OK, now what to do ?............

[Dean]

Hi all, I'm sure a lot of people on here get to the stage where they cannot accommodate the amount of turnings they have produced.
I enjoy the feeling of achievement when I have turned a piece from what some people would consider scrap wood or turning wood that I have collected from damaged trees. 95% of all my work is made from free wood that I have gathered. I have cut seasoned logs in the morning and had a finished bowl by the evening which would have been otherwise destined for the fireplace.
So the question is, what do you do with all the turning you produce ?
( I have already given loads away to friends and family )

Dean

 

[wood yew believe it !]

am in the same position a little bit, although me mum an me nan never say no, neither do friends, this christmas alone it saved me a fortune, but thats not realy the point, do you think your pieces are good enough to sell? not being funny there but i didnt think mine were but did a car boot sept of last year to get rid of some kids junk and old vids etc and the missus suggested i took a few bits along, was reluctant but did it and was successfull, only bowls i took ranging in price from bout 10 quid to bout 20 or so, i took 7 and came home with 1 with a big smile on me face!! so theres an idea . i have heard of and see on ebay a lot of peoples pieces too, do you have any craft fairs in your area? etc you may not think your stuff is good, i didnt think mine was, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!!! try it , you never know!!

 

[PowerTool]

Same here,the house is filling up,so..

I built more shelves...

Actually,I've given a few away to friends and family,and am now getting people asking me to make items for them because "I saw the bowl you made for.." and wanting one themselves - so the first ones have acted as advertisments
I believe there is a market for them,but I'm still trying to find out where the best place is.

Andrew

 

[duncanh]

Previously I've just given turnings away to friends and family or stored them on shelves. At the moment I'm working to build up some stock for putting in a display at a local arts centre where some will be for sale. I was approached to do this by a friend of a friend who I'd previously given work to, so giving things away is good promotion.

If you decide to sell your work then do not under price it as people will then expect to be able to buy wood turnings cheaply and people who rely either fully or partly on selling turnings for a living (maybe you in the future) may find it harder to do so.

I'm finding it very hard to price things for my display as I've never sold anything . One difficult factor is the centre takes 30% commission so I need to price things higher than I would normally think to do.

There are turnings on Ebay but I don't see this as the ideal way to sell things where tactile quality is part of the appeal. It's very hard to get a feel for a turning just from a picture. I did find this seller who has some impressive turnings with prices to match.

If you don't need the money (!) then another way to get rid of turnings might be to perhaps donate them to a charity shop of your choice.

Duncan

 

[Lord Nibbo]

Car Boot Sales I regularly see an old age pensioner at a local car boot sale selling nothing but his turnings. Prices range from £2-£3 for pieces like a turned pear (fruit variety) £6 for a bunch of grapes, just round balls stuck on a twig but looks excellent. £5-£10 for a small bowl. £15-£20 for a medium bowl or small plate. He loves turning and the small income tops his pension up, good luck to him I says. :lol:

 

[geoff_tulip]

there are lots of craft fairs all over the place - give them a try - schools , churches almost everyone organises one towards christmas - there will always be a woodturner there. vists a few and get an idea of prices. then try one for yourself.
there is a fair chance you will be in competition with someone on the day, but to me it is up to you what you charge - try and get the best price you can - or charge what you would ask for to make the piece again.
it is a big discussion point whether 'hobby turners' should alter their prices to respect the full time or professional turners or to keep the value of woodturning high.

 

[mudman]

I've been getting annoyed about people selling on eBay. I've noticed that there are a few people that are undermining everybody else by selling items at a ridiculously low price. They also seem to flood a category with a class of item and then this means that nobody else can make a sale unless they price their items at a level that would have them working at 10p per hour.

Another thing with eBay is that you need to avoid the auction format otherwise you will be selling things for only 99p. Check out the completed listings. I think you have to put things on with a buy it now and be prepared to re-list a few times before it sells.