Blog

40 Questions Blog Series - #34 How can you spot re-sell at Art Fairs?

Simple question - how can you spot re-sell at art fairs, right? There aresome simple answers however you'll need to make sure that handmadeart is not being mistaken as re-sell too. For an art fair to be atrue art fair, it should have handcrafted art work made by theartists who is selling at the show. If someone isn't following thoserules – especially if it is outlined in the application – thenrecognizing those who aren't following the rules and bringing that tothe promoters attention is something artists can do to help promotersrecognize such culprits. Here's a few ways you can recognize re-sellat a show...

Question #34 How can you spot re-sell at Art Fairs?

Like all artists applying to a show, especially high end juried art fairs,you send in photos (or use Zapplicaiton) and go through a juryprocess. A jury is as good as it's jury members and they can be madeup of all kinds of people and could be jurying for different thingstoo. Even the best of juries can make mistakes especially if theperson who is selling re-sell does everything in their power to tryand fool juries. If a re-seller wants to be in a show they willcheat and lie on their application as well as send in false photos oftheir work to make it look like they are the ones making the work.It is only if you are familiar with that work or look closely andnotice that you don't see the persons head, just their hands workingon a pottery wheel or whittling wood, then this should raise a redflag.

Spotting re-sell, at a show can be easy. One of the easiest things you canspot are tags/stickers stating a product is made in China or someforeign country. Be careful though, while you might see a stickerit could very well be price stickers that someone is switching out.Another sign are obvious knock offs – such as paintings that yourecognize as copies of famous art work. While some can be “inspiredby famous paintings” if they are priced at $20-40 most likely theyare copies. On the topic of prices, seeing a lot of items pricedpainfully low are most likely re-sellers such as cheap jewelry pricedat $10 or those that have kookie “info-mercial” sales. Simplyasking the exhibitors questions about their work like what propertiesmoonstone has (if the person sells moonstone jewelry) and not gettinga straight answer is also another possible sign the person is are-seller. This happened when I asked questions to a “jewelrymaker” and the person just said “my wife makes it and she issick, couldn't be here so I am taking her place” is definitelysomething that raises concern, but can't easily accuse him/her ofre-sell either.

There are some signals that might seem like re-sell but are not. I hear alot of people assume that if you see a many multiples of one itemand all are without blemish, it is a sign that is mass manufacturedover seas. While this can be a sign, I have known some artists, suchas potters and folk art painters , who are able to make identicalpieces – each and everyone by hand – and get them prefect becausethey do it so often days, months and years on end.

All in all it is important that if you do suspect someone selling re-sell,that you do have some sort of proof – a sticker saying mad in Chinafor instance – to show those in charge to hopefully help weed outre-sell. There is a time and place for that type of market, but at atrue art fair, it is unethical. I wish you all a great sales andgreat weather at your upcoming art fairs. I am finally back into theswing of doing art fairs as I have one this weekend. I hope to sharethat experience and others in future blogs. If you have a questionyou would like me to answer for the last remaining 5 blog posts,feel free to use the comment button and ask away! Best Wishes,Michelle Sholund – www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com

40 Questions Craft Artist Blog Series – Question #33

Nothing probably irks craft artists more than after going through the jury process dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's than finding a re-seller who also made it through and sets up next to you. What do you do? Say something to the promoter? Pack up and leave? Sell that day but vow to never come back? Granted, you feel something needs to be done, just what road to take... This is why I am talking about this questions today because it is something that needs to be handled delicately. (Picture is from the "Oil Painting Village" of Dafen, China)

Question #33 How should I approach promoters when it comes to spotting re-sell at their events?

First, know the rules of the event. Every show is different and more than likely ran by different promoters/show organizers who set their own rules – some strict while others very lenient. This means read the fine print. Does the application say “homemade only art and crafts”? Or does it say “All art must be made and sold by the artist and the artist must be present during the duration of the show”? At the same time, notice what is said on the application regarding what actions the promoter will take if they spot re-sell at their event. Knowing what the promoter expects and how they intend to discipline those who break the rules is key to knowing how to proceed.

If you do see re-sell and no one is doing anything about it, when it clearly states that something will be done, here's what you should do... First, make sure what you suspect is re-sell is actually re-sell. It is almost like accusing someone of stealing – you must have some sort of proof or you could be opening yourself to much more than you might be prepared to deal with. Just imagine if someone accused you of re-sell when you are a true artist, it can easily cause quite a stir! If you have proof – say you saw them at other shows and were asked to leave for passing off re-sell – this is grounds for bringing it up to the promoter. At an opportune time, for you and the promoter, take him or her aside and talk them. Don't just attack them, but GENTLY tell them. It is better to assume they have no idea this person is a re-seller and mention that to them... “You might not know this , but I think the person in booth # ___ doesn't make their own work. I am only bringing this up as a concern, both to you as a promoter who I am “assuming” you want to maintain a great reputation for high quality of art and crafts, but it does bother me as I do play by the book and it doesn't sit well with me that this person who isn't playing by the rules is able to sell at the very same show. What you do about it, I truly understand is up to you, but in my good conscientiousness, I felt it necessary to bring it up to you.” If you bring up concerns to a promoter – whatever the concern is – in a polite, calm and concerned matter, more than likely the promoter will be respect and take action as well as thank you for bringing up the concern. Good promoters do rely on the help of others, such as good Samaritans, to be the eyes and ears for them because they can't be everywhere all the time.

Now what if you bring up a concern and the promoter could give a rats behind? This is a sure sign that despite your good intentions, this promoter just happens to be having a bad day, too busy to be concerned with a matter that seems low on the totem pole at that very moment, or is a plain and simple jerk. The best thing here is still be a better person, do what you have set out to do – sell your work to as many people as you can and at the end of the day leave and don't look back. In other words, do not go back and patronize that particular show again. It is just one of those lessons you can't learn any other way, but by experience.

What if you can't say anything at the show, what other options do you have? Fill out their questionnaires – they do read them! You can find a staff member and ask if they can get the promoter to come to your booth and talk to him/her then. One of the other options I recommend is send a business letter stating your concerns after the show. Sending a business letter might be a better option as it is a professional form of communication and you can state your concerns without being interrupted. Doing the very same thing via an email may work, but easily hastily written and can easily get deleted too. The letter must be professional in proper business letter format, proper grammar usage, and free of spelling errors. In the letter, start off by stating what you liked about the show, then follow by suggestions you have for them. The letter shouldn't be a “nasty gram” hard hitting and full of emotion right after you state “dear Mr./Mrs. ___”, but genuine and professional. The last thing you want is to come across as a prima donna and better than everyone else – you will never be taken seriously if you choose this direction. All in all at the end of the day, both the craft artist and the promoter are both human . We all make mistakes (as promoters can only judge a person's art by what they submit for jurying for example) and we all have feelings which can easily get hurt and ultimately you could be blacklisted from his/her events as well as their friends.

There are good promoters out there that are consistently getting better and better with each show. Then there are those out there who are more concerned with filling a show just for the sake of having a full show to show customers they offer many “vendors” to shop from. Sturdy bridges need to be made with both artists and promoters as we both are in the same boat – we both want to have successful shows. Sharing the knowledge craft artists have by stating when you are in an environment with like minded craft artists, everyone benefits – attendance grows when more high quality art work is offered, the quality of shoppers improves too, and more and more artists will want to apply as well – everyone wins. If no one raises their voice to promoters with regard to re-sell, then they will assume everything is fine and continue doing business as usual. Do realize you can only lead a horse to water, but with open minds and talking about your concerns with promoters will help to build better bridges and better shows... The next question will deal with how to spot re-sell at art fairs – this is great for both show coordinators and craft artists . Stay tuned! - Michelle Sholund, www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com

40 Questions Craft Artist Blog Series - Question #32 – How can Icompete against re-sell at art fairs?

Greetings everyone and welcome back to The 40 Questions Blog Series.The major focus, for the next few questions, is all about buy/sell orRe-sell as I call it. Warning this one is a little long - but worth it! First, I have to say a-men to all those whohave commented on this topic – especially those viaArtfairinsiders.com ! Now that I hope we are on the same pageregarding this topic, the next step is figuring out ways to competeagainst re-sell at art fairs. Now I want to make it clear – whenyou are at an art fair you are competing with many artists not justre-sell. If you have a hard time competing period, this post willhelp you too. Competition is what helps us become a better artistand sales person. It is human nature to compare prices, analyze andtest the quality of purchases, and find a way to connect with the art(this is where the all too familiar questions we ask in our mind,“...but will it look good on me, my wall, my office, will my spouselike it?...”) When it comes to competing against re-sell you haveto look at it from a whole different angle to really see what youhave that the re-sellers don't.

Question #32 How can I overcome re-sell at an art fair?

First, look at your work and look at it from the perspective of thebuyer. The buyer – whether it is a window shopper or actual buyer,they are judging you the moment they spot your booth. This isn'tabout price mind you – it is about attractiveness. With the aid ofthe internet people can make an even quicker judgment about what theylike or don't like in half a second – and people want real answersto just one thing he/she is looking for – now! With this in mindyou need to really look at your booth and ask yourself, if you werean average person at an average art fair, would you enter your boothor not and WHY!? You may think you have the most wonderful piecesof craft art ever and perhaps your friends think so too, but once youare out in the real world, real world factors emerge that you neversee if you only look at your work or booth from the eyes of theartist. If your booth is too busy, too plain, people can'tunderstand what you are selling upon first glance, or too dark –you lost the biggest most important part of selling art at an artfair – if your work or your booth isn't pretty (as beauty USUALLYequals art), it isn't worth the customers time to “get a betterlook” and most importantly connect. Just think when you see adsfor cosmetics, the latest jeans, or spa products - do you see uglypeople or beautiful people? Colorful backgrounds (yet not over thetop) or not? What about packaging – is it neat or sloppy? Sayyou have it all – the complete package with both your work and instyle of your booth, but you have a “made in China” dealerright next to you, now what? This brings me to my second point andmy answer to the big question of the day...

Like with real estate is all about location location location – inthe art fair world it is all about education, education , education.That is my answer to how we get a buyer who is used to buying fromre-sellers to turn to the “good side” - buying handmade art.Granted I do think the general, average, collective audience of artbuyers get that true art is handmade not mass manufactured in sweatshops. As items are being recalled and Americans loosing jobs tooutsourced countries, more and more people are wising up. Thispoint can be proven by that one customer – and everyone has acouple – the one who just gets your work , understands the hardwork and time that goes into making it and not just buys one piecebut becomes a collector – no matter what the price. But that neverseems to speak to all customers does it? It seems there are stillcountless art fair goers who make ridiculous comments about how “Ican buy that at Wal-Mart”, ask can I get a discount if I buy 2, orscreech with sticker shock, because they never understood what itmeans to make something from scratch.

We are in a VERY different time in society than just a decade or twoago. People shop differently. Clothing is something that you wearonce and toss aside – where most of us who are “older” wouldnever think of parting with a favorite sweater we've owned for 5+years. Now it is far easier to get a new t.v. than to have it fixed.And with the addition of credit cards – anything can be “bought”now and you don't have to worry about it until you get the bill atthe end of the month. In other words it is about instantgratification – I see it, I want it and I am going to buy it now.With society – not all mind you – there are those who don't careif it comes from China or the USA, it is all about if it will fit MYneeds. It is our job as artists to show people that what I havewill meet your needs and let me tell you how...

Again, the sure fire way to combat re-sell is educating customers –one at a time. Today it is all about connecting with objects – artor not – and this is why I stand firm with my answer to this topic.It is more about “did you see what Joe just bought? Isn't itneat? I gotta get one too!” Customers want to know if yourart/craft will meet their individual tastes and be REASONABLY PRICED!When it comes to buying real art the emphasis needs to be on thequality and the conversations must always come back to this.

When potential buyers see your art IS WORTH buying you have them in yourback pocket! A few weeks ago I interviewed a renaissance clothingdesigner and seamstress and one of the topics we talked about (offthe record – hence why I am not mentioning her name) was re-sell atrenaissance fairs. She wasn't too worried about competition – sheencourages it! This seamstress knows that people don't NEEDrenaissance clothing as it might not be worn more than once a year.Her angle? It isn't just a costume, it is real world clothing. Shemakes it clear that you can wear the skirts for work, her bodices areversatile and perfect to go clubbing in and all clothing is of agreat quality material that can be tossed into a washer and not fade,thus cutting right to the chase and asking for the sale heading offany negative reasons why “I” shouldn't buy it. Another craftartist friend of mine, Carol F. specializes in custom made birdhousesand bird feeders. She makes everyone of them from scratch and havebought at least one from her and it still holds strong. She doeshave competition from those who “make bird houses” but from kitsor already made ones and just paint them. Her angle? Make it clearwhat makes her work unique - customized birdhouses. At each show,she has her portfolio available with before and after shots of herbirdhouses that look exactly like people's houses – down to thearchitecture, color, shutters and even landscaping. The price isn'tcheap but with the way she displays her work (with added birdchirping background noises) people are immediately drawn to her work.In addition to the portfolio, next to some custom pieces on display(and for sale) are great large photos of the original houses she hasused to make those custom pieces. All in all, Carol educatescustomers visually. Other ways to educate customers is bydemonstrating how you make your art – no re-seller can do this!

When it comes to educating people, you can't be afraid to ask shoppersquestions. Feeling them out know what they do and don't know aboutyour medium and what their likes and dislikes are not only helps youfind your angle, it also shows YOU want to make a genuine connectionwith the buyer THROUGH your art. The only thing a re-seller has islow prices, but that won't help them because they are simply sellingobjects. Art isn't an object, but a feeling, an emotion, a story,and most importantly a piece of the artist. The funny thing, I thinkof when it comes to this topic, is re-sellers are far more worriedabout making sales and a profit than artists and getting caught thanwe are because they know, deep down inside, they aren't true artistsand cannot compete with true artists.

Your homework... Thought I would never assign homework?? HA! Yourhomework is to really get to the story of your work and look at waysyou can educate your customers about your work showing how there isadded value and quality that is beyond compare. Don't be afraid totalk about how you learned to create your art – whether it isthrough apprenticeships or by accident. Talk about your ah-hamoment when you decided you had something and when you realized itwas more than a hobby. Share with others how buying from you helpsthe local economy $1 at a time. If your work helps benefit a localcharity, enlighten customers on how you do this. These are thestories that helps to get people wanting to buy from you becausethere is a story behind what you create. What is your story?How will you educate your customers at your next show? Share yourresponses via the comment button and possibly help others who mayneed ideas so they too can help educate customers too. Next questionwill focus on how promoters/show organizers contribute to the issueof re-sell at art fairs. Until the next blog post – do yourhomework and I personally wish you a successful time at your next artfair! - Michelle Sholund, www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com