Okay, so it’s pretty straight forward to calculate the amount you
need to sell to cover expenses. But how much do you need to stock to
make those sales likely?
I know that the moment your booth feels “picked over” sales drop
like a rock through a wet paper bag. But I hate just making stock
blindly, I much preffer having target numbers.
At good shows (of the direct purchasing type) what percentage of
brought stock seems to sell for you? I realize we are talking gross
gerneralization here but it’s a starting point for the conversation.
One of the oldest tricks in the book is to have 2 levels of items
the high priced ones visably draw them in but having a similar item
in the 20-50 dollar range will sell like hotcakes.
Some people don’t need superb gems and gold and will easily lay out
for eye clean and sterling
I have my draw into my booth it is a 7 inch blade hand forged
engraved sterling silver letter opener set with (2 )18 mm catseye
agates in the handle. $1200
I sell the 20-50 band rings I am casting right now
I will be making cheaper letter openers as well just one of those
things $1200 makes 200 sound much better lol
One of the oldest tricks in the book is to have 2 levels of items
the high priced ones visably draw them in but having a similar
item in the 20-50 dollar range will sell like hotcakes.
I can see how that would work and I do something similar and will do
that more and more as I design more things. I figure with my stuff
the stock figure price wise should be kinda pear shaped with the
bulge starting around the $60 mark and heading down… but this
doesn’t help with how much to make.
I’m at the point where I’m just making as much as possible for
everything and hoping. I can however see where as I do bigger and
bigger shows that this won’t be the best business plan. I like
having target numbers to work towards, it makes me feel organized,
professional and not like I’m panicking in my basement. But it’s a
little silly to just pull those target numbers out of a hat blindly.
So lets try a slightly different question. A nice show display,
assuming no back stock for refilling (just to make the equation
simple), at what point does it look ‘picked over’ and/or shabby?
After 10% sold? 20%?
My mother taught me about antique shows I do the same with my jewelry
these figures are just an example cause I only had 500 pieces last
year as I was coming in from a 2 week show I sold out and frantically
was making jewelry saturday night and sunday she said always base
your inventory like you will sell 10% (this is the most conservative)
so if I want to make minimum 2000 in a weekend I need to take 20000
in inventory 80% of it in a target range of 20-50 dollars avg $35
20000 x 80%=16000 divided by 35 dollars = 457 pieces
this year I have 140 done and 70 days left and can make minimum 12
pieces a day between casting,pmc clay and traditional fabricating. my
goal is 1000 pieces so I will be close and am on schedule lol
I really appreciate reading all the different sounding boards every
am.
I am in a show coming up. It is a conference with approx. 150 people
signed up and 500 x 2 nights for concerts. I am the only non-music
vendor. I am planning to make bracelets for this event along with the
usual jewellery lines…
My question is…
How do I guesstimate the amount of bracelets that I should make for
this thing. It is a Christian event and I will be making designs
specific to that crowd that I do not normally carry…ie logos, fish
symbols etc.,
Any feedback is GREATLY appreciated…I don’t want to be short BUT I
don’t want to be way over either.
she said always base your inventory like you will sell 10% (this is
the most conservative) so if I want to make minimum 2000 in a
weekend I need to take 20000 in inventory 80% of it in a target
range of 20-50 dollars avg $35
Yes, this is exactly the sort of thing I was asking for. Thank you.
Good luck with that deadline, sounds like fun to me but I might be a
little weird.
