Business 101: Consignment or Not? The Solution

I found this helpful suggestion here. shamarjewels says:

Several years ago I had a brilliant solution to the question, "Do you do consignment?" and it has been very successful for me. It has enabled me to get my work into museum shops as well as boutiques. Part of the consignment problem is that a store will always push the merchandise that they have money invested in. Secondly, they might display one's items carelessly. I've had mine stacked in a corner, not even displayed in one boutique. After that incident, I came up with the following solution. When asked if I "do consignment", my response is to offer them a 2 for 1 deal. Generally most shops do purchase merchandise and might not want to invest money in the "unknown" or they don't have a large budget. Here are some fact: All items look better the larger and more unique the display is and it shows customers that the buyers of the shop like and have faith in the artist. So, if they purchase 10 items, I will leave an additional 10 on consignment. This way, the display looks much more complete and interesting and the store has invested money into selling my items. Also, I get money upfront with the potential to double my earnings. If the display attracts more attention, then there's always the chance the customer will buy some of the items left on consignment. Be very specific as to which is on consignment and which has been purchased when writing up the sale. This has worked very well for me. Because of this setup, it gives me the excuse to stay in touch with the store owner more frequently and helps the seller figure out what is popular and selling. Unless a shop only sells on consignment, this has worked for me every time. It becomes more of a partnership and I have often helped with the display of my items as well.