What is the process for having a retailer carry a wedding sample book?

Odd Duck Press
on 20 May 10 (15:07)

Greetings All,

I have a very small letterpress business, which largely focuses on wedding invitations. (Big surprise, right;) I’m developing a collection of invitation styles that I’ll put together in a sample book. I was wondering if anyone out there has experience with a retailer carrying their sample book. What’s the procedure? What percentage of the sale does the store get?

Thanks!
Jessica

Matthew Rodgers
on 20 May 10 (18:07)

The big companies work like this… buy the album from the provider for a certain price (say $50) and receive in turn discount coupons equal to that price (e.g. 5 coupons for $10 off an order). That way the provider’s investment in the book is somewhat covered, and the retailer has a financial incentive to sell your products.

The most common and easiest markup situation is a straight 100% markup, e.g. book says the package costs $300, the retailer pays you $150. However, that only works if your margins are good, and the retailer is doing all the customer facing work for you (sending you a final order needing no or few revisions, handling all customer questions/concerns, etc.). Markups vary based on how much you’re going to do, versus the retailer. Unfortunately few retailers are going to have someone on hand all the time that can really get into the details with a customer… maybe offering a 60/40 split with the promise that it will become 50/50 for a “clean” order might be a way to go.