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Okay, I've searched on the boards, so don't tell me to go look at this or that topic, I've done it! :lol:
But I want any opinions and advice on this I can get. My DH is a teacher and recently asked at his school if I could put a basket of cards for sale in the teacher's lounge or other location. The lounge he thought would not work since it is not locked (this is a high school) and since people would be paying on the honor system he worried that the money would be stolen. Finally he asked the librarian if he could put one in the teachers' workroom next to the library and she said yes! In fact, she offered to provide the basket. He also cleared this with the school office.
I'm also excited because when DH talked to the school secretary, she was very interested when she heard I make cards because the office was talking about how they wanted special thank you cards to send to community members who have done special things for the school. I might possibly get an order for 30 to 50 cards, he says!
So this is what I'm doing. I've stamped all my cards with my personalized angel stamp, put an envelope in to match and have put a sentiment printed on calligaphy parchment inside most of the cards. I've included the same sentiment printed on plain paper inside the package, which is a cello bag sealed with removable scotch tape. The sentiment is visible in the back of the package, the card in the front. All in all, I'm satisfied with my packaging. I got my sentiments off of versalog.com, for those who are looking.
I'm going to sell them for $3 to $5 depending on complexity and have a wide variety, mostly birthday, thinking of you, thank you and anniversary cards. I'm going to be making a flyer to put in an acrylic stand up frame explaining the costs of the cards, the fact that the sentiment is pictured in the package if it is absent the card is blank and if they are more interested in learning to make cards, they can contact me to learn more, yada yada yada. I also thought I would put a note pad next to the basket, telling people that I can provide cards for special requests if I get two weeks notice, so please write any requests down on the note pad. And if they would like to see more of a certain sort of card, to please write it down. Do you think this is a good plan?
Sounds like an awesome plan! What a great way to earn extra money for stamps! And they could probably keep you pretty busy. Great idea! I wonder if the schools around here would allow that....
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I think that sounds just great. I am hoping to do something along that line with my next employer. Maybe I won't set it out a basket, but just let people know that I have "supply" in my desk. I haven't got the job yet - better not plan too much.
I wish for you get quad-krillions of requests for special cards and mega workshop dates! :lol:
__________________ Who would have thought that paper, ink & rubber could create a priceless keepsake or give me treasured friends.
There was a preschool teacher that used to post all the time on the Stampin Discuss forum and she put her cards in a basket in the teachers' lounge and sold quite a few cards every week. I think it's a great idea! I'm a preschool teacher myself, bu in a co-op preschool where I am the only staff so don't think this would work for me - wish it would! Good luck!
Jan - here in Canada I charge a minimum of $5 per card......more (one guy paid me $20 for a wedding card....I couldn't believe it. Didn't even stamp a single thing on it! Reprinted their wedding photo with a vellum overlay of their wedding song...done!) if they're complicated, involve more than 2 layers, or are "special orders".
Don't sell yourself short! Here we pay upwards of $3 at the store for an ugly card....upwards of $8 or better for a really nice "Hallmark" type card.
Hand made means made with care...start your cards at $4 or more! I think you'll find most people are willing to pay just to get something outside the "norm".
__________________ ~Debbi~
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. ~Author Unknown
Jan, this is a great idea. Please let us know how it works out for you!
__________________ Heidi My gallery There's no 'I' in 'team'. But then there's no 'I' in 'useless smug colleague', either. And there's four in 'platitude-quoting idiot'. Go figure.
The $8 isn't a typo. My mom and I justify our card making to ourselves and others by saying we can make tons of cards for the price of one in the stores. Halmark type cards run at about a minimum $5. It's nuts. To go out and buy a store bought but homemade looking card could run you up into the $8 range.
I sell mine for $3 to friends, coworkers, etc. I haven't sold any to strangers yet but I'm thinking around the $4 - 5 range.
Jan,
I do exactly the same thing at my school! My co-workers love the convenience of having a "card shop" right in the teacher's room. We have a staff of 50 or so, and, even though we're a small school, sales are pretty steady. I never make the same card twice, so they're always looking to see what's new! I also do special orders if they give me some notice.
__________________ "Life is much too important to be taken seriously." Oscar Wilde Proud to be a member of Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge DT! My BlogMy Gallery
Sent the cards and my little acrylic sign along to school on Friday with my DH.
I asked him Monday when he came home if I'd sold any cards yet, and he said, "I don't know, I didn't look. I doubt it." !!!!! This was HIS idea, mind you! HIS! ANd he doubts it. Oh, ye of little faith!
So today he went to look and I sold a card! Yay!
I decided to start a slush fund with my card money. When I get enough, I will do something extravagantly crazy!
Considering the amount of work that goes into a single card, $1 to $1.50 is too low. I know that a general rule is 3 times the cost of materials, but for cards that would be way low.
I think sometimes people worry that no one will buy if they charge $3 to $4 each so they underprice themselves. And some folks are simply not that interested in the money, they are just happy to be able to do something with the cards they make.
There is another thread that concerned selling cards. It is less than a page long and I thought it might add to your discussion. My post is at the very end. I have a couple of samples and tell what I charge for them. Maybe this will help. Forums at Splitcoaststampers
Awesome plan...having taught in a high school, I'm surprised they allowed it. Anyway, my only suggestion would be not to have them write their requests on the notepad, but to contact you or your husband directly. Having them write it on the notepad will require you to check the pad more frequently and the one time you don't check for a week will be the time someone leaves a request for something to be done in two weeks, which would only leave you a week to do it. Doable if the request is for a single card, but not if it is for multiples or for something you need to place an order for. You know, Murphy's Law and all that.
__________________ Sharon Rogers
My Blog: www.stampwithsharonrogers.com Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?
I took this quote directly from the angel policy on the SU site:
" Hand-stamped items cannot be sold in any permanent retail location (any location that conducts business in a store, consignment shop, kiosk, mall, or Internet site"
A school in no way could be considered a permanent retail location, in my opinion.
I wish Jan, and others like her, all the success in the world!
You go, girl!!!
Okay, this is the general guidelines of how I priced mine:
$2.50 - basic basic card with only two or three layers and no embellishments.
$3.00 - basic card with two or three layers and maybe ribbon or hemp..a minimum of embellishments.
$3.50 - Same as above, but with a more pricey embellishment; a button, or more than one eyelet or a metal edged tag.
$4.00 - A card with at least three layers and a more difficult technique that takes longer to produce.
$4.50 - Technique plus embellishments...longer to produce with more expensive materials.
$5.00 - Didn't have any cards I felt were worthy of this price yet, but this would be something more complicated than a straight open-er-up card...something like a flip flop card or a pop-up.
Selling cards
