Richard - I pulled my original responses out so this one’s just for
you 
I am glad to hear that you and the other post-er are insured and do
pay the artists for damage/loss/theft."
Please note the “you and the other post-er” in this first sentence.
I believe that other person to which I was referring went by fishbre
or something close. In effort to not write 2 different emails to this
thread, I quoted your previous email and fishbre’s as well - to
address the same issues at the same time. I am sorry if you
interpreted this as me implying that you had said all of it.
But then you had to go and insult me with the English as a second
language comment…is there a reason you are trying to make this
personal? If so, feel free to email me at @Kennedi_Milan for I
don’t feel the need to do personal mudslinging on this forum.
Let me reiterate briefly - and using just your words this time. Hope
this clears it up.
My perception is that here seems to be some unjust prejudice from some posters unhappy with their experience with consigning. If the poster has any responsibility for why they had problems, you would not know from what is posted.
My store is alarmed, I have a safe, I am insured, I have never lost a
consignees piece and if I did I would pay them… There is a system
that exists, that all my consignees have been a part of with other
venues where they consign, they were doing it before I worked with
them and when we talk about consigning they have no problem with it.
Why do you if they don’t? All your theoretical ponderings and
assumptions are not as valid as the cash I produce for the artists
that work with me.
But your original post made it sound like that is the industry norm
and is a slap to the face to those who have had a not so splendid
time with it.
The fact that we provide negative experiences and opinions based on
those to those who ask is one of the very reasons why this website
exists. It’s great that you have had nothing but excellent
experience with it, but I believe it was an artist asking for
feedback to which other artists provided their negative feedback. You
however, provided positive feedback from the retailer perspective
only. I would like to think that people who read these are smart and
mature enough to weigh this forum feedback against their personal
situations and apply any acquired -if they so choose.
My store is alarmed, I have a safe, I am insured, I have never lost a consignees piece and if I did I would pay them.... There is a system that exists, that all my consignees have been a part of with other venues where they consign, they were doing it before I worked with them and when we talk about consigning they have no problem with it. Why do you if they don't? All your theoretical ponderings and assumptions are not as valid as the cash I produce for the artists that work with me.
which is what I am trying to point out. Is it possible that you are
more of the exception rather than the rule? For the record, I am not
trying attack you on a personal level, it’s just business issues that
we are here to share.
So, if you had an artists who said they wanted a written consignment
contract, you’d still work with them? (And you just answered this
question with the 28 Jan post)
When I write my post, I am pretty aware of what I will get in response. If you have issues, try to be aware and don't put them on me.
Once again, I’m not, but it seems like you assume consignment is a
win-win situation for everyone. Regardless of how good or bad an
artist’s product may be, there are retailers and galleries that
really take advantage of their consignment artists and their
products.
I have worked on their masters before I mold them so they come out the best quality possible, and I did not charge for my time or skill. I knew I would make it up in the volume of castings they ordered, as they sold more having better castings. **Try finding someone that will do that for you. **
See bulleted area. Thanks for finally making my point. Consignment
isn’t a win-win for everyone. I know of people who even had to buy
the displays for their art and give them to the consigning retailer
otherwise their art just laid flat in a case somewhere.
One point, those of you who have posed that if I invest money in work that I would have more desire to sell it, or I would make more effort, be more motivated...you are as wrong as you can be and you just don't know it.. Trying to explain why would be a waste of time, you have your opinion or prejudice about my motives, and you have not met me, have not done business with me. I have earned respect from the people I do business with by being honest and ethical and consistent. I have learned how to connect with my customers, have a dialogue, find out what they are looking for, and help them by meeting their need. I am never short, frustrated, or anxious in front of my customer. And if they apologize for taking up my time, I tell them that I am happy to help them and they can take as much time as they want. It is not about how I feel, it is about how my customer feels. About 80% of customers make a purchase.
No one is perfect and perception is in the eye of the beholder.
Everyone has off days and that’s perfectly fine but you seem to not
want to admit to even that. That is what my problem was/is with your
refusal to accept that their have been artists that have really been
crapped on by the whole consignment thing. In my heart, I don’t
believe that the only people having problems with it are just the
artists who have an over-inflated value of their work. OK so you are
an exception to the rule and have the right to point it out, but that
doesn’t mean that you should deny that many people do encounter
problems/risks associated with consignment or assume that they are
all unjustly prejudiced
And for the record, I still consign.