Consignment

For those of us who make and sell handcrafted items, we often sell in multiple venues at once. For me, everything is online as of right now, but there are often offers of consignment. I was recently approached again to sell my jewelry in someones B&M boutique. Though it was very tempting, I graciously declined. I wanted to share my reasons why and to share some tips that I've learned.

Read the contract very closely...and for goodness sakes read the fine print. I know you're very excited at the prospect of getting your products out there, but look before you leap!

Where is the B&M store located? It's better if you can keep tabs on your product, easier to restock and to keep in contact with the store in general. But, there have been successful consignment agreements where the store and designer are great distances apart.

What is the agreed consignment ratio? Is it 70/30, 60/40 or 50/50? The higher numbers should represent what you, the creator, should receive after your item has sold. Personally I would never sell at a 50/50 ratio, but that's just me.

Who is liable if your items are damaged or stolen? This is very important to me, and has been a deal breaker. I personally feel that if I take the time to insure my products for delivery, that while they are in the hands of the seller, store, or boutique, it then becomes their responsibility should something happen to my product. Many stores have insurance to cover just that, so be sure to check on it and ask if it's not in the contract.

Do you as the designer still retain your ownership rights? You will find that sometimes the seller does not want you to include your website or other personal information about you because it may draw business away from their store, understandable...BUT...I feel that you should at least be able to have your business name or logo on your product. After all, YOU are the designer.

What is the term of the contract? Sometimes there is a trial period, make sure you read this closely as well. At the end of this term what happens? Who's responsible for packing up your stock and returning them back to you? There are many times when it is your responsibility, and when you live across the country from the store, this is not a viable option.

How often will you receive payment? This is often done once a month on a particular day and is done by check. Find out if you have to include stamped envelopes for them to send your payments to you. This can sometimes be hidden in the contract somewhere too.

How do they want you to present your items? Do they want you to make certain labels, use certain price tags verses another type, boxes, display cases? This can be a lot of extra work if the store is requiring that you package/display your items differently than what you usually do.

A few other things are to make sure you take a copy of the signed contract, check out the store (look them up at the Better Business Bureau), ask for references. If your not happy with something in the contract, ask if it can be adjusted. If you see that something is missing, ask and most of all trust your gut feeling!! Even then, sometimes the best intentions with both parties can go south.

I'm not trying to be a "negative Nancy" here, but I think that we all have to protect what we have worked so hard to make. I will eventually do consignments, but it's a matter of finding the right fit, both with the B&M store and the contract. For now though, I'm content with where I'm at, I've found my happy place so to speak....I hope you can too!

Creativity, Copying or ??

In my Aug. 26th post I said that I would touch more on this subject. Just to remind you...I'll post an excerpt from it:

I very rarely if at all look at other jewelry shops on Etsy, nor do I keep up with what page my pieces show up on. There are a couple of reasons for that. The main reason is that I don't ever want to be accused of copying another sellers design (I'll touch on this further in my next post).
Copying is often a hot topic in the Etsy fora. I don't normally take part in those conversations because they're often heated. I tend to chat in my Street teams posts and some other "help" topics but that's about it. I'm not going to delve too deep in this topic because I want to point out some things that I've learned that may help others.

In a venue like Etsy where it is flooded with jewelry sellers, it's absolutely essential to stay creative. There is literally over 614,000 pieces of jewelry listed right now. That being said, you are bound to run across items that are similar if not exactly alike. Are they copying each other? Did they all learn that design from the same magazine or book? Without actually knowing that seller personally there is no telling how they came up with that design. Ohh I'm sure there is some out right copying going on, but if it's not a design that you solely created and protected, be it copyright, trademark or patent...then why worry so much about it? Instead take this opportunity to revamp your work...to change it up a bit....to give it a little extra pizazz...to make it your own and damnit be proud of it! Revel in that bit of creativity that you claim as your own!

I have 3 pieces that I've copyrighted...two of these I currently sell and another well...I'm not sure why I haven't listed it yet...I think it's waiting for a little pizazz of it's own :) I'm also working on a patent and a trademark. Yes...this can be expensive...Patent being the most and trademarking next. To copyright an item is $45....sell a few pieces of jewelry and there you have your fee. If your work is that important to you, take the time to protect it. Otherwise you really have no ground to stand on if someone takes it from you. I'm not trying to make light of someone copying anothers hard work....it hurts when this happens...and I don't mean the business necessarily, but the creator of the item that was copied. When you are a sole proprietor of a business that your building with your own two hands, anything taken without asking is damaging in one form or another....it feels like it's a personal attack and until it happens to you, you'll never understand it. So please....if you've created something unique...not found anywhere else...protect it!!

Okay I said more on that subject than what I had originally meant to....sorry. Now what I want to talk about is how to stay creative. Here's a list of ways that I do it....now I can't guarantee it'll work for you, but why not try it...it can't hurt :) Grab your journal or drawing pad and lets take a walk!

• Nature: What better place to get inspiration?? Look at the way the ivy wraps around the tree...visualize....now see the wire wrap around the stone the way the ivy does the tree. You can do this with just about anything, the shapes of the leaves, the flower petals, insects, even ocean life!
• People: Look at the colors that everyone is wearing, the patterns in their clothing, where they work (industrial, clerical, etc.)...if something catches your eye, jot it down.
• Buildings: Architecture...the lines, straight, concave...ohh so many shapes you can imitate with wire.
• Dreams: This one's a big one for me...pay attention to what's in them, write your dreams down in a journal. You never know what will come out of them. A dream is where Gaia came from!
• Just sit...Really! Just sit down with your wire, some stones, your tools and just mess around. Don't think too much about what you're creating, just do it, it's amazing the pieces that you'll create when you just allow it to happen.

Like I said, these aren't steadfast ways to get creative but these are the things that I often do. The only other advice I can give is if you really want to learn how to make an item that someone else is selling, then ask them. Get their permission and out of respect (if you list the item) mention where you got the inspiration!

Well I'm extremely tired, and I'm sorry if I've rambled on a bit....I sure hope this post makes sense :) I'll probably find myself making adjustments to it tomorrow after I've had some much needed sleep.

Up and Running!

I've finally finished or at least partially finished my other blog site. I feel like I've been working at it for weeks :D I'm sure that as I learn more the site will be changing a bit, but for now I'm satisfied with what I've created.

I tried like a mad woman to add a picture to this blog that could be hyperlinked to my other blog, but after many hours of frustration...reading the helps, adding, deleting, I've settled on just adding a bit of verbiage and a link at the top of this blog. I think that I may even have some hair left on my head after that!

I've only added a couple of pendants for now, but I'm hoping to add more before the weekend is over. The jewelry that I will be selling there will be exclusive to that site only. I'm excited about this new venture and I'll keep you updated on how it's working out.

I've been asked on several occasions if I'm planning on leaving Etsy....absolutely not! I love Etsy and the community there...it is a fabulous place to sell your wares and I will not be leaving that venue any time soon. I'm just spreading my wings a bit, hoping and trying to create a business that will sustain my family and myself. Though I think that's a goal for many of us that are in the business of selling our handcrafted/handmade items.