A frank discussion on wholesaling

A few weeks ago, the blog Flaming Hot asked us to write on the topic of offering our handmade work at discount or wholesale prices. I wasn't sure I would be able to blog on that topic. It's such a difficult one for me that writing about it seemed to heavy - too complicated.

I changed my mind, because lately I have been getting a lot of requests for wholesale prices. Even though a brief answer to that question exists on my FAQ page, I often feel the need to explain myself further.

I can't tell you how many times I have been asked why I don't offer wholesale. I often can't explain why without saying something that might irritate potential customers. But because there have been more and more emails asking whether I do (and if I don't, why not), I finally have decided to elaborate.

No, I don't offer wholesale prices. I do however offer a volume discount of 10% for orders over $500. That's essentially a thank you to my customers who have chosen to spend a great deal of money on my beads.

I used to do wholesale - about three or four years ago - and that lasted less than a year. And it pretty much killed me. Why, you ask? Because I am not a machine. When I offered wholesale, my work was in such demand that I was backed up for months. That caused a lot of stress, and I wasn't making enough money to keep my business afloat. I had to either raise my prices or stop making beads altogether and go back to work outside the home.

My beads are not mass-produced. As you know, I make them one by one. It doesn't cost less to make a quantity of beads - which would be the main attraction of offering wholesale prices. Production work tends to really stifle creativity for me - and makes it hard to stay motivated to meet deadlines.

I do offer retail custom orders, and that does create a limited amount of production work (making similar beads over and over), which I can handle up to a point. Wholesaling would just send me right over the edge.

Also - because my work is in demand, and has been since I have started, I don't necessarily need to offer wholesale prices to keep my name out there and orders coming in. If people are willing to buy at the prices I have my work set at, there's no incentive at all to offer deep discounts.

Lastly - I make high quality, relatively unique, art glass beads. Too keep that level of quality and perfection in each bead, I can't be asked to work faster in order to keep up with the large demand wholesale pricing would bring on. I'm a perfectionist - and my customers like that. I have to love every bead that goes out, or it just doesn't feel right to me. For me - it's art. And I hate the idea of art being wholesaled.

Yes, yes - art galleries and bead shops take a large percentage of the price when they represent a beadmaker/artist. That's common and I know it. I know that a lot of people wholesale.

Think of it this way - instead of employing a gallery or bead shop to represent me, I would rather represent myself. I would rather do the work of marketing my name myself. I would rather cut out the middle man and offer my beads to the designer, collector and bead enthusiast.

I have nothing against anyone who wants to do business the conventional way by wholesaling - on the contrary. I firmly believe everyone has the right to do business the way that works best for them - and this works best for me. I can work at my own pace, keep my quality high, and concern myself with the happiness and satisfaction of the customers that will actually be using my beads in their work or displaying them in their collection.

Today I got a call from a potential customer who told me she has bead stores in her town, and wanted to know if I sold wholesale. I had to politely say no, and try to explain myself without coming across as harsh. That's really, really hard for me. I want so much to say yes - I am the kind of person who wants to please everyone. She sounded somewhat surprised and a little disappointed, but I know that I did the right thing.

If I were to wholesale, I would need to hire employees to keep up with the demand. But then the beads would change - they wouldn't be my work anymore. They wouldn't look the same or feel the same. I guess that's the downside to creating things you love for sale.

I don't think this topic will ever get any easier, and I don't think it will go away. But hopefully this post will help people see my perspective on it.