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I'm becoming a demo in April!!! I have a lot of retired sets. For some reason I seem to fall in love with sets after they retire :oops: . Seriously-- last year I had a level 2 show just with the retiring list, with hubby's blessing (tired of me haunting eBay looking for them!!). But as I will now be a demo, I'm not sure whether to keep the retired sets I have or just sell/trade. Of course I won't be demoing with retired stuff!! So what do you do?
I understand why demos sell their retired sets. I'm not a demo and I love my retired sets. I'm like you, I bought a ton of retiring sets last summer. That's a great selling point for customers, get them while they're still available. Also, with SCS, you can go to the gallery and check out the stamp sets that have retired for tons of ideas.
I've thought it might be fun for a future challenge to use retired sets! That way we'd get more great ideas from those stamp sets that we love!
I have been a demo for over 6 years. My main "route" of business for the first 4 years was via workshops. My business grew considerably and during that time I had gotten rid of a substainial amount of retired sets always with the philosopy, "It's okay because I can't demo them." Two years ago I made some huge changes in my business and decided to give up doing workshops completely and just focus on a monthly club and stamping for myself. Oh how I regret getting rid of most of those sets now! Sure, there are some I don't miss but many I wish I still had! I would suggest some "deep soul searching" before you decide to get rid of a set... I wish I had! Ü
__________________ Stacy Ü
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If I really like it and will use it for personal projects, then sure, why not keep it? If it sits in the box and collects dust for 2 years, then I get rid of it.
__________________ --Sandi desperately trying to eliminate some of the clutter in my house!
It depends upon the projects I am currently working on. For example I recently got custoody of my 90 yr old grandmothers pictures. So I now have a tendency to keep vintage style stamps until I am closer to finishing my projects. I also have a tendency to keep some of the children sets until my child is a little older. But I find I get tired of some of the old and long for the new sets. I am keeping less and less each year. It took until I was a demo for a few years to be able to start letting go of them.
I have been a demo for 11 years and yes I keep my retired sets. I try to only buy ones I really like. I do like many of my older etired sets so much better than current SU! sets. For example I love Flutterbys and do not like the current set Bold Butterfly. I love the matching Jumbo wheel Flitting By.
I have many beautiful Christmas and Halloween sets that are my "style" and I don't care much for many of the stuff that is "in". I bought a set to demo that was really popular and have never used it. So I do swaps and
order things that I like. That way I can show stuff I don't have and is not my "style" . I will weed out stuff that I don't want or something that is new or better takes it's place. Do what is best for you!!
Keep on Stampin',
Helene
I go through my stamps every year or so and if I DON'T use them within that last year they are gone!!! I figure if I don't use them in a year I probably won't use them in the next year either... then I buy new stamps and supplies with the money I make off the old sets
I keep them. 99% of the time, if I buy a stamp set it because I love it. There are a couple of sets I might part with because they came out with a similar, better design, but normally I keep them.
But I have the storage to keep a lot of stamp sets and the income to buy new sets without worrying about selling the old ones to earn money.
Plus, I have scrapbooking/stamping parties at my house where my customers can use my sets and they like a lot of the retired sets. I bet they'd kill me if I sold Counting Sheep, Flutterbys, or Sketches.
If I love the set, and find myself reaching for it again and again, I keep it even after it's retired. After all, I do make things for myself !
If I purchase a set for demonstration or workshop purposes (like in the minis), but would not have purchased it otherwise, it's gone after the next year's catalog comes out. I just don't have room to keep everything!
My consultant hold a silent "auction" once a year and invites all her hostesses. It's actually an open house with a few fun projects or cards and then the silent auction.
I can tell you she has always had a tremendous turn out - and many time there were bidding wars. But it's all in fun and its a win win situations for her and her hostesses.
I've only been a demo since May '04, and I can't part with ANY of my stamps. Even though some of them I've rarely used! For instance, when the sets retired last year, I HAD to have the chicken wire background. I've used it twice. But I can't part with it, because I'm hoping to be inspired some day, some where, and then I'll be kicking myself. There are only 3 samples in the gallery, so that shows you how popular it was. But I'm hanging on to it!!!
I became a demo last May and had not stamped for the previous 5 years. I only had 5 stamp sets and 4 were retired. Of course I bought a couple that eventually retired (as is the case) On my 2nd real workshop I had 1 of the people there back out of an over $100 order! I ended up selling my retired sets to cover my loss. I was not budgeted to exchange for the merchandise I was forced to buy.
It was a HUGE learning experience! I didn't let that "bad egg" ruin demo-ing and actually looked at what I can do different for my business and have had a wonderful time since.
So - I sold mine, but this year I plan on keeping them all - I bought stamp sets based on my wish list and won't part with any of them. Plus I conduct classes that would help me offset any unexpected losses.
demos--do you keep retired sets?
