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Thread: Moving with the times.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    Default Moving with the times.

    Good morning all.
    Hope you're all taking so much needed time off after all the xmas chaos.

    As a certain search engine has decided it would make things almost impossible for little fish like me to be seen on their shopping search and on their main searches infact, without paying their extortionate rates I have to move onto galleries sooner than I would have liked too.
    I'm currently selling with an excellent craft shop who's rental rates are fantastic and even though I've only been there a few months it's proving to be the best move I ever made.
    However, I would now like to expand a little.
    A very dear friend of mine has pointed me to another local gallery, but this one operates on a sale or return basis at 30% comission.
    As I need to move with times or risk loosing my business, I would like to know what rates are fair for galleries to charge?

    As I'm a complete nooblet to galleries, I'm wide open to be taken advantage off, potentially. So I would love to gain more knowledge to avoid any nasty surprises.
    Thankyou in advance.
    Sian Williamson

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
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    Central London
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    8,846

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    I don't know about the rates Sian, but sale or return makes me nervous about getting stuff back. Some galleries don't rate their jewellers very highly and mess them about. They can also suddenly close down. That's me---the eternal pessimist. Dennis.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    I'm the same, Dennis. I trust no-one. To be honest I do prefer the shelf rental way rather than sale or return for exactly the reasons you mentioned. You're ~probably~ more likely to get any unsold stuff back if you've paid the shelf rent should their business close. What would be more ideal is someone to buy on wholesale type terms, but as yet I haven't found one of those.
    The 30% seems a bit steep to me too, but again as I'm a nooblet with galleries, for all I know that could be the norm.
    It would be a shame to pass up the oppertunity, but as you already said the sale or return is the biggest worry, it's a bit dodgy xx
    Ho hum, off to ponder some more
    Sian Williamson

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    Scotland
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    I haven't come across any galleries that do anything other than sale or return and jewellery is never high on their list of priorities to try and sell. Most galleries take at least 30 to 40% up here but I had work in a gallery across the border one Christmas marked up 100% which made it difficult to make anything from it.

  5. #5
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    May 2012
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    Quote Originally Posted by CJ57 View Post
    I haven't come across any galleries that do anything other than sale or return and jewellery is never high on their list of priorities to try and sell. Most galleries take at least 30 to 40% up here but I had work in a gallery across the border one Christmas marked up 100% which made it difficult to make anything from it.
    Ouch, that's shocking. How mean spirited of them to expect the artists to work for nothing =( xx
    Sian Williamson

  6. #6
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    Feb 2011
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    She was a bit of a one. I sold a pair of ear rings and everything was sent back. The following Christmas she got in touch to say one of her customers had liked a statement necklace but hadn't had the money but did now, was it sold or could I make another. I had sold it during the summer but said on this occasion I would repeat it as it wouldn't be exactly the same and put the same price on it as I had the one I sold. She sent me a cheque for half the amount as she said the customers was hers and that was the policy of the gallery. There ensued a rather heated argument in which she told me she was doing me a favour by taking my work in the first place and she has to pay her overheads even though I pointed out it was the cost of a phone call to me. We eventually agreed on a 60/40 split and I've never gone near a gallery again.
    Work comes back dirty, finger printed so it's not a surprise if it doesn't sell after the opening.It is invariably stuck in a cabinet and left to sell itself often alongside cheap imports that they make their bread and butter on. In my opinion if galleries want to promote British handmade then that's what they should sell and not stick it in a cabinet with something they have bought at Harrogate!! Sorry rant over, as you can tell I love gallery owners

    When they mark up 100% they double the price but that can often make a piece so expensive that you have to lower your price so low in the hope of it selling that she was getting more than me for having it for 3 weeks
    Last edited by CJ57; 30-12-2013 at 08:07 PM.

  7. #7
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    May 2012
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    She sounds like a piece of work! How horrible for you =(
    Was that the only gallery you tried?

    I totally agree, if they claim to sell UK handcrafted then that's what they should do. I've found so many like that during my searches, that have their shelves half uk handcrafted and half imported factory crap. I'm avoiding even approaching those ones!

    At the moment I'm very lucky, I'm with a very good gallery and have had a wonderful experiance with them. It sounds like I may well have lucked out with them.
    I'm so paranoid with branching out that I'm even checking out potential galleries facebook page/websites etc before even approaching them. I've written down a wee list and really do want to avoid the sale or return ones, unless it's one specifically run by a friend of someone I already know - I think I'd feel a wee bit better about it then.

    I did find one wholesale type one tonight during my searches, I can PM you their details if you think it's something you'd like to take a look at for yourself too? x
    Sian Williamson

  8. #8
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    Jul 2009
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    Cornwall
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    I do a couple of galleries sale or return locally but that's only because I've built up a relationship with them and I've never been let down. Everyone else I do wholesale with the money paid in advance.

  9. #9
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    Feb 2011
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    Thanks Sian, I'll have to think about it, it's been a bad year and I'm not sure whether to proceed with anything.

    Galleries in Scotland are very snotty, I've shown at a few over the years but they are a bit of a clique . Some even have a questionnaire, have you shown at this gallery or that and if you haven't they won't take you which is a bit of a catch 22 because if you can't get into one you won't get in to another. They also like new graduates and don't like oldies like me who have been plodding on and off for 30 years not ambitious enought to have made a name for myself. I can't be bothered with it really and should try harder.
    The Open Studio has been good to me the the past 2 years because the people that buy are coming looking for you and you have the opportunity to sell yourself. I feel that galleries treat jewellery like paintings, once they have the work they don't have to do anything with it and I think jewellery needs a bit more effort. Winter blues I'm afraid

  10. #10
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    May 2012
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    I totally understand. I'm from the certain golf/university (there you go, Peter ) town in Fife though now re-located to Stoke. Most people back there were exactly the same - if you didn't fit into their wee "clique" they would make your life a misery - and that was just day to day life. They hated anyone they considered outside of their norm, so I can easily see how that would influence the way they run their businesses too. There's several small family run businesses that have actually been pushed out and bullied out of business by the local council because they didn't fit into the look the council is going for. It's now practically a ghost town that relies solely on tourists and students spending in all the cafes and pubs.

    Wholesale is probably the safest option so far, thanks Carole. Although having said, my dear friend has reassured me this particular sell or return one is trustworthy & has stuff in her gallery. So I think I'll give it a shot and see. If nothing else, atleast I could say I tried. To be fair, it would be unrealistic to expect a smooth ride all the time, I've just been lucky so far with the one I'm currently with. x
    Last edited by Keia; 31-12-2013 at 11:07 AM.
    Sian Williamson

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