Traveling with Beads

[LavenderCreek]

I have a question for teachers and those who travel with their beads.
I'll be gone for three weeks in April teaching and demoing and probably setting up a table and selling my beads (UK, Ireland, possibly Belgium). I'm not sure how to transport my beads or how to set up a nice little display table without lugging tons of stuff with me. I'll be on an off planes the whole time so I want to keep the luggage and weight as low as I can, but I want to be organized and look half way professional \\:D/

Any suggestions for carrying/display cases?
Also I'd love to hear suggestions on how to set up a simple but nice little table for selling. Stuff I can easily carry with me in my luggage?

[LavenderCreek]

Another question. I've never sold my work this way before so I'm fairly clueless. For instance packaging. I have small cardboard jewelry boxes and I have nice paper gift bags. How important is it that I have some sort of bag or box to pack beads into when I sell them? They would take up quite a bit of space in my luggage, especially the boxes. How tacky would it be if I didn't have something to pack the beads into when I sell them?

Should I have a receipt pad with me?
Is there anything else that is important to have that I might not be thinking about?
I've never even been to a bead show so like I said, I'm clueless.

[Geneva]

I use the little organza bags. Everyone seems tickled to death to get them. Ribbons for the necklaces are also very light weight. If your flying, remove the trays from the jewelry case and fold the jewelry into the cloth for the table (a knit that looks like crushed velvet but doesn't wrinkle ). I also take the flat foldable neck displays, since they are so lightweight. Find cardboard boxes and other thing for risers where ever your setting up. Between the carry on case and the jewelry in the suitcase, you can get quite a bit and still be under weight. My carry on is usually so heavy I am just able to lift it above my head. So now I check to make sure I am able to lift it into the storage bins on the plane. Taking stuff out of the US was easy, coming back, they tore the jewelry case apart and had to pay 30.00 to have tools and findings put into my luggage and be checked. And the tools were just pliers, no cutters or knives etc.

[tammydownunder]

I use plastic storage cases you find in the hardware store. Make sure you find the ones with permanent compartments as the removable ones are rubbish. I have 3. One for pendants, one for bracelets and one for necklaces as most of my beads are in finished form. All three boxes fit nicely into a recyclable grocery bag which I then would, in your case, carry on to the plane.

Since you are traveling and don't have the ability to bring stands and display shelves, I would suggest that you get some white fabric and lay it on your table. Then, using your carry boxes to give you some additional height, cover again with the white fabric and then display your beads.

I find it really important to price everything. If you have a price tag, people are more likely to look and they either buy or move on. With no price, they are quicker to move on as they are too modest to ask the price.

[LavenderCreek]

What great suggestions so far! I hadn't thought about organza bags, those would work much better than the larger paper bags that I have here. And finding boxes at the site to use as risers is a great tip too, thank you Geneva!
Tammy I know what plastic boxes you mean. I have a few of those but they only have nine compartments and are about 15cm x 15cm or so. I'll have to see how many beads I can fit in them. I'll check out the larger sizes at the hardware store. Those would work really well if I can fit enough beads inside. I use them currently to hold my murrini chips.

Price tags...omg, I had totally forgotten about pricing. Thank you for bringing it up!

Thanks again ladies, I appreciate any and all suggestions :)

[beadsoncypress]

Thye boro guys go to the sporting good or music store and buy the gun/instrument cases with the foam inserts (the kind with the egg crate type foam) and lay their ware safely there and they do carry on (with a handle!!)

[LavenderCreek]

Thank you Susan, I'll look into those too!

[chrisann]

Teresa,
This is actually a "gamers case" you can find them at comics/game places or on the internet here http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/armySubUnitCats.jsp?catId=cat1030021&rootCatGameStyle= Jen Geldard turned me on to them I have the one shown below but they have them that will hold twice the amount mine does. I love it.
chrisann


187829

[LavenderCreek]

Hi Chrisann,

Wow, that looks nice! About how big are each of the slots?

[Ofilia]

Oooo, that Gamers packing foam looks perfect for your figures, Teresa! Cool idea.

I can give you a list of suggestions, my dear! Most of my shows I travel for, so packing for flying is imperative to conserve space and weight. Clothing often takes a back seat in priority:biggrin:.

#1 on my list is NEVER CHECK IN YOUR INVENTORY!! I cannot emphasize this enough. I have know people who lost EVERYTHING after checking in their bag, and the whole suitcase gone MIA:shock:! You can rewash your underwear, you can replace displays, but you can never replace near the value of your inventory, nor the countless hours of work.

Now, I've never traveled internationally to "sell", so I cannot advise you on custom issues that can apply. I have heard of issues, particularly with Japan, that I have noted. I always notice those coming to the US from Japan for the Gatherings and Tucson, painting their white out on the beads and prices on their beads while here. Others literally strung their beads and wore them into the country around their neck as a leigh of outstanding beads as if to be personal property, not anything for "sale"! I've also heard of a similar issue of people going to Africa for doing tours for the Hope bead project, to avoid custom/tax issues, they traveld laden with strands and strands of beads and silver beads/findings as personal adornment.

Some countries, I think, make bigger issues if your travel is for "buisness", especially if you don't have the proper visa paper work for it. I've heard of a person being turned around and deported back to his US port of origin, because he had claimed his travel to their country was for being a presentor/instructor!

Now, granted, you never know the mood or temperment of the agent who processes you. They may have had a fight with their spouse that day, and well, when you are left at their mercy, you just don't want the worse scenario. I find customs and TSA type agents to be extremely either super nice or absurd bastards:???:. My motto is be 'invisible'. I try to travel as inconspicuous as possible. Leave me alone and please let me go:)!

Don't know anything about inter-European travel-selling, though. Others I'm sure can advise you better on this.


Now, as far as packing stuff:

Anything figurative, needs plenty of cushion. All my stock, needs indivual bubble wrap and they nestle into each other. Again, in my hard shell carry on! Check with your airline the weight limit of the carry on. I know in Venice they will literally weigh it and tag it "approved" before you are allowed to the screening area! But the carry on generally has a generous allowance (something like 25 pounds more or less) I go filled to the max always, and if I can't lift it over my head, there is generally someone near by that can give me a push with it.

Other bead work can be handled more easily.

The ideas of building risers out of cardboard boxes you find where ever you travel to, and covering with a fabric, is great! I've heard of people using their hotel top bed sheets as a drapery for the table.

Lighting is important if you are going to a setting of actual tables set up for display. If you are just showing to people, in a casual setting or a studio, no need for this. Lighting really is important to help showcase pieces!

There are many collapseable type bead trays on the market. Great for packing and moving about. Searching on line is optimal. Cheap here in the States is Nilecorp.com, both for trays and carrying cases.

There are actually "display" trays that I have seen mentioned here on LE all over the place! Great stuff and great for portability. I think you will find that some travel will be in your future, and these are a worth investment.

You can buy stackable risers that fit into each other and are great for making display pop up from your table surface.

Others just use dishes with rice or small beans/lentils, as a background to nestly their beads, and just toss the raw produce (:biggrin:) at the end of the show. (I always thought how funny it would be to just boil water in the trash can that has the discared beans and rice:lol:) Some borrow "dishes" or serving trays from the hotel for this purpose as well!

There are many ways to improvise and you will definately learn as you go. I still am learning:roll:

I have to give boxes with my fish. So I buy the collapsable style that come in one piece. I bring tissue paper to crumple and buffer the space in the box after each bead is needed to be wrapped in bubble wrap.

I like to decorate paper sacks. Doing something pretty, is always a nice after thought for people, I think.

[Karen Hardy]

I pack a buttload of beads into my beadboxman cigar boxes. They are small
enough to schlep onto a plane with me (I can get about 10 boxes into
a carry on) AND when I get to the venue, I just pull the boxes out, slap
a tablecloth down, and the beautiful cigar boxes ARE my display.
Easy peasy!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/beadboxman

(and he's a member of LE too!)

[HWCGlass]

Someone may have said this already but . . .

DO NOT TRAVEL INTERNATIONALLY WITH PRICED ITEMS!!!

take your tags off. price them when you are in europe.

[chrisann]

Teresa,
The openings are 1"X2".

[Sheila D.]

As far as a reciept book,I would take one if someone wants a reciept,and don't forget to take change!