I have been invited to participate in a small show that I showed at last year. At that time it worked strictly on a commission basis (no upfront fees). All sales were done through a central table run by the organizers. A customer would decide to make a purchase, you would write it up (on their forms) the customer would then take it to the central table to pay for it and bring a receipt back to pick up their merchandise. Kind of a pain, but understandable. We were still responsible for reporting and paying the sales tax owed. It took about a week before we received the funds.
This year there will be a booth fee and no commission, but they still want to run sales through a central table. This indirection was probably the biggest dis-satisfier for the customers.
What do you folks think? Would you participate in a show that was set up like that?
Dean
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I did a series of shows that were structured like you describe. While a pain in some respects, it allowed shoppers to keep shopping and shopping and shopping. The illusion for shoppers was that they were not stopping to write checks or run their credit cards after each purchase. They seemed to be a bit more free with their spending.
The two shows I used to participate in that operated like that have now morphed into one larger show with each artist handling their sales individually. It was ok, though I admit initially I was leery, turned out to not be a big deal at all.
I did one Limited Edition Expo that charged a booth fee, had a central register for all sales and then took a commission. The biggest problem I found is that there could be a line at the register and the buyers got disgruntled at having to wait. Having to explain the whole way it worked to each buyer was a bit annoying, but the fact that they handled all the credit card transactions and taxes was a bonus. Funds took about a month to arrive.
Unfortunately they got greedy the following year and put the commission up to 30% - considering I still had to pay booth fee, accommodation, travel and stand there selling my work for the duration of the show, I thought it was just too much. They folded the following year as no artisan was willing to participate on such terms!
If the show was successful for you last year I would do it again and perhaps suggest an alternate way to them in conversation?
From my perspective as a show director, I can't imagine why I'd have a central cashier if the artist isn't paying us a commission. It just adds inconvenience for patrons.
I'd ask them about it. Could be that because that's how they've done it in the past, they don't realize that they no longer need to do so.
I do a small show every year where there is a very small table fee and the organization takes a certain percentage of the sales and all sales are run through a central cashier. It is very well done and they pay the sales tax for us. I actually enjoy the convenience of all of this.
But I don't see the point of the show having a central cashier if they are not taking a commission. It would depend on what sales you had last year to determine if it's worth the hassle of what sounds like an unorganized central cashier. Waiting a week for your check is not too bad though. I'd voice the concerns with the organizers regarding the central cashier. Good luck!
Connie Mettler > Kristin PerkinsApril 2, 2011 at 10:50pm
Yep, me too. It doesn't make sense to have a central cashier if you have satisfied the fees with a booth fee. Have you asked them why they are doing it this way? It is pretty unusual.
Replies
I only deal with those types of systems if I can take everything to the central pay area.
And even then I dislike that type of setup. I deal with it for http://www.jbfsale.com/ only because the deals are worth it.
Hi Dean,
I did a series of shows that were structured like you describe. While a pain in some respects, it allowed shoppers to keep shopping and shopping and shopping. The illusion for shoppers was that they were not stopping to write checks or run their credit cards after each purchase. They seemed to be a bit more free with their spending.
The two shows I used to participate in that operated like that have now morphed into one larger show with each artist handling their sales individually. It was ok, though I admit initially I was leery, turned out to not be a big deal at all.
Lynda
I did one Limited Edition Expo that charged a booth fee, had a central register for all sales and then took a commission. The biggest problem I found is that there could be a line at the register and the buyers got disgruntled at having to wait. Having to explain the whole way it worked to each buyer was a bit annoying, but the fact that they handled all the credit card transactions and taxes was a bonus. Funds took about a month to arrive.
Unfortunately they got greedy the following year and put the commission up to 30% - considering I still had to pay booth fee, accommodation, travel and stand there selling my work for the duration of the show, I thought it was just too much. They folded the following year as no artisan was willing to participate on such terms!
If the show was successful for you last year I would do it again and perhaps suggest an alternate way to them in conversation?
From my perspective as a show director, I can't imagine why I'd have a central cashier if the artist isn't paying us a commission. It just adds inconvenience for patrons.
I'd ask them about it. Could be that because that's how they've done it in the past, they don't realize that they no longer need to do so.
I do a small show every year where there is a very small table fee and the organization takes a certain percentage of the sales and all sales are run through a central cashier. It is very well done and they pay the sales tax for us. I actually enjoy the convenience of all of this.
But I don't see the point of the show having a central cashier if they are not taking a commission. It would depend on what sales you had last year to determine if it's worth the hassle of what sounds like an unorganized central cashier. Waiting a week for your check is not too bad though. I'd voice the concerns with the organizers regarding the central cashier. Good luck!
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