Where to run adds and how to sell nucs???

[Chef Isaac]

Ok, it took me forever to figure out that the "how much to charge"topic was closed. I kept hitting my computer. he he

Ok, now I know what I am going to charge and what they will get and what kind of queen I will use and from where...

Where do I advertise?? Does the local newsletter work good??

Any other advice???

[NW IN Beekeeper]

I'd advertise in the same places from which you established your price.

[BjornBee]

Unless your shipping, the market is your local area. As far as you will drive to deliver, or as far as customers are willing to drive to your place.

Supply is also a factor. No need to go national, if what you have to sell can be sold within your local or state club area.

You may find that selling 1 or 2 nucs to say 50 beekeepers can be done on a state level ad. Sometimes the guy down the street buys all 50. If selling 500, your marketing approach may need to be expanded.

Do you belong to a club? Does your state have an association? Start there, and then expand if you need too. Run ads in papers that target your customers. Not a newspaper that may get the attention of one or two beekeepers, and is very expensive from a cost factor.

Also, list here on beesource in the "for sale" section. I sold a good number to people I spoke with here on beesource. Nice people. Some are alot nicer in person.

[Michael Bush]

>Unless your shipping, the market is your local area. As far as you will drive to deliver, or as far as customers are willing to drive to your place.


In my opinion you can't really raise enough locally, in a Northern climate, early enough, to be worth trying to ship. The technicalities of shipping queens are pretty simple but packages are worse and nucs are worse yet. Every state has it's own laws and when actual comb and brood is involved they get stricter and more complicated.

So I agree that your real market is local.

As everyone said, it's hard to beat Beesource.

[peggjam]

Send flyers out to the local and state bee clubs. As stated your best bet is local sales.

[SilverFox]

Chef: Thought you were going to raise queens??

[Chef Isaac]

I will. I will only raise a few this year to see how it goes. are you a member of the bee club in your area?

[SilverFox]

Nope, it was to political. Wasn't what I expected.

[nursebee]

Have you done this before or just dreaming? I rasised queens and splits this year but am by no means efficient enough tostart advertising, letting folks reserve dates.

In a way I mentor a couple folks around. I am sure that I could sell 10-15 nucs in April, IF I could get my act together. And that is not including the spring newcomers at local club meetings. Then again, I might be buying if losses get high.

[drobbins]

Hey Chef,

here in NC the state ag folks have a monthly newsletter
it has free classified adds
here's the online version for January

http://ncagr.com/paffairs/class/jan06class.htm

notice the beekeeping section
check and see if Washington has something similar
the price is right [img]smile.gif[/img]

Dave

[size="1"][ January 23, 2006, 04:39 PM: Message edited by: drobbins ][/size]

[TwT]

Send flyers out to the local and state bee clubs. As stated your best bet is local sales

I "second" this line!!!!!!!!!

[Chef Isaac]

nursebee: I pretty much have my act together, thank you very much.

[nursebee]

you are doing better than me.

[Chef Isaac]

dont get me wrong, I only have a few to sell.. maybe 5 to 10 but its all or nothing. I do not want to split and not sell. Does that make since?

[beemandan]

In GA you can advertise state-wide using the Farmer's and Market Bulletin. If you choose the Ad link there is a section for bees, honey and supplies. The down side is, I believe, that you must have and apiary license to advertise bees.

http://agr.georgia.gov/00/article/0,...311428,00.html

For what its worth, I started 20 nucs last fall and planned to sell some this spring. I originally thought I'd have to go through the apiary license deal, but have managed to presell all I wanted by word of mouth.