Beware Consignment

Oh, Give me a Hand. -- a "handy note" from me.

Okay, just like may other artists i know, i am hoping to pursue this field as a career choice. In order to do so i am trying to hustle and talk about Cherry Runway consistently to become more well known. So when i am accepted or approached by a brick and motor shop that is willing to sell my designs, i am stoked!! The fall back though, which incase you didn't already know of, is that when you hand over your goods, you really don't have a say what they do with them.

Consignment seems like a great idea. Don't get me wrong, I am still quite pleased when i am able to consign my goods, but in some cases it seems like a waste of money. First off, you foot out the bill and time and give someone/someplace your items for free, based on a contact that you hope they will sell your merchandise. Sometimes your goods will be put in the back and not even be put on the floor for days, weeks or months. Sometimes they were never put on the floor and just sent back to you after a while. Unless you visit this place frequently, you really will never know.

I've been a shoppe in South Florida for about 6 months. I was extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to see at this particular place. I was told that i should call once a month and put my name on the consignment artist list, and someone will call me with an update. I've called once a month for the last five months, and have not received a single phone call back. When i called their shop yesterday, the women i worked with "no longer worked with the company" and the girl at the register had never heard of me or my jewelry. So, i went in for a personal visit. When i got there, a women lifted a small crumpled paper bag and dumped out my jewelry on the counter to compare it to my invoice. $400.00 wholesale, of my hard earned time and money was sitting there tarnished and uncared for. It made me sick.

So please learn from my mistake, check out a store very carefully before you hand over your goods. It may seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, but may end up as a waste of your time.