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selling_miniatures

Page history last edited by Linda McD 6 years, 4 months ago

Selling and Marketing Your Miniatures

This page is for the budding entrepreneur, or for the miniaturist who wants to strut their stuff.

It will list websites, where to find banners, and hints about marketing

see mailing and shipping

Selling and Marketing Your Miniatures

Getting your name out there

participate in digests and groups, look for blogs with similar interests to yours, comment on their blog, provide link to your site
put your blog and website URLs in your siggie
post tutorials on your blog
sell at local shows
Networking
What to Look for iin a Successful Marketing Company
10 ways to Promote your Products
regular newsletters to customers

- Mailchimp

- Comm100, a Canadian based company. completely free. Set up an auto-responder, draft newsletters and a subscription form to embed on your webpage.

Twitter- use to announce blog entries, news. Has a widget that gives a constant feed of tweets, available from Twitter.

Facebook - set up a gallery of your work and link to Yardsellr, or design a kiosk with Artfire to sell your work.

Linkedin

Selling Your Minis - tips from More Minis

Ways to Increase your Business - Uneek musings

Make some Shareware Videos

For further directions and how-tos, see tutorials_video

Write a book

Blurb - self publishing site

Websites

What is a website? How is it different than a blog? What is a domain? (go Daddy) How do I secure mine?

blogs are easy to keep up to date. most are free, and can be personalized
once your blog is set up, submit to www.dmoz.com , which in turn will submit it to all the major search engines, so people will find you. (search scale model miniatures to see links to miniatures already there) There is a link in the upper right-hand corner that says "Suggest URL."
You follow that link to an online form where you submit all the information for your site.
The free Google Adwords Keyword tool, allows to you see how many Google searches there are on specific words or phrases so that you can tailor your website language to include good words.
Google biggest web design mistakes to assess your site
DIY Services for creating your own website - review from Windows Secrets

Weebly - blog plus gallery

Blogger - Google's free blogging site
Blogger Comm100

Tumblir

Wordpress

Anne Gerdes - web design

Designing Logos and banners for websites

search for banner making sites which allow you to design your own

- My Bannermaker

- Banner Fans

find some copyright-free clipart online or buy a CD-full cheap online on eBay, add your shop name and voila, a none too-shabby banner or logo

Displays at shows

Consider your own hand truck. The handle comes off and it packs well in the back of a car. No extra charges or long wait to have a bellman come get stuff coming or going. Keep boxes are a standard size so they load and pack well and lift easily.

Item prices need to be easily visible or customers just walk on. Make a tiny tent and place beside the item in inside a glass case and it will not be moved, otherwise use a string tag with price marked on both sides so it shows no matter which side the tag happens to fall.

Always check your table before you put anything on it. And give it a shove backwards to make sure it stays up...like a customer tripping and hitting it.

Good lighting is essential Take your own lights. Paying for a spotlight at a show gets hot and people block the light when they stand in front of it most time. Also have an extension cord. Take a a power strip to accommodate more than one light, a computer and maybe recharge a phone.

Put your name on equipment. it has happened that people bring minis over to a table because the light was good, and stay to buy something. s. Bring your own lights and your own extension chord too.

Price list with pictures and cost of items

Printed sheet with products for sale, price. Could be laminated and attached somehow to booth, placed in picture frame, or provided as a handout.

Ask if you can be next to or behind a dealer you know...that way it makes it much easier for potty breaks. Since you may NOT know the people around you, make their acquaintance real fast, so they can watch your table while you answer nature's call. Sometimes the committee has volunteers who will step in when you need a break.

Try to provide a space for customers to put their bags down so they can get to their money! (although hard to do if the desired mob descends on your booth!

Package up the items purchased to minimize damage. Customers tend to put their purchases in their bags, and the tiny items may be easily crushed.

Eat before you head into the show...and keep bottled water on hand, so you can keep hydrating all day. All the more reason for following advice in first paragraph!
Keep some candy on your table for customers... and yourself, assuming you're not diabetic. If you are, have crackers or whatever you usually eat when you feel that your sugar is dropping.

Don''t get flustered if you get a bunch of customers at once!
Wear a fanny pack - why do they call it that when I've usually seen them worn in the tummy side?? - to hold your paper money. Keep coins for change in a partitioned thread box. Put your money in your hotel room safe and only keep on your person what you think you'll need.
Be sure you have receipts that have your contact information on them so customers can reach you if they want to place another order - plus stick your business card in each of your sales bags in advance. It's a real pet peeve of customers to find a receipt that says: Geranium $15 and the tax...and that's all. I get calls saying, "There was a person at your show in the second or third aisle who had wonderful flowers and I don't have her name"!

As a dealer, I usually can figure it out or at least give the customer a couple of choices to contact. Often it turns out that they have the location of the table totally wrong!

Use a rubber stamp to customize your invoices. Dealers should realize how valuable that little piece of paper can be to them.
People use them to order MORE!
Wear comfortable shoes.

Stores

Etsy

Be sure to select "Shops" as search criteria, and not "Handmade" or other subset.
Be sure to search for the correct ETSY shop name - which may actually be different than the COMPANY shop name. The name a seller uses to sign up on Etsy becomes the shop name.
Etsy Help - fees info

eBay

Ebay figures only about 20% of buyers search by category, which means about 80% search by keywords. If a seller's title doesn't have words especially ike Miniature, Dollhouse, Doll House in the title, then buyers are likely not going to find them.
Ebay Help - fees info

Artfire

eCrater

Mini Miniature Show - hosted by Shelly Norris, Artisans in Miniature

MGM Fairs - online shows by a Miniature Showcase

How do I set up a shopping cart?

Monetary transactions - Paypal, credit card

Paypal - info on fees

the Square - credit card reader

Propay Jak - credit card reader

Propay = a yearly fee + the Jak fee purchase+the extra fee to use the Jak and then on top of all that
there is the percentage for each transaction. Since I didn't know how many cards I would process I chose the premium plan to start with and didn't purchase the Jak.
Propay - was friendly and easy to use. Always got an answer when I emailed or called. The downside with Propay was customers could only charge up to $500 per transaction. If someone purchased a house and all the windows and doors that went over the $500 limit for a transaction you have to call or email Propay and get approval There is a limit to get approvals without paying the top tier plan.

The basic plan only allows a charge up to $200, with a warning that splitting purchases to get around this can result on your account being discontinued. I recently had to pay for an upgrade for that exact reason, I had a larger amount someone wanted to charge.

I have ProPay also, and before every show, I email them to raise my transaction limit to $3000.00 for the duration of the show. My transaction limit is normally $500.00. The first time they increased my limit for a show, they said they may have to hold back some of my money for a period of time (I imagine for possible chargebacks) . Now they release my funds after the show

How many repeat customers do we have at one show?    Those customers know we accept cards and they will return to us to use them.
I was limited with propay. A fair amount of my customers come back and purchase items that I suggested the first time around.
the Square?= I really needed a new phone anyway and had brought my laptop to shows to do charges but found it a real pain.
I didn't pay anything for them to send me the little white square.    I signed up the bank info so my funds weren't "held" and the only amount that I had to pay so far was the percentage fees with the cards I swiped.
I do know that if you chose to manually enter the card info instead of swiping the card the percentage is higher.   The higher fee is the same as I was paying propay.  The square does not charge me to get my money to the bank.
I do not have a charge limit per customer and no monthly charge limits per month.

I set up PayPal with Globe Charge on my website for sales, and it is working out great. Only 3% for domestic sales, and 4% for International sales.
Customers have the choice of using their PayPal account, VISA, MasterCard, or sending a check in payment. I did a quick calculation with ProPay's fees to see what the actual total, monthly fee would be, and it would run about 4.1% on average. If I added the card reader it would still be less than
about 5% on average - still better than the 7 - 8% I am paying now.

The Square

no wifi in the sales room? in order to do card swipes on the spot access to the internet via smart phone directly is needed, or use an iTouch with a Virgin Mobile MiFi device. The MiFi accesses the cell phone data stream, in this case via the Virgin Mobile network, which uses AT & T. I then linked the iPhone wirelessly and securely (password protected) to the MiFi signal and hence the iTouch accesses the internet. You pay for the MiFi access only when you need it, and they have a variety of options to choose from. Works with a Dell tablet as well, although sometimes the Square card reader can be a little touchy and require re-swiping multiple times before it registering the sale but no double charges as a result. Also on the tablet the stylus does not register very well. The tablet also had a brain freeze at one point, not registering the card at all. The smaller iTouch, which is preferable, as it is smaller and much easier to store behind the table.
Walked all customers through inputs, told them that if they entered their email address for a cc receipt I would not have access to their email, and everyone seemed very comfortable with the system.
Originally the Square had a $1000 limit on bank transfers for new customers but they now only have that for card not present transactions, and all charges promptly transfer to your bank account with no problem.

From a Canadian Perspective

If you are going to accept US cheques then check with your bank to see if you need a US bank account to deposit them into. Banks are different, some allow use of your regular account for 1 or 2 a month, for a charge of course, but suggest opening a separate US account.
You must open a Paypal account to get paid by most of your customers. We have heard all the stories about Paypal but you cannot do out of country business without it. The 3% charge but it is no different in the whole perspective than the monthly bank fees you pay on a business account.
Trying to get your merchandise past US Customs is a tricky business. Les Atilliers from Montreal got stopped on the way to Sturbridge last year and got Black Listed.!! Serious stuff.
Selling on-line is much easier. Fees for a table at Sturbridge for instance are very expensive. You would be hard pressed to make your table, let alone your travel expense. Go once as a spectator to see.
Credit card transactions are expensive, not worth the fees. Use Paypal or cheque. Apply for a Venture Card from Canada Post, with discounts for small business.

Zen Cart Templates

Customer complaints

Photos of my projects

...........

print out business cards, stickers with contact info on puter - order custom mailing labels from a print shop (can be used on receipt books too)

bags with logos colour

receipts stamped with name and contact info, website address

.........................

Brand or mark your product

Look at plastic action figures - they have the logo melted right into an inconspicuous spot

die punches - search alphabet+punch+die, metal stamping tool
make your own custom branding iron with a soldering iron (with temperature control), using tools such as needle files and Dremel burrs. The material for the branding iron is a copper branding iron tip, carried by Radio Shack. Carve your little initials or logo in a reverse image. Insert your custom tip into the soldering iron, heat it up and stamp anything that will take a burn mark such as wood, paper or cardboard. A jewelry store can make the logo for you.
Rockler sells branding irons for larger items along with custom logos.
Signature Stamp - brands your creations with your name, logo, or symbol.
Leatherworking sites may also carry custom branding irons.
woodburning tools can be used as signage too.
P and S Engraving - ask specifically for the miniature stuff, not listed on the web site. just one or two letters are available, knowledgeable about miniatures.
stamps
permanent ink pens
What about furred pieces? Labels could be tied to the legs of animals, with signature on one side, price on the other.
baskets - tiny paper labels (think made in China) glued lightly to bottom, so owner can remove or glue more securely
Ways to Develop and Protect A Miniature Artisan Business or Brand
Don't Orphan your Micro-brand
Marketing Tips - Pinterest board by Vicky S
Packaging ideas - Pinterest board by Marcela's Designs

Reasons to identify pieces

To record what has been purchased and from whom (provenance)
If there is no definitive marking on the piece, how will the artist and the art work be identified in the future?
To prevent mis-attribution
certificate of authenticity - gets separated from the piece

Pricing your work

cost of materials, labour x3

How to Successfully Price your Crafts - from About.com

Resourses

Skip McGrath - eBay instructor

On-line selling - wikipedi article

Distance Selling Regulations - UK

Shipping and Customer relations

It is a common scam on eBay for a buyer to claim the goods were never received. It is always a red flag that the customer does not want replacements.
If you do shows, you deal with rubber checks and shoplifters, if you sell in a retail store you deal with those and little kids with sticky fingers and parents who let them run wild, if you sell on eBay you risk all the scams that are rampant on there.
Put delivery confirmation on any package. No matter the method used to collect payment, if you put
delivery confirmation on the package, the post office will attempt to find the package if they mis-deliver it. It solves a lot of problems for a little 70-80¢ (or free if you print postage online). Over seas packages are not covered by delivery confirmation unless shipped by priority express.
Make overseas customers aware that orders can take from 2 - 8 weeks to arrive due to customs delays. Ask them to contact the Post Office and local Customs office to check on the parcel. which is available in most European countries. First Class International mail CAN be tracked by the Customs number. That number will show when and where it was sent. It may or may not show delivery, depending on the country.
I have been on both ends of this issue - as a seller and a buyer. I didn't get a package and the seller's answer was - "Well, I sent it. Here is the receipt." Well, let me tell you, as a buyer that was not satisfactory at all. It is really upsetting sending money and never getting what you bought.
UPS List of What can be Imported - by Country
Mostly my orders go out in a bubble envelop, which gets weighed and measured
at my local post office. I am not in an area that offers on line
services, to small a town for that.
You do need a customs declaration but since everything was change last
February at the post office it is just a simple description, value and
signature that they are after.o
There is now no insurance on small packets unless you use expedited parcel
which of course costs a lot more.
Best suggestion I have is NOT to rely on the information on Canada Post’s
website, to confusing, but package something up, no need to seal it, it is
just a test, use a US postal code and ask your local post office to tell you
what the cost would be for all options. Thank them and take that
information home with you to decide on your shipping costs.
You must open a paypal account to get paid by most of your customers. Yes
I know I have heard all the stories about paypal but you cannot do out of
country business without it. Yes I know about the 3% charge but it is no
different in the whole perspective that the monthly bank fees you pay on a
business account.
If you are going to accept US cheques then check with your bank to see if
you need a US bank account to deposit them into. Banks are different,
mine said I could deposit 1 or 2 a month into my regular account, for a
charge of course, but suggested I do open one and it has proved beneficial
for me.
I do have a couple of customers who send me cash in the mail but that is not
really recommended.

Well, that's pretty much what I do, except for having a U.S. bank account. I use PayPal for that. My only outlet for selling out of country is eBay through Pat, Shelley's shows, Etsy and occasionally MGM Online Fairs. That one takes a lot more work. I also have a website which I attempt to update from time to time.

Sorry for answering directly but I have comments directly related. Trying to get your merchandise past US Customs is a tricky business. Les Atilliers from Montreal got stopped on the way to Sturbridge last year and got Black Listed.!! Serious stuff. Gail Balligeron knows more about it.
Selling on-line is much easier. Fees for a table at Sturbridge for instance are very expensive. You would be hard pressed to make your table, let alone your travel expense. Go once as a spectator to see.
Etsy is my best venue. I also do Shelly and MGM fair. I have acquired clients in Australia, Norway and Austria. Fun stuff!! The web-site is last. Canada Post is the best shipping. Get a Venture card. Just apply on-line. It is for small business. A bit of a discount card.
I only take Pay Pal and cheque. Credit card is too expensive.

Paypal will not side with the seller!
Unless the buyer has purchased insurance, you will end up either refunding the buyer's money or replacing the items purchased. As is probably the case, the package is stuck in Customs somewhere and will eventually be
delivered but sometimes it takes weeks or even months and in the meantime, Paypal takes the money out of your account even if you can show that the package was sent. The problem then becomes after you either issue the refund or replace the purchase, how many times have the buyers been honest enough to
send the package back when it is finally delivered? I have found that it is not very often. Therefore, they get two for the price of one while, we as sellers, are out two orders or an order and a refund. I still sell
internationally but I know a lot of sellers who will no longer sell internationally because of this very problem. It's a decision you have to make depending on how often this happens and how much it costs you each time.

if the customer complains, PayPal will take the money from your checking account whether you want them to or not, to settle a complaint. It's better to try and settle it yourself so they don't do that.