art show- carry-out, or deliver?

Bonnie Rubinstein · Post by **Bonnie Rubinstein** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 4:19 pm

Hi gang,
I am about to do a large indoor retail show at a convention... many customers will be from out of town. I will be selling platters, dishes, bowls...heavy items.. This is my first show.

When customer wants an item..should I box it up and have the customer take with them (will end up on airplane), or should I offer to ship later?.. and if I do the latter, then do I just ask for deposit instead of full payment (until it is delivered?)

Thanks for the guidance..
Bonnie

Brock · Post by **Brock** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 4:23 pm

Get all the money immediately, and let the purchasers worry about getting the pieces home. Brock

charlie · Post by **charlie** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 4:24 pm

Bonnie Rubinstein wrote:Hi gang,
I am about to do a large indoor retail show at a convention... many customers will be from out of town. I will be selling platters, dishes, bowls...heavy items.. This is my first show.

When customer wants an item..should I box it up and have the customer take with them (will end up on airplane), or should I offer to ship later?.. and if I do the latter, then do I just ask for deposit instead of full payment (until it is delivered?)

Thanks for the guidance..
Bonnie

will you have all your shipping materials with you? it's best and easiest if they take it with them, and ship it themselves. you don't have any risk. tell them the warrantee lasts until the edge of your booth.

if you're shipping it, get the full rate + cost of shipping before they leave.

ernest porcelli · Post by **ernest porcelli** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 5:20 pm

If you tell someone shipping IS available it may make the sale, just charge enough to cover your expeances, time and matieral. Buyers like options. a small sign i display in my booth shipping available it about selling have fun selling ep

Geri Comstock · Post by **Geri Comstock** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 8:27 pm

Bonnie Rubinstein wrote:Hi gang,
I am about to do a large indoor retail show at a convention... many customers will be from out of town. I will be selling platters, dishes, bowls...heavy items.. This is my first show.

When customer wants an item..should I box it up and have the customer take with them (will end up on airplane), or should I offer to ship later?.. and if I do the latter, then do I just ask for deposit instead of full payment (until it is delivered?)

Thanks for the guidance..
Bonnie

Many people will ask you if you ship, I'd guess, if they're from out of town. Some will also ask you not to charge them sales tax if you're shipping to another state. You might want to think about and check into the legalities before the show so you know if this is even legal in your state.

Being willing to ship often makes a difference between making a sale and not making a sale. When someone asks me to ship something, I always have it professionally boxed/packaged at a pack and ship place so that it meets UPS standards for insurance. If you pack it yourself, insure it and it breaks and you didn't follow their rules for shipping, they won't pay on the insurance.

I have the customer pay for this service and explain why, since most of them are surprised by the cost. For a 22"x10"x12" sculpture, I believe it cost about $35-$40 for professional packing and shipping. I add this cost to the price of the item as a separate line item. If I'm wrong in my guestimate about the cost, I may be out $5-$10 which I can live with and will learn from for the next time.

As a funny aside, I believe that by having a customer take a large package containing my work with them on an airplane, one of my pieces was actually blown up as a safety precaution. The gallery that sold it called to tell me they'd sold it to someone from England who was carrying it back on the plane with them. Several days later, I heard on the news that someone had left a package at the airport and it had been blown up to make sure it wasn't a bomb or something. They said they couldn't tell if it had been glass or pottery, but I've always had this weird suspicion that it was my piece...it has been an opal glass that someone might not be able to easily distinguish from pottery. Then again, it may not have been my piece, but it sure makes a good story. LOL.

Geri

Clifford Ross · Post by **Clifford Ross** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 9:08 pm

After you get paid for your piece, tell the customers where the closest shipping store is located and tell them they got your standard guarantee- the 5 and 50 --- that is 5 minutes and 50 feet from point of sale.

Bonnie Rubinstein · Post by **Bonnie Rubinstein** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 7:33 am

looks like the consensus is to package at the show; less headaches. The downside to this is I need ALOT of pieces so that I don't run out (hope that's so!).. if I hold the pieces to ship later, they serve as samples for the rest of the show (it is 5 days long). The option would be to take payment up front, but ask them to come back the last day to pick up the packaged piece. Does this sound viable?

much thanks...

charlie · Post by **charlie** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 11:18 am

Bonnie Rubinstein wrote:looks like the consensus is to package at the show; less headaches. The downside to this is I need ALOT of pieces so that I don't run out (hope that's so!).. if I hold the pieces to ship later, they serve as samples for the rest of the show (it is 5 days long). The option would be to take payment up front, but ask them to come back the last day to pick up the packaged piece. Does this sound viable?

much thanks...

no. if the person is from out of town, chances are that they're not staying until the end of the show. also, a lot of glass purchases are momentary urges, and when the person gets home without it, chances are they will reconsider. i personally wouldn't buy anything if i had to come back 5 days later.

Terry Ow-Wing · Post by **Terry Ow-Wing** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 1:09 pm

Normally I offer to hold the piece untill the person is done with the show so that they will not have to carry it around. One this gives me more time to wrap securely and two it gets them to come back a second time. I bring a lot of bubble wrap.

-Terry O.

Deb Libby · Post by **Deb Libby** » Sat Sep 27, 2003 1:13 pm

I would prefer to wrap securely with tissue, bubble wrap and secure box/bag and tell the customer that I'd be glad to hold the purchase until they have finished shopping the show. However, if they ask me to ship for them, I certainly offer that service ... many times it will clinch the sale. I have them give me a credit card which is made out for the purchase price and then has a blank space for Shipping/Handling....I explain the shipping will be $5 per box (glass requires two boxes for insurance purposes=$10), plus actual UPS charge. If they don't mind paying the extra in S/H, I ship for them and run their charge on the day it is sent.
Deb Libby
http://www.libbyartglass.com

Bonnie Rubinstein · Post by **Bonnie Rubinstein** » Sat Sep 27, 2003 7:25 pm

great feedback, everyone..

Charlie, the people are staying at the convention for the whole 5 days.. the show is in the exhibit hall in the same center.. that is why I thought about asking them to come the the booth again, as they will be milling around the area...

do you generally ship UPS when you ship glass?

Bert Weiss · Post by **Bert Weiss** » Sat Sep 27, 2003 7:57 pm

Bonnie Rubinstein wrote:great feedback, everyone..

Charlie, the people are staying at the convention for the whole 5 days.. the show is in the exhibit hall in the same center.. that is why I thought about asking them to come the the booth again, as they will be milling around the area...

do you generally ship UPS when you ship glass?

Bonnie

Trusting in Bebacks is a small percentage excersise. Like Brock says get the money and worry about the shipping part next. I would advise finding a shipping store that you can refer them to that can handle the packing, shipping, and insurance worries.

Art glass should be double boxed. If you do it, it means you would have to have a large stash of sized cardboard, bubble wrap, and peanuts. This could take up half of your booth. I see the percentages being better in showing your glass than wasting space with packing materials. Besides if you pack and ship and the shipper breaks it, it is your headache. If a shipping store does it, the problems become their headache.

UPS is the least desirable shipper for glass art on earth. To quote a venerable sponsor of this board,"If you put a UPS worker in a closet with 2 steel balls he will lose one and break the other."

Bonnie Rubinstein · Post by **Bonnie Rubinstein** » Sun Sep 28, 2003 1:48 pm

Hi Bert,

How did your glass painting class go at Millenium? When I peeked my head in when visiting the center, it looked interesting.

This particular show is not near to any shippers.. these people are in town for a convention, and won't be shlepping glass around the city looking for a shipper.. so it looks like you recommend, unless I'm mistaken, that they choose their piece.. pay up front.. then I take it back.. go to a shipper and send out. But at an art show, don't people WANT to take their pieces with them, if they have to pay up front? Will they pay prior to actually getting the piece?

Thanks for the tip re: UPS.

Bonnie

Bert Weiss · Post by **Bert Weiss** » Sun Sep 28, 2003 2:09 pm

Bonnie Rubinstein wrote:Hi Bert,

How did your glass painting class go at Millenium? When I peeked my head in when visiting the center, it looked interesting.

This particular show is not near to any shippers.. these people are in town for a convention, and won't be shlepping glass around the city looking for a shipper.. so it looks like you recommend, unless I'm mistaken, that they choose their piece.. pay up front.. then I take it back.. go to a shipper and send out. But at an art show, don't people WANT to take their pieces with them, if they have to pay up front? Will they pay prior to actually getting the piece?

Thanks for the tip re: UPS.

Bonnie

Bonnie

I bet in most big cities there are places like Mail Boxes Etc that specialize in packing and shipping. The catch is that UPS just bought MBE and changed the name to UPS Store. I would take a sample piece to a shipper like that and get a price for packing in a double box and shipping to a far away zipcode. Then you can establish a price for pack and shipping anywhere in contintental US. This works even if you do the shipping. Price out bubble wrap, peanuts, 2 boxes, do a sample, and weigh it with glass in it. Then get a price to ship it to Florida or San Diego.

The alternative is that they put it in their suitcase surrounded by clothes. I actually think that is the best way to go, especially if they plan to carry on. Shippers will put the boxes on rougher conveyer belts than the luggage ones used at the airport.

charlie · Post by **charlie** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 12:53 pm

Bonnie Rubinstein wrote:great feedback, everyone..

Charlie, the people are staying at the convention for the whole 5 days.. the show is in the exhibit hall in the same center.. that is why I thought about asking them to come the the booth again, as they will be milling around the area...

do you generally ship UPS when you ship glass?

art glass is generally an impulse buy. when they think about it, they won't be back.

i've had good luck shipping with usps. my company uses fedex to ship computers and parts all over the world and we have good luck, but we have a big hammer to wield over them as we spend $40 million or so/year.

Morganica · Post by **Morganica** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 2:49 am

Depends on the show and venue. If it's in a big convention center, many have a shipping center within the complex. Other big shows have a shipping booth right on the floor. First thing I'd do is check with the show organizer to see what's available.

If you've got shippers onsite, see if you can get pricing from them for both packaging and shipping. When someone asks, you can point them to the shipper, tell them the price range, and let them do it.

If nothing like that's available, I'd go against the crowd here and offer domestic shipping, at least. I've traveled to enough shows to really appreciate that--it has made the sale for me in several cases.

Marty · Post by **Marty** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 7:11 am

UPS ships my stuff but I pack the glass well, so it's their responsibility if it breaks. I insure for retail cost to cover the bother of replacing broken work. Mail Boxes Etc. and their ilk don't know how to pack delicate stuff, and if it does break, UPS will usually disallow the claim because of insufficient packing.

As far as shows go, if I drive to the show, then it's no big deal to bring the work home to ship for a customer. On big ticket items I can afford to pay for the cost. On smaller stuff I'll add actual shipping costs.
Often the customer doesn't want to carry the piece/ is going out to dinner (doesn't want to leave it anywhere)/ is travelling/ wants it sent as a gift/ etc. It's a small accomodation that can help make the sale.

Dani · Post by **Dani** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 10:03 am

Customer service goes a long way toward making a successful business if not artist. Maybe beyond fab work, that little extra mile helps make you "Famous Marty"? Could it be if people LIKE the artist, they like the work just a tiny bit better?? Naw, humans could never muddle their issues that way... not a chance. Ha!

charlie · Post by **charlie** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 12:53 pm

Marty wrote:UPS ships my stuff but I pack the glass well, so it's their responsibility if it breaks. I insure for retail cost to cover the bother of replacing broken work. Mail Boxes Etc. and their ilk don't know how to pack delicate stuff, and if it does break, UPS will usually disallow the claim because of insufficient packing.

mbe has been bought by ups, so they're the same now.

WarmGlass.com

art show- carry-out, or deliver?

art show- carry-out, or deliver?

Re: art show- carry-out, or deliver?

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Re: art show- carry-out, or deliver?