Hello Everyone,
Its obvious everyone’s gone make lot of things using glowforge. How about selling. What mediums and strategies one will be using or one must use.
The products made will be mostly of MDF, paper or acrylic. What products to think and the market to be targeted. Since mostly the products will be 2D.
Thank you.
that is a wide open category. Mediums and strategies would depend on the product and the target market, there could be many.
Wow. To each their own, I’d say. Depends on what kind of art/objects you make, I’d think.
I’m considering getting a table at the local farmer’s market. It’s open Fridays and Saturdays. I’d hate the idea of carrying an inventory. And, as cool as it might be to see, I don’t think I like the idea of bringing my Glowforge and producing items on-the-fly. I think I’d have a bunch of individual samples of the types of things I’d sell. I’d take people’s orders and send them directly to their houses. Possibly have them ready for Saturday if they order on Friday and want to come back for them. Or maybe even have my Wife woman the table and I’ll stay home and work up orders and deliver them later int he night. I dunno. Something along those lines.
Meanwhile, I’ve been taking creations into work. People have ordered a couple of things. I think, along the same lines as above, I need to have examples on display at my desk.
Not sure that works well. Most people are impulse buying and waiting for delivery is a sales killer. You might try both approaches and see which works best but I think you’re better off carrying inventory and potentially customizing on the fly.
Me neither. But I believe carrying an inventory is a waste. Every item not sold just increases the value of the other items, but it doesn’t increase the selling price of it. If I make one of everything, that’s completely acceptable. Every item created thereafter, is an item sold. Virtually no waste.
I’d love to do on-the-fly customization. But thinking of what’s involved with that means wasting more man-hours. I, for example, can’t be showing products, talking to people, selling them things, while also designing, engraving, weeding, and any additional finishing required… So at least 1 more people is needed at all times. Whereas if I separate those things, one person can do it all.
My .02 is: Carrying inventory is a cost of doing business - most of the time. An environment like you’re talking about, town “markets”, other fairs, etc are as @jamesdhatch said, an impulse buy. You’re much more likely to sell what you have, than sell what you don’t have. Lean with no inventory is great from a cost perspective but expensive from lost opportunity perspective.
agree. that sort of philosophy works for very expensive items or very large (often also very expensive) but rarely for anything small. people want to buy and take home on the spot.
Very well put. I agree with this line of thinking. I have sold a few things at farmer’s markets and that has been my experience too…people want to walk up, buy something they love and leave with it that very moment. It is very much about what they can take home and immediately put on their shelves or whatever.
I haven’t read everyone elses responses yet, but I hope to be the first to give the old cliche “look how wise I am” useless answer.
It’s going to depend on a lot of variables that are impossible to account for with our limited knowledge, but in general, you want to charge as much as the market will bear.
There. All answered. 