Culling old stock

[barb.j.enders]

I am just sorting through my boxes of products and there are some that older.  The older ones are not as "professional" as current stuff.  Do you sell, or try to, at a reduced price,  keep at the price you originally marked it, or not put it out at all?

[John M]

I have some items that have been on stock for quite some time. What we do is put them out when we have space and just sell at a low price. I also have donated some for raffle items.

[kmmcrafts]

I'm kind of in the same boat, I have quite a lot of boxes of stuff I made that I decided I wasn't going to put into production and also things I've made and put up on the website and sold but they are no longer selling like they once did. I really need to take about 150 of my near 500 listings off the market and focus on new items.. but what do I do with them, LOL.. I was actually thinking about a large donation to the goodwill.. or similar.. Some of the items haven't been good sellers for almost 5 years yet I keep renewing the listings, LOL.. I've actually removed around 100 items already but need another 100+.. I keep thinking maybe the stuff would sell better at a in person craft show but I'm not to king on doing those.. Not a very good person to sit still at a show for more than a couple hours, LOL 

That all said, probably going to find its way to some local charity and right it off as a loss on my taxes. 

 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Over the years as I was doing shows I noticed certain items fell out of favor and I replaced them with newer items. being I just did not have the room to cart the stuff as well as the room to display it, I just boxed it and it now sits in my hobby room to never be seen. It is not that the items a worse cut, it is just they did not sell well. being I am not doing shows any more all my stuff sits in that room in boxes.  One of these days I will have to make a serious decision as to what I want to do. but for now they have become antiqued treasures hidden from public and that is my story and I am sticking to it. 

[rafairchild2]

On 3/7/2024 at 2:44 PM, kmmcrafts said:

I I was actually thinking about a large donation to the goodwill.. or similar.. Some of the items haven't been good sellers for almost 5 years yet I keep renewing the listings, LOL..

 

If they are toys and/or puzzles then go to the local PD with them for their outreaches or to hospital ER.  Children's women's shelters.

[barb.j.enders]

9 minutes ago, rafairchild2 said:

If they are toys and/or puzzles then go to the local PD with them for their outreaches or to hospital ER.  Children's women's shelters.

Nope, they are "pictures".  A couple of H. Botas patterns.  

[kmmcrafts]

Pictures are hard to sell.. especially online. I have sold a few but that is a lot of what I have. The rest is some ornaments that did well in the beginning but fizzled out.. still sell one now and again but far and few between. I may try them on a different site. I've found that some things that don't do well at all on Etsy seem to sell on Amazon or other sites. So maybe taking them off etsy as they expire and try on a different site. I've even found that if i make a whole new listing ad on Etsy and let the old one expire that sometimes it sells.. Problem with selling online is getting the product actually seen.. let alone seen by someone that'd be a buyer, LOL. 

The selling sites got a lot more competition during covid.. people that was hobby sellers already but didn't want to take that plunge of quitting the day job finally had time to go all in, and the lock - downs also created a lot of online shoppers, lol. Then things open back up and now people can hardly afford to eat so it's a tough sell to talk someone into buying something that isn't food or some other consumable of some sorts.   

 

[barb.j.enders]

21 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

Pictures are hard to sell.. especially online. I have sold a few but that is a lot of what I have. The rest is some ornaments that did well in the beginning but fizzled out.. still sell one now and again but far and few between. I may try them on a different site. I've found that some things that don't do well at all on Etsy seem to sell on Amazon or other sites. So maybe taking them off etsy as they expire and try on a different site. I've even found that if i make a whole new listing ad on Etsy and let the old one expire that sometimes it sells.. Problem with selling online is getting the product actually seen.. let alone seen by someone that'd be a buyer, LOL. 

The selling sites got a lot more competition during covid.. people that was hobby sellers already but didn't want to take that plunge of quitting the day job finally had time to go all in, and the lock - downs also created a lot of online shoppers, lol. Then things open back up and now people can hardly afford to eat so it's a tough sell to talk someone into buying something that isn't food or some other consumable of some sorts.   

 

I have only sold at craft sales.  And not that many in a year.  

[Joe W.]

This reminds me of my last event - Christmas time - my best seller - Penny Drop - never sold one of them.  I had - for over two years and several sales events - 6 leaf shaped sprites that the man bought all 6 of them.  I guess it's true - there is a buyer for everything.  You just have to meet them.  Timing is everything.