Best selling sizes for ready made frames

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Not your average framer
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Best selling sizes for ready made frames

Post by Not your average framer »

I've at last decided to chop-up some of my older mouldings stock to make some space and have a little sale too. Most of my current stock of ready made frames are smaller sizes, because they're made from left-over scraps and are slow to sell. I don't generally mind this, as they cost me nothin'.

However, I got to thinking about the best sizes for a quick sale, which will shift some stock and save some space. I've always thought 20" x 16" is probably the most popular. What ya reckon guys?
Grahame Case

Post by Grahame Case »

A4 - certificate size and 11 x 13 have been selling really well lately.


we only go up to 400mm x 500mm at the moment but are wanting to expand the sizes to encorporate the standard poster size 700 x 500
Roboframer

Post by Roboframer »

10x8" and A4 here - also look at a supplier that is big on RMFs - like Nielsen, and see what sizes they stock most of - metric & imperial.

Square Frames are difficult to find - apparently, and the beauty of them is this - make some decent sized ones and you'll get lots of sales of mounts and fitting charges. They can also be good for non-square things - someone comes in with, say, a 10 x 8 photo of a baby in the middle of a great white load of nothing - is it OK to lose an inch top and bottom off the 10" side and make it 8x8"?

Yes? - great - let's slap it in this 15x15" (or whatever frame) with a nice mount and fillet.
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Post by Moglet »

Roboframer wrote:Square Frames are difficult to find...
That's a great idea, John! There are several businesses around the town that sell ready-mades ,and I've been (unsuccessfully) trying to come up with an idea for frames that would be different to what's on offer elsewhere. With square RMF's I'd be offering something a bit different...

Thanks for the inspiration! :)
........Áine JGF SGF FTB
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Merlin
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Post by Merlin »

Like Robo, we sell a lot of square RNF's.
Particularly for the X stitch fraternity and we stock from 6x6 (Inches) up to 12 x 12.

For rectangular RMF's, well the standard sizes up to 16 x 20.

11 x 14 and A4 and 10 x 8 are falling off the shelves.

Easy money !!!!!!. Particulary with the 'Stand Backs - wire ones from LION'
John GCF
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Post by Not your average framer »

I've probably got more 8" x 10" frames than almost any other size and as I am only about 5 miles from Trago Mills and 75 yards from my local hardware shop which also sells ready made frames, it can be hard work selling ready made frames.

My best sellers are ready made's for ash, oak, or something classy. Most of my RMF's in boring mouldings are priced to compete with the local competitors. If I don't do that it's hardly worth the trouble.

We've got a lot of the old Euro "Y range" stuff, which I keep trying to shift without success. It used to be popular once!

John's mention of square frames is a good 'un, we've always found they go, but sometimes we're kept waiting to stift them.

Selling ready cut mounts has always been difficult for us. It's not something that works for us at all.
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Merlin
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Post by Merlin »

We got rid of half our Gallery wall and replaced it with two shelves of RMFs. Placing the ready cut mounts next to the RMFs in sizes helps also.

As posted before of the forum.

Image

For the past 18 months certainly earning more money on RMFs than we would have done on pictures.
John GCF
Roboframer

Post by Roboframer »

Another good place to look for popular sizes are catalogues of print suppliers that supply the BBs (Big Boxes - sorry - been Grumbling too long)

Rosenstiels, The Art Group and Winn Devon for starters.

Then look in those BBs and see what they have.

50x100cm - 60x80 - if you have the space for big stuff - just one or two on display with more in stock - good sellers here. We also do a lot of these sizes in unfinished mouldings from Simons - buy 100 ft and ask for a 20% discount - it's there, but they won't give it unless either you ask or your account is already set up for it.

Some we finish - some we leave bare for the customer to, which they seem to like.
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Post by Moglet »

Those members who do pre-cut mounts, do you ever offer pre-cut double mounts?
........Áine JGF SGF FTB
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Not your average framer
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Post by Not your average framer »

It's a pity that the cheap Ramin is not around anymore, I used to stain it with a mix of Antique pine and Medium Oak stain.

I think a lot of people assumed they were Oak, if they ever asked I always put them right. It was more than helpful that they looked like Oak.

Another good one is Tulip stained with Dark Oak stain which looks a lot like Wenge, but does not sell anything like as well as the stained Ramin.
Roboframer

Post by Roboframer »

Moglet wrote:Those members who do pre-cut mounts, do you ever offer pre-cut double mounts?

Yes, and mounts with fillets and triple apertures (7x5 best seller) - with fillets.

Once here I gave a photographic demo on cutting a multiple aperture double mount - 9 apertures - 8 were 7x5 and the centre one was 8x6 - probably still here if you search (and if the images are still in my photobucket album)

Put it out for sale at £49 - sold 3 days later - so I made some more - and sold them too - people look for things that fit what they can print out on their own printers - digital photography does us a lot of favours - so - also look for the most popular sizes of paper sold at PC world etc.
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Post by Moglet »

Roboframer wrote:Yes, and mounts with fillets...
Thanks again, John, and good to hear about the fillets, too. I've been planning to make up a few nice RMF's complete with mount and fillet for my Christmas period. It's great to have confirmation that there's a market for them! :)
........Áine JGF SGF FTB
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Roboframer

Post by Roboframer »

Here's a selection of RMFs - a shot we took for a website that never happened and we haven't had the time since.

From 12 o'clock going clockwise.

Triple 4x4" aperture with Albor ant silver mat slips (fillets) (available from Mainline, Arqadia, Nielsen and others) Simons Ash No 7 - waxed.

Larson Juhl (Large) Stradivarius Mahogany 7x5 photo frame - from offcuts - bloody extravagant RMF otherwise!!!

Larson Juhl (small) as above with mount and matching fillet.

Simons Ash No 7 with Artcare denim blue bevelled accent 8x6" - all offcuts bar moulding.

Discontinued Arqadia real burr elm veneer which I bought a shedload of - antique gold Albor slip - 10x8

Image
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Post by Moglet »

They all look really classy! And definitely different to what's on offer in my locale. That LJ moulding is beautiful. Inspirational! :)
........Áine JGF SGF FTB
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Not your average framer
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Post by Not your average framer »

John,

I'm impressed and it's got me thinking too! BTW, talking of LJ mouldings, we do very well with the Ferrossa range for framing up-market photos.
Roboframer

Post by Roboframer »

The LJ Stradivarius range - 2 sizes in mahogany, walnut and Pecan, is very classy indeed - real veneers.

Sometimes it's nice to have to order 2 lengths knowing you only need an 18" 'leg' from the second one - whilst also knowing you probably won't need what remains for some time, and when you do, you probably won't have enough to do the job anyway - and by then something in the new batch is different - colour tone. profile - so blow it - use the stuff - make a RMF - if it sits for a while it'll be damned good to sell down from.

Customers may think you make RMFs from this sort of stuff all the time (as if) and this is all you have left for now.

Never let high end length sit on the shelf waiting for the next batch to hopefully match - unless you shift it regularly - turn it into square stuff that makes Ikea et al look like what they are - not in your league.
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Post by prospero »

A few years ago when I was knee-deep in offcuts I set to and cut up all my small scraps of board and glass into stock sizes - 10x8/9x7/8x6/7x5/5x4. Then made about 300 frames using up offcuts of the more decorative mouldings. Also did a load of mounts, mostly ovals.
It was a very tedious job as I made them all with stand backs with bars and clips which I had to hand rivet together, although I did buy ready stamped props (from Lion). I sold them all at a set price according to size,
£10 for 10x8, etc. They sold well and was generally a good exercise in turning clutter into cash.
Roboframer

Post by Roboframer »

12x10" is a handy size.

No mount - photoframe
2" mount - 8x6" aperture
2 ½” mount - 7x5" aperture
3" mount - 6x4" aperture.

4 birds!
Phill
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Post by Phill »

would making redy made frames effect your bespoke work? :roll:
zanart
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Post by zanart »

We now stock a few ready made frames in 15" X 10" and 18" X 12" as they are now standard photographic print sizes - Jessops, Boots, etc.

They sell well because nowhere else does them.
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