December sales numbers.

[little blue choo]

Well my December sales numbers are in, unless something else sells in one of by booths today. Between my two booths and all my orders from previous buyers and people who just heard about me or seen my work on my facebook page the grand total was $2060.00. Less booth rentals and all materials ($440) I cleared $1620.00. Now bad for a hobby! Thanks you Christmas buyers! Got to hurry and finish my e-commerce website.

Rick

[Gamelord]

Awesome!

[bigworm36]

That's awesome! Waiting for my arclight table to be delivered so I can starting cutting.

[tcaudle]

Well my December sales numbers are in, unless something else sells in one of by booths today. Between my two booths and all my orders from previous buyers and people who just heard about me or seen my work on my facebook page the grand total was $2060.00. Less booth rentals and all materials ($440) I cleared $1620.00. Now bad for a hobby! Thanks you Christmas buyers! Got to hurry and finish my e-commerce website.

Rick

Before you get too excited the peak of the season for decorative plasma cutting is in December (it least it was for the four years I made it my main income source) e-commerce is okay but only as a place to take orders and most people want to talk to a human. Your best market is a local one and the web is not focused for local sales. Honestly, media like Facebook is better. Every market is different but people are the same in most areas and after the gift season their impulse buying drops off. You can still do okay in the custom business if you live in a area where things like metal gates and "yard art" are popular.

[bigcreek]

congratulations that is exciting stuff. Good luck in 2017

[michmetalman]

Congrats! This was my best year ever, and only gonna get better from here on out. I usually have a slow period after the HUGE Christmas rush, but starting out strong so far has me right back at it. With our rather large Facebook fanbase and plans to do Facebook advertising, I expect a monster year.

[little blue choo]

Same here michmetalman. What started out to be a hobby has turned into another job. But at least it's a job I enjoy.

Rick

[michmetalman]

Same here michmetalman. What started out to be a hobby has turned into another job. But at least it's a job I enjoy.

Rick

Yup, I do this full time...LOVE it!!

[ColoradoWayne]

We terribly underestimated the Christmas demand and ended up working a LOT of hours in November and December - sort of lost the fun trying to get stuff done. This year we will hit Christmas with a LOT of inventory and hope we do as well - this was our best year too. Very much a learning experience, each year and each show is different. Still having fun though (once I get the temp in the shop over 40F that is).

[motoguy]

What do you guys sell the most of during Christmas? My biggest seller was the split monogram wall hanger...being a "custom" piece, I don't have a way to stock up before the demand hits. I'm curious what your pre-stocked items are.

[ColoradoWayne]

I try to cover a broad spectrum, ranging from $5 stocking stuffers up to $70 garage signs. Since I am in Colorado I do a lot of Welcome signs with deer, elk, mountains, etc. I do a few little cartoon things to get the kids to drag Mom and Dad over and then have some nice "indoor" pieces like tree of life, hummingbird pieces, etc. I also do well with both some religious pieces and of course the gun related stuff. The downside is it takes us about 2 hours to set up for a show, and another hour and a half to break down - and when I get home my back is singing to me. But I enjoy the customer interaction and nice comments - so it is all worth it. Best sellers? Varies by show - I never guess right and usually run out of something at every show.