I am doing it... opening the can o' worms that is. This is something I have wanted to discuss, but wanted to wait for just the right moment. Heading into the home stretch of this blog series I figure now is the time to cover the topic of buy/sell over the next few questions of this blog series mostly because many artists are finding they are having a hard time competing with it when at art fairs. Before I dive in head first, I want to make sure we are all on the same page. For this question I am going to cover the basics first.
Question #31 Buy/sell: How did it get so out of hand?
First, clarify the terms. I hear buy/sell, retail, and re-sell or re-sale used interchangeably and don't think that is right. Buy/sell refers to the idea of buying something that is already made - at cost or wholesale value - and then resold to make a profit. This has been going on for many many years as this is how retail stores work and do business – in this aspect there really is nothing wrong here.... Just think of the can of corn, tools, cleaning supplies you buy... this is all re-sell. However, the best way to describe the issue with craft artists is re-sell as it is the re-selling of items, mostly non-handmade by the "artist" yet proclaiming it is made by them. The issue grows from this as much of the items are imported from China or India where labor wages and work ethic is deplorable and the more we perpetuate this, the more it says to others it is ok because "we" are saving money. This is where everyone gets their panties in a bunch – including myself! However, the wedgie will have to be adjusted later... The question is how did it get out of hand.
Think back to when you saw this popping up... For me it is the early 1990's. Based upon my research, I am almost dead on as much of this started in the late 1980's to early 1990's with the beginning of NAFTA (North American Fair Trade Agreement) – a good amount of info on this is available via wikipedia to learn more about NAFTA – which created a trade bloc with the US, Canada, and Mexico. A trade bloc which is an intergovernmental agreement to reduce taxes and tarrifs on traded goods in hopes to build relations with other countries. Not much later APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) was formed. In the formation of these groups the flood gates opened to allow more and more goods come into America. One of the best examples – and not the only one – is Wal-Mart in their push to have lower prices. Being they are such a mega company where money can and will be made, getting “product” cheaper to make a profit, is where much of this school of thought comes from. Who cares if the quality goes down – and this is me talking (don't forget the issues with kids toys and toothpaste recalls) – at least “I” am making money. The issue is when cheaper labor is available, businesses follow and take advantage of that because it is an easier out. After all many of us want to keep costs low to increase profits. This is enticing to artists because many are just one or two people. If that artist has found a niche and is exploding they may find this is the best road for them, never really having the forward thinking of what impact this might cause. And it is this way of thinking, where I think re-sell has greatly affected the art community all in the name of making a couple of extra bucks.
The issues this has caused is a battle of quality vs. quantity. “Artists” are now (and have been for at least 10 years or more) trying to pass off work as made by them when it is most likely something made overseas. Then there is the issue of determining what is and what isn't re-sell when it comes to jurying. What erks me, and countless others, is that the true artists who have learned their medium through years of training, making each item by hand, and jumped through the hoops of getting into juried shows to see their neighbor who simply took their “art” out of a box, slapped a new price tag on it and start selling at the same fair is what makes me (us) irritated beyond measure. This is not fair, it is cheating, and plain wrong. It cheapens the show and the hard work of fellow artists. Now that I hope we are on the same page, future questions which I will answer, will be the subject matter in this blog series. The next question will deal with this re-sell issue in ways how to over come this by educating the public and then tips on how to deal with possible culprits at shows you sell at. I cannot say enough how thankful I am to know all of you reading this support this and are able to get something out of my tips. Knowing that makes my day. Please keep reading and print and pass them along to friends or others you see may benefit from this blog. - Michelle Sholund, www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com
Comments
I think the problem is finding qualified buyers, who know what they want and why, and have an educated eye for quality workmanship.
I live near Reno, a relatively small desert community. The pool of local buyers is relatively small. As I mentioned in my last comment, as a painter, I'm competing with corporate enterprises who arrange these well-advertised, advantageously located parking lot "art" extravaganzas, stocked with couch-size framed paintings for less than a hundred dollars per. They're trucked in by the container load from some nearby port of entry, and the whole schmeer is advertised as a "Starving Artist" sale. The salespeople aren't artists themselves, and the work has that sameness that marks it as a day's output by some knockoff mill in a third-world country, where the actual paint appliers really are starving.
Meanwhile at the local high school art and craft fair, the jewelers and artists like us, who hand-make unique products, from quality materials, can't move enough to make booth rent, because we have to price our stuff to at least cover material and overhead, here in the USA.
The buyers that throng the knockoff sale think it's such a deal because they have no idea what they are buying. It's pretty. The buyers that throng the charm bracelet assembler next door to yours are buying a mass marketed trinket because it's just like their friend who bought one on TV. Now they can have one too, and they may think they're helping an artist because they bought it at the "art/craft" fair. No clue what real quality is.
So, I think education is the answer, although how the younger generation will learn anything about the arts as the bottom falls out of the educational system is a question.
I also have to disagree with the blanket 'no beads unless made by the artist' statement --- sheesh, does a painter have to go out and grow the cotton, spin and then weave it to create his own canvas? I understand not allowing purchased lampwork or polyclay beads, that would place the artists that ARE making those components themselves at a steep disadvantage - but I use a variety of gemstone beads in my work, it would be impossible for me to price items at anything near to competitive if I was required to hand facet all of the 2-3mm gemstone rondelles I choose to use in my work.
I understand how difficult it must be to jury some of the categories where buy/sell has reared it's ugly head - and the simple response is to create blatant barriers to entry - but realistically, those that are going to break the rules and lie about making their own beads/metalwork/shaker boxes/etc are still going to get into those shows...while emerging artists that are creating unique one of a kind work with some prefabricated components and choosing to operate with integrity will not.
I think it is one of the disadvantages to a blind jury system - since you don't know the artist you have no idea to what extent their items are hand produced versus mass produced.... Another solution would be for the jury to choose blindly - but then prior to acceptances the artists would be 'vetted' by a quick google search....it's pretty uncanny how many 'supposed' artists can quickly be uncovered on the internet.
Here's how buy/sell or re-sell affects me:
1. Buy/sell lowballs the prices at shows. I have lots time & money invested & can't compete at those prices.
2. Some shows ban beaded jewelry because of buy/sell problems. I use gemstone beads along with my handmade silver focal pieces so I get banned because beads are part of my raw materials. Not fair!
3. Creative artists make art from a variety raw materials. My raw materials shouldn't be blanketly limited because dishonest people buy/sell jewelry with some of the same raw materials in them. It's what you do with the raw materials that makes it art versus a commodity.
4. Buy/sell are really knock-offs that imitate something that is popular & sells. Don't punish the real artists by banning raw materials - punish the people who buy/sell by not letting them into art shows or asking them to leave. There are shows where buy/sell is appropriate, but juried art shows are not them!
5. I find it personally depressing when I got a rejection for a show & then I read the review that talks about all the buy/sell at that show. I would love to know what the jury was thinking. Do they think my jewelry is that bad? Is all about money? Cheap buy/sell does sell, so is it a gurantee that they will have better total numbers at the end of the show? Or can they just not tell the difference in the jury pictures?
Bottom line buy/sell affects all of us, but some mediums are hit harder than others.
Tina
For those who have issues with promoters/show organizers, hang tight... I will be really getting into that VERY soon. For now it would be great to hear more opinions on this and if re-sell has affected you. -Michelle
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