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flea market success??? has anyone tried a full time stall selling thier guitars??

Posted by Crow on July 25, 2011 at 12:29am in For Sale: Cigar Box Guitars, other instruments, cd

hey guys, uncle crow here..

it's been a while, and it seems that i've spent the last year getting kicked. i still have not stabilized yet financially, and i'm considering a scary solution:

full time flea market sales.

 

has anyone tried selling thier instruments full time at flea markets and events? my job is dissolving, and i'm tired of getting shuffled from one crappy job to the next. my girlfriend says maybe it's time i took the uncle crow thing to the next level, and start my own store.

 

i have my own web site, and have spent a decent amount of time in sales, so i'm sure i CAN do it.. but i was wondering if anyone else has tried, and had any decent amount of success.

 

if anyone has EVER ran a small flea market business and has any advice, i'd be happy to listen! thanks for everything guys!

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Replies

  • Mark Bliss July 26, 2011 at 1:10pm
    LOL, well, I reckon if I could build and sell about ten mid to high end builds a day I could still afford to eat.......
  • William McCauley July 25, 2011 at 4:47pm
    Good luck, I put some on Craigslist, no luck. But, I did improve my e-mail skills. I would like to attend the fest, but I have other plans. Hope you can sell 'em all.
  • Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates July 25, 2011 at 3:47pm

    Damn Shane, whatta load of CBGs. Good for ya and good luck!

     

    -WY

  • Shane Speal July 25, 2011 at 3:27pm

    I'm preparing to sell at the Hanover PA Dutch Festival this Saturday.  10,000 people.  I've got 19 guitars done.  More to build.  Nation member, Mike Orr will be selling with me. 

    205915_1859502726514_1209281951_31611468_2666807_n.jpg

  • Hellhound Custom Built Guitars July 25, 2011 at 12:48pm

    Hey Crow,

     Lots of great advice out there and there is a good amount of intrest in what we do. I started building and selling last year (selling only as a means to keep building) ebay has been good to me in the past but sales have slowed way down as there are so many more builders out there. Name quality and $ all play into it. I have put cash in my pocket by building these truley unique instraments. In have recently had some success selling at my local cigar shop where I place my instraments on display for a comission. As far as the flea markets I would avoid any place that charges a large fee to set up a booth. christmas sales are a great way to generate a good cashflow but the demand can take the joy out of building. well i check in again good luck to ya whatever you do.

  • Sharecropper July 25, 2011 at 12:23pm
     I have been running a hot dog cart this summer at different flea market type events ,  haven't had any luck selling any cbg's there .  I don't know the legalitys or realitys of this , but can you put a link of your web site on your   you-tube videos ?     I would price your crow style build at least $65 .......I think I've seen members on this site reporting of selling more than 200 cbgs a year !   That seeming to be the best case scenario the math would seem to say diversify . Mass market ....sell through the world wide web .         Sorry, I'm not sure if you're thinking of having a  "REAL"  store or not .....but with a real store you could do consignments and /or rent out $25 spaces on saturday in front of the store and run your own flea market . Everybody has something they want to sell these days .    Good luck !
  • Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates July 25, 2011 at 9:24am
    Did that. Can-Dul (canjo with a dulcimer shaped wood back). I've sold two of 6 in the past 4 shows. Kids toys are a great simple/easy concept but i haven't had luck. Parents just don't want to buy "craftsy' things for kids OR dad thinks he can build one (which is true). I'll send you picks if you want to try one.

    -WY



    Crow said:

     

    my product line would be cheap and cheerful, one string duclimer scale instruments for kids, simple cheap three string slide guitars for adults

     

    thanks for all the information guys!

  • Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates July 25, 2011 at 9:17am
    Yeah, i give out those self-printable business cards to whomever i think would be a prospect. One suggestion, make cards like that with your site and a 'promo code' for $$ off if they hit your website.

    at fests, folks know that the food is expensive, the kids are going to hound them for every little toy, its hot/cold/rainy/crowded, and they don't have the $150+ to send at a fest.

    If you can, set up an account to take credit/debit and advertise that! That is a big factor.

    -WY



    Keni Lee Burgess said:
    I think selling at a flea market may work well, but you might want to produce in a lower price range. Additionally, I think you might need to go every week to give people a chance to see you and come back prepared to buy. So, think about investing in the full season. Having walk away literature may increase return interest too.  Here in the flea markets, most venders sell low ticket items and customers are simply looking for cheap purchases. Good Luck, Keni Lee         
  • Crow July 25, 2011 at 8:56am

    thanks for all the insight, guys! to clarify a few things:

    my guitars are lower price range, $50-75 and super low investment in materials and time, which i know means i have to sell MORE of them to make a decent profit, which may be self-defeating, i mean, how many can i sell before interest burns out?

    JEFF TINSLEY: so glad you spoke up! i was considering the same thing - a small array of primitive/"redneck"/simplistic homemade toys to attract the interest/fun/cheap buyers.

     

    my product line would be cheap and cheerful, one string duclimer scale instruments for kids, simple cheap three string slide guitars for adults

     

    i plan on including instructional materials for the instruments as well, with "walk-away" literature, as someone put it, so it's cool to see i'm thinking on the right track...

     

    thanks for all the information guys!

  • Keni Lee Burgess July 25, 2011 at 8:37am
    I think selling at a flea market may work well, but you might want to produce in a lower price range. Additionally, I think you might need to go every week to give people a chance to see you and come back prepared to buy. So, think about investing in the full season. Having walk away literature may increase return interest too.  Here in the flea markets, most venders sell low ticket items and customers are simply looking for cheap purchases. Good Luck, Keni Lee         
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