alexseanchai: Katsuki Yuuri wearing a blue jacket and his glasses and holding a poodle, in front of the asexual pride flag with a rainbow heart inset. (Default)
let me hear your voice tonight ([personal profile] alexseanchai) wrote2011-11-12 04:25 pm
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Craft fair went suckily. $25 for the table. Sold $19 worth of jewelry. One sale. One frickin' sale. Don't know what happened to the person who said she'd buy a necklace but I waited until the absolute last second to disassemble my displays and she never came back. Gave away three business cards and heard about a craft fair next month and, because I brought my supplies with me, left with a bunch more inventory than I came in with. And there was a girl when I was cleaning up who asked how it'd gone and told me she thought I was overpricing my things because the other jewelry vendors were selling their earrings for $5. I suppose I could sell my cheapest things for $5 instead of $10. If I value my labor and creativity at $0, that is. $5 about covers materials, shipping expenses, Etsy's and Paypal's cuts, and the ten percent of every sale I give to charity, and that only if materials come to under a dollar, and I'm not giving a discount to people who buy at craft fairs instead of online. And my labor and creativity are damn well worth something.

So between the table price, the hot dog I bought because it was lunchtime and I was hungry, and the earrings I'd cheerfully have paid $15 for if they weren't tagged $5, today's excursion has put me $12.50 further in the hole. $14.40 once we figure in the charitable donation, which Mom is going to laugh at me for and probably refuse on behalf of our square dance club (she's the club treasurer, so she's the one to whom any donations go, and because it was square dancer earrings that sold, it's the square dance club gets the money). Le sigh.

And apparently Occupy Somewhere got a bunch of paper dumped on them, which pissed the occupiers off, because they were job apps for McDonald's. Because clearly the McDonald'ses of Somewhere have enough job openings for all the occupiers who haven't got jobs. And this is amusing to my mother, for reasons I can't parse. And when I point out that this is in fact highly offensive, because there are six fucking job applicants for every job opening, and also many of those applicants have valuable skills better used not flipping fucking burgers and asking if you want any fucking fries with that, Dad shouts me down, because apparently I'm not allowed to have opinions contrary to Mom's while I owe her money and live in her house. And I can't go through with my original plan of going square dancing tonight and attempting to sell more jewelry while I'm there, because it's going to take everything I've got to finish cooking fucking dinner without letting them see me cry.

Hugs would be gratefully appreciated.

[identity profile] cjmr.livejournal.com 2011-11-12 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Hugs are most definitely offered. What is your Etsy, that I might go see your wares? (I hope I can remember my etsy account password.)

cjmr

(The McD's near my in-laws is getting more like 50 apps per job opening.)
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[personal profile] neotoma 2011-11-12 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
And my labor and creativity are damn well worth something.

Sadly, with craft fairs you're going to get a lot of prospective buyers who don't agree with that. It's something of a continuing problem with in the crafting community -- I hear it at guild meetings all the time.

Occupy Somewhere got a bunch of paper dumped on them, which pissed the occupiers off,

Chicago, was what I heard. It was completely infuriating.

And I can't go through with my original plan of going square dancing tonight and attempting to sell more jewelry while I'm there, because it's going to take everything I've got to finish cooking fucking dinner without letting them see me cry.

{hug}

and seriously, if you want to run away to the DC metro area, you're welcome to sleep on my couch until you get your feet.
highlyeccentric: Sign on Little Queen St - One Way both directions (Default)

[personal profile] highlyeccentric 2011-11-12 10:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, honey. *hugs you tightly*

(Anonymous) 2011-11-12 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I wish I had something uplifting or inspiring to say. Sorry that I don't, but I come bearing hugs.

I hope things get better for you. I hope they get better for you at an unreasonably fast pace.

-chris the cynic.
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[personal profile] pthalo 2011-11-12 10:32 pm (UTC)(link)
*hugs*
tptigger: (Default)

[personal profile] tptigger 2011-11-12 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
*hugs*

[identity profile] willbikeforchange.wordpress.com 2011-11-13 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
I really love the circuit board earrings, but I don't wear many earrings. I would totally buy it as a necklace though!

Are there any higher-end craft fairs around you? I go to Crafty Bastards in D.C. every year, and the prices are much higher. Nonetheless, I'm willing to pay $60+ for a skirt or dress because I know I'm directly paying the salary of the person who made it, and I think other people there have the same opinion. Being around higher-end crafters will make your prices seem more reasonable.
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[personal profile] redsixwing 2011-11-13 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
((((hugs)))) ((cookies?))

I'm sorry it didn't go well... all my craft fairs bombed this year, too. D:

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[personal profile] kimboo_york 2011-11-13 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
*HUGS*

I'm sorry about the terrible sales. I really DO blame the economy, every sector spending is down.

That said, have you tried repricing in the opposite direction? Pricing UP? As in, doubling? Sometimes the value perception is skewed; that is, a cheap item is view as too cheap to buy, and and a really expensive item is viewed as too valuable NOT to buy. Especially in luxury goods (or, bridal wares! LOL). I'm not saying reprice everything, but maybe next time put an outrageous price on one or two of your nicest items and see what happens. You never know.

Hope things turn around for you. <3
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[personal profile] anaraine 2011-11-13 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
*hugs*
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[personal profile] mercredigirl 2011-11-13 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
I'm sorry to hear that that sale didn't go well :( I'll be signal-boosting this on my networks, and I hope you get good custom! *good wishes*