price stickers

[Karl Best]

I've been using the price sticker dots from Staples for pricing my bowls, but I've noticed that if the sticker is left on the bowl for more than a couple of weeks it leaves a sticky residue. I don't want to have to use a goo remover to clean this up as it would probably leave a mark in the finish, and it's a pain to have to remove then re-sticker everything between each show. What's everyone using to mark prices?

 

[Brian Gustin]

I just use a bit of masking tape, it peels off easily - doesn't leave much in the way of residue , if any, but that is just for my farmer market stuff - Artisan Gallery stuff gets its own hang tag (which are provided by the gallery) I rarely ever bother to remove the tape prices until sold, or if I want to re-price the item. even if there is any residue it usually rubs right off with a paper towel (and my stickers are pretty much always on the bottom next to signature, so they have to pick up the bowl to find out how much I am asking, and the tactile feel/finish is a selling point)

 

[Ron Solfest]

Blue painters tape

 

[Hugh]

I bought a box of small manila tags......the kind you see with string to tie to items.....except mine does not have the string. I write on the tag the price and what kind of wood. Then throw that into the bowl.
But, I only sell at an open studio event two weekends out of the year.

 

[Ron Solfest]

I write on the tag the price and what kind of wood. Then throw that into the bowl.

I dropped a business card with that info on it into a cherry bowl where it sat at a gallery for a while…never again. My nice cherry bowl has darkened some as expected, except under the card That bowl now resides in our house…

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

I buy the price stickers that say removable on the package. Never had a problem.

 

[Paul M. Kaplowitz]

I use place cards that stand up. On the card is the wood species, price and the words - Food Safe - . People don't have to pick up my bowls to see the price.

 

[Dave Landers]

I use stickers that claim to be removable. Work OK. One tip I heard, and now do, is to stick the sticker to the back of your hand or your thumb before putting it on the bowl - dulls the stickem enough to make it easier to remove cleanly.

 

[Karl Best]

I buy the price stickers that say removable on the package. Never had a problem.

Yeah, the ones I use are labeled as removeable. They are. But they leave a residue.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

I use place cards that stand up. On the card is the wood species, price and the words - Food Safe - . People don't have to pick up my bowls to see the price.

True but but in my experience most people want to pick things up to feel them and never put it back like they found it.

 

[robo hippy]

Long ago, I started using the blue painter's tape, and scissors rather than tearing it off and leaving rough edges. It will stick to just about anything, and leaves no residue. Not sure about pricing, but I would expect it to be cheaper than the stickers you buy. I seldom would put it on individual pieces. Mostly I had stacks of bowls in different price ranges. People still would ask what the price was, even though there was a $ on the label....

robo hippy

 

[Tom Gall]

Yeah, the ones I use are labeled as removeable. They are. But they leave a residue.

Karl, this has been discussed several times somewhere here before. Here's my response from earlier this year.

Small Avery labels (round or rectangular) with size depending on the item. Placed mostly on the bottom (bowls) - but depends on the item. If your items are waxed most labels are removed easily. I always removed the label for the customer when the item was sold. I always carried a can of paste wax (which removes any adhesive residue immediately) and a white cotton T-shirt for buffing off the wax and for a quick wiping down the piece for fingerprints, dust, etc. Still had an almost full can of wax after 24 years of shows.
Another thing to keep in mind - many woods will change color over time (ex: cherry, and some exotics) and you don't want a lighter color that is the shape of your label when it is removed. Best to place the label on an inconspicuous spot.

 

[JeffSmith]

I’ve got a small, 3-1/2” x 3-1/2” folded booklet (4 pages) titled Wooden Bowls - A User’s Guide to Care and Feeding that has owner information inside with space on the cover for size, species and price. I buy a box of Zots - fugitive glue dots (also known in the trade as booger glue) and stick it down by a corner. Seems to work well, people like having a ‘manual’ and it gives them my contact information. Doesn’t seem to leave any residue.

 

[Kalia Kliban]

I show in a co-op gallery and each bowl has its own sale tag sitting next to it, a bit smaller than a business card. All the relevant info is on the tag, and each bowl has a serial number so if folks are moving things around the gallery workers can make sure each bowl has the right sale tag. Separately, I have care sheets for my pieces that get included in the bag when customer buys a bowl.

When I first started at the gallery some helpful person put sticky price tags on a few of my pieces and I had to sand the bottoms to get the residue off. Even my usual solvents didn't take care of it. Never again. And I think blue tape looks funky (not in a good way), especially in a gallery setting.