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Selling To A Business


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Hi guys.  I'm just starting to take the steps that will take my pottery from hobby to business.  I've been to a few local fairs and have gotten great reviews.

 

Well, I have a local boutique that reached out to me and is interested in selling some of my pieces (yay!)  Her shop hosts a number of local makers I know and love, and they have had good things to say about selling there.

 

I had an initial meeting with the owner, and she was very friendly and positive about my samples I brought.  We talked about prices and terms, and a timeline for when we could make this thing happen.  She was very understanding that I am still new and am working out of a group studio and don't have complete control over things like the firing schedule, and that I'm limited in what and how much I can produce until I move into my own studio next weekend.

 

I'm currently spending a lot of time refining the products I want to offer for wholesale and I'm a little stuck on how to present my offerings to prospective shops.  I would really like to get back to her within the next couple weeks with a more concrete line and prices.  So ... how should I approach that?  Is it typical to have a brochure or sheet with images and prices of things?  Should I bring an actual physical sample of each piece?  In each color?  That ... sounds like a big box of stuff.

 

I'd really appreciate any advice.  This is a great opportunity for a beginner like me, and I'm sure that this store will continue to be understanding of my noob status, but I want to present myself as a professional and I'm not sure what that looks like in this scenario.

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I work at a craft gallery, and each artist has to go through a jury process before selling the work into the gallery. We usually ask every artist to bring in about 5 pieces of their work that make sense together and each artist usually provides: a biography, an artist statement, an explanation of the techniques used, and a price list. To us, at the gallery, it matters a big deal if the biography and stuff are professionally made (as in not just basic words documents stapled together). However, we do only consignement so I can't say what the requirements would be for wholesale.

 

So I'd say, bring your best pieces, the ones you are really proud of. And I know that for us, salespersons, the more we know about the artist and their own personal story, the better it is.

 

 

But what did she ask you to bring in? If you already met, is she just expecting prices now?

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^ Excellent read.  I think it covers most everything.

 

Pay special attention to that section on NOT underpricing your retailers.   I have seen a few beginners fail because they jump in with the first couple retailers that show interest because they are locked in and can't test pricing.  You really have to have your pricing down here, making sure it's profitable for you but not priced higher than the product will sell for, adding the 2x -2.5x retail markup.

 

Recently I saw a 6 figure pottery business collapse (the one I mentioned a few months back ... it failed).  They had been wholesaling 10 plus years, got a rep group and just couldn't fill orders in a timely manner.   I was in retail 17 years in this area and heard numerous complaints from my specialty store friends and sadly predicted this (If this potter is reading this, I want to you to know how sad I am that this happened, as you were one of my first pottery acquaintances and hope you make a come back)

 

OP:  If you were my friend or a family member I would tell you not to jump into wholesale at this point.  Or only work with this one store to begin with if you are set on doing it.  I can tell you from experience that it is possible for the nicest of boutique owners to turn into a ###### from hell if things are not exact to their expectations.    Years ago I worked part time in a couple showrooms in Atlanta, as a decorator but also worked the shows as a sales person and I saw a lot.  (I hated some of those store owners, you can't imagine how we talked about them the second they walked out of the showroom .... I can still hear them ... "I own a BOW TIKE" ... now aren't you impressed ....) Maybe this boutique owner is nice, but they all appear to be so, when they want something.  I just wouldn't count on a store owner understanding your "noob status".

 

IMO wholesaling pottery is way more demanding than retailing it yourself.    You said you are getting good reviews .... just keep expanding your shows.  If you pick up this store, they will lock you in when it comes to pricing.  I've been in the pottery business, 4.5 years, 6 figure retail sales and 2 employees.  Retail only.  I keep tweaking prices upwards.    I turn down wholesale opportunities weekly .. turned down one today.

 

You said ... I've been to a few local fairs and have gotten great reviews

 

^Keep doing that ... you are doing something right.  And best of luck.

 

Sharon Grimes

 

(note that boutiques are a little different from galleries ... and the very word "boutique" brings back nightmares to me)

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You are just at baby steps now and much water has to flow under the bridge so you can get your feet wet.

Wholesale can be brutal to start so make sure you get enough money for your work from the start.

Until you are on your own it will be hard to figure your real costs.

I think retail is an easier start really as you control all aspects.

I only have two wholesale outlets and one zI set the price for what I need the other is with a friends shop and I set both final and my price.

I do not like much wholesale and its only a small part og my mix.. Usually its about 1/3 off my retail price.

Mark

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I'm so sorry most of you had such a bad experience with wholesaling you stuff!  It's good to hear caution from the more experienced.  I guess I didn't expect so much.

 

I appreciate all the advice.  I do plan to continue to sell my work mostly through local shows.  I'm only pursuing this one wholesale opportunity because it seems like such a lovely fit and I would like the extra exposure.  I'm very comfortable with the pricing scheme I've developed, and with this shop.  I have so many friends and fellow makers with good things to say about this owner that I can't really expect the experience to suddenly turn sour.  

 

When we last spoke, We talked about which pieces she thinks wants to cary (small things like bud vases and cups), my prices (which I had already sat down to figure out), and the size of her first order (small).  What I said I would get back to her with was:

  • samples of the specific pieces she seemed interested in (we talked about small ring dishes and little lidded jars which I had pictures of in progress, but none to show in person)
  • a complete official price list
  • an example of all the different glaze options (I have 4 I'm comfortable enough with for this purpose, but she's seen a lot of variety in my glazes at shows because I've been doing a lot of testing.)

I guess my question was really about how to present these things to her.  I guess the answer is to just ask her.

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I would keep it simple and not offer glaze colors as options-If you sell at shows you will know what works and give those colors to her.

The price sheet is a yes as well as a few finished samples for here to see.

Mark

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