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Author Topic: Starting to Sell Honey  (Read 4752 times)

Offline The15thMember

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Starting to Sell Honey
« on: April 01, 2021, 07:17:41 pm »
I'm at the point where my annual honey crop is almost certainly more than my family needs, and I'd like to start selling honey.  Most small beekeepers around me just sell through Facebook, but I'm relatively new to the area and I don't think I really have the connections to make something like that work.  I'm too busy to farmers market, and even without the COVID situation, I'm not super into interacting with strangers, so that's probably out.  I've been looking into Etsy, since selling online would probably be most convenient for me, but I'm a little worried about the market being saturated.  How do you all sell your honey?  Any tips for selling online?  Any experience or advice appreciated. 
I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led.  And through the air, I am she that walks unseen.

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Starting to Sell Honey
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2021, 07:31:15 pm »
Marketing in the key. I am
Sending a PM to you.
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline CoolBees

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Re: Starting to Sell Honey
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2021, 09:24:10 pm »
We sell eggs & honey. Lots of eggs. A few hundred lbs of honey - per season. We are working to improve the honey output.

Here's our sales route for both:
1) Family & Friends. Our friends have friends too. And their friends have friends. Word gets around.
2) "Next door" website. Place an add - people contact you. We sell above 50 dozen eggs a week.
3) farmers markets. I'm not user-friendly with people/customers. I don't have to be. ... all I have to do is find sellers at the markets who want to add a revenue stream. This allows me to sell at multiple markets each weekend - while sitting peacefully at home. (Honey/eggs were delivered to the sellers during the week prior).
4) local "privately owned" stores/markets. There's not many of them left, but I've found a few. Every one of them is begging me to bring honey in, and put it on their shelves.

Everyone I've worked with as resellers - wants 25%. I do not adjust my prices (I'm not greedy, so my prices are already "low" by local standards). They all buy the eggs and honey at my market rate - and then re-sell them. About 30 dozen of the eggs go to the farmers markets, that I know of.
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Offline The15thMember

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Re: Starting to Sell Honey
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2021, 02:05:39 pm »
Some good tips there, Alan, thanks. 
I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led.  And through the air, I am she that walks unseen.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Starting to Sell Honey
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2021, 10:05:30 pm »
Member,
We sell most of our honey to friends from my wife?s work, my work also until I retired, she stops in and visits every week. We also do a Baker Christmas street sale, a Baker County swap meet and other sales at local events. We also have a lot of repeat sales from customers at these events. I also have magnet signs on my truck that we get some sales from.
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Offline Nock

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Re: Starting to Sell Honey
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2021, 01:54:40 pm »
I have no problem selling all mine through friends and coworkers.