Selling Your Crafts To Gift Shops
While the most obvious method of selling your hand made crafts is selling them as a part of your own business, it is often profitable to market them to other sellers and businesses. Gift shops spring to mind. As a business unit you will probably start with a single outlet for your crafts but if you choose to supply two other traders you can have multiple outlets for your art. For this you will have two fine and target the right kind of outlets that will be able to market your product effectively. There are several journals and craft reports that are published that list gift shops and galleries that major traders for handicrafts items.
You can also look around in and around your area to find such shops and galleries. Finding outlets for selling your crafts is the first step. Once you have managed to compile a list you need to contact them in her professional manner and inform them about your company and your crafts. It is the good idea to design a professional cover letter that can act as an informative document regarding your company, the product and the terms of business. In case you have a brochure your company means that as well.
Most businesses that will want to source products from you will want to work on a wholesale basis with the credit applying every 30 days. This means that they will want to order the craft in a relatively large quantity and be you for it on a 30 days based cycle. You can set a minimum orde for wholesale, since you will be selling at reduced prices. This is a normal practice when selling your products wholesale.
Be sure to follow up your communication after a week or so by making a call. The shop owner may or may not be interested. If he is not enquire if there is a chance for an opening in the near future. Be friendly and professional. Most of the craft business owners look forward to new and fresh crafts and new craftsmen. If someone does not have an opening at that point of time does not mean that they will not be another in the near future. Establishing contact and making a pleasant impression is key to future gains.
Do not be hesitant to call as calling craft businesses is very much a part of this industry and mostly all craft business owners expect to get calls. In fact they are propitiated of new craftsmen getting in touch because it is by the infusion of new and fresh crafts that their business stays profitable.
Sometimes a business owners may not have the time to respond to mail in spite of being interested in ordering from you. Making a phone call takes care of this problem.
A few craft shops:
The Francisco Enterprise
562 143rd St.
Caledonia, MI 49316
616/877-4185
The Front Room Publishers
P.O. Box 1541
Clifton, NJ 07015
Lifestyle Crafts
2164 Riverside Dr.
Columbus, OH 43221
614/486-7119
