Selling your work

[slemishwoodcrafts]

I was just wondering has anyone ever sold items they have made to commercial outlets?
I had contacted a few garden centres and some had expressed interest in my chairs but despite reducing my prices in order to allow them to make profit they said due to them being subject to VAT it wasn't commercially viable for them.
My main question is has anyone sold anything in similar situation and could share any advice on the pricing aspect?


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[custard]

I've got furniture displayed in two local shops. In both cases they have tables with tops made from large slabs of solid wood on painted trestle style legs. One shop is an upmarket interior design/curtains/fabric shop, the other is an even more upmarket kitchen design and accessory shop. Both use these tables to display other items from their own ranges, that's key to them agreeing to take them, these tables generally retail for about £1200-£1500.

The shops like the association with a local cabinet maker, I play fair with them, they play fair with me. I'll sell between two and four a year, if it ever looks like becoming more than that I'll raise the price as I don't want this eating into my other work.

Slab top furniture may sound like easy money (and to be honest it's not exactly tough money) but sourcing exactly the right slabs is more difficult than you'd think. As a rule of thumb I'll look at 60-80 slabs to find one that's worth buying. But when you've hunted it down the great thing is there's no high street alternative that can undercut you, IKEA don't offer slab top furniture and yet you'll regularly find examples in trendy interior design magazines.

Personally I don't expect the trend to last. I'm seeing the same style in more and more bars and hotels, but the architect has just given a loose brief to the shop fitters, and they've sourced the first rubbish slab they come across, some of them are really plug ugly, which before long will kill the concept.

Good luck!

 

[sawdust1]

Had the same problem myself as I'm not VAT registered. I have had various outlets ask if they could sell my items
but they would be looking at 20% plus 20% vAT so i could not lower my prices by the 40% required. If anyone
knows how then share it with us.