Navigating a Difficult Situtation - Selling at a Fair

[sarahsellcm]

So I paid $400 to do this fair today and the lady in charge asked me to bring products to sell because the girl that did this before sold over $1000 cash and carry 2 years ago. Well I don't have an inventory of anything except for a few things that I earned for free that I don't use. Well my one friend has over $1500 in inventory. I asked her if I could borrow it and anything I would sell from it I would reorder it for her. She was cool with that but I let it slip how much the girl sold before so now she wants to split the sales of todays event so she can get the sell a thon points. Is this right? She didn't pay the $400 to be at this event and I said I would reorder the products I would sell. Now my hubby is mad at me saying that those products would just sit in her garage so what is the big deal. She is only being greedy because she wants the sella thon points but what about me I would like to eran things for free too? WHat should I do? I am at a lost for words.

 

[chefheidi2003]

I feel that if she wants to split the sales..then she needs to split the time that you will be spending there. As well as cost. I know that that is not much help. But she can't just split the good things. And I am not saying that you should say yes to splitting it. But she needs to be completely fair. If she want to split the good she needs to split it all.

 

[BethCooks4U]

That's a hard one. You really aren't doing a favor for her if you are reordering the products but she isn't paying the booth fee either. I would ask for part of the booth fee - not half since she isn't there to get the contacts. Maybe 1/4 of the booth fee and decide between you the % that you get to reorder.

--OR--

Don't sell her stuff. Have a display of a variety of products and offer the fact that they don't have to carry their purchases around with them. Put together gift sets and offer free wrapping or discounted shipping. There are lots of ways to get around inventory. I would not buy inventory for a fair. You can never know what people will be looking for.

 

[babywings76]

Wow! Your booth cost you $400?!There is NO WAY that I would split your profits with her. Either she lets you borrow the stuff and you are paying her back for them/replacing them, or she splits all the costs with you--not just the profits. It's your time, your face people are seeing, your sales you are making.Or like Beth said--don't sell her stuff. I wouldn't buy inventory, because you just never know what's going to sell. I had a booth situation recently where they recommended I carry inventory. Good thing I didn't, because the weather was bad and they changed the date and I could no longer participate. I would've been out all that money!Plus, what if the crowd just isn't into buying like they were with the previous girl the previous year?!

 

[nancycookspc]

I would opt NOT to sell her things.

AND I would NOT have her in my booth during the fair.
If she acts this way and is not even at the booth, could you imagine how shoe would act IF she was there

She would steal all your leads

 

[mountainmama74]

I wouldn't carry inventory either. I've only done one so far, but I just took orders. Its impossible to know what people will want! Maybe offer a discount or free shipping over $50 or something like that?

 

[esavvymom]

Personally, I like Beth's idea:

Don't sell her stuff. Have a display of a variety of products and offer the fact that they don't have to carry their purchases around with them. Put together gift sets and offer free wrapping or discounted shipping. There are lots of ways to get around inventory. I would not buy inventory for a fair. You can never know what people will be looking for.

and I agree with Nancy - do not let her in your booth....You paid alot of money! (quite alot- hope you get alot in return! ....Gotta book at least 8 shows to get 4 that hold (based on my booth cancellation rate of 50%), or sell A TON to make it up.)Bless and release. Tell her "Thanks, but no thanks. It could get really complicated and I don't want to mess things up. I've come up with another alternative that will be easier for me, and for the customers." Then just make your booth fantastic looking. Bake a few things and put them on platters/holiday plates and wrap them up with cellophane and a bow. Good luck.

 

[littlemaisyPC]

If you borrow from her and then turn around and pay her back then you're not making anything she is. When I do booths I take orders right there and like in the previous posts you don't know what people will want. This is your buisness and if you don't normally carry inventory then you don't have too just for one booth. The company doesn't require it. HTH!

 

[funmom]

don't know if its much help being in the UK, but i would not go with her stuff - she seems like a little lazy to me! I am doing a 2 day fair this weekend and I am offering free shipping for anyone who places an order so that I can just take the christmas gift displays and nothing else. If however you did have to have inventory I would get her to spliut everything equally, half the cost, half the time, gets half the cash etc and half leads etc etc hope that helps a bit x

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Who keeps $1500 in product on hand? That isn't even how we are supposed to operate our businesses.

I'd stay away from her. Order some of the SB cookbooks from Supply Order, and some small things like that for cash and carry.

 

[chef131doreen]

I would tell the lady you are able to take orders and have the products sent dirctly to the people , tell her you have a few small products to see but want to be able to have the right products that people want .

And ya who has 1500 worth of products on hand , she needs to do her own vendor show to get rid of the inventory

 

[Jules711]

couple of ?'s. Is it inventory she keeps on hand to sell or extras she's earned? That makes a difference if you want it at all since many small things are truly what sell.

Are you willing to have her pay something for your booth for some of the profit? Cash n carry DOES increase the # of people stopping in your booth and contacts you'll receive. So if she let you borrow product to have on hand, which is very convenient and NO RISK to you, I think she deserves something. Are you keeping the cash you bring in on the cash n carry or passing it to her? In THAT case, she probably is making money there. If you keep it, plus the sell-a-thon, it doesn't seem right b/c you would have those sales without her. SOME, yes, but lots of people (in my experience) like to walk away with something.

Is everything priced? Inventoried? Does she have receipts you can borrow (though they may have her name on them)?

Another option...ask if you can buy certain things from her.

Selling $1500 worth of stuff would be a lot of work. Lots on hand and would mean you are very busy so keep that in mind too.

Good luck. Please take this as positive. I'm enjoying a pinched nerve so I may be repeated or blunt or whatever.

 

[AJPratt]

Just remember, once you sell something, its gone and so is the contact. For me, its more about the relationship, booking and recruit leads. I might take a dozen small products with me, just to have something and that's it. I always use the "we don't have to keep an inventory" as a plus for the business.

 

[Mrs.H.]

I would take her up on the offer, bring all of her stuff, to keep out and have for the i have to have it NOW crowd, but try to talk everyone into ordering instead, with insentives like gift wrapping. Just having the option to buy should get everyone in the booth, but you dont have to sell them her stuff. Tell everyone this is your display stuff, if they start to walk away then as a last ditch effort sell her stuff. This way you will make most of the money but still be giving her something.

 

[legacypc46]

To answer your question, no, isn't fair.....and I agree with others: keep her (and her products) away from your booth. For someone to have that much inventory on hand, she either bought those items along the way to 'earn' incentives, or they are products she did actually earn for free and is using you to make a profit off of them.

I never go into a fair/booth expecting to make sales (though I don't discourage those who want to place an order!). It is about establishing relationships (like Anne said) and generating future business. Those door prize slips can be a huge blessing in the coming months.

Since this is close to the holidays, you will have folks interested in placing orders, so you may want a plan for that. I did a fair once where I agreed to make local deliveries (not door to door...I linked-up with the customers at coffee shops). It was personally worth it to my business. Since this is sell-a-thon, you can make it worth your while: submit the orders as a catalog show w/you as host. You will receive your commission, sell-a-thon points, and the host benefits. (Just know what you're willing to do in terms of delivery.)

Anyway, just my thoughts...typing fast so I hope I made sense. :blushing:

 

[pcchefjane]

The thing is, guarantees don't go to a "third party". If she has all this product and someone purchases something and it breaks (like a stone), you have no clue how long she has had it. You have to have a valid show# to give to HO and if you don't, it is "not guaranteed"! Stay FAR FAR away from her! If she earned all that stuff and it sits in her garage, that is nuts!

 

[beepampered]

I have hundreds of dollars of products - stuff I earned through past Sell-a-thons and didn't want. I've never totaled the amount but my husband can attest to the fact that it's way more than it should be. I guess I'm saying I don't think she sounds that bad. She just wants the points. I'd be thinking about the money since you have to re-coup $400 (wow, that's a lot of money). Could you let her get the points and pay you 22% back? That way, she'd get the points but you'd get the money (and she'd have to claim it on her taxes). Good luck.

 

[sarahsellcm]

Thanks everyone! After she talked to our director she realized that she was only helping me out and was going to be given back everything. She was just helping with people who wanted cash and carry. The outcome from this show got me $300 in orders that night ($200 in cash and carry (only $50 was hers the rest was stuff that my sister ordered and told me to take it in case someone wanted it and then reorder it for her) and another $100 in orders. I have a few people who went to my website and were looking at things because they asked questions about it. I also got over 200 names and so far 4 bookings (couldn't call today because I was sick :-( ). So even after all the drama she caused things worked out fine and I did really well. My director told her that I borrowed her tables and she wasn't making me give her anything back except her tables and that is what I was doing with her products. There was a few retired products out and I gave her the cash for that because I thought since I couldn't reorder them that was fair. THanks again.

 

[aPamperedBride]

Glad it worked out for you. I took cash and carry to a 'shopping extravaganza' with other vendors and had to lug it all home b/c people wanted to order things I didn't have. I strongly recommend what Ann suggested on another post...paying the difference yourself for direct ship and advertising it as an upgrade to direct shipping and the opportunity to get what they want without having to carry it!