Selling One-of-a-Kind Craft Products to Galleries

If you create unique craft items, your product might be a suitable candidate to be sold or consigned to a high-end gallery. Selling in a gallery creates an illusion of prestige, even when you are just starting out.

Galleries are most likely to be interested in pricey, higher end, and unique items. Some galleries will also request an exclusivity agreement, which means that you cannot sell similar items to competing markets within a certain mile radius. Because of this, you will want to approach your first-choice gallery first.

Some galleries will purchase items up front, but the vast majority will take your items on a consignment basis only, most commanding up to 50% of the final selling price.

Before you approach any gallery, be sure that there is enough room for you to make a profit if the gallery takes 50% of your suggested retail price of the item.

But from a marketing point of view, some crafter's feel it is more important to get the prestige of a local well known gallery showing their pieces, even if they may lose money on each sale. If you are able to state "Our XYZ collection is available exclusively at High End Galleries" on brochures, press releases and other promotional material, it makes others believe your items are high quality and sought-after, even if they have never laid eyes on any of them.

When you approach a gallery, you want to be sure that you talk directly with the person in head of purchasing. It doesn't do any good to leave your materials with the receptionist. Call ahead and make an appointment with the person you need to speak with.

Be prepared to leave a sample of your work behind. Many galleries make decisions based upon several parter's decisions, so it may have to go to a meeting to get the approval.

Be professional. This means having brochures, information on pricing, other examples of your work (either very clear photographs or actual products) and anything else that the gallery could possibly ask for.

With luck and quality products, you may see your crafts featured in a local gallery. This cal also be a very important stepping stone to seeing your work featured in a state or national level gallery.

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