things for christmas fayre

[hazel]

I know there is a thread in the lathe section on this but I was ondering if anyone had any experiance of non-lathe stuff selling and what sort of stuff sells?


My partner and I are considering trying to sell a few of the things that we make, we are in the middle of a workshop overhaul at the moment but should be done in the next week or so and then will be starting to make a few thing s. I am a wood carver by trade and recently gained a scrollsaw so am thinking of using the scrollsaw to remove negavite space and then carve in detail to save time and maybe make a few small animals and things. Other idea we have had is candle holders. But that's as far as we have gotten.


anyone any experiance of selling boxes or anything like that? This is a bit of a feasability stall in essence so we are wanting to make a few of a variety of items to see what sells but are low on ideas... we were also thinking of more functional items like chopping boards and stuff but not sure how well they'd sell


any tips/advice?

 

[MARK.B.]

Tea light holders, Angel / reindeer / snowman ornaments or tree decorations would imho be good sellers. You could use your skills as a woodcarver to offer personalized items, get a decent deposit if doing so far to many order with a name and then dont return to pick up the item and you are left with a loss unless you can find someone else with the same name. The layout of your stall is important as well dont be tempted to cram everything on to the table it looks naff and to much choice can confuse the eye rather than focusing it on your quality handmade and finished products. Make sure your finishes are child safe . Remember that the majority of the people buying at these fayre's will have no idea how much time - effort and expense goes into making things by hand,they want something that looks nice and is cheap and you want to sell your items for as much as possible, be realistic in your pricing ( a look round at other stalls will give you an idea of prices) go to high and you wont sell - go to low and you make a loss .As a seller you have to take all your costs into consideration, not just materials and the making/finishing you must work out how much you think your time - skill and effort is worth , dont forget the price of the stall and the cost of getting you and your stuff there and back . this may sound daft but you need to eat and drink and these fayres tend to be rather pricey so take your own food and drink with you.
Wrap up warm if its a outside venue ( inside can be cold as well ) nothing worse than freezing your bits off waiting to make a sale.
Take some sort of folding stool/chair with you as several hours stood behind a stall is a killer. Remember your security as well, their will be the tiny minority out there only to happy to walk away with your stuff without paying. don't use a cash box unless you can secure it down to the table and keep it locked at all times, best to use a waist pouch that can be zipped closed.

Regards

Mark

p.s what part of God's country are you located in

 

[paulpowell]

I know there is a thread in the lathe section on this but I was ondering if anyone had any experiance of non-lathe stuff selling and what sort of stuff sells?


My partner and I are considering trying to sell a few of the things that we make, we are in the middle of a workshop overhaul at the moment but should be done in the next week or so and then will be starting to make a few thing s. I am a wood carver by trade and recently gained a scrollsaw so am thinking of using the scrollsaw to remove negavite space and then carve in detail to save time and maybe make a few small animals and things. Other idea we have had is candle holders. But that's as far as we have gotten.


anyone any experiance of selling boxes or anything like that? This is a bit of a feasability stall in essence so we are wanting to make a few of a variety of items to see what sells but are low on ideas... we were also thinking of more functional items like chopping boards and stuff but not sure how well they'd sell


any tips/advice?

Hi I made some childrens toys last year, things such as jigsaws and letters on a train carrige, and the engine to go with it. I sold these at a local market, I wish Id had taken some pics because they all sold out on the same day. I used the scroll saw and some model paint. The jigsaws sold for £10 each and aimed at 18 months to 3 years. I printed a colour pic off google images and stuck it onto a peice of 1/4 inch birch ply. Then made a pattern and cut with the scroll saw. I will definatley be doing the same this year. The train and letter cariges were also a graet seller. Most names are more than 4 letters, I sold these for £1 each and the engine for £5. I did ok I can say, and all this came from scraps mainly.

I know this idea wont light the world on fire, but the proffit was good as they dont take long to make, they look fantastic and most of all people want to buy them.

Hope this is helpfull, good luck.

Paul

 

[hazel]

thanks for the replies . We have been thinking about named things, we have a pyrography set so that could make some personalisation easy. I like the idea of the name trains too, I will look into that as not something ever done before

p.s what part of God's country are you located in

We live in York but apparently that was too short to be a place name so had to put "Yorkshire" lol

 

[Lee J]

Hazel, I do this type of thing for a hobby, I sell at xmas craft fairs and I'm located near you. I'll PM you now...