Being ripped off

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Chippygeoff

Established Member
Joined
19 Sep 2011
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Location
Nr. Swansea
I know that some of the members here attend craft fairs while others are thinking about the idea. Also many of the members sell various things they have made on a smaller scale. What I would like to get across to these members is don’t get ripped off.

One of the things I hate the most is being taken advantage of. I would never wish to boast but I am well known to a lot of people and this is mostly through the craft fairs I attend. A lot of the people I have been in contact with are in business and most are always looking for a way to make a quick buck and one thing is for sure, they are not going to make it through me.

Many times I have been asked by retailers if I will supply them and I always say no. There are several reasons for this. They always want goods at knock down prices and then they will double the price or even treble it. They have no idea of the work involved and seem to think I mass produce everything at the touch of a button similar to manufacturers in China. These retailers obviously have a business to run and need to make a profit.
I was at one event recently when I was approached by a lady who had a chain of gift shops, she wanted to buy everything I had with me, the items on display and my spare stock in boxes under the tables. I refused. She said she would pay the prices I had everything marked up at but I still said no, now most people would have jumped at this opportunity but I knew straight away that if I took up her offer it would take me three months to build up the same stock as I had with me. This would have meant not attending craft fairs for three months and I would have lost my pitch.

Besides the craft fairs I also supply craft centres and like retailers they to have to make a profit. They add 30% to everything they sell and by normal retail profits this is quite a low figure and I presume this is because the craft centres are run by the local council and are subsidised. I sell to the craft centres at the same price I sell at the craft fairs and they then add their 30% and the stuff flies out of the door.

On the other side of the coin we can be ripped off when buying in the things we need, especially wood. I have seen ridiculous prices on e-bay. A local builders merchant had some nice oak that was sold for making up door liners. It was 150mm wide and 25mm thick and in random lengths at £6 a metre I thought this was quite reasonable and bought quite a bit. When I was paying the owner asked me if I needed other wood as he could get it in for me. I gave him my e-mail address and he said he would e-mail me when he had some prices. A few days later he sent me an e-mail saying he could get beech the same dimensions as the oak at £15 a metre. He must have thought I came down with yesterdays rain.

I always try to support local businesses whenever I can and quite recently there were two things that I wanted, one was a new office chair for when I am on the computer at my desk and the other was a three piece leather suite. We have an out of town superstore near where I live and a friend said they had a sale on so I went to see if I could grab a bargain. The suites were basically reduced to half price but even at half price the cheapest suite I could find was just shy of £2000, when I say suite I wanted a 2 seater settee and a recliner armchair. With the office chair they had the one I wanted but it was £630. Spending some time on the internet I found the suite I wanted in brown leather for £649 and I found exactly the same chair at Amazon for £67. With regard to so called sales I suppose a lot of people seeing the huge discounts feel they are getting a bargain and go for it little realising that they are still paying over the odds.

I really feel sorry for the small local shops that are still struggling to run their businesses. I buy as much as I can from a tool shop that is reasonably close to where I live. The wax polish is a pound dearer than what I can get it for on line and the abrasives are dearer to. This shop does not sell at the recommended retail prices, if they did they would not sell much, they shave the prices and make a small profit on each item they sell. A little while ago I wanted the big Dewalt compound mitre saw, the local tool shop had one on display at £669. I told the owner that I could get it online at £645 including delivery. He explained to me that there were more and more online line outlets appearing all the time. Most operate from their homes so have no overheads to speak of and that will think nothing of spending £100,000 to take advantage of huge discounts from the wholesaler, the tool shop cannot spend that sort of money on one order. I felt really sorry for the guy and bought the saw from him and he told me the profit he made from this sale was just £5. He shared with me that by the same time next year he would probably have to close shop. It’s so sad as he has been there for many years and well known to all wood workers in the area.
 
I think we must be the most ripped of country going.I shop about quite a lot wait for sales/offers etc for buying most of my power tools/machinery.Most of my small bits and peices I buy online from the smaller woodworking/woodturning suppliers.I buy very little locally mind you there is almost nowhere up here local anyway.Having recently retired I have gotten back into fishing again almost everything bought on line I bought 3 spinning reels from Germany and France @ 25% cheaper than best uk price I gave a couple of uk suppliers the chance to price match but they wouldnt is everyone just to greedy these days So how come I can buy stuff in the eu cheaper than uk.they have the same Vat ete as us.My Daughter is getting married dont want to start on that one its the biggest rip off of them all.Was going to buy two Sofa beds yesterday from a British company when I reached the check out an extra £70 delivery for delivery to Highlands when did Aberdeen move into the Highlands.I called them up and seemingly everywhere north of Glasgow/Edinburgh is classed as Highlands.So at present they are about to lose @£2700 worth of buisness for £70,its not so much the amount its the principle they dont charge any more for Corwall.
 
Yes, many do charge more for large items for Cornwall. One problem with comparing overseas prices is that we don't know what prices the dealers are buying at - I was in NZ about 16yrs ago, and I could buy some Sheffield made tools for a third of the price they were in this country, which would suggest they were buying them in a lot cheaper than the dealers in this country - and that's after transporting them half way around the world. Many of the rip offs are our own fault - swmbo came out of a supermarket (this after 30yrs of telling her to open her blo*dy eyes) laughing that they had large rolls of kitchen paper at two for £3.50 - or £1.49 each. I used to buy (for about 18mths) the smallest size Heinz tomato ketchup in glass bottles - it was the cheapest way of buying it by far. Very few people ever noticed. I was in a cash and carry (a real trade one) about 35yrs ago and I saw soap at a really stupid price, so I started to load the trolley. I stopped and thought for a moment and realised that the small bars were half the price (oz. for oz.) of the large ones. I started to unload the trolley and the rep. asked what the problem was. I told her about the price. She laughed and told me she'd sold 35 pallets of it, and I was only the third person to notice that the small ones were cheaper.
 
The excuse often used is what people are willing to pay is the price charged.But why is a software download $10 in the States and £10 here
 
How I agree that we are ripped off in this country. My main user of time is making pens which I try to sell at local fairs. I buy my pen kits from Australia because they are half the price than those in the UK. On top of that, the postage from Nottinghamshire to north Birmingham is a minimum of £5.25 unless you spend £50. From Australia, FREE, provided I spend 80 AUD, which on the last occasion worked out at £46.00. OK they take 2-3 weeks to arrive because they travel overland via Singapore (they have travelled further around the world than I have) so you expect a delay and account for it when ordering. I have now reached the position where if I can't find it online I don't buy it.
 
In the UK we are always being ripped off, one of the latest, the so called cheap supermarkets, Aldi etc. lot cheaper to buy the same item in Germany etc. Well known, Rip off britain :x :x
 
I can buy a Wivamac 1200 lathe in Germany £700 cheaper than the UK why.I asked for a price to ship and was reffered to the Toolpost.there are 8 dealers in Germany and only one here so no competition I suppose.
Alan
 
I can see your point,and understand the reasoning that you make,and agree that the retail industry is in turmoil.
I can understand the need for you to preserve your stock and profit margin,but are you not as guilty shopping on price and online?
I purchased my lathe and tools in order to make one item for my sailing boat,I could have purchased that item for less than the cost of tools,factor my time and materials in to the equation and its a loss.
I like to make things,my own time and my input into the design are more important than cost.
Most people,just want a instant solution,the easiest and lowest cost solution.
Most firms strive to make the most profit possible,they skimp on materials,labour costs, design and product support.
If you are making nice quality items,as well as you can,with some individual input you are going to struggle,the lady offering to buy your complete stock should have taught you:-
Your prices are too low
Your marketing and method of retailing is falling short of the product.
I am not sure that you made the right decision,You could have supplied a part order,and produced stock that was sold and paid for over the next 3 months and possible longer.I guess it depends on what you enjoy doing perhaps spending the next three months flat out producing work to exacting standards stops it being enjoyable.Possibly you enjoy the retail experience, of a craft fair,relaxed and meeting the end user and getting there feedback..
The online takeover of shopping especially for specialist,hobby and interests markets and the closure of the local suppliers and shops will extend everything we buy,there are now many online outlets/marketing methods for crafts and craftspeople.Electronic Shopping allows me to purchase worldwide,I could watch you make me a bowl or other piece or approve the design and finished product,as easily from the other side of the world as stood in your workshop.
Look at the history of some of the Great British Industry,motorcycles,bicycles and realise that the reluctance of the directors to change and there customers moving on.
I think you need to embrace every oputunity to showcase and sell your work.The Lady with the shop is going to buy from somebody.
 
I'm sorry but I don't understand the point of your post.
You attend a craft fair and one customer is prepared to purchase your entire stock at the marked prices and you refuse the offer but I would assume that the fact that you took it all there was to sell it and you would have been happy and thought you had had an exceptional day if you had sold the whole lot to 100 separate customers.
You supply craft centers who mark up the prices by 30% and are happy to do so.
I think you need to rethink the way you do things.
 
Why did you refuse the sale of all your stock, I can see where you coming from that it would take time to build up again, but why not negotiate, 50% of stock, and supply on a regular basis as required, then you would still be able to attend craft fairs with stock. knowing that all you produce is sold, either at the fairs or to this woman. cash in hand.
 

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