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  Jacki Bilsborrow February 15, 2016 at 9:35pm

  Susan, we do have one review for the Washington DC Wholesale show:

  http://www.artshowreviews.com/2010/10/buyers-market-of-american-cra...

  You can always check to see if we have a review for any show at www.ArtShowReviews.com

  Of course, you are welcomed to review a few shows, too.  They are always welcome.
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  Susan Parry February 15, 2016 at 3:41pm

  Karen, so sorry for the delay in thanking you for the great reply. (My computer was down for 2 days). Makes me realize how much I depend on it.

  Individual item numbers wouldn't be a problem for me as I already create scannable  bar codes for each series with my computer. The 2.5 markup is a bit yucky. Do you still sell through Acre's online marketplace? I want to try Etsy as soon as I can get some pictures taken. My website is sadly out of date for the same reason. Thank you again!  I appreciate the help more than I can say.
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  Karen Holtkamp February 12, 2016 at 6:24pm

  Susan, Diane is spot on about her experience with the Rosen show.  I did ACRE shows for a couple of years and had the same experience that Diane describes.  Your booth is essentially filled with one each of everything you want to sell, and they become samples for the retailer to examine.  Everything must have an item number so that you can write up purchase orders on the spot.  And then, yes, you spend months making the same thing over and over again. 

  Oh, and my experience is that now the buyers mark up your price 2.5% so your wholesale price needs to get even lower.  I found it best to create lines of product strictly for wholesaling that were less complicated and/or time-consuming to make.  If not, you can lose money by making all your hardest stuff and getting paid less than half of what you charge at a retail show.  Not a sound business model.

  ACRE has now taken over the Philly location that Rosen used to use before she went to Washington DC.  Her move a couple of years ago created quite a stir in the wholesale industry, and I never did hear how DC worked out.  I know artists who do both the ACRE and Rosen shows, however they quickly learn to never talk about one show to the other show's organizer -- there is very bad blood between the two organizations.

  ACRE, by the way, gives you a year's worth of space on their online selling venue -- wholesalecrafts.com -- if you purchase a booth at one of their wholesale shows for about $2500.  If you don't do their shows you can be a part of the online marketplace for about $500 per year.  It's sort of like a much more professional Etsy site, except all the artists are juried in and all of the shoppers are retail store owners, about 13,000 of them across the country and in Canada.  I've gotten my work into some good shops through the site and would get a lot more if I took the time to maintain my pages better (note to self...).  Being on their site is easier than selling through your own website because they have a built-in customer base so you don't have to do any of the site marketing to drive people to your work.
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  Susan Parry February 10, 2016 at 10:16pm

  Connie, I just listened to the podcast-- I'm going to listen to it more than once. super helpful--thank you.
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  Susan Parry February 10, 2016 at 9:32pm

  Thank you Diane and Connie. I will watch the link and look into classes.
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  Diane Wright February 10, 2016 at 7:39pm

  Susan, you don't actually sell anything at the show, you only take orders. It was my experience that buyers wanted a few of each item. The buyers need to be able to multiply your wholesale price by 2.2. Your items are marked with your wholesale not your retail price. In some cases, if you are underpriced, your wholesale price may be what you are charging now. Different stores have different price points. Obviously there are many stores who need lower price points. I found that was particularly true when I did The Atlanta Gift Show. You are not going to ship your initial order without calling and getting your payment via credit card. I never had any problem getting payment for any order I took at a wholesale show. I would listen to Connie's podcast, consider taking a wholesale class through Wendy Rosen or Megan Auman. I am happy to answer any specific question you have but there is lots that is different from retail shows and even from placing items in local consignment stores.
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  Connie Mettler February 10, 2016 at 6:28pm

  Thanks for sharing your experience, Diane. I know you really cut your teeth getting into this business at the whole sale shows.

  Susan, a while back I did a podcast about wholesaling with lots of details and helpful information. It included an artist new to wholesale, a long time veteran of selling wholesale, glass blower Paul Willsea and a gallery buyer from Florida. You might find it very helpful. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/artfairs/2013/01/31/is-wholesale-marke...
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  Susan Parry February 10, 2016 at 5:46pm

  Diane, thank you for writing back. I live in Tennessee, so travel would obviously be a cost to consider. Do you have to have multiples of each item to sell? Did you notice a certain price range working better than others? Did you have trouble getting people to pay for their orders? Did you have to do 50%? Anything else I should know? THANK YOU again!!!
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  Diane Wright February 10, 2016 at 4:42pm

  The Rosen Show (now called The American Made Show) is now in Washington DC. It is expensive to do but it will put in touch with vetted buyers. I did the show for about 5 years when it was in Philly. The reason I stopped was that I then spent a good portion of the following year making the same pieces over and over. I really like making one of a kind pieces better. Also know that it takes a few years to really get buyers buying from you. My first year, I think I had 2 sales but it did get better each year. I had to learn new terms and understand how wholesale differs from retail, get a catalogue/line sheet done. Know that you leave with orders but not $$$. In the end, I decided I preferred just doing retail shows. I think many who do the show were set up with employees to take care of production work and I wasn't and didn't want to be. I never did the Acre show so I can't comment.