Gallery misunderstanding

Jewelry Discussion
1

Re: consignment and bankruptcy, I can’t speak to the law, but I can
speak from a related experience. When a store goes bankrupt, the
place gets locked up and everything is impounded. If nothing else,
you would have to wait until things got sorted out to prove that the
consigned goods belonged to you.

My publishing company was lucky in that we already knew the store
was in trouble and only gave them books when they (literally) handed
us cash in return. This is why I would hesitate to consign, or memo,
to stores whose financial well-being I couldn’t be tracking. What we
lost was what was in a window display–they had a great location, and
it seemed worth the risk.

As for standing on line and getting paid: this assumes there will be
something to pay you with. The “big guys” are quite likely to get
paid first and there’s no reason to assume there will be anything
left for you. There wasn’t anything left for us!

Lisa Orlando
Albion, CA, US

2 
I was wondering if you did consignment of your jewelry when you
first started? And if you did, how long did it take for you to get
to the point where you did not need to do consignment?

I have never done any consignment…ever. I sold at retail shows for
4 years, then decided that I might try wholesale. Prior to doing
wholesale, I attended a wholesale show and talked to other
jewelers…some 14 years ago.

I realized that consignment would just end up pissing me off. I
would have to track where everything was, who had it, what they had,
how much of it they had for how long etc…Then I would risk default
on payment, trickle in payment, checking to make sure each store was
paying, and paying attention to how long they had the work. To say
nothing of breakage, tarnish and wear and tear.

So much extra work, when I could just make it, sell it and be more
or less done with it…Oh…I do offer exchanges for paid items, after
three months and within one year. No exchanges on exchanges though.

I am single, no other hands, and no desire for employees, (tried it
twice…ptui!). Consignment was always too much extra organization
and paperwork for my taste…and all so I could decotate some gallery
who hadn’t figured out what their market was.(and I don’t blame
them…more power to them if we are silly enough to do consignment).

Oh…and in case you are wondering, three out of my first four
(retail) shows I sold nothing…bupkus. I quickly learned to find my
market, and make better work. Starvation is a great motivator for
success…lol.

Best,
Lisa, (Rumple-slugskin is my name!)Topanga, CA USA