40 Questions Blog Series: Question 17 – Should I Accept Credit Cardsand Who Should I Choose for a Credit Card Merchant?

Ok, I know I have not been diligent in pumping out more blogs for thisseries and to make up for it, I am doing a 2-fer for Question 17.In the business of getting my own work produced for up coming shows Ihave found a bit of time to read a few posts on forums regarding thehot topic of credit cards. I read at least 4-5 LONG posts with manyreaders weighing in their thoughts on the topic every year and a lotof the info is still the same. So, if this “quick” post isn'tenough info for you, please visit art fair/crafter sites (for example) such as this one -artfairinsiders.com - and craftlister.com with forums and messageboards for more opinions on the topic. Also be sure to look back onold topics – the info is VERY relevant still today!

Question 17 – Should I accept credit cards as a form of payment at shows andwho should I go with as a credit card merchant?

First, should I accept Credit cards? When it comes to serving customers –as we are still on the subject of customer service – customersexpect craft artists to have the same amenities that retail storeshave because art shows are essential retail shows. One of theseamenities is accepting credit cards. As a society, more and morepeople carry debit cards and credit cards and use them as regularforms of payment and rely less on cash or check. It is easier,faster, and tracking money couldn't be easier too. When we look atthis more in depth, think about customers at shows and what wouldthey most likely carry. For the most part, they tend to carry littlecash (unless they are budgeting their money) which tends to go forfood and maybe one or two small price items. The rest is paid forwith a card. Why? Well, people don't feel as comfortable todaycarrying -wads of money – when a simple card will suffice. Peopletend to buy more if you inform them you accept credit cards, “ohyou have a set of earrings with the pendant – I'll take it!”Another reason, show patrons are more likely to pay with a creditcard on items priced $20 or more – who has $1,200 in cash for alarge framed watercolor painting? The exception to this rule fallswith the “older” crowd because their mantra is spend what youhave, while younger generations are more apt to pay it off in time.For older folks it isn't unusual for them to pay in cash and have$300+ rolled up in their wallet/purse. This is why it is importantto accept credit cards, checks, and cash so no one is excluded.

Accepting credit cards IS NOT EXPENSIVE. Accepting credit cards opens thedoors for more cash flow and speaking from experience, it hasincreased my sales 30% or more. There have been shows where if Ididn't I wouldn't have made any money and a majority of what I makeand sell is under $20. You will need to determine, based on how manyshows you do a year, what type of machine to use – a knucklebuster, Nurit machine, cellphone with a credit card ap... Manycredit card processing companies, such as 1^st NationalProcessing offers help in this area. In most cases the only fees youhave is the machine – depending on what you go with , the bank fees– usually 2-4% of each transaction, and a monthly fee. A monthlyfee can vary from company to company, but can run from $8-$35 amonth.

Now, onto the second part – who should I go with for my credit cardprocessing company. I cannot stress enough that you MUST do yourhomework on this. Many folks who know nothing about credit cardprocessing end up going with their bank and find out their fees areoutrageous and do not work with small business such as craft artists.Some banks might offer a good deal at first, but after awhile theycan change the rules – up the fees, customer service slacks, etc.The best place to look is at art and craft business magazines such asCraft Reports, Sunshine Artists and regional art show publications.The companies who advertise in the publications are FOR THE ARTIST,not big companies and have experience WORKING WITH the needs ofartists. Two of the biggest ones I know of is 1^stNational Processing and Propay, but there are many others that offergreat perks. Deciding on which one to go with will fall on readingthe fine print, reading reviews about what others think about thecompanies you are interested in, and your budget.

I have been a customer of 1^st National Processing for about 5years now and have nothing but praise for them. They are reputable,I talk to live people 24-7 when and if I have a question, offer alarge selection of credit card machines (with rent to own options),payment options, as well as info on choosing a credit card company.If you do go with them, let them know I sent you! They also have agreat referral program. However, I have heard a lot of praises fromPropay and others as well. It all depends on what your needs are.

Final thoughts. If you are new at selling at shows, don't rush out to geta credit card machine because you may find out doing shows isn't foryou. You may find dealing with the public or setting up and breakingdown may be too much, plus the costs of display furniture andmaterials and so on is what you should focus on and if you like doingshows, only then should you entertain taking the next step. Takereviews with a grain of salt. Some people have a bad experience witha credit card processing company because they never bothered readingthe fine print and learn the hard way of why their fees are so highand can't get out of their contract. In other words it isn't alwaysthe companies fault – there are two sides to each story. Openingthe door for accepting credit cards at shows opens the door foraccepting credit card orders year around – great for commissionwork, people who end up being collectors of your work and cannot getto your shows, and more.

I hope this topic has helped some of you whether you are thinking aboutaccepting credit cards for the first time or have been acceptingcredit cards, but think it is time to look for a new processingcompany. Again, if you need more info, the info is out there andmany of your peers are happy to offer their two cents. The next 40question blog post will deal with handling problem customers andneighboring artists. Have a good weekend and sell sell sell! -Michelle Sholund www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com

Weekend show is over - time to rise & shine and start all over again! Before preparing for the next weekend's show, a series of paperwork, processing and organization must be done. After special orders and paperwork is completed, it's time to do two actions. The first is write a show review blog for this group, then email the promoter a follow up note. Good or Not so Good - I feel it essential to communicate my experience to the promoter. If I have suggestions, I'll first mention the good stuff, then offer ideas for the following years event. By far the majority of my emails go out to successful promoters/organizers thanking them for their dedication. I love sending these and always include a link to my review blog on this site.

I completed my review yesterday on a small local artists fair I participated in over the weekend in Racine and followed it up with an email to the organizer. I want to share with you part of her reply so you too can see the value in a simple follow up.

"Thank you for the wonderful recap, and thank you for your follow-up email. Most of all, thank you for appreciating our efforts. We are thrilled to have you participate in our show. You won my heart last year when you lifted my spirits at the end of the day, after I had taken a verbal beating from a disgruntled artist. You gave me a hug and said some of the same things you just wrote in your blog. Honestly, if my day would have ended on the sour note of the other artist, that feeling would have stayed with me all year. But, thanks to your kind and supportive words, I was excited to dig in and do it all over again this spring!"

The same can be said about communicating to a promoter the upsetting experiences an artist had. Not with anger, but always followed by suggestions for improvement of the situation. In my opinion, any artist that attends any art event is contributing to the success or failure of that event. Communication is key to keeping the good shows growing and the not so good shows improving. Of all the after-show routines we all have, this five to ten minute block of time is most valuable in years down the road.

I am a Great Lakes Nautical & Nature Fine Art photographer that participates in fine art shows and events across the Great Lakes Region. The 29th Annual Lake Front Artist Fair was held on Saturday, May 1st 2010. Located at Festival Park, right on Lake Michigan, I have participated in this event for four years and I will continue to use this well organized art fair as my "first of the year" event. Having a one day show early in the spring allows me to get back into the show every weekend routine. I once again get familiar with my setup, make sure equipment is working and figure out "how the heck did I pack this trailer last year?" It typically takes 3 shows to get my body back in shape (poor old body) and this one day show allows me to complain about muscle aches on Sunday.

This show is a juried event that runs from 9am to 4pm. It includes fine artists and fine art crafters as well as a silent auction, basket auction, childrens area, plant & bake sale and one of the most fantastic all day pancake breakfasts I've ever seen. The line for the breakfast is a long one, extending outside Festival Hall most of the day. Clearly a draw for most. The weather in past years has proved to be quite challenging. Right on the shores it has always been very windy with biting winds. I was thrilled this year when I did not need my winter coat and fingerless gloves. The day was marvelous!

ORGANIZER

Sponsored by the Racine Montessori school and underwritten by S.C. Johnson & Son, the event administrator is Rita Lewis. Fantastic woman and great at organizing this event - just love Rita as do all her volunteers. All artists have a choice of unloading times (I always choose 6:30am) and drive up to the curb of the park's entrance to unload. Parents/students/friends of the school are waiting with dollys and wagons to help unpack your stuff and haul to your booth location. There were 6 just helping us - all I had to do was stand in my booth area and direct them as to where they should place the stuff. It's all done so efficiently there typically is not a backup waiting to find a spot along the curb. There is an artist assigned parking lot not too far away but there is also a parking ramp right across the street for $1.50 for the day. I cannot say enough about the volunteers either. Always friendly, always checking to see if you have any needs.

LAYOUT

Booth spaces measure 12' by 10'. Our space has 2' on the side and we are always open to the back to use that area. The layout is patron and artist friendly. Traffic flow meanders around the grounds, entering and exiting at the same spot. With about 135 artists, it's easy for the patron to pass by each & every booth. I've been happy to have the same booth location near the entrance and close to the breakfast exit each year. Mine is exposed to the elements, but many of the inner booths are located under a roofed shelter and some inside the huge festival tent (I've somewhat envied them in past years during inclement weather, but I'm more of a "roughing it" soul.

BOTTOM LINE

There is no jury fee for this show. You send the application via mail along with photos of your work and a check for $75.00. If you are accepted, you are notified and they cash the check. Many considerations needed to be looked at to determine if this is an event that appeals to you. I can only share my thoughts.

For the reasons shared above I will always do this show. The entry fee is exceptional and the location is only an hour for me so I have no real expenses. My price points range from $10 to $580 but since Racine has been one of the hardest hit cities in the midwest, I lower my prices quite a bit. This is not a high end art show but does have, for the most part, high quality artists and crafters. Woodworkers, yard art, Ecuador hand loomed clothing along with great photography, painters, jewelers and more are all there. There are a few resellers allowed, but only the ones with interesting high quality stuff. I have no problem with that venue for this show. This is one of only two that I take my fine art note cards and lower priced items to. I don't even pack up my higher end items for this show - but I tend to make around $1000 for the one day, easy paced event. Probably one of the reasons I support this one is the sheer enjoyment of the day. It's always fairly profitable, there are no egos or cranky artists, it supports a local successful school and the organizer and all volunteers are really there to make the day pleasant for all.

This show is an example of how to survive these difficult economic times. You don't always have to go for the "Ann Arbor" shows! You don't have to always be concerned about "Upper Tier Fine Artists" only or not mixing in with high quality Crafters! Know your niche and think outside that Artists "Box". Should be on the list for any first time artist - although it will spoil you :D

Link to My 2010 Lake Front Artist Fair YouTube Video

Linda Anderson

Anderson Photo Works

Http://www.andersonphotoworks.com

• including drive-in set up and tear down
• prepaid labor assistance
• complimentary electricity in all booths
• an artist party which gives artists a chance to unwind together.
  

At the Brookside Art Annual, people not only browse, but buy

Artist Meredith Wenzel, who has been blowing glass for the last 37 years, won’t deny it. She likes happy people.

People who walk through art fairs, gaze at the paintings or the jewelry — and especially
her glass ornaments and vases — and appreciate them. Maybe buy a few.

Not surprising since Wenzel lives in Toledo, Ohio, 45 minutes from Detroit.
Smack in the middle of recession depression...

• This is a great date - there are hardly any art fairs on this weekend.
• Booth fees can't be beat. When is the last time you paid under $200 for a two day event?
• This one is going to be fun - come spend the weekend on the Lake Huron shoreline in the middle of an exciting festival.
  

• The quality of exhibitors' work was very uneven. I felt quite discouraged setting up on Wednesday & discovering this much hyped show had so much shlock work in it. My NYC artist friends who came to the show to see me & check if they would want to do this show in 2010 were also quite dismayed.
• I had high hopes for this OOAKNY show, put together an eye catching booth, & exhibited top quality work at reasonable price points. In spite of my best efforts, this show was a big disappointment.
• The venue was of a very shabby quality for the hype of the show, and somehow the word did not get out to the people who should have been there. NY is a world unto itself, I am glad I participated in the show so I could get an experience of the NY buyer, but am unsure, until I hear what changes will be made in the production, to commit to a second year at this show.
• It was a lovely city and a wonderful time personally but very difficult to accept more than $10,000 being spent along with a lot of logistics planned as well as personal time utilized for a return of under $2000 in sales. Being a smaller company it is really difficult to absorb this or take those sorts of risks again next year. I feel I understand and accept responsibility for taking the risk of being part of a new show and in a new market.
• I heard from some customers that they were disappointed in the exhibits and said that my work, original paintings were one of the few "one of a kind" items exhibited, which was true. There were mass produced items galore.There was the feeling that NYC OOAK was accepting any exhibitors to fill the Pier. That was very evident.
  
• Because of their excellent reputation in Chicago and Toronto, I expected it to be a grand show. Probably not enough advertising to the RIGHT, art savvy, potential customers, because those who did come were not fine art and fine craft buyers... in fact, their only interest was in items under $100...My corner booth cost $2,800 + $800 for electricity and during the four-day show, I made 3 sales totalling $345. I generally make a minimum of 2K per show. I am reeling from the loss.

Hi,

I just jumped into this forum and there is a load of info here!

I will be doing Crested Butte this year and it will be my first real outdoor show of the summer.

What are the experiences there? I paint abstracts (all originals) on canvas and planned to take some large show pieces and lots of small to medium work. What price range is typical buyer in CB looking for?

I'll be doing just a few festivals this year and I'm trying to get into decent ones. I sell pretty good locally, in my galleries and from my website and blog. I run a graphics business full time and wife is a professional so I don't have to sell tons to support my art habit just yet.

I'm wondering if I'm nuts to start going to festivals, but a couple of small ones have given me the bug.

Thanks!

Mark

From the "for what it's worth" side of the tracks. I am one of those "part timers" crazy enough to work a business for 12 hors a day, then find time to participate in the show circuit as a means to prepare for the afterlife. I began in 2003, first show being the Downtown Boulder Show, remember setting up the fake "display" in my back yard and leaning on my neighbors to play the part of the crowd so I had a booth shot.The feeling of pure euphoria as I actually sold pieces (think we sold around $2K that first time) encouraged me to stay with it. I honed my act,in terms of subject matter (i.e. "things that sell"), the booth, the pack up (remember cardboard boxes that came out of the truck fine, and having to tie them to the roof when I packed up) the framing and all those other litlle hard learned lessons.

The next few years things went well. Very well. We made it into some big shows, most notably Main St/Ft. Worth where we broke the magic five figure barrier for the first time (kinda like that back seat at the drive in moment you never forget). Bayou City, Crested Butte, Denver, Austin. So many adventures along the way.Met all sorts of good people. Found it to be fun to see familiar faces. Learned to keep things positive when so many found it easier to complain about sales, the weather, democrats, yadda,yadda.Learned what a community this is, how to help those stuggeling to set up/take down in the rain, how to be a better human being. How to never take the privlidge of being accepted in these shows for granted.

Come 2009, and burnout set in. Over 20 some odd shows that year, ran business via the internet and my so patient wife became less understanding of what I went thru. Blazing heat,monsson rains, hurricane force winds, the stress of no people in the streets and life on the road all took their toll. But more than ever, I missed being able to lose myself with the camera. Something has to give, and this became what I lost. That special connection with something you first feel, then see, then photograph became a distant memory. Only so much gas in the tank, I had to take a break.

Being waitlisted in 2010 confirmed it was time to think about time off. The amount of applicants for the shows became astounding .Personally I think the lack of "freshness" about my work contributed to not being accepted to shows I did for several years. Rather than be bitter, bitch about the unfairnness of it all, I considered taking the year off. But, I was accepted to a few and decided what the hell. I'll do a few.

The first pack up came, sent the weekend doing things I had all Winter to do (procrastination being a tattoo on my arm). Trailer packed, CC machine greased, inventory complete. And I was dog tired and half hearted. It hit me like a wet newspaper to the back of the head when I stopped the next day for gas. I went into the store, smelled the stale coffee and those chessburgerdoglog things glistening and rotating and mezmerizing.The semi toothed truck drivers, the semi literate cashiers. I remembered the late nights, the deadline to be somewhere I ain't gonna make. The fine selections of caffiene products (my regimine was 40 some odd ounces of dark roast, then 5 hour energy, then green tea to wind down.This would do just fine for the 20 hour straight run from Chitown to Texas).And those exquisite roadside rest rooms. I called the Woodlands and said I ain't gonna make it, so pull someone off the waitlist. Felt a bit like the kidney donor, I lost $400 and someone else got to make money.

So now, I am down to a few more few. While I think I am making the right decision, have to say the weekend of Main St. (waitlisted, never called) I was bummed.Memories of the exhileration of the set up, those crowds, those sales, and the nightlife afterwards played with me the whole week. I have to live vicariously for a while, but will stick to my disciplines, take a good hard look at myself, and come back kicking butt and taking names. But damn, I miss it for now.