I have to get it in my brain that people are not collecting anymore or out to get a bargain, they are shopping to buy decor or fun items for their home and are willing to spend, spend spend! 👏🏼
I needed to hear that part about the ladies who like to have lunch and spend money for fun. I forget that some folks actually brag about how expensive something was. :) Thanks for sharing all your valuable tips!
I have been following your booth suggestions and.....THEY WORK!! My booth has gone from barely covering my rent to making a profit. I totally changed how I was staging it and pricing my products. It has been a real game changer THANK YOU GODDESS!
Everything you said makes so much sense and is so true. What’s hard is when the owners of the mall you’re in say they want a high turnover of more affordable items and they price their own stuff cheap.
Yes… you are right. And since they’re the owners, they don’t have to worry about that extra 10% or whatever commission that you have to pay. It can be frustrating.
I’ve had an antique booth for 25 years and it’s rare that I can find a good enough deal anymore to mark it up three times what I paid for it. It happens some but not on a regular basis. You can’t even find very good deals at thrift stores much anymore because they have all gone up in price and many now have a “vintage” area in their store and mark their prices up to antique store prices which just enrages me because they get their stuff for free. It probably makes a difference in what part of the country you live in also. Things sell pretty quickly in my booth for the most part because I do have good prices. I have tried to raise my prices but then things sit for months before they sell, I’m not able to move as much inventory as quickly so for me it really evens out in the end. Yes I may get a better price but if it sits and takes up space for 4 months or more versus one or two I’m not really making more money in the long run.
Prices have gone up, for sure! And it is a balancing act on having prices too high that items sit. My real hope and desire for this industry is that we stop being seen as a “cheap” place to shop, you know what I mean? That the world of automatic discounts and bidding down a dealers price go away, and that we are seen as the boutique stores we truly are. And that dealers can sell their items for enough profit to actually pay themselves a paycheck and make it a real business :)
@@LostFoundDecor Well after watching a couple more of your videos I realized that we are talking about two different kinds malls. The mall I’m in is strictly antiques. I’m sure the owner would be offended if someone called it a boutique. Lol. There isn’t even any repurposed vintage items there. Just strictly good quality antiques and people know that and that is what they come to buy. There isn’t a lot of staging going on except maybe a couple of booths. We have a really nice “boutique” mall in our area with a mixture of old items, and lots of repurposed vintage items and there is a lot of staging there. I love to go there and get tons of ideas of how to use my beloved antiques in my home. I think people expect different things depending on what kind of mall they are going to.
That makes so much sense. I’m cheap and I’m crafty, and I see something and think, I can make that for $, why pay $$, but I forget the non-crafty person will be happy to pay $$ or even $$$ because they are not able (or have the time) to make it themselves.
I just opened my first booth this week! My mom had told me about you and I'm glad I found you! I am realizing quickly how I am pricing things too low. I have already had some steady sales, but I don't want to be worrying about covering my booth rent even if my husband is very supportive of this hobby/career 😉 Thanks for your info! I think this is going to help me a lot with pricing the things I am putting in my booth
I have been doing this for 18 years. One thing is if you have the money to sit on things then that makes perfect sense. But if you depend on sales to continue to buy more items, you have to sale cheaper until you grow your business capital.
This is awesome information! One of the reasons I left the shop I started off in was because one of the biggest vendors in that shop (she had about 1/3 of the shop) would price her things so low and it was hard to compete with that. She got such good deals on things or she got them for free from her network at her church. She said she wanted to "pass on the blessing" to the customers but in turn it would make my things look over priced and they would pass my booth that was $20 and find something similar in her booth for $8. I feel so much better in the shop I'm in now because the owner is on top of all of the vendors and making sure we are priced appropriately. She's always marking things up in everyone's booths. I love her. Thank you for opening up the boot camp! I'm asking for it for Christmas!!
I can appreciate the vendor you mentioned and her sweet heart… but you’re right. She unintentionally wound up creating a situation that hurt every other vendor in the space. I’m glad you found another option!
I’m also in a a very large antique mall and as most of us resellers selling secondhand items it’s very hard to have the same items for resell as in the other booths unless you specialize in your goods for resell. Don’t get me wrong it does happen but not that often. Pricing and condition is everything especially with today’s economy.
Great suggestions!!! I had a booth when I was in my 20's its been 30+ years ago. It was so much fun but I worked a regular job and a single parent of three. Once it's in your blood it's hard to stop. I have picking in my blood and know you can purchase almost anything you want for a fraction of the cost if you are willing to wait. There are those too that turn their nose up to used items (especially clothing). I need to open a shop because I have continued to pick and need to sell some of this stuff.
Great advice. I don't have a booth yet, but I sell on eBay. Among eBay resellers, when someone prices their items much lower than others do, we call it the "race to the bottom." Underpricing only leads to devaluing yourself and every seller around you. I hadn't thought about it in terms of thinking like the kind of buyers we are versus thinking like the kind of buyers we want buying from us, but the way you put it makes such sense!
@@LostFoundDecor I have heard similar complaints from artisans who try to sell their products at craft fairs - they are so angry with all those old ladies who are selling crafted items much cheaper. We have to accept that there will always be people who do selling as a hobby - there is nothing wrong with it! - and of course they are able to sell much cheaper. We have no right to demand that hobbyists accept our rules - why should they?! Hobby and business are two totally different realities and mindsets. There are at least two possible solutions for those of us who want to do real business: 1) Go selling somewhere else, where you do not have hobbyists as competitors. If you take your business seriously, maybe eBay is not the right place for you at all - to sell there among all those hobbyists may even make your business seem amateurish. 2) If you want to sell your stuff on eBay or other similar platforms that are open to hobbyists, too, you must be able to offer something more - you must do everything very professionally, from advertising to price tags to packaging, to stand out and show that the customer really gets more in exchange for the higher price!
Oh my gosh! You are so right about sellers being cheap. I had this very realization about myself just a few weeks ago! Well, I knew I’d been cheap for a while, but the effect my mindset was having on my booth prices was the real epiphany. The longer I do this the more I am able to source very inexpensively, and the further removed I am from retail. I think I need to spend a little more time browsing retail decor stores, vintage markets, and antique shops to get myself back in the correct mindset. It’s hard sometimes though because I always think I would rather be spending my time at sources I can “afford”. 😉 Thank you for addressing the pricing issues we all face.
I started out selling on Instagram, have moved to Etsy, and am now opening a booth. This video is so in touch with what's going on at antique malls (including the one I'm moving into) and the attitudes of so many sellers. Thank you!
Im surprised booth vendors don’t already know that information. But I did find most of your advice a good reminder that’s for sure. I only wish you would have visual lessons and examples that make the video stand out a little more ..
Great Great Great information Thank you! I just opened my booth on my Birthday this August and their are other booths that sell dirt cheap and I’m like why are they doing that…. After watching this video now I feel good about my price’s. I have Great stuff not cheap stuff so the price is right!!!! Praise the Lord and May His Blessing and Favor be with you all! 🤍
I wish I could triple my prices from my cost. That may work with items that sell for less than $25, but most of my stuff sells for a couple of hundred dollars. I try to get it at a wholesale price and sell low retail. Usually only making $50, maybe $100 on each sale. I also try to move it within 48 hours of buying it. How do you manage your higher price items?
love this so true!!! thx you!!! i was the shopper that spends too much lol, now retiring and selling lots of my stuff, too much in my home! But love all my stuff ,will always shop but want to sell now!
Thank you so much for the pep talk! I am one of those who thinks I should price too low. I'm about to open my first ever booth and I'm glad I put off pricing (been doing research first). I will remember your wise words while I'm filling out my price tags!
Woah! Your number 2 had me jaw dropped , that’s been happening to me lately. I opened my booth couple months ago. Your tips have really helped me a lot. Thank you for sharing , I appreciate it so much. 💕💕💕
Truth! Yes, I have gotten cheaper the longer I've been in the business. I also needed to hear permission to charge an appropriate price for things that are worth more ... buy a $2.00 item but know it's worth $40, and NOT feel guilty over it. ETA ... Just shared the video to a private group for vendors at store I'm in. Hoping they are helped as much as me.
LOVE your channel! Just rented a very small space in vendor mall. Made me realize how much I loved having my own shop years ago. Not sure how this will go, but felt like I had to try. Great info, very helpful! Thanks!
🌺Thank YOU FOR all your helpful tips!! I think your right about pricing my items to low. I fill my booth and (( every time )). All the new items sell in the first 2-3 days. And when I come back to check it, it’s all the old stuff that has been sitting for weeks!! I started getting bored because I only have a small booth it’s 2ft deep, 4 ft wide. I have been on a waiting list for over 1 1/2 years or more for a larger booth at 2 different antique malls. I really need that extra space to have a booth set up the way I want. I’m a ((. NEW SUBSCRIBER )) THANKS FOR ALL YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT . I NEEDED TO HEAR YOUR ENCOURAGING WORDS TODAY!! 😁
Thank so much! These videos are very informative. It would be awesome if you could follow up with a video with resources for pricing items. I find myself spending a great deal of time researching prices for unique finds and sometimes just guessing at prices.
This is probably the most true and excellent info I've heard on this subject! Thank you so much for putting it out there. We don't have to be all things to all people in our booths/stores.
Melanie, I feel so fortunate to have found your channel. I'm hoping to start my booth in March/April, so I plan to start your course after the first of the year. I've been a SAHM and homeschool mom for 24 years, so I'm so excited for this new journey!
hello from richmond VA. did you start your booth and what have you learned. goods and bads. I just commited to a Painted tree booth launching end of March.
Loved this Video!! This was a hard lesson for me to learn when I started out 7+ years ago. I was blessed with a lot of "free" stuff as friends donated to me when I first started out. So a lot of my stuff was priced cheap, but then I realized, I didn't want my booth to look like a flea market or garage sale, so I adjusted my pricing to reflect the style I wanted my booth to reflect. I am still blessed with "free" stuff from friends, but I am pricing it such that I am not selling it the minute it hits the door of the store, and I'm competitive with the other dealers in our store. A problem I do have is when I have furniture in my booth over 30-60 days, I get tired of it and I'm ready for it to sell.....so the price drops, as long as I can still make a profit. My philosophy is if furniture stays in my booth too long, it's eating up rent. I have also realized that some customers, think if your price is too low, there must be something wrong with it. So higher can be better. Thank you Melanie for your tips! I always appreciate them!
I think your thoughts on furniture are totally spot on . . . I think it's 100% ok to mark individual items down if they sit too long, much better than a "total booth" sale. Thanks so much for watching and sharing your thoughts :)
I got soo much stuff from my Grandma when She sold Her 3,600 sq foot home. I have a storage room and 1 bedroom full of antiques and vintage items. For several years I wouldn’t part with any of it. But 2 years ago I started selling the things that I didn’t Love💕 or it wasn’t my style. It made me happy to share these things with others. So now I have a booth. I wish it was 6x’s the size, it’s very small.but I have learned so much. I also love to go to Estate Sales, yard sales, Antique Malls. It’s so much fun! But it’s a lot more work then people realize. Happy Thrifting & Selling. :)
Hi I just happened to stumble onto this video on TH-cam and I watched it and I have to say personally as a buyer I pass high-priced items especially if I know I can get them cheaper. I will take out the time to go hunting down something I want and something I know that I can get a much cheaper price on . so there are buyers out there that will keep walking by your booth if the prices are too high. For me hunting down and going to many shops is the high point for me I actually like hunting and going to different stores different flea markets and different thrift stores or different antique shops to find something that I would like that is priced reasonably. Not all of us buyers can afford your prices especially with the economy now as it is.
Hi Nancy! I appreciate your thoughts :) There are different types of customers, and it sounds like you are the type that enjoys the hunt-I’m the same way!! I have learned though that there are others who aren’t interested in hunting and are glad to pay what is being asked, and those are the customers I try to target. Pricing should be fair-I certainly am not advocating price gauging 😊 But in my 9 years of having this business, I’ve learned many booth owners lose money every month or barely make ends meet, because they feel the need to price items low. By the time the malls take their commissions, rent is paid, and gas, mileage, and other expenses are added up, most booth owners are left with pennies of profit. I think if we want malls and these types of businesses to succeed, we have to expect that booth owners should be able to pay themselves for their work. My booth business supplies a third of my family of 5’s income, so I have to make sure I price my items high enough to cover my costs and actually have enough left to pay myself a paycheck. That’s the bigger point I am trying to make and help booth owners understand. But like you, I love a good deal and a good hunt!
I think that is why she said ...she isn't trying to attract herself, as a customer. I love finding a bargain, I love the hunt, and I wouldn't pay the high prices, either, but there are a lot of people who will. I went on Etsy last week, to see what people are selling certain items for, and I was absolutely shocked to see what people would pay for some items, that were priced pretty (ridiculously) high.
I need to market my art, crafts, etc. but don't know where to start! I'm skeptical about renting a booth. I'm also thinking about Marketplace or Etsy. Shipping seems like a hastle for much of what I sell, i.e. glass yard art, paintings, flower arrangements in creative containers, furniture I artistically redo, etc. Any suggestions which way to go? I'm 77 and on a tight budget so, of course, would love to make some money on my creative efforts. I loved your video , especially about pricing and types of buyers. I've always been frugal and just assume others are or should be!!! I can't believe how many people have money and like to impress others with how much they spend!! I've always been impressed by the bargain shoppers like me!!
Pricing is hard for me but your logic is sound. Great to hear about the boot camp course change because I simply wasn't ready this time but will be soon 😃
I'm fairly new to reselling (Market place) For almost a year I usually look up what that item is selling for on Ebay and Etsy and price accordingly. My sales are so so
Interestingly, you are probably selling to a different market :) Folks who shop FB marketplace and EBay/Etsy people tend to be people who know what they want, they are more “collectors” on the hunt. Today’s mall shoppers are shifting to more “just out for fun” shoppers, not always looking for something specific. It’s really 2 different groups of people :) Both age buyers, but you have to market to each one a big differently. Good lucky with your sales!!
So I’ve noticed that many of the antique malls all have the mindset of “people are looking for deals” and the older mindset of collectors. Is it possible to build that brand in your booth when other vendors aren’t the same?
If you’re location is really holding onto that kinda “glorified garage sale” shopping, then it can be tough to have your booth at a higher price point. So it depends really on where you’re selling. I encourage folks to try and find locations that are appealing to a more home decor shopper rather than a deal getter :)
"You don't want me or people like me to shop at your booth!"😂😂😂 Very true! We want the rich ones who are trying to impress their friends and family.....the ones with the thick wallets!! Haha
I have so much stuff, in my home, that my mom obtained, over the years, and I want to start selling some stuff, and I needed to know how to price all of it. I am, also, making things like cutting boards and other things, that is basically free, for me, and I don't know how to price the things I want to make. I try to look at how other people are pricing similar items, but the prices are all over the place. I don't want to sell stuff for nothing, but I don't want to price too high, either.
Hi! Pricing can be a challenge when you’re just starting out. I would try to figure out about how many cutting boards you can make in an hour, then what is the total cost for those you made. Then ask yourself what an hour of your time and labor is worth (bc it’s not free!). All that info together can help you figure out the true cost of the products you make. And I always encourage to price your items at least 3 times the cost. Hope that helps!
Hi question; I have a booth and I sell home made crafts in the same building there’s a booth that sells crafts that’s mark cheap but there always wiped out , for example a 12” x10” stuff snowman sells for 12.00 ea ., so I’m try to double my prices but after watching your channel I’m learning that I need to increase my prices. Thank you so much
Hi Sherry :) It’s hard when you have to compete with someone who is really undercutting prices. But I do believe that ultimately, you will wind up attracting different customers. The customers of that booth are the deal hunters, and it’s ok if you don’t get all of them. There are customers out there who don’t mind paying more when they find what they love :)
Hi, I subscribed to your channel today and appreciate the information you are sharing with your viewers. I have a question, I currently don’t have a booth but my 2022 prayer is to open one this yr. I only do craft shows can you tell me if you know what is the biggest difference between them?
I would say consistency of income… rather than making sales a few times a year, it’s a chance to make sales every day :) But it also is a bigger time investment. I hope you can find something that works for you though!
When I price the way you describe, I go months with low sales. So then I end up lowering the prices anyway. What is your method for reacting to low sales months in a productive way?
Hey Vivian! Pricing double wholesale usually doesn’t leave enough room to cover your cost of goods, plus any commission taken by your booth and your other expenses, then still having profit to put in your pocket.
Great question! Depends I think on if your mall has tags that are barcodes-then I think you can do a 12.99. But if you still hand write tags and your mall manually types them in, I would stick with just $12 to help minimize human error
How I would mark it totally depends on if the mall scans in barcodes or hand types in tickets when they sell. When I had my store and everything was barcodes, it was all $X.99 because no typing was required. At my new mall, they type in manually all tickets, so I make the pricing quick and easy, no .$99
I do and don’t agree with you on how to price your items for resale. For one if you want to get best prices for your products sometimes it is better to sell online versus local sales whereas for local sales I find pricing can be a touchier subject. For me over the past five years I decided to be a better price shopper and condition is everything in most cases, you need to be the judge on this matter. My new strategy on pricing was of course always buy low and in my case I started pricing more for resellers versus the everyday customers since resellers shop just about everyday versus the average customer shops only several times per month. With sales of over two hundred plus items every month gives me enough money to shop for the following month plus groceries, fuel for the vehicles and keepers. Another thing is grouping your items so that you can see if your items are getting any attention, by doing so you can tell more about what is hot or not and if your pricing is to expensive for your area.
Thanks for sharing your experience! And yes, selling online is the best way to get top dollar. Selling at lower prices for resellers mainly is for sure one way to do it locally, it’s just not the method I’ve ever chosen. I would rather sell fewer items at a higher profit margin, less work for me :) But there are lots of ways to make it work 😊
There is no way, in the area that I live in, that I can price things three times what I paid for them. I sell primitives, antiques, crafts etc. It really all depends on how much you paid for something. And let’s face it, sometimes we overpay for things that we love.
It’s not right for the people who do it just for a hobby to price low because they are hurting those that are trying to make it a business and a living.
Very good points. I am not my ideal customer. Lol. Well said.
It’s funny when you realize it, right?!
@@LostFoundDecor no joke lol
I have to get it in my brain that people are not collecting anymore or out to get a bargain, they are shopping to buy decor or fun items for their home and are willing to spend, spend spend! 👏🏼
I needed to hear that part about the ladies who like to have lunch and spend money for fun. I forget that some folks actually brag about how expensive something was. :)
Thanks for sharing all your valuable tips!
It’s so true! I’m not like that, so it’s easy to forget there are shoppers out there who are :)
For every Ten people that bypass your overpriced item. There will be one person to purchase the item b/c it's a must have. 💜
I have been following your booth suggestions and.....THEY WORK!! My booth has gone from barely covering my rent to making a profit. I totally changed how I was staging it and pricing my products. It has been a real game changer THANK YOU GODDESS!
Well hot dog!! That’s SO awesome to hear-yay!!
Everything you said makes so much sense and is so true. What’s hard is when the owners of the mall you’re in say they want a high turnover of more affordable items and they price their own stuff cheap.
Yes… you are right. And since they’re the owners, they don’t have to worry about that extra 10% or whatever commission that you have to pay. It can be frustrating.
"The longer you are in this business, the cheaper you become!" Truth!!! Love this video Melanie!
Isn’t it though?! And since I count myself as in that group of folks, I feel ok about saying it 😂
I’ve had an antique booth for 25 years and it’s rare that I can find a good enough deal anymore to mark it up three times what I paid for it. It happens some but not on a regular basis. You can’t even find very good deals at thrift stores much anymore because they have all gone up in price and many now have a “vintage” area in their store and mark their prices up to antique store prices which just enrages me because they get their stuff for free. It probably makes a difference in what part of the country you live in also. Things sell pretty quickly in my booth for the most part because I do have good prices. I have tried to raise my prices but then things sit for months before they sell, I’m not able to move as much inventory as quickly so for me it really evens out in the end. Yes I may get a better price but if it sits and takes up space for 4 months or more versus one or two I’m not really making more money in the long run.
Prices have gone up, for sure! And it is a balancing act on having prices too high that items sit. My real hope and desire for this industry is that we stop being seen as a “cheap” place to shop, you know what I mean? That the world of automatic discounts and bidding down a dealers price go away, and that we are seen as the boutique stores we truly are. And that dealers can sell their items for enough profit to actually pay themselves a paycheck and make it a real business :)
@@LostFoundDecor Well after watching a couple more of your videos I realized that we are talking about two different kinds malls. The mall I’m in is strictly antiques. I’m sure the owner would be offended if someone called it a boutique. Lol. There isn’t even any repurposed vintage items there. Just strictly good quality antiques and people know that and that is what they come to buy. There isn’t a lot of staging going on except maybe a couple of booths. We have a really nice “boutique” mall in our area with a mixture of old items, and lots of repurposed vintage items and there is a lot of staging there. I love to go there and get tons of ideas of how to use my beloved antiques in my home. I think people expect different things depending on what kind of mall they are going to.
Best advice I’ve heard! I’m a cheap man! I know how to source, but I started collecting at the age of 18! I use to over pay for everything!
That makes so much sense. I’m cheap and I’m crafty, and I see something and think, I can make that for $, why pay $$, but I forget the non-crafty person will be happy to pay $$ or even $$$ because they are not able (or have the time) to make it themselves.
Exactly! You got it :)
I just opened my first booth this week! My mom had told me about you and I'm glad I found you! I am realizing quickly how I am pricing things too low. I have already had some steady sales, but I don't want to be worrying about covering my booth rent even if my husband is very supportive of this hobby/career 😉
Thanks for your info! I think this is going to help me a lot with pricing the things I am putting in my booth
I have been doing this for 18 years. One thing is if you have the money to sit on things then that makes perfect sense. But if you depend on sales to continue to buy more items, you have to sale cheaper until you grow your business capital.
This is awesome information! One of the reasons I left the shop I started off in was because one of the biggest vendors in that shop (she had about 1/3 of the shop) would price her things so low and it was hard to compete with that. She got such good deals on things or she got them for free from her network at her church. She said she wanted to "pass on the blessing" to the customers but in turn it would make my things look over priced and they would pass my booth that was $20 and find something similar in her booth for $8. I feel so much better in the shop I'm in now because the owner is on top of all of the vendors and making sure we are priced appropriately. She's always marking things up in everyone's booths. I love her. Thank you for opening up the boot camp! I'm asking for it for Christmas!!
I can appreciate the vendor you mentioned and her sweet heart… but you’re right. She unintentionally wound up creating a situation that hurt every other vendor in the space. I’m glad you found another option!
I’m also in a a very large antique mall and as most of us resellers selling secondhand items it’s very hard to have the same items for resell as in the other booths unless you specialize in your goods for resell. Don’t get me wrong it does happen but not that often. Pricing and condition is everything especially with today’s economy.
Great suggestions!!! I had a booth when I was in my 20's its been 30+ years ago. It was so much fun but I worked a regular job and a single parent of three. Once it's in your blood it's hard to stop. I have picking in my blood and know you can purchase almost anything you want for a fraction of the cost if you are willing to wait. There are those too that turn their nose up to used items (especially clothing). I need to open a shop because I have continued to pick and need to sell some of this stuff.
Great advice. I don't have a booth yet, but I sell on eBay. Among eBay resellers, when someone prices their items much lower than others do, we call it the "race to the bottom." Underpricing only leads to devaluing yourself and every seller around you. I hadn't thought about it in terms of thinking like the kind of buyers we are versus thinking like the kind of buyers we want buying from us, but the way you put it makes such sense!
That exactly right, underpricing winds up hurting all the sellers on the platform!
@@LostFoundDecor I have heard similar complaints from artisans who try to sell their products at craft fairs - they are so angry with all those old ladies who are selling crafted items much cheaper. We have to accept that there will always be people who do selling as a hobby - there is nothing wrong with it! - and of course they are able to sell much cheaper. We have no right to demand that hobbyists accept our rules - why should they?! Hobby and business are two totally different realities and mindsets.
There are at least two possible solutions for those of us who want to do real business: 1) Go selling somewhere else, where you do not have hobbyists as competitors. If you take your business seriously, maybe eBay is not the right place for you at all - to sell there among all those hobbyists may even make your business seem amateurish. 2) If you want to sell your stuff on eBay or other similar platforms that are open to hobbyists, too, you must be able to offer something more - you must do everything very professionally, from advertising to price tags to packaging, to stand out and show that the customer really gets more in exchange for the higher price!
Oh my gosh! You are so right about sellers being cheap. I had this very realization about myself just a few weeks ago! Well, I knew I’d been cheap for a while, but the effect my mindset was having on my booth prices was the real epiphany. The longer I do this the more I am able to source very inexpensively, and the further removed I am from retail. I think I need to spend a little more time browsing retail decor stores, vintage markets, and antique shops to get myself back in the correct mindset. It’s hard sometimes though because I always think I would rather be spending my time at sources I can “afford”. 😉 Thank you for addressing the pricing issues we all face.
I started out selling on Instagram, have moved to Etsy, and am now opening a booth. This video is so in touch with what's going on at antique malls (including the one I'm moving into) and the attitudes of so many sellers. Thank you!
I keep finding your videos at exactly the right time.
Great! So glad they’ve been helpful :)
Im surprised booth vendors don’t already know that information. But I did find most of your advice a good reminder that’s for sure. I only wish you would have visual lessons and examples that make the video stand out a little more ..
Thanks for your feedback :)
Great Great Great information Thank you! I just opened my booth on my Birthday this August and their are other booths that sell dirt cheap and I’m like why are they doing that…. After watching this video now I feel good about my price’s. I have Great stuff not cheap stuff so the price is right!!!! Praise the Lord and May His Blessing and Favor be with you all! 🤍
Thank you!
I wish I could triple my prices from my cost. That may work with items that sell for less than $25, but most of my stuff sells for a couple of hundred dollars. I try to get it at a wholesale price and sell low retail. Usually only making $50, maybe $100 on each sale. I also try to move it within 48 hours of buying it. How do you manage your higher price items?
Oh my gosh this advise says what I already knew. Thanks so much for wrapping this up for us
You’re welcome!
love this so true!!! thx you!!! i was the shopper that spends too much lol, now retiring and selling lots of my stuff, too much in my home! But love all my stuff ,will always shop but want to sell now!
Thank you so much for the pep talk! I am one of those who thinks I should price too low. I'm about to open my first ever booth and I'm glad I put off pricing (been doing research first). I will remember your wise words while I'm filling out my price tags!
Woah! Your number 2 had me jaw dropped , that’s been happening to me lately. I opened my booth couple months ago. Your tips have really helped me a lot. Thank you for sharing , I appreciate it so much. 💕💕💕
I needed this reminder. The products I find and provide are worth more. Thank you for the reminder!
You’re welcome!
Truth! Yes, I have gotten cheaper the longer I've been in the business. I also needed to hear permission to charge an appropriate price for things that are worth more ... buy a $2.00 item but know it's worth $40, and NOT feel guilty over it.
ETA ... Just shared the video to a private group for vendors at store I'm in. Hoping they are helped as much as me.
I have taken the boot camp before. I was on a cruise at the time, so it was a little difficult for me to reply, but well worth the cost.
A cruise right now sounds awesome!
Thank you so much! Have a blessed day!
You too!
You are a very good coach.
Thank you for the guidance! I am new to the antique booth business and pricing is a struggle for me!
LOVE your channel! Just rented a very small space in vendor mall. Made me realize how much I loved having my own shop years ago. Not sure how this will go, but felt like I had to try. Great info, very helpful! Thanks!
Hi Melanie. Thanks for the information.
🌺Thank YOU FOR all your helpful tips!! I think your right about pricing my items to low. I fill my booth and (( every time )). All the new items sell in the first 2-3 days. And when I come back to check it, it’s all the old stuff that has been sitting for weeks!!
I started getting bored because I only have a small booth it’s 2ft deep, 4 ft wide. I have been on a waiting list for over 1 1/2 years or more for a larger booth at 2 different antique malls. I really need that extra space to have a booth set up the way I want.
I’m a ((. NEW SUBSCRIBER )) THANKS FOR ALL YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT . I NEEDED TO HEAR YOUR ENCOURAGING WORDS TODAY!! 😁
You’re welcome! It’s go to grow slowly… hang in there! Glad I’ve been able to offer some helpful content :)
Thank so much! These videos are very informative. It would be awesome if you could follow up with a video with resources for pricing items. I find myself spending a great deal of time researching prices for unique finds and sometimes just guessing at prices.
This is probably the most true and excellent info I've heard on this subject! Thank you so much for putting it out there. We don't have to be all things to all people in our booths/stores.
Amen! Exactly :)
Excellent information!
You are brilliant ! I am about to open my own antique booth. Tomorrow I begin setting it up. I'm excited, so thank you for sharing your knowledge.
You’re welcome, glad it was helpful. I wish you all the best on your new venture!
You’re so right! I ask my friend and unfortunately she’s super cheap too. Lol.
😂 Yep, that can happen too
Such an eye opener for me. Good advice.
Melanie, I feel so fortunate to have found your channel. I'm hoping to start my booth in March/April, so I plan to start your course after the first of the year. I've been a SAHM and homeschool mom for 24 years, so I'm so excited for this new journey!
awesome! I’m so excited for you!
hello from richmond VA. did you start your booth and what have you learned. goods and bads. I just commited to a Painted tree booth launching end of March.
Great advice and refresher for me-Thank u!!
I so agree with you and have noticed the switch to home decor buyers/collectors. I always think my prices are too high.
Loved this Video!! This was a hard lesson for me to learn when I started out 7+ years ago. I was blessed with a lot of "free" stuff as friends donated to me when I first started out. So a lot of my stuff was priced cheap, but then I realized, I didn't want my booth to look like a flea market or garage sale, so I adjusted my pricing to reflect the style I wanted my booth to reflect. I am still blessed with "free" stuff from friends, but I am pricing it such that I am not selling it the minute it hits the door of the store, and I'm competitive with the other dealers in our store. A problem I do have is when I have furniture in my booth over 30-60 days, I get tired of it and I'm ready for it to sell.....so the price drops, as long as I can still make a profit. My philosophy is if furniture stays in my booth too long, it's eating up rent.
I have also realized that some customers, think if your price is too low, there must be something wrong with it. So higher can be better.
Thank you Melanie for your tips! I always appreciate them!
I think your thoughts on furniture are totally spot on . . . I think it's 100% ok to mark individual items down if they sit too long, much better than a "total booth" sale. Thanks so much for watching and sharing your thoughts :)
I got soo much stuff from my Grandma when She sold Her 3,600 sq foot home. I have a storage room and 1 bedroom full of antiques and vintage items. For several years I wouldn’t part with any of it. But 2 years ago I started selling the things that I didn’t Love💕 or it wasn’t my style. It made me happy to share these things with others. So now I have a booth. I wish it was 6x’s the size, it’s very small.but I have learned so much. I also love to go to Estate Sales, yard sales, Antique Malls. It’s so much fun! But it’s a lot more work then people realize. Happy Thrifting & Selling. :)
Fantastic clarity, I appreciate it, Thank you!
Sure thing!
Thank you for these reminders! Just found your channel today and I'm so glad-feels like I have a friend cheering me on!
You do!!
Thank you for today’s information!!! I’m so guilty of everything you talked about. I’ll keep working on pricing better!
Hi I just happened to stumble onto this video on TH-cam and I watched it and I have to say personally as a buyer I pass high-priced items especially if I know I can get them cheaper. I will take out the time to go hunting down something I want and something I know that I can get a much cheaper price on . so there are buyers out there that will keep walking by your booth if the prices are too high. For me hunting down and going to many shops is the high point for me I actually like hunting and going to different stores different flea markets and different thrift stores or different antique shops to find something that I would like that is priced reasonably. Not all of us buyers can afford your prices especially with the economy now as it is.
Hi Nancy! I appreciate your thoughts :) There are different types of customers, and it sounds like you are the type that enjoys the hunt-I’m the same way!! I have learned though that there are others who aren’t interested in hunting and are glad to pay what is being asked, and those are the customers I try to target. Pricing should be fair-I certainly am not advocating price gauging 😊 But in my 9 years of having this business, I’ve learned many booth owners lose money every month or barely make ends meet, because they feel the need to price items low. By the time the malls take their commissions, rent is paid, and gas, mileage, and other expenses are added up, most booth owners are left with pennies of profit. I think if we want malls and these types of businesses to succeed, we have to expect that booth owners should be able to pay themselves for their work. My booth business supplies a third of my family of 5’s income, so I have to make sure I price my items high enough to cover my costs and actually have enough left to pay myself a paycheck. That’s the bigger point I am trying to make and help booth owners understand. But like you, I love a good deal and a good hunt!
@@LostFoundDecor I totally understand. I was just stating the buyer's side of this. Thank you for understanding my side. 😉
I think that is why she said ...she isn't trying to attract herself, as a customer. I love finding a bargain, I love the hunt, and I wouldn't pay the high prices, either, but there are a lot of people who will. I went on Etsy last week, to see what people are selling certain items for, and I was absolutely shocked to see what people would pay for some items, that were priced pretty (ridiculously) high.
I need to market my art, crafts, etc. but don't know where to start! I'm skeptical about renting a booth. I'm also thinking about Marketplace or Etsy. Shipping seems like a hastle for much of what I sell, i.e. glass yard art, paintings, flower arrangements in creative containers, furniture I artistically redo, etc. Any suggestions which way to go? I'm 77 and on a tight budget so, of course, would love to make some money on my creative efforts. I loved your video , especially about pricing and types of buyers. I've always been frugal and just assume others are or should be!!! I can't believe how many people have money and like to impress others with how much they spend!! I've always been impressed by the bargain shoppers like me!!
Excellent info! I have a retail booth and I’ve become “cheap too”. I know exactly what you mean!
Wow..very insightful view. Very smart. Thank you, needed this
Melanie, this is exactly what I needed to hear today! Thank you!❤️❤️❤️
Fantastic!
Very instructional. I am going to try to implement sone ideas when I redesign my booth in July.
Aww I thought I'd got super mean and you made my day saying you too have got really cheap 🤣🤣🤣
Pricing is hard for me but your logic is sound. Great to hear about the boot camp course change because I simply wasn't ready this time but will be soon 😃
Yes, I think this is gonna be a good switch and open it up to a lot more folks :)
Excellent advice!
So helpful!
Love this! I was just thinking the other day how “cheap” I have become! 😂😂
It happens to all of us 😂
I'm fairly new to reselling (Market place) For almost a year I usually look up what that item is selling for on Ebay and Etsy and price accordingly. My sales are so so
Interestingly, you are probably selling to a different market :) Folks who shop FB marketplace and EBay/Etsy people tend to be people who know what they want, they are more “collectors” on the hunt. Today’s mall shoppers are shifting to more “just out for fun” shoppers, not always looking for something specific. It’s really 2 different groups of people :) Both age buyers, but you have to market to each one a big differently. Good lucky with your sales!!
Great information!
Great video
So I’ve noticed that many of the antique malls all have the mindset of “people are looking for deals” and the older mindset of collectors. Is it possible to build that brand in your booth when other vendors aren’t the same?
If you’re location is really holding onto that kinda “glorified garage sale” shopping, then it can be tough to have your booth at a higher price point. So it depends really on where you’re selling. I encourage folks to try and find locations that are appealing to a more home decor shopper rather than a deal getter :)
"You don't want me or people like me to shop at your booth!"😂😂😂
Very true! We want the rich ones who are trying to impress their friends and family.....the ones with the thick wallets!! Haha
👏👏 Yes! And it’s ok that’s not who we are… and ok that is how others are! It takes all types :)
The rich ones go to Tiffany’s😮
I have so much stuff, in my home, that my mom obtained, over the years, and I want to start selling some stuff, and I needed to know how to price all of it. I am, also, making things like cutting boards and other things, that is basically free, for me, and I don't know how to price the things I want to make. I try to look at how other people are pricing similar items, but the prices are all over the place. I don't want to sell stuff for nothing, but I don't want to price too high, either.
Hi! Pricing can be a challenge when you’re just starting out. I would try to figure out about how many cutting boards you can make in an hour, then what is the total cost for those you made. Then ask yourself what an hour of your time and labor is worth (bc it’s not free!). All that info together can help you figure out the true cost of the products you make. And I always encourage to price your items at least 3 times the cost. Hope that helps!
Hi question; I have a booth and I sell home made crafts in the same building there’s a booth that sells crafts that’s mark cheap but there always wiped out , for example a 12” x10” stuff snowman sells for 12.00 ea ., so I’m try to double my prices but after watching your channel I’m learning that I need to increase my prices. Thank you so much
Hi Sherry :) It’s hard when you have to compete with someone who is really undercutting prices. But I do believe that ultimately, you will wind up attracting different customers. The customers of that booth are the deal hunters, and it’s ok if you don’t get all of them. There are customers out there who don’t mind paying more when they find what they love :)
@@LostFoundDecor thank you for the uplift , I’m continuing making quality and unique items, and I subscribed to your channel., thank you
Some like to sell made in china stuff, too. Makes it hard to sell the real deal!
Great video/information.
Great video
Thank you.
Hi, I subscribed to your channel today and appreciate the information you are sharing with your viewers. I have a question, I currently don’t have a booth but my 2022 prayer is to open one this yr. I only do craft shows can you tell me if you know what is the biggest difference between them?
I would say consistency of income… rather than making sales a few times a year, it’s a chance to make sales every day :) But it also is a bigger time investment. I hope you can find something that works for you though!
When I price the way you describe, I go months with low sales. So then I end up lowering the prices anyway. What is your method for reacting to low sales months in a productive way?
Price also depends on the area you live in. Some areas can withstand a higher price, others, not so much.
Absolutely!
Please explain to folks why doing three times the wholesale price is beneficial.
Hey Vivian! Pricing double wholesale usually doesn’t leave enough room to cover your cost of goods, plus any commission taken by your booth and your other expenses, then still having profit to put in your pocket.
Always great info !
Can you tell us ~ if something is 12$
Do you price 12.99$ 12.50$
Thoughts 🤔
Great question! Depends I think on if your mall has tags that are barcodes-then I think you can do a 12.99. But if you still hand write tags and your mall manually types them in, I would stick with just $12 to help minimize human error
@@LostFoundDecor I guess I meant would you mark 12.00 or 12.99 or
Or even 11.99
How I would mark it totally depends on if the mall scans in barcodes or hand types in tickets when they sell. When I had my store and everything was barcodes, it was all $X.99 because no typing was required. At my new mall, they type in manually all tickets, so I make the pricing quick and easy, no .$99
How much does the boot camp cost?
What percentage of your sales do you recommend paying yourself?
Totally depends on your numbers… but I strongly believe you need to try and pay yourself something every month!
I do and don’t agree with you on how to price your items for resale. For one if you want to get best prices for your products sometimes it is better to sell online versus local sales whereas for local sales I find pricing can be a touchier subject. For me over the past five years I decided to be a better price shopper and condition is everything in most cases, you need to be the judge on this matter. My new strategy on pricing was of course always buy low and in my case I started pricing more for resellers versus the everyday customers since resellers shop just about everyday versus the average customer shops only several times per month. With sales of over two hundred plus items every month gives me enough money to shop for the following month plus groceries, fuel for the vehicles and keepers. Another thing is grouping your items so that you can see if your items are getting any attention, by doing so you can tell more about what is hot or not and if your pricing is to expensive for your area.
Thanks for sharing your experience! And yes, selling online is the best way to get top dollar. Selling at lower prices for resellers mainly is for sure one way to do it locally, it’s just not the method I’ve ever chosen. I would rather sell fewer items at a higher profit margin, less work for me :) But there are lots of ways to make it work 😊
🙌🙌
Even 3 times is not enough to live on....
Nope, not enough to live on :) But can be enough to contribute to a family budget. It’s all relative to where you live and your cost of living also
There is no way, in the area that I live in, that I can price things three times what I paid for them. I sell primitives, antiques, crafts etc. It really all depends on how much you paid for something. And let’s face it, sometimes we overpay for things that we love.
It’s not right for the people who do it just for a hobby to price low because they are hurting those that are trying to make it a business and a living.