I work very hard making original pieces.
This rule is not being enforced and it’s very frustrating for me and other vendors.
If y’all are sick and tired of us complaining about people selling things that are not handmade, I beg you to bring in an outside person to confirm.
And no, I am not blaming my low sales the past two weeks on one person. If you take the time to post these rules, TAKE THE TIME TO ENFORCE THEM!!!
I have made a post about this before asking my fellow market vendors if they had noticed the selling of unaltered jewelry… I literally watched someone pull fresh product from Amazon bags with barcodes on them.
I would like for this post to be left open for discussion this time —not to trash other vendors, but to voice concerns and possibly come to a solution together.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk
Then take the time to document (photo) and report them – otherwise, it’s just gossip and your opinion against others. Everyone at the Market has provided photos of their studio, work process and things consistent with making their own goods. We know that cheating exists, but also lean in favor of their word.
I agree with Suzanne. I made a complaint about balloons being sold at the Christmas show and nothing was done. These are not handmade. So many people come into my booth and won’t buy because they already bought a balloon for their child. I’ve heard it time and again. I work a lot of hours sewing each week, it’s hard work and not really fair for someone to make more money selling balloons. It appears to me that the market is becoming a flea market, is this what we really want it to be?
Chris,
It’s not about “cheating”. It’s the process of recognizing what is handmade versus what is not. I respectfully disagree with you that I should be the one responsible for documenting /taking pictures of someone else’s merchandise.
I (and a few other jewelry vendors) have alerted the management staff about this several times.
Balloons are an approved item; deal with it. I am very pleased with our balloons, as are many kids who enjoy them each week. If you do not like it, feel free to withdrawal from the Market.
Suzanne, if you witness a direct violation of our buy/sell requirements and take no further action (other than to complain) - then you share culpability with the offender. Merely saying “I don’t like their product, or they are cheating” is not grounds for someone being dismissed – we require hard evidence.
And historically, hard evidence has always emerged in time. Ask any of the dozens of vendors who complain about me on social media because they are no longer eligible to attend. But there is a massive difference between building a compelling case that someone is lying or cheating, and simply booting someone because a vendor or two raises a complaint. The market does not succumb to the tyranny of unsubstantiated opinion, but to hard facts.
Not a single vendor at the market does everything themselves – all components are purchased from somewhere (from our farms all the way down to our artisans - seeds, starter plants, flour for the breads, etc). Bead stringers have been complained about for the last twenty years, and I’m certain they will be for the next twenty; that doesn’t certify that they don’t have a place in the world. Some crafts require much less talent than others; that much is plain to see.
But every single person carries around a video device in their pockets – if you spot someone opening Amazon packages and putting them on the rack, that’s a clear violation of policy and completely contradicts any claim that they had a material impact in the creation of an object. The penalty, as has been demonstrated repeatedly in the past, is a permanent ban from all markets/events.
Ok. When I witnessed this take place, I alerted management.
Complaining and pointing out a system is flawed are two very different things.
I never said I did not like person’s product. I never called anyone a cheater.
And I am confused about bead stringers verses jewelry makers… I am assuming jewelry makers are metal smiths and bead stringers are kind of like what I do?
Anyway, you and I can chat about it sometime soon. Thank you for responding
Everyone knows what we look like, and who we are – it’s difficult to catch someone being that blatant by a staff member. It’s frankly hard to believe someone was that stupid to actually pull from a box within the market itself. But I didn’t witness it, nor did any of my team, and no evidence that it occurred was produced. So it’s a he-said/she-said situation; typically, those remain unresolved until further (future) violations occur. Frankly, we’ve been down this road a hundred times – cheaters always get caught.
The separate of Beadwork from Jewelry was an attempt by the Market 20+ years ago to address this very tension we continue to experience today:
The primary distinction is that beadwork is generally an assembly of components into a new item, while jewelry generally involves the manufacture of the adornment items, or the entire item itself (ie, Dennis Jones Jewelry). I think your work actually contains some uniquely created items, while a pure beadwork artisan can string commercial items together for a sellable product.
The system may be flawed, the Market might be flawed – everything in our society has a defect of some form or shape. The distinction I am loudly pointing out here is that the Market will give you the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise – but the penalty for violating the rules is a permanent ban for life. Drama will not play a role in the decision – this forum is not a mob soapbox – but when caught, the outcome is immediate.
That’s pretty significant consequence, especially if someone is running a lucrative business with us. And all the more reason for a potential violator (who is now likely aware that we are watching them closely) to change their suspected practices in order to remain active with the Market. So be it - everyone deserves a second chance.
Who knows… perhaps they don’t read the forum posts.
