be worth it or not but it gives us options.

Here are all the pieces I'm taking:

Order Page (http://www.overmanshop.com/orderfif.html)

I haven't finalized on all the pricing yet. If you have any opinions, please let me know. I still get a little antsy when it comes to pricing my pieces.

[Pete Jordan]

Ray,

I don't know what your market is but your prices seem low for the quality of your work.

[Garry Smith]

I agree with Pete, your price seem low for as nice as the work appears.

[Keith Burns]

Since you don't show the sizes it makes it difficult on the bowls, etc, but I would have to agree with Pete, most seem underpriced.

[Dan Stuewe]

I'll have to agree with Pete. Your work is beautiful. Pricing is one of the hardest things to come to terms with. My wife is starting her own jewelry business and we are really struggling with what to charge. When you hear wholesale = 3xmaterial + 10-20% and then retail is double that it is hard to believe that someone would pay that much for something we made. But if you're going to make any money at this, you need to get paid what your skills and talents are worth. Now if you just want to recover costs plus a bit extra for your effort, than you can price differently. It is a art unto itself.

Good luck!

[john whittaker]

Raymond, good luck and thanks for the heads up. I live in Matthews NC and will try to get by this weekend. I'll forward your pics to my sister. She is looking for a nice HF and I'm recommending your work. Hope to meet you sometime soon.

[John Hart]

Quite a nice line-up you got going there Raymond!! Good luck to you at the festival!

[tod evans]

raymond, you`re doing "pro" quality work so price it accordingly. remember it`s okay to skin `em enough where it`ll grow back just don`t gouge `em where it`ll scar....02 tod

[Jeff Horton]

Ditto to cheap. No sizes really makes it hard but I would expect double what you had on most things. Especially the hollow forms and NE bowls. They look harder to make if nothing else.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Way too cheap, double your prices, if they are too high, you can haggle.

Cheers!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Raymond that is some beautiful work. Even out here I would at least at a minimum double your prices in fact I might even triple some of the hollow forms. I doubt you will have any problems at that. You have some awesome work there you need to charge accordingly. I sent a bunch of those boxes I made to my son in Richmond, Virginia. He sold everyone of them for $45 for the smallest two and $55 for the other 8. Your boxes are fancier than mine were.

[Tony Sizemore]

Well Ray I have to say you have some great stuff. Your pricing is right about where mine was and here is what I found. If it was more the $50 they looked real hard. If it was more they looked quick and moved on. If it was from $30 and below it looked like it had legs because it walked out of the booth so fast. I know I had my stuff priced low but I made a nice profit on everything I sold. I only had one person look at my pricing a laugh… as she bought 5 pieces! She knew what she was looking at because she took 2 of my nicest bowls.
I know that the market would not have handled a higher price and was happy to sell my stuff for the price I set.
Good luck this weekend I hope you come home like I did with empty boxes!!!!!!!

[David Fried]

Good luck Ray! Since I've never sold anything I can't really comment on the prices other than to say they seem more than reasonable.

I remember growing up two brothers buying a bankrupt ice cream parlor in town. They reopened it and sold ice cream sodas for 55 cents. The place was packed. Two weeks later the price went up to 65 cents. Place was still packed. Price went up 10 cents every two weeks until it hit $1.05 and business dropped off. Next week they were .95 and there it stayed.

The goal is to charge what the market will bear and that may take some trial and error pricing.

[Glenn Hodges]

Raymond you asked for opinions so here goes. I would suggest you put the size of the piece you have for sale. I think you are way to low on your prices for the beautiful workmanship on your site.
Good Luck

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

If I may, I have to agree with everyone else in that at least the items prices below $50.00 are 5.00 or more too low. For instants, I get 25.00 for bottle stoppers like yours. Natural edge bowls go for AT LEAST 30-35. and your boxes are worth much more that you are pricing them.

Unless you NEED the money to keeping eating, I would raise them! As I was once told, by a gallery owner, "You ARE an artist and deserve to be paid for your efforts."

I'm sorry if I sound HARSH, but you should NEVER sell yourself short! Your work is WAY TOO GOOD!

Bruce

[Raymond Overman]

<Sarcasm> So what you all are saying is that I should up my prices huh? </Sarcasm>

Well, I think that I'll change my prices a little. Since this isn't a standard craft or art show, I don't want to overprice them and honestly I want to walk away with empty hands and full pockets. I have a few pieces that have been hanging around for a while. I think the market will bear a little more though. so we'll see.

Thanks for all the comments and for wishing me luck. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Ernie Nyvall]

Good luck Raymond. You have some great looking stuff there. Thanks for posting.

Ernie

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

I DO understand what you're saying, but, by pricing things too low, you are telling your customers that you don't think too much of your work.

As I said before, you work is too good for that.

Also, if they are going off the table too slow for you, you can always lower the price. If you sell out in the first hour, while it will be a rush, you left A LOT of money on the table.

Bruce

[Corey Hallagan]

Very nice Raymond. I too think some of your stuff should fetch more as you do very nice work, however, I hear what you are saying about the type of show etc. It's kind of tough pricing for a show like this, you have to make a decision to lower your prices before the opportunity is gone. Anyway, good luck Raymound to you!

corye

[Barry Stratton]

Raymond,

BEST OF LUCK to you!

I agree with everyone else, your prices are low compared to the quality of your work. I'll bet you will achieve your goal, even if you up them a tad.

Can't wait to hear how you did!

P.S. Feel free to send some of them up here - I'll put them in my booth at the local craft mall for you!

[Raymond Overman]

Well, I've taken the advice and up'd the price on most pieces a little. I also added the following this evening. This will probably be the end before the show. I don't think I have anything else that's quite ready to go before Friday unless I get a chance to turn a couple more small boxes.

Thanks for all the support and comments.

[Jim Dunn]

To lowwwwwwwww! Raise your prices. How am I to make any money with my new white monster, now if I can convience my wife to let me have it:)

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Really like THAT one Raymond! The carving is a Nice touch. Good luck at the show!

Bruce

[Ed Scolforo]

Ray, I agree with the others. Lots of your stuff should be double what you're asking. Consider how quickly you could make a pen and retail it for $25-$40. Your turnings are more labor intensive and at a higher skill level, and should get a higher price.
Ed

[Barry Stratton]

Raymond,

Well.........how'd it go????????

[Corey Hallagan]

I was wondering the same thing earlier tonight!

Corey

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Bump.......................

Spill the beans dude!:D

[Raymond Overman]

Well, I guess the outcome was partly cloudy. We had a hard rain Friday night which closed down the festival. The Fantastic Shakers (a good beach music band) was set to play Friday night and would have brought out a more affluent crowd from the local golf course community. Unfortunately, with the rain, it was a wash.

Saturday we did pretty well in the morning with a lull in the afternoon and evening. The crowd that came to see Big E (the Elvis impersonator) wasn't quite the high craft type so our sales really slumped.

Overall, we did pretty well for not catching the Friday crowd and enjoyed visiting with each other and the people that stopped by our tent. I had a number of repeat customers and sold the "Drunk Queen" piece to a lady that bought what I considered my top piece from last year. I'll have to watch for her again next year.

I did well enough that I made an order to Lee Valley:

<table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="440"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td width="80">
</td> <td width="281"> <basefont size="1"> 1" Threaded Post </td> <td align="right" width="80"> <basefont size="1"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="80">
</td> <td width="281"> <basefont size="1"> 1/2" (12mm) Bowl Gouge (P&N) </td> <td align="right" width="80"> <basefont size="1"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="80"> <basefont size="1"> </td> <td width="281"> <basefont size="1"> 7/8" #2MT Stebcenter </td> <td align="right" width="80"> <basefont size="1"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="80"> <basefont size="1"> </td> <td width="281"> <basefont size="1"> #2MT Medium-Duty Live Center </td> <td align="right" width="80"> <basefont size="1"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="80"> <basefont size="1"> </td> <td width="281"> <basefont size="1"> 6" Straight Support
</td></tr></tbody></table>





I was able to go by Klingspor and get some sanding discs and a texturing wheel (not the full Sorby set) as well. I've just been so busy for the past couple of days I haven't been able to post pictures. I'll get back on schedule soon.

[Keith Burns]

Raymond, at least it wasn't a total wash ! You got some good equipment anyway.:) It has been a long time since I've done any of these shows but I remember some that I did'nt sell one thing. Talk about crushing a guys ego:D

[Barry Stratton]

Sorry to hear about the rain out (we awoke to fresh snow the other day if that helps:) ). Thanks for letting us know how you did, at least some good came out of it....

[William Bachtel]

Nice photos, give the guy a break, he is selling the photos, not the work, it is (the work) way to nice for those prices. Keep turning and keep enjoying it.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Sounds like a good start.

You will love that P&N gouge, I really like mine!

Cheers!

[Brad Hart]

I don't know if the price list I saw is the old or the new but I think you are on the money for some things like the cups and the stoppers but a lot lower than I would charge for many things, but that is only because I know I personally could get more for them.

It is easy for other turners to tell you to raise your prices, especially when they don't know your market. Iin my opinion it is better to go to a show and sell out almost everything at low prices for a small profit than it is to bring most of your stuff home with the same or worse no show profits. There are also people who will tell you that it is better to start with high prices and then lower them, but in my consideable opinion this is a very bad move if you do lots of shows or plan on it anyways. Do it once and get caught by regular show goers and you it will give you a reputation as someone who will always lower their prices and that they should always wait until you are desaparate to and willing to bargain before they buy. It is far better in my opinion to take everything home and start the next show with lower prices than it is to start reducing your prices mid show. Show no weakness in the face of bargain hunters or you will regret it...

[Raymond Overman]

You will love that P&N gouge, I really like mine!


I'm sure I will Stu. I have the 5/8 and the 1/4 P&N bowl gouges. The 5/8 is my goto tool for roughing and the 1/4 is ground so that I can get a good sweep in the bottom of a bowl. I want something with a little more steel than the 1/4 for finish cuts on larger bowls. I ordered 3 of the gouges. One for me and two for my dad to take to Honduras with him this summer.

His church is taking two delta iron beds down there for the mission they support. The mission has programs for the women and children that bring them to the church but not for the men. My dad is going to teach the men wood turning in hopes of getting them to come for some fellowship and worship.

[Raymond Overman]

Brad,

I get what your saying and agree whole heartedly. Bargaining at a show is the worst thing you can do. I'd rather give something to someone than reduce my price because I know the piece is usually worth more than what I have it marked.

This festival isn't really meant for my work but the fact is, it's less than 2 miles from the house and it gives me some time to hang out with my Papa. Last year I got a commission from it for about 6 pieces from some wood a lady brought from her home place in Ohio. I gained a good friend and customer from that relationship. This year, I had the customer from last year that bought what I considered my best to date piece and this year she returned and bought what I considered one of my top pieces. I'm sure I'll see her again as excited as she was to have it.

Really, it's all gravy anyway. Anything I make while turning turns into tool and sandpaper money anyway. I can't wait until the next show in November! I'll sell out for sure then.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

OK, I have a couple of comments on prices, I'm not trying to start anything, I very much respect others opinions, and I'm just giving mine.

If you price you work too low, you hurt all the other wood workers out there.

Often a talented amateur like Raymond is putting out work that rivals the full time pro, and if the full time pro needs to get $500 a piece to make a living, and Raymond come along and sells it for $20 this hurts the whole business.

Now I'm not saying that Raymond should try to charge what a full time pro would charge, someone with a history and a name, but if you Raymond makes his prices too low, then the whole value of a hand turned piece of work goes down.

I'm not for jacking prices either, that is not what this is about.

Sometimes you get a very talented amateur who does not need the money, got the wood for free, and does the turning for the fun of it, so he sells the piece for pocket change, this can really hurt the guy who is trying to make a living off of the trade.

I'm sure many of you have seen a similar thing in whatever line of work you are doing, a retired guy from the field likes to keep his hand in, so he does whatever the job is now and then, he charges just $10 ah hour to fix whatever needs fixing, the going pro rate is $50 an hour. The next time something needs fixing the retired guy is out of town, so the consumer calls the pro, the pro does the job and charges $50 an hour, the consumer says "$50.........? what are you nuts, the old guy charges $10...!!!" now you have a POed consumer. The thing is the pro can solve all the problems, and is always there to help, the gifted amateur or retired guy may not be able to do it all, and he does it when he can/wants too, but by doing so, he hurts his whole profession, IMHO, he should do it for near the pro's price, do it for free, or recommend a good pro.

Now, I'm not saying that Raymond is doing anything like this, in any way, shape for form, I'm just giving an example of what can happen when an amateur charges way to little.

If the pro gets $500 for the bowl, maybe Raymond should charge $300 or even $200, that is a decision each will have to make, but one thing I know, most people undervalue there worth, and don't charge for it either.

OK off the soap box.

Oh yeah, one thing I certainly agree on is the no haggling, that is fine for flea-market stuff, but not for this kind of thing.

Well that is my two yen's worth, not trying to start nothing.


Cheers!