anyone in Brick & Mortar shops?

[Former_Member]

Just wondering if anyone has moved outside of Etsy to actual shops.
If so... do you do consignment with them or wholesale?

Consignment scares me! What are your thoughts?

[Former_Member]

My things are in three different stores, two are wholesale and one is consignment. I have had both good and bad experiences. My best advice is to get to know the owners well and keep detailed spreadsheets of all your items and transactions. Last December a shop closed with some of my stuff in it and I was out $50. Now I am more careful! Consignment should scare you, be aware that it is mostly good for the shop owner and not for you. I only sell consignment to one store because I know the owners and they have been very good about keeping records and paying me on time. Feel free to ask me if you have anymore questions, I have been doing this for a few years :)

[Former_Member]

Thank you so much! Great advice! I really appreciate your insight.

[Former_Member]

I am in four consignment shops ~ San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, Chicago and my hometown of Denver. I guess I've been extremely lucky because all of my shop owners are awesome and we have great working relationships. I have been working with three of them for over a year now.

My advice? Take a chance and start out slow. Get a feel for each other ~ and each shop owner works differently. Once you feel comfortable that it will work, add a bit more product. If you don't feel comfortable, don't commit and move on.

Don't know if that helps, and like I said, I may be the exception to the rule, but I love doing consignment. :)

Good luck!

[Former_Member]

Not yet! I keep chickening out. I do have a few bookmarks and prints in a yoga studio for consignment - but I go there every week for belly dancing classes, so I check myself to see if anything's sold.

http://blog.aquariann.com/2010/08/relax-with-aquarianns-art-at-yoga.html

[Former_Member]

I'm in one, and it was wholesale. Consignment freaks me out, too, and I definitely wouldn't do it unless we established a good relationship first. Wholesale is nice and simple for both parties involved.

Have you thought about doing a trunk show to test the waters?