Flying_V_Goddess

I got to thinking about possibly entering a quilt in the fair this year...well, my train of thought led to selling quilts. Not really interested in selling any for the moment, but it got me a little curious. I'm just wondering...does a particular kind of quilt sell better than others? Like a certain look (scrappy, etc) or a certain kind of quilt design?

vicki reno

The few places that I have been have quilts in all shapes sizes and colors. So I am not sure if one is more popular than another. I would go online and look at websites that possibly offer quilts to see what is bieng offered. Just a suggestion and of course different areas of the country tend to favor different styles more than others. :-)

Moonpi

Around here, quilting is seen as a pastime for crafters, and not much value put on them as art. You may get a general idea by going to EBay and running a search. If you use the Advanced Search option, you can choose completed listings, giving you actual sales prices. Some very pretty things get no bids at all, or never sell because of unrealistic reserve prices. Also, those Chinese knockoffs are showing up as handmades, driving prices down further.

I have not had luck with consignment shops - their "cut" effectively reduces {to zero} the profit out of things I have brought in to sell that way. A shop that specializes inn country kitch may not be the place to sell an abstract piece. Small baby quilts may fly off shelves in a hospital gift shop, and languish in a gallery. You also need to figure your end user in when choosing colors and patterns. Cutesie juvenile prints make me gag, but may be perfect for baby showers.

As far as fairs go, they are fun, but be prepared to meet the quilt police for real. Read the judging criteria carefully, and take all the rules very literally.

Cathe

It's all about marketing. You can make the best quilts in the world, and they won't sell unless they are marketed right. You have to make the buyer realize that there is a vast difference between mass-produced JCPenney "handmade" quilts and what you are creating. You need the snob factor.

I did best when we lived in a tourist area and I sold quilts that were representative of the area (Up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, I sold mostly lodge-look quilts). Tourists are LOOKING for opportunities to spend money. I sold at local art shows - the outdoor ones where you have juried vendors. I got a couple awards, and I hung those ribbons up in my display area and mention them on my website also. Snob factor. People won't pay a lot of money for something they can buy at Walmart - you have to show them that you are SPECIAL. :mrgreen:

I sell on ebay, and I really regard that as advertising. People who buy a tablerunner or baby quilt from me for $50 on ebay are going to like it and feel good about their purchase. Hopefully, they come to me when they want something bigger. It seems to work for me, anyhow. Ebay is getting pretty expensive, though, and I am going to work more aggressively with etsy.

Speaking of etsy, they have a lot of very pricey art quilts, but if you look at the sellers' history, they haven't actually SOLD any $4000 quilts. They are just pricing them there. It does get people to look at their shop and maybe buy the smaller things, though. It's all about marketing.

If you want to sell online, you need plenty of good photographs and descriptive text.

fabuchicki

I agree with Cathe. The tourist areas are the place to go. I saw a lady selling art in one of the ski areas last year that I've sold myself for a third the price. Amish quilts benefit not only from their beauty and skill but from all the lookey loos who come to see their lifestyle and go home with a souvenir of "old fashioned hand made craftsmanship".

jbsstrawberry

This is a fairly interesting place as well. I've never bought from ebay, but I have made purchases here. They usually run a special several times a year for placing your items. It's pretty diverse too. Its a flat fee, so you know up front how much it will cost, unlike consignment which sometimes changes (at least the shop I use to use did they would have % off sales and tell us about them after the fact.) They also do a lot of the work for you, like keeping a running tally of how many available items are left on your listing and such. I've been watching the "current visitors online" ticker for a few months. Sometimes there are tons of people accessing this site at once.

http://www.craftmall.com

Tiffany

Cathe, what is etsy? I've never heard of it before.
~Tiffany

Cathe

www.etsy.com

It's like ebay, but specifically for handcrafted things. You will find everything from plastic canvas tissue covers to clothing to fine art paintings and photography. And quilts.

Cathe

and it's not an auction site - it's just straight selling.

patricej

c'mon, Moonpi ... tell us how you really feel.

i can see i've been a bad influence on you. :lol: :lol: :lol: