# Being an SM Vendor



## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

Personally, I think the fees for being an SM vendor are outrageous!!!

When we first began the vendor's forum a couple of years ago, Joe charged $60/year to be a vendor. Then, soon after he sold SM, the fees to be a vendor went to $49/month.

Now, if you're making a living from your pet boutique -- like bloomingtales as an example, then I guess the higher cost could be justified.

But -- there are many of us that are very "craft oriented" and like to make a handful of dog outfits or bows or harnesses or beds and sell them to our SM friends. There's really no profit margin in this -- but it's fun and the small fees that we charge, mostly pay for our supplies and time. Obviously at $49/month to be a vendor, this isn't possible.

We do have the Buy/Sell/Trade area, but that's meant to be for things like (if I clean out the girls' closet and have a dress or 2 to sell -- not ones I make).

Seems like we should be able to come up with a place for SM members to sell the handmade things they make without such an unreasonable monthly fee.

Obviously we don't want people to jump onto SM JUST to try to sell something (and I know that's happened in the past), so maybe there would need to be something about having to be a paying member on SM or having xxx amount of posts -- something to weed out those that are only popping up to try to sell.

If you're in agreement, maybe we should pm Yung to see if he is willing to try to work something out.

Just a thought.


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## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

I would agree with you Lynn. After I made Emma's tutu for Tammy I got a few PMs asking me to make some and what I might charge. I had to say no because I was didn't want to pay the vendor charge and didn't want to be reported for violating rules.

I do feel that $49 a month is large if you are not a corporate member.


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## sophiesmama (Mar 13, 2011)

Preach on sister!!!!!!!!!!!! :chili::chili: I would fall into that category. LOL:wub: For the three harness sets, I was going to sell, I would go into the hole.....:HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley:


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## lynda (Oct 11, 2005)

I totally agree with you Lynn.


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## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

I also agree!!!!


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## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

$49 a month is crazy!!! I can't believe it's that much!


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

$49 per month? Ridiculous! I agree that is too high for those who just make a few things now and then. I think they should be able to post under buy/sell/trade. :huh:


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## revakb2 (Sep 8, 2006)

Yes, $49 a month is way too much for the casual crafter.


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## Tanner's Mom (May 27, 2005)

I totally agree with you, that's why I'm not a vendor anymore. I, too, was shocked when I saw that fee.


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## chichi (Apr 12, 2007)

I don't make anything,not very crafty,but I agree with Lynn,$49.00 is a lot.


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

I also feel that the monthly vendor fee is extremely high for casual sellers. In order for most people to break even (ie: not make any profit at all) they would have to sell tons of stuff. To have to pay that monthly is basically impossible for anyone who does not have a fully functioning website as their business front.

This past Holiday season I had made London & Preston hand sewn felt Christmas stockings and had several people ask about them but just like Erin I had to decline because I could not pay the monthly vendor fee without going in the hole...it would have been nice to be able to make a small profit from them.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

I agree Lynn. I could not believe how much it was per month - OMG!! As you said, if you are a higher volume seller with pricier items, it would be easier to swallow - but if you are a hobby crafter for smaller items like bows and harnesses, $49 per month ($588 a year) would put you in the hole real quick.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

I'm trying to make a living at it but it's not easy. And $49 a month is a big deal to those of us who are trying to make a living at it. Especially for those of us who have a brick & mortar store as opposed to only a web store. We have a huge overhead to consider such as rent, utilities, ins. displays, etc...

I just wish the few that caused a ruckus that started the whole paid Vendor Section could have just gotten along and perhaps this never would have started.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

It is a really big outlay for the small business owner. I personally think IMO that if they are paying those fees then they really do deserve some exclusivity, they need every sale they can get to try to offset that and anyone selling anything else would undermine their sales. 

Now if the fees were lower then maybe there could be a solution for the smaller sellers.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

What they all said.:thumbsup: Especially in this economy. Maybe if they had a pricing scale with a range based on what a vendor has in sales per year it might be more amenable to everyone, particularly the small craft friends and maybe even the brick and mortar or web members. Why scare away potential vendors and squelch those of us who want to make something for our friends without putting themselves in the hole? I know other enterprises I'm involved with for business have a scale system based on what your business makes. How do you charge someone selling $100 worth of merchandise a year the same as someone selling $100,000? JMO.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

Shockingly expensive to be a vendor at that rate. I had no idea. I knew it was $60 back when it started, but I had not a clue it had gone up so high with the changes in the forum. 

I know this forum is corporate owned, but there really could be a number of people who want to vend on a smaller scale who could not even consider it at that rate. They would be truly priced out of the market. 

Even for larger scale operations I have trouble imagining that the return on investment is all that strong.


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## Snowball Pie's Mommi (Oct 16, 2008)

Whoa!!! If my math is correct ... it is now TEN times (well, less twelve dollars) as much for vendor fees than for what Joe charged. 

I totally agree with you Lynn.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

They might make more $ by having more vendors if the cost was more reasonable. Lynn, I agree with you.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

The A Team said:


> They might make more $ by having more vendors if the cost was more reasonable. Lynn, I agree with you.


I was thinking that also, Pat. It might be more profitable to have a lower fee which would encourage the casual crafter/vendor to sign on as a paid vendor. $49 a month would drive a lot of people away.


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

I love homecrafted goods and find that they are generally very well. I also love supporting small businesses whenever possible. This forum affords vendors an advertising avenue so I can understand charging some sort of fee but I do wonder how many more small businesses would pay to promote their products if the fee was a substantially lower annual flat fee. Could companies like Pet Edge and G.W. Little become SM members and pay $49/mo to be vendors?


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

I guess I'm not sure how to reply here. I do think that perhaps current policy helps protect those of us who have been here for a long time and are actual posting, Maltese owning members. I do want to clarify that the only reason I added to the two threads about this was because I wanted people to realize that even those of us who are trying to make a living at it, don't find the fee to be a 'drop in the bucket'. I wasn't complaining. Advertising is expensive. So I guess I do feel it fair that it's the same fee for those who aren't making a living at this, but want to do it as a hobby. I just want to add that new ownership really has been good to us vendors who have been here since before the change over.


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## kathym (Aug 5, 2006)

Snowbody said:


> What they all said.:thumbsup: Especially in this economy. Maybe if they had a pricing scale with a range based on what a vendor has in sales per year it might be more amenable to everyone, particularly the small craft friends and maybe even the brick and mortar or web members. Why scare away potential vendors and squelch those of us who want to make something for our friends without putting themselves in the hole? I know other enterprises I'm involved with for business have a scale system based on what your business makes. How do you charge someone selling $100 worth of merchandise a year the same as someone selling $100,000? JMO.


 

Thats so true...


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## aggiemom99 (Dec 3, 2007)

WOW. $49 a month :w00t::w00t: . I had no idea. That is ridiculous for this forum, IMO...


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## myfairlacy (Dec 28, 2007)

Wow! I had NO idea that SM charged that much to be a vendor! That is just crazy! That is $600 a year!! I have NEVER heard of another pet forum charging a fee like that just to post things for sale...


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## Katkoota (Feb 18, 2006)

In my oppinion, I think that the price is very high, especially for the ones who don't make a living out of it.


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## cyndrae (Aug 30, 2009)

Maybe there should be two levels one for the craft people and one for the store type.


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## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

Hunter's Mom said:


> I would agree with you Lynn. After I made Emma's tutu for Tammy I got a few PMs asking me to make some and what I might charge. I had to say no because I was didn't want to pay the vendor charge and didn't want to be reported for violating rules.
> 
> I do feel that $49 a month is large if you are not a corporate member.


 :wub:Just want to add that we love our tutu!


I agree with everyone else. I've always thought the vendor fee was super high! Business owner or hobby crafter.....I think it's high for both.


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## Administrator (Sep 22, 2009)

Thank you everyone for your feedback in this thread. There are a few things I want to address:

1. When we came on board almost two years (geez time flies), I had discussions in private with all the vendors who were current vendors as of that period and I made them an offer that they couldn't refuse if they acted within a certain time period.  In fact, the vendors who were grandfathered in would/should attest that if anything, since we have come on board, nothing has changed for them. 

2. I am very open to suggestions you guys want to make for the vendor program and it's something we can work on. Perhaps in a new thread?


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

I was one of the grandfathered ones. It's $65 per year. Though I don't actively sell on SM,I still don't feel it's a high fee. Teh economy is bad and folks aren't buying. some hardly have extra funds to donate... Which fo rme is more important to me than a sale on SM right now.

$49 per month would be way to expensive for me since I don't sell actively. I make jewellery but I rarely advertise it.Mainly since I don't feel most of the SMer's are for jewellery or other little doggie jewellry items but for information and clothing or harnesses,collars as far as things for their fluffs.
Most are really here to share ,ask for help and maybe pick up a few little things.

I don't feel threatened by those who list a few items they have for sale especially if they're not a business,example somene wanting to sell off an extra unworn fluff item.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

admin said:


> Thank you everyone for your feedback in this thread. There are a few things I want to address:
> 
> 1. When we came on board almost two years (geez time flies), I had discussions in private with all the vendors who were current vendors as of that period and I made them an offer that they couldn't refuse if they acted within a certain time period.  In fact, the vendors who were grandfathered in would/should attest that if anything, since we have come on board, nothing has changed for them.
> 
> 2. I am very open to suggestions you guys want to make for the vendor program and it's something we can work on. Perhaps in a new thread?


I was grandfathered in as well. This is what I was alluding to in my earlier post but didn't know if this was to be public knowledge, except to those of us vendors who are grandfathered in, so I didn't want to just come out and say this.


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## angel's mom (Feb 14, 2007)

I am glad to know that the "old" vendors were grandfathered in. Makes me feel a little better about the whole thing. Thank you for telling us that, Yung.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

$65 a year I think is a good. I don't think many vendors are doing tremendous amounts of sales on SM,no offense.

I would assume SM is just one place their spreading their advertising dollar. Many I assume are selling on Ebay,Etsy and other virtual and possibly brick and mortar establishments.

SMer's are spreading their money in many areas of the internet and at local retail for their pets,I'm sure it's just natural. I see postings all the time for members purchasing a product on Amazon or Ebay and sharing that info since not all supplies can be found with SM vendors.

I could be wrong but I don't think there's a lot of trade or selling going on SM to warrant $49 per month...

I don't see any easy or equitable way to calculate a fee based on the amount of sales to come up w/ fee based on total sales. The only way to do that might be like Etsy or Ebay and a comission amount deducted from a sale,like Ebay or Etsy does but that would entail a lot of work and settign up a virtual shopping cart and so on to facilitate sales through the site. I don't see anyone selling enough to justify all that work.

I seriously doubt any vendor is doing $100,000 on this site,maybe on all their advertising venues combined,but I doubt on SM.


For me,I haven't sold one item on SM yet,I've had some inquireys,which I'm always happy to answer and do truly appreciate....and I have donated things I make to charity events on SM.

Am I mistaken that the adverts on the SM pages generate income for the site? Not sure how to phrase it.


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

I'm not a vendor here and was not aware that our member vendors were grandfathered in under the old fees, which I do think was a very generous offer and show of loyalty to the member vendors of this forum. We are a diverse group with diverse wants and needs, but the one thing we probably all have in common is the desire to buy well-made, affordably priced items that meet our wants and needs. I've yet to find one source for buying all the things I want/need and am happy using multiple sources. I wonder if others feel the same way and if more vendors would sell their goods if the fee was a less costlly flat fee charged annually. In the "breeder world" word travels quickly about who sells what at what price, etc. Many of the products we buy and use are no-frills, functional, hand-crafted items like satin beds and crate pads, crate covers, belly bands, water bowls, etc. Many of the people I buy from don't even have a website and don't make enough of a profit to be able to afford a $49/mo. However, some of them might consider paying $60/year to get the word out that they make the products that we use, whether we are buying for pets or show dogs or both or even ourselves. Personally, I don't even see that having multiple vendors of similar products would be problematic. How many times have we had people come here asking where to buy a product, pee pads, top knot bands, bows or brushes for example, where there will be multiple responses directing people to multiple vendors, whether they are official vendors on this forum or not? Personally, I love supporting small business owners, whether small independent bricks and mortar store, internet business or home crafter. They all offer a personal touch that I just don't find with places like Pet Edge, G.W. Little, Cherrybrook, etc. And I'm not saying that those stores don't have their place in the world, too. I go there for the stuff that a small business doesn't generally sell like clippers and blades, crates, grooming tables, dryers, etc. Even if those kinds of businesses paid the same fee as any other vendor on this forum, I'd never go to Pet Edge to buy a life jacket when I could instead call Crystal, give her a dog's measurements and have her send the perfectly sized life jacket to a new puppy owner complete with a lovely note from Jett! So for all my rambling, I just wonder if less (fees) might equal more (vendors and variety of products) ...


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

Very well said, Mary.


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## chattiesmom (Jul 20, 2006)

Although I don't own a Maltese, I was invited to join SM by a member here who is/was also a vendor. We are "forum sisters" at a Yorkie forum and she encouraged me to join so that I could offer the few custom made items that I offered on the other site. Anyway, I was glad to join and received a warm welcome -- after all, Yorkie owners and Maltese owners share many of the same concerns. The Yorkie forum I belong to requires that all vendors be a donating member - they must have made a one time $25.00 donation to the forum. Above and beyond the one time donation, I make many *voluntary contributions* to the site to help with it's upkeep as well as provide products for raffle prizes, drawings, etc. I was more than willing to make a "voluntary donation" to SM to offer the few items that I custom make, however before I could take that step the annual fees were put in place. I felt that for a small volume seller that didn't have a working website or a brick and mortar store an *annual fee* was unreasonable, so I declined and quietly disappeared. 

It is amazing how many of you wonderful Maltese owners have made huge efforts to contact me by joining another forum and/or somehow finding my email address. And for that I thank you. I guess where there is a will there is a way!

I would love to be a vendor here, but as long as there is a the "annual fee" I won't be offering my few products. At the present time I am NOT a donating member, but would gladly make a donation to this site if there was an "entry level" vendorship that would allow those of us who have only a few products to offer. In fact, I would gladly make voluntary donations reflecting a percentage of the $$ amount of sales. Of course this is the good ole fashioned honor system and is a relationship based upon mutual respect and trust between forum owners and membership.

I would almost guarantee that I am NOT the only SM member that would love to share a few products and would willingly make voluntary donations as our sales volume allowed. Times are tough all around and $$ is tight for all of us.


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## chloeandj (Apr 1, 2005)

Those fees ARE outrageous. Especially considering the size of this site and the amount of business that actually takes place. When I was a seller/website owner, I spent much much less fees at more well known advertising places that advertised to a much larger range of owners. I had a hard time swallowing the initial charge of $60 and never signed up. I was actually a bit offended by it. I just can't understand how the amount of monthly charge was determined. I paid half that for my actual website fee! WOW
I honestly think that it does a disservice to the members to this site. I think people enjoy buying from people they interact with on a forum. It makes you a closer community too. If you want to keep just random people from advertising, then putting a post count requirement would actually work so much better in my humble opinion.


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