Pip Report post Posted June 14, 2008 I was at a show doing Leather demo's for kids at the weekend, had a great time sold a little stock, of my own and a little of my mentors. His stuff is really functional and good quality but he is reallly cheap. i made some bracelets and had them on the stall for £5 really for the kids to buy something fancy rather than to make money. A woman came over and looked at them asked lots of questions, price, technique, leather blah blah. She went away and came back, she was back and forth all day.... In the meantime I was busy making a peice for a friend, which I really didn't want to sell, and was a little more detailed than my cheap stock, but not so you'd notice. So I put a price of £20, to put her off She bought it no quibble, after umming and arring about the price of the £5 bracelets. I didn't even get a chance to photograph it. My question is Why? She was dead pleased with herself like she'd got a bargain? It didn't bother me at the time, but it is starting to bug me now! She had seen my/watched me working on other stuff, which was for sale at a range of prices from £5+ so it wasn't that she'd got connected seeing it done. You've seen my bracelets posted here before am I too cheap? It was a quiet day but worth being there, did she feel sorry for me? ooh its really got under my skin! I just can't understand it. Anyone had similar experiences, that might shed some light on this its a small thing but its like having a nettle sting somewhere I can't reach. Not that I am not grateful to the woman for buying it and gods know I needed the money but..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TroyS Report post Posted June 14, 2008 Maybe I see it a little different than you, but I feel that she was checking your inventory and was comparing it to other vendors. Seeing what you had on the table, and liked it. Coming back and forth to the table was her way of checking on your progress. She wanted something that you handcrafted! And liked watching it appear before her eyes. She's at home right now telling all her friends that she sat and watched you make the bracelet just for her! Don't sell yourself short. When someone wants something bad enough, money doesn't even come into the picture! Now, you have a story to tell how she was like a kid in a candy store window... I always let the "customer" make an offer on the item... They get involved in the BARGAIN NEGOTIATING game and they love to win ... I've seen your bracelets! $20 is a bargain! Troy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted June 14, 2008 Pip, I'm leaning toward's Troy's take on this. She saw the bracelets for 5 (oh where's that 'pound' sign on this American keyboard?) and may have thought of them as "cheap"- like maybe something rolled out of an embosser. I see that at the flea market here. A nice rack of belts, uniformly tooled...with wheel marks on the flesh side where it was rolled through. Not interested, as anyone can crank a handle. On the other hand, at another vendor, I heard the familiar 'whap, tap, tap, tap, whap!' of someone tooling their belts. The guy tooling his belts had a few people watching him work and his belts were nearly 3 times what the rolled out belts cost. People like 'hand made' things, and the lady you've mentioned liked what she saw. So, make a note to yourself: Get more bracelets ready ( about 80% complete) and 'finish' them while you're at your booth, so people can watch you working. Then, stick a higher price tag on it. If they don't think it's worth that much, let them haggle the price down. The other REALLY IMPORTANT POINT: By placing a higher price on the one bracelet, you told her what YOU thought that single piece was worth. And that is probably what drove her to make the purchase- YOU said "this piece is worth more than the others I have for sale". That says a lot to potential customers. It's also why custom saddle makers get upwards of $2000 (sometimes much more) for their work, when the customer can easily go buy a 'stock' saddle for less than $500. Don't sell yourself or your work short. The market you compete in is what really determines your price- too inexpensive and it'll be seen as cheap. Too pricey and it won't sell. Just right and you make money. Keep at it, and be proud of your work. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roo4u Report post Posted June 14, 2008 thats just the way people are....i sold a bunch of leashes one time to a customer and then we both set up at the same dog show to sell our stuff...our leashes and her leashes came from the same side of leather, hers were $7 more than ours. someone walking by that had bought one from her looked at ours and said to her friend "oh the one i got is much better" i couldnt believe it and just looked at her and laughed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ferret Report post Posted June 16, 2008 Sounds like my mum or "the Bucket woman", wouldn't be seen dead wearing something that only cost a fiver,' cos at that price it's "cheap tat". At £20 it's a handcrafted piece of artwork made by a local artisan and she's telling everyone it's custom made and cost twice as much. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pip Report post Posted June 18, 2008 Sounds like my mum or "the Bucket woman", wouldn't be seen dead wearing something that only cost a fiver,' cos at that price it's "cheap tat". At £20 it's a handcrafted piece of artwork made by a local artisan and she's telling everyone it's custom made and cost twice as much. yeah my mum too I guess Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
