Arch wrote:
No one seemed very interested in 'useless art', 'hokey gifts' or
'mundane treen', but they all seized on my larger bowls, nice lamps, NIP
star pattern platters etc.

That seems reasonable. Store keepers should have a fairly good idea of
what they can sell, and will only stock their shop with goods that 'fit'.

Most of the sellers I visited were very courteous and showed genuine
interest. They all insisted that my work not be in another local venue,
but they differed considerably in their, at least for me, unpredictable
selling arrangements.

That is fairly typical. Stores like this generally like to have unique
work that can't be found in every other shop in town, which seems
reasonable to me. FWI, I have found the best venues are those that will
take a big display of my work, so it is better to have all your stock in
one shop than spread around. Its easier to deal with accounting and
restocking too. As for terms, it would be to your advantage to go in and
tell them the deal you expect, otherwise they will think they are doing
you a favor and your negotiations won't go well.


The ones that appealed to me refused to
suggest a price, but would show a piece at my price which I would get
regardless of what it was sold for. That way I could test the market and
get my price without risk for either of us.

If you are happy with the price you get, does it matter what they sell
it for? What is perhaps more important is how quickly / how many they
sell. If you do get into consignment, make sure you have some agreement
for getting stuff back if it isn't moving.


I did once go into a place that wanted to buy some less expensive stuff
at keystone, and take a few larger pieces on consignment for the
husbands to look at while the women shop. Yeh, right, I really want to
provide shop decor for free.


I don't know if Hobe Sound is typical, but I thought some of you might
be interested in my experience with one marketplace.

Fairly typical. It can take a long time to find good outlets, by which
time they will probably go out of business:-)

I gave up on wholesale and consignment a few years ago and haven't
looked back.

--
Derek Andrews, woodturner

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com
http://chipshop.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toolrest/