The scenario goes like this:
Here is a new artist, doing a show at a summer fair. Sales are going well, the artist is feeling validated about their abilities, and there will be a nice little piece of change to take home at the end of the day.
About mid-afternoon, a lady with a big hat, lots of jewelry, and a fancy boutique-style artisan made bag, walks into the artist's booth....along with a friend. The friend is dressed similarly.
The artist notes that these two seem to be very interested in the jewelry and, especially the techniques used in making it. They keep looking at the price tags, mumbling to each other and flipping the jewelry upside down and sideways, examining it closely. In a bit, the artisan approaches them and asks if they need some assistance, or have questions about the work.
The lady with the big hat reaches into her big bag and pulls out a business card.
"I'm the Lady with the Big Hat, and I own three boutiques in X, Y, and Z town. I always come to this show looking for new talent, and my, my, my, are YOU talented! I just LOVE your work. Do you wholesale?"
The new artist scratches his/her head because quite frankly at this stage of the game, he/she hadn't even thought about it. Before the artist can respond, Big Hat Lady continues,
"Well, anyway, I was REALLY looking for new artists would would consign their work for my trendy boutiques. We take a 40% cut and you will need to be willing to leave your work for the selling season. End of season, if we've done well with your things, you can come and get your out-season merchandise and provide us with new. We pay once a month and the artist is expected to pick up their check at X shop in X town (about a 20 minute drive). Here's a copy of my standard contract (reaches into the big bag again). Why don't you have a look at it and give me a call some time? We can set up an appointment, you can bring some things for possible consignment, and we'll talk it over."
With that she waltzes out of the booth with her friend, and didn't buy a thing.
And the artist's head is spinning.......
What do you think of this scenario?
My first inclination: Not much! Dream on, lady with the big hat.
BUT WAIT: first, let's sit on the emotion, and think it over. It might be a good learning experience to meet with the woman. She DOES have a contract. She DID say an appointment could be made and the terms discussed.
On the other hand, it sounds like her agenda is rather rigid and wow....40%??? They are going to keep 40%???? Hmmmm.
Have you been this artist? I have. And I will tell you, I offered the lady in the big hat a BOXFUL of materials I had made at half price that day, as I'd rather have the funds than consign.... and she loved it all...but she still wouldn't BUY it. Because SHE told me she rarely buys ANYTHING. No, you have to consign it.
So as a learning experience I met with her at one of her three boutiques, just to see what would happen. I did end up consigning about 30 pair of earrings. The worst of it was that she made me wait in a backroom for over two hours while she picked out what she wanted from what I brought, and waited on customers in between. Over the course of the next three months, she sold five pair, gave me back the rest--- shop-worn with her retail tags still on them. She had marked the earrings up to three times my asking, but still had taken her 40% off my original asking as well.
Needless to say, I brought her nothing else though she called me a few times.... and in time, most of the other artisans in her 'stable' no longer brought things, either. She was a hard-working lady, but she did not treat her artisans very well.
This scenario is repeated over and over again. Many of us who are new become giddy at the thought of our work being sold in a well-known boutique or art gallery, so we accept the terms....and for awhile, the abuse.
Does it sound like I'm sour on consignment?
NOT NECESSARILY. Consignment CAN be great. I consigned hamperloads of jewelry to another girl who ran home parties for almost three years, and that arrangement worked out well for both of us. We both banked a good bit of cash over those years. She had a clothing line and I did all the jewelry, she did all the parties. I was making tons of big, gaudy friendly plastic/glitz/lacquered earrings and I gave her half, because I could make ten pair an hour, had fun doing it, wasn't paying help at the time and they didn't cost me much to make. I figured she was doing most of the work schlepping that stuff and deserved the high 50% cut, and it kept her happy, too!
It was a great set up!
Consignment needs to be looked at with a careful, wary eye. You need to ask all the right questions and you need to get your agreement down in writing. ALSO: Do you know any other artisans who are consigning to this place? What's their input? What sort of a reputation does this shopkeep have?
One of the things that REALLY irked me about my first consignment experience is that once a month *I* was expected to drive twenty minutes to pick up my check. When I got there, I would have to wait for the shopkeep to have a moment for me, as well. She couldn't give me the time of day, or even spring for a stamp to send me a check.
Michelle Mach wrote a great blog post at her blog, Beads and Books, on consigning and some of the important questions you should ask.....find that here:
http://www.michellemach.com/blog/index.php?/archives/372-Selling-Your-Jewelry-on-Consignment-5+-Questions-to-Ask.html
and we've been having a discussion at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group this week, concerning consignments:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bsueboutiques/discuss/72157628403112631/
Marion Harmon gave a few suggestions about doing trunk shows for your consigned shops on the discussion. I thought they were excellent.....come on over, read through the comments and add your voice!
Just one last comment: if you are paying for shelf space, that's not consignment, that's space rental. So long as what you bring for your shelf fits the rules or criteria of the shop or artisan mall where they are displayed, they can't tell you not to sell your work at other locations or shows in their town. If that's in their contract, walk away. The only time a shopkeep can ask for exclusivity is when they are buying your goods wholesale, out right, and re-ordering at a level that you as a small artisan-run *COMPANY* establish.
In the long run: It's your art, your talent, your stuff. You call the shots.