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Author Topic: Selling Yourself Short?  (Read 21620 times)

Offline irerob

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #40 on: January 20, 2009, 09:27:46 pm »
  Do we know that that was a regular price/item in the store? maybe the owner "inherited" it some how and just wanted it gone.
You don't need a parachute to sky dive.... you do how ever need one to sky dive twice.
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Offline CaptainCanuck

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #41 on: January 20, 2009, 09:30:37 pm »
No problem here.
I just wanted to point out to some of the newer beekeepers who may want to turn their hobby into a fulltime profession, that there is a middle ground between producing many truckloads of honey and selling it for $1.30 a pound and trying to move honey thru retailers at $5-6 a pound.

I'm not really interested in debating the merits of one method vs. another.

 The reason I was  going back to 'lurking" is because that's really all I had to say  :-\

Offline tlynn

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #42 on: January 20, 2009, 09:57:18 pm »
I have yet to sell my honey (first year beekeeper who has given my first harvests to family and friends) so this is just rookie observation...I would say that the price commanded is a function of marketing and audience.  My local health food store sells "natural, raw" honey in various forms and brands for $10 + per pound.  Who do you want to market to?  Allergy prone people who are looking for local product from a health benefit perspective?  Flea market folks looking for something cheap to sweeten the tea?  Wholesaling to other beekeepers?  How does a company get $10/gram for honey that's used on dressings to heal wounds?  It's the target market.

I have noticed a phenomenon that one of my mentors told me about which I resisted for a long time.  My sales tend to increase when I raise the price.  I think it's psychology.  People value something more if it costs more.

Offline mudlake

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #43 on: January 20, 2009, 10:12:04 pm »
What I see is the same if it is to cheap people think there is something wrong somehow it is "cheap" I buy my honey from a beek that looks most like a beek. Well dressed neat nice layout. Not the cheapest.If I ever have enough to sell, I have taken pictures of his layout. To many kids neighbors and friends to have any to sell now. Soon.  Everyone has a different idea what is best. The only way we can learn new ways is the to put up our ideas and sometimes get them shot down. I lurk a lot but sometimes I run my mouth. Now your turn.  Good luck everyone and don't stop talking.  Tony     

Offline tlynn

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #44 on: January 20, 2009, 10:14:36 pm »
CaptainCanuck, can you update your location in your profile?  It helps to know where everybody is.  Thanks...

Offline steveouk

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #45 on: January 20, 2009, 10:34:05 pm »
i can see that if your producing 60,000 lbs of honey why you would want to sell it at the price you do and i can also see why some like myself would sell it at the $5-$7 / lb . The local market for me anyway is just at that price but i also want to re-invest into my bee's so the money i make will get me more bee's and wooden ware.

i think if i had 600-750 hives producing approximately $120,000 dollars worth of honey then i would be very happy and could see me selling it for similar price.

for now i'm not letting any of my honey go for less than $5/lb I've already got people asking me left right and center when my honey will be available for 2009 and can they buy it

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #46 on: January 21, 2009, 01:07:50 am »
More Bees- :lol:  8-) RDY-B

Offline dpence

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #47 on: January 22, 2009, 12:08:13 am »
I'm getting $6.00 for a pint with no trouble but that's in a glass mason jar that costs about $0.75

Dave

That's what I sold mine for and we sold out.  One guy bought a case...12 jars.

David

Offline beemaster

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #48 on: January 22, 2009, 01:24:32 am »

Sorry everyone.

It's time.  I'll sit back and cool down for a little while and maybe get my thoughts a little straighter, then I'll post my thread in the intro section and explain my views on why I came over here to the Beemaster site.  I really thought I was getting away from some of this by coming over here from the other site. 

It's time we all had a talk about how we treat new members.  What's the deal??  Did I end up on the wrong site?

__________


I'd like to see that NOT happen.

As with any other time, I'll admit that I very well could be a little off.  I'll try and keep an open mind.  I will however say this though:

Anytime we say things in such a way as to make a new member want to stop posting, we've done something wrong.  I don't care if it was was lack of tact, too much pressure, or whatever.  Maybe we can save it for established members.  I took your jest toward me as just that - pure jest.

However, when I see us (as a forum) cause someone to not want to post anymore, I feel that we've misbehaved a bit.


1of16 writes:

Members here are surely NOT going to be ANY HARSHER on new comers than established members - friendly is friendly, Aholes are Aholes. I don't know what this jab is (especially in a post where it has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TOPIC. We had a very pleasant PM once, pm me again if you have issues concerning new members or anyone.

Beemaster is NOT now nor EVER Will be Eutopia, and no one promised you this. It is not Woodsock, people don't lay around playing naked in the mud while Janis Joplin is on stage, if a new member gets tossed, it isn't a GROUP hand-raise decision. Sorry if you cannot agree with everything our small by interactive governing body works, it is what it is. A member who is choosing to leave us by breaking rules and choosing to fight RIGHT out of the gate. I been Administrating a long time, please don't pretend to know MY JOB.

The members here (whether you fully buy the concept or not) have great input concerning new members. It doesn't take long to see who people really are. We ask new members ESPECIALLY to be on good behaviour - maybe a few cabin fevered members can give them a little slack to in some posts, agreed.

I personally see a small influx of people from other forums who have agendas which I believe the members should be made aware - that's all. Not all new members are new beekeeps with great hopes and intentions, many are here on their 3 or 4 membername, they are forum DIRTY BOMBS, just trying to go off in our forum like a suiside bomber in a Iraqie MArket Place.We know threats exist and I enjoy you here greatly - I son't understand if I'm reading you incorrectly, but just remember one thing - number of post counts don't impress me. . No banned filter protection stops everybody everytime. Software is not that good. That's why when we know the member's name from another forum, we watch them a long time - if we suspect we will start seeing little DIGS in a forum we're not even posting in! Not following you here very we'll/

Please chill though on who and why someone is banned, this isn't another forum where we DEBATE the banning of a member over a 18 page post. Members here can show their own words which hung them, they do not need my help. I agree there may be a touch of drooling over a member who has MORE than asked for it DOES get a bit of Chewing on - it happened recently, but is NOT the norm.

But I know when someone is genuine about staying and becoming an outstanding member here or when someone is detoxing on other forum's more open attitude toward the Wild Wild West style. I don't allow that here, our moderators and members don't allow that here. When you see someone written off as an Ahole, it is not done covertly, we LEAVE the posts when ever possible so a new member, or return member with little patiences gets exposed quickly and they just make fools of themselves.

Not sure which member I banned that seems to disturb you, but I am sorry. When someone makes it a point to open the EXIT DOOR in the forum, it is MY JOB to see they are escorted to thru the door and it is locked behind them. I deleted a whole paragraph just now, better to just again ask, WTH 1of16 - write me in PM if you have an issue. You do know I hope that NOT everyone with an issue is ridiculed than banned, not always and rarely enjoyable.
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Offline CaptainCanuck

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #49 on: January 22, 2009, 01:56:18 am »
And stay away from the brown acid......... I hear it's s**t!   :mrgreen:

Offline JP

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #50 on: January 22, 2009, 10:55:27 am »
And stay away from the brown acid......... I hear it's s**t!   :mrgreen:

 :? :? :? :idunno:


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Offline Keith13

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #51 on: January 22, 2009, 11:57:27 am »
And stay away from the brown acid......... I hear it's s**t!   :mrgreen:

 :? :? :? :idunno:


...JP

Come on JP its a woodstock reference
 ;) ;)

Keith

Offline BjornBee

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #52 on: January 22, 2009, 12:45:50 pm »
And stay away from the brown acid......... I hear it's s**t!   :mrgreen:

 :? :? :? :idunno:


...JP

Come on JP its a woodstock reference
 ;) ;)

Keith

Woodstock  :?  :?  :?  :idunno:

 ;)
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Offline 1of6

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #53 on: January 22, 2009, 01:36:29 pm »
All,
     My sincere apologies.  Maybe I read a lot more into this than was actually there.  I see that I was very very far off.  This is a perfect case of "Judge NOT, lest YE be judged."  When I look back over the assumptions that I made over what was being said in this and the other thread, I'm uncomfortable with myself.

Very sorry folks.

Online Michael Bush

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #54 on: January 22, 2009, 07:37:01 pm »
Woodstock. You know.  That book by Sir Walter Scot...
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Offline steveouk

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #55 on: January 22, 2009, 07:40:06 pm »
don't you have to be over 60 to know what woodstock was ?

Offline IABeeMan

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #56 on: January 22, 2009, 09:02:30 pm »
 I myself do not see a problem if he sells that cheap. This summer I made the farmers market every Saturday and developed a good customer base that began to return on a regular basis. I was selling 1/2lb for $2.50, 1lb for $4, and 2lb for $8. About 1/2 way through the summer there was another beekeeper show up for 3 or 4 weeks in a row. She was selling her honey for about half of what I was. She was asking something like $2.50 a lb for hers. After a few weeks she came over after the market closed and said she noticed I had several customers and that she hardly had any. I assumedshe was priced higher, once I discovered she was so cheap it only proved that if you stick to your guns and develop that beekeeper and customer basis they will buy your honey.
 Its no diff than if one gas station was selling gas for $1.95 and the one across the street was selling gas for $1.30. Would you scold and crucify the cheaper station? No most everyone if not everyone would love the cheaper station. Whats the difference in gas and honey other than you are the one charging more. You always have to remember there are two sides to each coin.

Offline CaptainCanuck

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #57 on: January 22, 2009, 10:14:46 pm »
Sounds like you were selling good honey at a reasonable price. Customers are pretty loyal once they find something they trust.

 Now there's some here with the theory that if another beekeeper set up beside you with $8 a pound honey all your customers would flock to them because your "cheap" honey must be inferior.   ;)

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #58 on: January 22, 2009, 10:33:01 pm »
I myself do not see a problem if he sells that cheap. This summer I made the farmers market every Saturday and developed a good customer base that began to return on a regular basis. I was selling 1/2lb for $2.50, alb for $4, and alb for $8. About 1/2 way through the summer there was another beekeeper show up for 3 or 4 weeks in a row. She was selling her honey for about half of what I was. She was asking something like $2.50 a lb. for hers. After a few weeks she came over after the market closed and said she noticed I had several customers and that she hardly had any. I assumed-she was priced higher, once I discovered she was so cheap it only proved that if you stick to your guns and develop that beekeeper and customer basis they will buy your honey.
 Its no diff than if one gas station was selling gas for $1.95 and the one across the street was selling gas for $1.30. Would you scold and crucify the cheaper station? No most everyone if not everyone would love the cheaper station. Whats the difference in gas and honey other than you are the one charging more. You always have to remember there are two sides to each coin.
well if you set up a observation hive at the gas station selling gas for $1.95 Ill bet you get back the customers you lost to the $1.30 station  :lol:--perceived value is important -sometime try switching labels around -same honey different label -they will follow the label not the taste of the honey-RDY-B

Offline beemaster

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Re: Selling Yourself Short?
« Reply #59 on: January 23, 2009, 12:51:31 am »
TOTALLY OF TOPIC - CaptainCunuck I ask you to PLEASE add your location in your profile, everyone does. It is of great help to know in what type climate you raise bees. Thank you. Enjoy the forum and please read the first post on this forum http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/board,97.0.html which is our bylaws.

You can surely debate your positive sides and the obvious downsides of apposing parties (in any issue) are yours to pick at. But may I suggest, according to the concenseus of my PMing - you should put a rev limiter on your message a little - you have 10 posts, do't come out of the gate too strong, devop a charactor if you must - but constrain your compassion to word of positive meaning and let the other side do the same - feel free to disagree - when you need to Stigmata yourself to post how deeply you feel, first you are way to "intouch" with your feminine side of your body - You need to make sese, not insult and don't judge others here. I will say this in a clear line. Represent your own opinion, do not negatively attack a persons way of thinking directly - always explain an issue positively that counters the bad in your opponents views.

Just get introduced like a new charactor into a soap opera and everyone is happy - become some one befoee you Fillabuster a topic. This is something all new members should think about - many people here have conversed in text, pms, audio and video chat and recorded to MP3 to play as an example of what Ventrillo sounds lie - a GREAT ! HOUR AUDIO TAPE - soon available for free download to stream player of all sorts in quality mp3 format.

When CABIN FEVER HITS and you feel like a lone igglo in the fridged air with nothing to eat but fat over a dying fire and the wood has blown away and is covered. Soon it will be cold and only remain a constant 45 degrees, more that enough to sleep the night in comfort with proper gear.

We all need to make these stories last a little longer, thinking out in clear messages that arrent to OFFENSIVE to some - just keeping it realy, you are revved up there by the members as an 8.5 out of 10 - that as a Administrator alarms me. It is like a bell going off in a Los Vegas hotel security booth. You ake a public spectical of yourself rathere than comply and give it 30 posts to wein in, not 10 to rush a point. That's all I'm saying. Welcome to the forums.





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