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Vending at shows?

Stormy

Stormy

Keeper of scaley things.
I was wondering how many of you do it? Do you like it?
I know it can be a pretty taxing experience on the animals and you so I am curious on others opinions and tips.
I don't plan on vending until next year but i figured it wont hurt to learn from other peoples experiences while I go about figuring out how to do tax id's and all that fun stuff in Louisiana.
 
I'm looking forward to vending a show. I haven't done it and probably won't until next year or the year after, but it's something I want to experience. :D
 
I've helped Carol out. The main thing is how utterly exhausting it is to spend the entire day interacting with people and their children and staying cheerful the entire time. But it's also incredibly fun!
 
I personally far prefer vending at shows to online. We have a good local one I have been doing for years. I like being able to meet the person who is getting my snake as it is easier to judge character for me that way. Once the snake sells, it's gone, no having to pack it, ship it, and worry about it while it's in transit. Is it stressful on the animals yes but I think shipping is just as much or even more so. I usually bring an older ambassador snake for people to hold and don't let them hold the babies unless they seem like an interested buyer so they don't get stressed as much that way. At a show I don't have to email back and forth, get shipping quotes, take pics, either the snake sells or it doesn't. Real life "lookie loos" are just easier to deal with than online ones for some reason. The kids drive me crazy, I really don't enjoy little kids but I try to grin and bear it because it's good for the hobby the more kids that like snakes, the more will grow up to be herp keepers or at least become people with open minds towards snakes. The cons are basically that people will try to get stuff as cheap as they can (but that happens online too) and that there is always a vendor with cheapie, out of the egg not even established corns that sells out because money is more important than anything else to many buyers. (but wait, that kinda happens online too)
I would tell new vendors not to expect much at their first show, but if you keep going back it gets better, like any other business you get better sales once people start to know who you are and recognize you. I brought home almost every snake from the first show I went to, things have picked up since then but I have been persistent. When I go it's with the mindset that I will get to meet other locals that enjoy my hobby, and see what the other vendors have before the doors open to the general public, if I make $ it's a bonus, but not the goal.
 
I also enjoy vending at shows. I like the interaction with the people and I like the well behaved kids. I also enjoy meeting the other vendors. I have been doing the same shows for the last few years and enjoy seeing everyone. I get the biggest kick out of former customers coming to tell me how the snakes are doing. And it is always a huge compliment to have repeat buyers.

Don't expect to make significant money though. For the hours you put in this hobby "pays" very poorly.
 
I went to Daytona last year. I had bloodreds and granites, huge, gorgeous babies (if I do say so myself!). In attractive containers, with lots of info on the bottom, with pirces marked. Not rock bottom prices, but decent prices. I let people handle them. They were all nice. Didn't sell anything. I saw people buying the way top end morphs and the way bottom end morphs and nothing in between. So it was fun, but it was super-tiring, and I didn't sell anything.
 
I would tell new vendors not to expect much at their first show, but if you keep going back it gets better, like any other business you get better sales once people start to know who you are and recognize you. I brought home almost every snake from the first show I went to, things have picked up since then but I have been persistent. When I go it's with the mindset that I will get to meet other locals that enjoy my hobby, and see what the other vendors have before the doors open to the general public, if I make $ it's a bonus, but not the goal.
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I fully understand this. I went through the show that was here this past weekend and watched the tables to see what drew the people to them and what kept them away.
The tables that looked like established businesses were the ones that had people crowded around them. The ones with just a table and nothing more had people glance their way then keep on going, I think mainly because they didnt look established and their tables had that unfinished look to them, like they had stopped mid setup.

Don't expect to make significant money though. For the hours you put in this hobby "pays" very poorly.
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Which is why im going into this thinking its for fun. IF I make a little bit of money great, if not then no biggie. It will be a great experience either way.

I went to Daytona last year. I had bloodreds and granites, huge, gorgeous babies (if I do say so myself!). In attractive containers, with lots of info on the bottom, with pirces marked. Not rock bottom prices, but decent prices. I let people handle them. They were all nice. Didn't sell anything. I saw people buying the way top end morphs and the way bottom end morphs and nothing in between. So it was fun, but it was super-tiring, and I didn't sell anything.
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I'm always jealous of the babies you end up with Nanci! Maybe it was the over load of information on the containers that shyed people away? Its such a hard call. I watched people at this last show really really looking at the expensive stuff (most of which was the high end ball pythons) but I didnt see many people buying them. The few that I did see marked sold did sell quick, like in the first half hour of the VIP hour.

I guess each show is different, depending on the area. I noticed for some reason our show had a lot of vendors from Texas but not really any local ones, which makes me wonder if there are realy any local ones to begin with.
 
I have been vending at shows mutliple times year he last three years, like 5 or 6 times a year, both small sized (local, half a sports hall) and larger (international) ones, like Snake Day (a large main hall and 2 or 3 smaller ones). Both have their pro's and cons,

At the local shows you'll see many starters or people exploring if they want a snake or maybe a lizard or.... and so on. Somehow these local shows/fairs over here are always combined with a paranormal and/or jewelry making fair in one ticket (why????) so there will be all spiritual/ artsy / a bit scared people asking stuff about keeping snakes too. And they will entertain you with funny remarks and questions... lol. Like 'Is that snake (you are holding in your hands to be petted by kids) venomous?). Or they walk by, take a glance and walk on wiht a face of total disbelieve... Once I had a woman tell me snakes are spiritual healers... lol. But I'm sure that combination is not common everywhere, right?

The starters will keep you busy asking stuff, they want to handle a snake first time of their lives.... and many of them won't buy one after all you did for them :rolleyes: It is fulfilling to inform people but also tiring since you also are tryign to sell a snake, without putting too much pressure on them. If you are lucky, a '2nd phase' starter will come along; that type of snake keeper is suffering from the addictive snake keeping virus after buying one or two and is looking for more, and more and more... so he might be interested in buying slightly higher prices morphs, since he is thinking of breeding too and gets to know the morphs and their differences. There is no telling a total starter a caramel is really different than a normal and more rare so the price is higher, but the 2nd phase guy might understand and appreciate to have one. You might also bump into a local breeder that has an interest in higher end morphs and is coming along to buy bedding and take a quick look around so do take all your avalaible snakes with you and show them, one might not know who comes along to find what he is looking for at your table. I think the largest pro of a local (small) show is, that there are less competitors... if you have the morph someone likes, fair chance you are the only one there at the moment with that morph and the right sexe, so good chance you are going to sell it. There is no; 'but why are your snakes more expensive' or even 'why are they cheaper' questions being thrown. Especially since at the local shows I go to, the people vending are local too, and usually haven't invested much efforts and money in presentation, so if I go there with my table all pricked up I look way professional and interesting, but my prices are sometimes even better, since I do know what is realistic, John Doe with 'three snakes in a viv that accidentally threw eggs' does not. Asking 30 euro for an amel is pretty daring... hehe

Larger shows are busier, but most people just take a glance at your table, because there is so much to see and many people know what they are looking for. It's a good idea to write out everything you have on your table on signs, or at least the high lights. That way people can scan your table quickly witout over seeing stuff they might be interested in.

You have to be alert too and try to start a conversation with lookers yourself to see if you can interest them for your snakes. Or at least, have a nice chat and make him remember you in a positive manner, because the 'glancers' might be the ones with a nice budget, looking for something special, now or in the future. I have so far not really produced higher end morphs, so at larger shows I usually sell mostly to the '2nd phase' people that do attend larger shows outside of their local environment. Still a local starter might also buy my 10 euro normal but there is sooo much competition.. it's about luck more than anything else in that case. Or indeed, having returning, happy customers. But that goes for both types of shows. Once I had a buyer buying from me at three consecutive local shows, that made me feel great :)

For me the whole process of getting stuff ready the day before and on the show itself, feels a bit stressy still, but thank goodness my boyfriend is my show assistant and keeps me calm at moments I might loose it a bit, lol. During a show I feel like I wanna re-arrange stuff all the time... It goes better every time though :)
 
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