advise on selling my cards
 

I have been giving away my cards to friends and family and every time a work colleague receives one from me they always ask if I sell them. I am embarrased to ask friends and workmates to buy them even though they are lovely. Has anyone got any ideas about how to sell them at work. I work in a big office and was thinking of putting them into a basket at reception and putting a little sign up with prices. /Only thing is I'm worried about them getting dirty. Also not sure how much to charge. Would be grateful of any suggestions

Thanks in advance

to prevent them from getting dirty i put them in clear bags. the kind that some expensive cards come in. over here they are readily available at craft supply stores or packaging stores.

i sell mine for $6 at a flower shop. i will give them to family/friends for free if they need one, and if they insist on paying me they usually give me $5.

How did you get into the flower shop? I thought about doing something similar but didn't know if I should just front up and ask. Also if you sell them on a flower shop do you keep them in the floral theme?

I sell a lot of cards too. My hubby keeps a basket on his desk that nets between $75.00 and $125.00 per week. I also sell to two swim teams for fund raisers. This can be a very lucrative hobby. It supports my habit plus helps me pay for all the postage to send cards to the soldiers.
blessings.

i went walking into a bunch of different flower shops (not all are suited to selling handmade cards) and I noticed this particular one had a big empty card rack! apparently a lady had just stopped supplying the store with cards and they were looking for someone new. serendipity.

SprtChick - Amber,

I am amazed at the amount of cards you produce. What is you secret?
You are a true blessing to so many.

Definately charge coworkers. My coworkers pay me $5.00 to $6.00. If they buy more than three at a time, I give them a discount. For Christmas I make each of them two free cards for being such good customers. Most of my cards are sold to women but there are a few men who purchase them too.

Well...I have a maid so no cleaning (I am allergic to all the chemicals so she comes when I am at work) My kids are all grown up and gone (youngest at Pensacola Christian College studying Criminal Justice) and my hubby travels Mon-Fri for work. So I have an abundance of free time which I spend every minute of making cards or totes with cards. I donate a LOT of cards to the soldiers but also maintain a basket in hubbys office, donate to church bookstore and their card ministry and still put some on the shelf for the two swim teams I support and some extra in case there is an urgent need somewhere that I can donate to. So like my best buddy says...I am on my fanny playing in my craft room whenever I am not at work...On weekends I spend some time with my sweet hubby but the rest of the time in my room , oh other than church on Sundays. My sisters and my friends come at least one time per month to play too. So I have lots of time to do what I love and so many ideas and cards yet to case I dont think I will get it all done in my lifetime... blessings.

As a former HR person, I would suggest you might want to check with your Human Resources Department to be certain they are fine with this. Most of my former employers either had a no solicitation rule or else they had a policy where they had to give permission for anything posted or shown for trade or sale. My last employer in particular, felt that any time spent on these activities was the equivalent to "stealing" from the company - Wow, was that a real fun place to work.

Thanks, Amber. BTW, how many of each card do you make?

When I make a card, I generally make 18 of each one, but I am considering going to 24. I do all the stamping, cut all the pieces and then assemble the lot. I sell cards in a friend's beauty salon and to my mom and her friends in California. One lady would like to sell cards for me at her office, but I'm not so sure how to manage this. Most of my cards sell for $3.00 each.

It was mentioned that in order to keep the cards clean (free of fingerprints, etc), to put them in plastic bags. Is this like the cellophane bags that SU sells or something else. Also if you just drop them in a plastic/cellophane bag, won't the person have to take them out of the bag to see the inside of the card? I too am thinking of selling some cards and need all the information and help I can get! Thanks

If you slip a piece of paper in the back where it can be seen, there's no need to open the card. I almost always make the insides blank, though, because that's what buyers around here prefer, so it's never been an issue! ;)

If the card is blank inside, I also slip a small printed piece of paper in the envie. I created a 3 columned sheet in MSWord, so I get quite a few on one sheet of paper.

Occasionally, I do stamp the insides of my cards and again enclose a slip of paper which says: "Card stamped inside _____________" This paper is a little larger and I stamp the actual sentiment on the paper, or if computer generated, make aanother Word doc.

I also add the piece of paper inside the clear envelope! I pre-print them on the computer with "Inside reads:" at the top, and my name at the bottom. Then I'll re-stamp the sentiment or write "blank inside". I print 4 to a sheet and cut them. I also put a note that "raised embellishments may require extra postage", so they know to check before they mail the card.

Do you also enclose an envelope with the card? Again, can you use the cellophane bags like SU sells or is it better to get some other type of plastic bag?

Yes, I also include an A2 envelope. Lots of places carry the clear bags, or another type called a card jacket (think of a book cover) where you can open the card. Amber (she posted above) sells the envelopes, there's clearbags.com, cistamps.com, and some others that escape me right now!

I use the clear envelopes that I sell..that is what got me into selling them. I go through so many for the troops and other projects. It helps me pay for all the postage, cardstock and adhesives. I use post it notes inside the clear envelope which I stamp the same thing that is inside the card. I rarely sell any that are blank on the inside. I normally make 24-48 of each design. Recently I liked one easy enough design that I made a whole 24 pack of Groovy Guave cardstock (96 cardfronts) another time saver in the event it is not on this thread is buying your cardstock at Sams and going to Office Depot, Office Max or Staples and having it cut in half. The different stores here charge either .75 per ream or $1.00 per ream. A HUGE time saver. I hope I answered all the questions.

If you let the lady sell your cards for you in her office, you could do it on consignment. If she sells so many, you could give her a percentage of what you earned or maybe give her some cards for free.

Thanks, Amber

Thanks, Janet

SCS is the best!

I definately agree on putting them in clear bags!! Then you will not have to worry about them getting ruined!! Best of luck to you!

So how much should someone expect the store to keep out of the money?

From what I've heard, the average seems to be in the neighborhood of 20%-30% of the item price when selling on consignment.

Boy, have I been underpricing my cards! For most cards (A2 and A7) I make, I ask $2-$3. But then again, (1) I make rather simple cards, and (2) the ladies I sell to are all over 70 years old, so they can't really afford much more.

Sometimes when I have a lot of extra cards, I do go door to door (businesses mostly) and have often made sales. My dentist's office even wanted some to send to customers who had a lot of work done. I sell to a social worker who sends sympathy cards, happy birthday, thinking of you, etc. Or make a set of similar cards and sell together.

Our homemade cards are always unique and nearly always cheaper than store bought. I use clear bags, always include an envelope, and also a note as appropriate re extra postage for embellishments over 1/4" high.

Good luck!

i don't know if i'm getting the greatest deal, but i'm happy to get the cards out of the house!

they sell for $5.99 and I get $3.50 from every card.

sub

I don't understand
 

I don't understand this message.:confused::confused::confused:

it means 'subbing' , for Subscribing to this thread for ideas for later.
-laura s

I think that's pretty darn good!!! Your florist must be pretty happy with her take, also!

selling cards
 

According to SU copyright stipulations, are we allowed to sell our cards in a permanent location--such as a retail store? I thought we could sell at craft fairs since they are temporary locations but not a brick 'n mortar store? Maybe I understood wrong. Hopefully, I did because I would love to sell in a location.

The policy changed, I think a little over a year ago. You still need to use the SU angel stamp on the back though.

I put all my cards in resealable plastic bags (you can find them on Ebay). I like to use the A-2 plus size, they're a tiny bit roomier than the standard A-2 bags, which makes inserting heavily embellished cards much easier. I also insert an envelope, and a piece of copy paper with the stamped image and sentiment that's inside the card, slipped into the back of the bag. This way people can immediately see what's inside the card without opening the bag and crushing ribbons, tearing off embellishments, etc. I put all my cards in a shoebox with dividers I made to separate different occasions. I ask $3.00 for most, and individually label those I'm asking more for. My friend leaves a box at her real estate office where they sell a few at a time and I have one neighbor who buys from me, as well as several friends. I hope this helps! Good luck!

Do you think the plastic bags are better than the card jackets? If so, what kind of bags are you talking about?

I'm not familiar with card jackets, sorry. I sent you a PM with a link to show you what the A-2 plus resealable bags look like.

Got it Thanks.

I use both the clear envelopes and the card jackets...I love them both.
blessings.