anabanana's candles Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I have 2 craft shows that I can do I need your advice on which one. One is 70 vendors, I am on the third floor, and last year has 1k patrons, has been going on for 29 years, I will be one of 3 candle vendors. The other has 130 vendors, not sure where I would be, last year had 3k patrons and I would be one of 4 candle makers.ALso,I have the oportunity to sell candles at a store/liquor store. I am selling my candles for $12 and the owner wants $4 per candle. Is this okay or too much. Someone please chime in and help on both... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonC Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Don't know much about shows but I wuld do the one that appears to be the biggest.As for the store wanting 33% of your sales, I think that is way too high!! I live in New England where everything costs too much and the going rate around here is 20% or less. No way I'd pay 33%............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Wherever you go you are likely to do shows where they are other candle makers. Which show do you want to do? Is there someone you can ask that did one of these shows before? I tend to pick juried shows that are well established. Sometimes a bigger crowd does not necessarily equate to sales. If you are new to doing shows it may help to do the smaller or least stressful one first. The experience you get will help you a lot.Also, if you are selling your candles for $12 and the store owner wants to buy them for $4 that doesn't sound like a good deal to me. How much does it cost you to make your candles? Knowing that will help you set your price for wholesaling your candles. Also, will you be selling by the case? Do you want a minimum order? You really need to know how much making these candles costs you to make those decisions. I use a spreadsheet and add everything I can think of to determine the cost of my products. It helps me set my selling price, my retail store price, and wholesale price, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravo5 Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Can't tell you which show to do without knowing more info, but about the retail store...I may be reading the wrong, but it sounds to me like the candles will sell for $12 retail, of which the store owner keeps $4, and you get $8. Am I reading this correctly?If so, that sounds much more reasonable. Is this a consignment deal then? If so, make sure you get a consignment agreement with things like- what happens if a candle is damaged/stolen/etc? When does the store owner pay you? Etc.Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabanana's candles Posted October 12, 2007 Author Share Posted October 12, 2007 Bottom line. I am not selling them at the store. I went in today with candles, a scent list and 2 copies of a consignment contract. He refused to even look at the contract and said "I don't do contracts" I said "well, I don't do buisness without one" He said this a a 500k buisness why would I want to steal your $100 worth of candles. I said I don't care if it is $100 or $20, it is my money and if you want my product in your store this covers both of us. He still refused and them went on to say "I had a lady in here yesterday and she said that no one will pay $12 for these candles, that she could go to the dollar store and get one for $2." I told him that if that is the kind of clientell that frequent his store and their mindset then he doesn't want my kind of quality product in his store." and then I left. What a dirtbag. I don't mean to generalize at all, but he was Indian or Pakistani or something and I kinda had a feeling that he was going to try and screw me and I guess I was right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybersix Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 it's not because he's indian or what. He simply runs a business and he has the choice on how to run it.Good or bad.You should be always polite you never know how things can turn out. Explaining the difference between your candles and cheap candles could make people look at you as "the expert" and who knows, maybe someone will understand.Probably my candles will go in a shop where the onwner sells other three "brands". Two are fine but one makes the ugliest and crappiest candles I ever seen. But I keep my mouth shut, and let my candles talk by themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabanana's candles Posted October 12, 2007 Author Share Posted October 12, 2007 it's not because he's indian or what. He simply runs a business and he has the choice on how to run it.Good or bad.You should be always polite you never know how things can turn out. Explaining the difference between your candles and cheap candles could make people look at you as "the expert" and who knows, maybe someone will understand.Probably my candles will go in a shop where the onwner sells other three "brands". Two are fine but one makes the ugliest and crappiest candles I ever seen. But I keep my mouth shut, and let my candles talk by themselves.I was polite until he started to demean my product by saying that they aren't worth what I was asking basically because he was scared to sign a contract. I really think that he was wanted to screw me because initially he wanted half of the sales price and I think that had I not tried to have him sign a contract, that is all he would have given me. I didn't mean that because he was indian that was the reason. I just wonder how legitimate his buisness could be when he didn't want to sign a consignment agreement that basically just stated how the money would be divied up. It didn't commit him to an amount of candles or length of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hometowncandles Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I didn't mean that because he was indian that was the reason. If you didn't mean it that way, then why was it important for us to know you thought he was Indian or Pakistani? If he had been really kind and signed your consignment agreement and met all of your terms, would you have felt the need to tell us he was either Indian or Pakistani? Stuff like this really bothers me. My parent's are so bad to make a point of someone's race or nationality when that person makes them mad. I get so tired of hearing it. There are goods and bads in all races and nationalities. I am a white american woman, and I know some of the most wonderful white american women in the world and some of the sorriest. But, their race or nationality has no correlation to their personalities or their actions. As I'm sure the shop owner's didn't either. So why should it matter what he was just because he didn't agree with your terms.Sorry if I've opened a can of worms, but I can't just sit back and keep my mouth shut about things like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabanana's candles Posted October 12, 2007 Author Share Posted October 12, 2007 If you didn't mean it that way, then why was it important for us to know you thought he was Indian or Pakistani? If he had been really kind and signed your consignment agreement and met all of your terms, would you have felt the need to tell us he was either Indian or Pakistani? Stuff like this really bothers me. My parent's are so bad to make a point of someone's race or nationality when that person makes them mad. I get so tired of hearing it. There are goods and bads in all races and nationalities. I am a white american woman, and I know some of the most wonderful white american women in the world and some of the sorriest. But, their race or nationality has no correlation to their personalities or their actions. As I'm sure the shop owner's didn't either. So why should it matter what he was just because he didn't agree with your terms.Sorry if I've opened a can of worms, but I can't just sit back and keep my mouth shut about things like this.I am sorry if I offended anyone. I am not racist as you so blatantly infered. I just think that it is so funny how people on this message board can be so touchy and take things totally out of context. I didn't say that because he was foreign that he did this, I just used his nationality to describe him as I am sure that people describe me as a white woman, should I be offended that I am just not described as a person. I am so sick of this poltically correct bullcrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carriegsxr6 Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I am sorry if I offended anyone. I am not racist as you so blatantly infered. I just think that it is so funny how people on this message board can be so touchy and take things totally out of context. I didn't say that because he was foreign that he did this' date=' I just used his nationality to describe him as I am sure that people describe me as a white woman, should I be offended that I am just not described as a person. I am so sick of this poltically correct bullcrap.[/quote']I totally understand what you are referring too. I don’t believe you are racist or applying any hate towards any nationality. Simple fact is that some nationalities follow different ways of life and react in a different manor than Americans do. It doesn’t mean that they are hated just because one points out their behavior or demeanor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabanana's candles Posted October 12, 2007 Author Share Posted October 12, 2007 I totally understand what you are referring too. I don’t believe you are racist or applying any hate towards any nationality. Simple fact is that some nationalities follow different ways of life and react in a different manor than Americans do. It doesn’t mean that they are hated just because one points out their behavior or demeanor.I agree with you. I am not saying that he is a bad person or saying that there is anything wrong with how he handles his buisness, but it is just not the way that I handle mine and to demean someones product because you don't like the fact that they want to protect their assets is just wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybersix Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I agree with you. I am not saying that he is a bad person or saying that there is anything wrong with how he handles his buisness' date=' but it is just not the way that I handle mine and to demean someones product because you don't like the fact that they want to protect their assets is just wrong.[/quote']Indian or not, and I wasn't pointing any racism at all, you should look at what kind of products a shop sells. If the line of product can be considered at the same level of yours candles then you have a chance, but if the shop sell cheap products then pass on. So you will save you a headache! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire and Ice Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Consignment accounts are the way a lot of stores go but they are not geared to help the chandler. You've already invested your own money into making the candles. Now the stores expect to to hand over your candles and to wait until they sell them and take their cut before paying you. If you are absolutely new to it fine, it's a way to get out there and get you name known.People often fear contracts that have boundries. what happens of candles get broken or stolen?I'm sure your candles are very nice and you should know he brought up the customer to try and get you to lower your price. chances are good no customer said they wouldn't buy a candle for $12.00.Stick to your guns but try to go wholesale and forget consignment.Fire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coconut Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Back to the original post-the craft show where you are on the third floor, is there an elevator? How many attendees make it up to the third floor? I go to a lot of antique malls and the second and third floors are usually dead, no traffic. Something to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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