Saturday, April 28, 2012
Summer break 2012
This past season was a bust, with Bob and I wondering just what to do in the future. Looking over our records, our income has been steadily dropping, even as we've diversified our offering. The local shows have frankly become pathetic, with several just a step away from a glorified flea market, but billed and recruited by promoters as Antique shows. Somewhere along the line the divide between the true junk for sale and the better quality but affordable pieces has turned into a chasm. What was reasonable has become overpriced, to be replaced by (dare I say) Chinese knockoffs and packages of athletic socks.
It turns my stomach. I know my only future lies with the internet business, yet I am stuck in a quagmire of an overwhelming amount of inventory and where to start and how to keep track of it.
I am encouraged lately by the internet sales, and to date haven't had a complaint that hasn't been easily resolved. It's a world apart from doing a show; just the physical effort is draining for both of us. I find it psychologically difficult to play "show and tell," negotiating great (really great!) prices on goods, only to have people say they are just looking and walk away. It's not a good market for a seller as far as face to face retailing goes, for us.
I've been talking forever about putting more items on the website. Seems that any task that would benefit myself is destined to take a back seat, at least for this past, extremely stressful past year.
The image I chose for today is a Wedgwood Jasperware mini vase in a highly collectible sage green colour, produced in limited quantities and not every year. It features the familiar "Sacrifice" figures, the molds for the bas relief having been used for over 220 years. I like my history.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Dade City, Spring 2012
Our two-day show in Dade City (pretty much an oasis in the middle of nowhere) was rather exciting. Saturday we were going great guns - there were news reports of "weather" to the west and south of us, but nothing coming our way. At 1:30, the skies split open suddenly and what felt like a ton of rain just dumped on us. We had our tarps at the ready and scrambled to cover everything, and save the ephemera in particular.
Once battened down, I looked up long enough to see how our neighbors were faring. One lone dealer across from us was having trouble, so I trotted over to give a hand. Dealers help each other out - it's not just an unspoken rule, it's one of the characteristics that drew me to the field.
Then the wind picked up, and our (by now) rickety tent was showing disturbing signs of wanting to become airborne. We secured everything as best we could - covered and clamped down - and retreated to the hotel to dry off and contemplate a half day of commerce lost to the elements. Ah - outdoor shows. So inexpensive to participate in, so unpredictable!
After an indescribable "Italian" dinner in Brooksville that by now is far too many generations removed from the homeland to have any idea what Italian food taste or looks like (um, veal is not supposed to be gray!), we went back to the show site to survey the aftereffects of the storm.
Our tent had collapsed on top of the tables it was protecting. We solemnly pulled the wreckage away and gave it the heave-ho into a dumpster. (One less thing to pack up, woo-hoo!!!) And the next morning, we pulled off the tarps to find almost perfectly dry items. Wow - I was impressed. Others were less fortunate.
It had a big impact on our sales :-( and the show is getting smaller and smaller. Antique shops closed, dealers dropping out, it's rather depressing. Heard lots of whining - more so than in the past. My response was to be kind of goofy and happy, not wanting to take a trip down to where those dealers were dwelling.
That's it for the "season" here. Troubling times in the business, yet we are still in there!
Once battened down, I looked up long enough to see how our neighbors were faring. One lone dealer across from us was having trouble, so I trotted over to give a hand. Dealers help each other out - it's not just an unspoken rule, it's one of the characteristics that drew me to the field.
Then the wind picked up, and our (by now) rickety tent was showing disturbing signs of wanting to become airborne. We secured everything as best we could - covered and clamped down - and retreated to the hotel to dry off and contemplate a half day of commerce lost to the elements. Ah - outdoor shows. So inexpensive to participate in, so unpredictable!
After an indescribable "Italian" dinner in Brooksville that by now is far too many generations removed from the homeland to have any idea what Italian food taste or looks like (um, veal is not supposed to be gray!), we went back to the show site to survey the aftereffects of the storm.
Our tent had collapsed on top of the tables it was protecting. We solemnly pulled the wreckage away and gave it the heave-ho into a dumpster. (One less thing to pack up, woo-hoo!!!) And the next morning, we pulled off the tarps to find almost perfectly dry items. Wow - I was impressed. Others were less fortunate.
It had a big impact on our sales :-( and the show is getting smaller and smaller. Antique shops closed, dealers dropping out, it's rather depressing. Heard lots of whining - more so than in the past. My response was to be kind of goofy and happy, not wanting to take a trip down to where those dealers were dwelling.
That's it for the "season" here. Troubling times in the business, yet we are still in there!
Monday, January 9, 2012
How the season is shaping up
PLEASE: no liquids near the keyboard.
We've had 2 sales this holiday season. One transaction was with a gentleman in Belgium for a Wedgwood Jasperware item on the website. Despite daily (and sometime, hourly) attempts on both our ends, we were both unable to make the eCrater e-commerce work to our mutual benefit. It took over four weeks of back-and-forth emails, some good faith, and more than a little bit of "so THIS is why the global economy is messed up" on both sides before the transaction was SUCCESSFULLY completed. AND the customer, despite initiating the business in the first week of November, was able to take receipt of the item before Christmas. It was a real nail biter!
The second sale, not so exciting, is also not so successful. Seven soup bowls of Queensware, again shipped and taken receipt before Christmas. Only the customer ordered the incorrect variation of the design (one has a smooth edge - what I've got and shipped him; the other has a ruffled or scalloped edge, which is what they wanted, but I haven't any of). So that sale is coming back for a full refund.
No matter how many photos you take, or how careful the wording is in a description, people will see what they want to see and read what they want to read. Especially when Christmas is 10 days away.
We've had 2 sales this holiday season. One transaction was with a gentleman in Belgium for a Wedgwood Jasperware item on the website. Despite daily (and sometime, hourly) attempts on both our ends, we were both unable to make the eCrater e-commerce work to our mutual benefit. It took over four weeks of back-and-forth emails, some good faith, and more than a little bit of "so THIS is why the global economy is messed up" on both sides before the transaction was SUCCESSFULLY completed. AND the customer, despite initiating the business in the first week of November, was able to take receipt of the item before Christmas. It was a real nail biter!
The second sale, not so exciting, is also not so successful. Seven soup bowls of Queensware, again shipped and taken receipt before Christmas. Only the customer ordered the incorrect variation of the design (one has a smooth edge - what I've got and shipped him; the other has a ruffled or scalloped edge, which is what they wanted, but I haven't any of). So that sale is coming back for a full refund.
No matter how many photos you take, or how careful the wording is in a description, people will see what they want to see and read what they want to read. Especially when Christmas is 10 days away.
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