Do you own your own shop? If so, poll your customers. Get an idea of what they look for in a batik. People look for different things. They have brights to muted. I love them all.

This is one I did in all brights.

Hancocks of Paducah is a good place to buy batiks on sale.
Prices vary but sometimes I have gotten them for less than 6 dollars a yard.

love batiks dont care for the large prints but usually get those of c olors -- haave several and at times tone on tone

Batik's are one of my favorite fabric's of all!! :D
I am partial to the Hoffman Brand, but will also
buy any one that really takes my eye. You just
can't have a stash without a few batik in it!!
:D :D :D :D

I love batiks too! I like to see a variety of colors, variety of size/type prints. I really like some of the geometric prints. I often will opt for batiks if the quilt is for a man. It's easier for me to select more manly prints if I go with batiks (requires less effort anyway). If I peeked at my stash right now, I'd say 80% was some shade of blue! What I buy varies depending on what I make and who it's for.

I also love the Hoffman 1895 collection. Not really batik, handpaints I guess. They go well with the batiks and I seem to have some in just about every quilt I make.

The LQS in my area ranges in the $9-10 for batiks most of the time. I've bought them online for as little as $3.95. If I can get something I really like for under $7-8, I feel like I did well.

I have not yet picked up a pack of Bali Pops, but they are on my shopping list. It might be something to consider trying to gauge the batik interest by.

I love batiks. All of them. I am drawn to colorful ones with lots of movement.

Have you ever used a batik for backing? Or is it harder to get the needle through?

Hi,
I own almost 3,000 yards of batik (thousand, not hundred) and know quite a bit about them. I'll give you my opinion and what I think sells the best, based on helping my friend at her quilt shop, where I sold and assisted in her buying decisions.
"Stamped" batiks should be mixed with the batiks that are not "stamped" and these are typically called "hand dyes". Most of the known brands are almost the same quality. Timeless Treasures wholesale prices are higher so that is usually passed on to consumers, making these batiks higher priced. People do NOT like this. If you choose Timeless Treasures, try to price them the same as other batiks. Do not buy the batiks made in India - they're cheap, loosely woven and quite crappy.
It is not worth it to only carry a few batiks - if you get into them, you'll want a selection. I don't know the size of your shop, but maybe carry a few hundred bolts if you can. Purchase in groups that coordinate with each other - try and find colors that seem to be popular in your shop. Brights, jewels tones, earth tones, whatever. But make sure people can find a focus fasbric and then be able to find other fabrics to compliment. I never mix batik and non-batik - I don't like that and nobody in my friend's store bought batik to mix with non-batik either. You can email me offline if you'd like more of my "opinion"! I can tell you how it's made, etc. as I lived in Bali for a few years and visited the factories. Good luck!

I go for the color. Also, they make good fabrics for quilt backs because they can be one color family, but more interesting than a solid.

Wide batiks are made just for this purpose. SewBatik.com has a good variety of 108" wide batiks.