Tailor Archive
Thread: New Tailor needs help getting a business started
Hey everyone. Im new to the tailor profession and i have been grinding out ribbed shirts for the last couple days and i have formal wear 1 and field wear 1 and 2. I am looking to start up my tailor business. My question is what are the best sellers i can make at this point and how much are they generally selling for?Ive also had some requests for tailoring components but i have declined the sales cause i dont know how much they sell for. Any help u all can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Also i was wondering what skills i should go for next. I was thinking casual wear 1 and the experimentation 1 next. Any help u can offer on this is also appreciated 
Thank youvery much
Tesno
The best way to make money as a tailor (even a lower level one) is to get into a large guild or city that has no tailor in it. They will want all sorts of uniforms and such for their malitia and councils and such.
I am lucky enough to be the only real tailor in a 340 person guild. I am busy all the time, but i have plenty of business and can undercut the othr guys by a lot and still rake in the cash. Plus I often give out free enhanced clothing to guild members in exchange for recources so I don't even have to worry about harvesting and anything rare is somewhere in the guild storage.
It's going to be hard for any of us to give you specific advice because really everything "just depends." It depends on your server, your planet, your city, how many other tailors are in your area, if it's a full moon, etc. etc. etc.
Your best bet is to look at what's for sale on the bazaar and at what prices. Make one of each of the items you have schematics for and see what you think looks nice. Pick the nicer items and try posting a few on the bazaar and see what sells. Black is probably going to be your biggest selling color because you can't make any of the bright reds, blues, greens, yet. Actually even when you can make those colors, black will still be your biggest seller.
Rather than just listen to one of us, find out for yourself what people in your area like. It will also help you build a customer base.
:-)
"" Ri'a Ocoli"" Master Tailor, Kettemoor
"" Fine Attire by Ri'a is 1km north of Keren at 1190, 3770
"" .. my door is always open, stop by any time!
A month ago I would have advised you spend some time in the local cantinas -- that's where I built the vast majority of my customer base. Nowdays, though, they tend to be pretty empty (except for Scylla's Coronet, which is generally packed 
), but if you're on Tatooine, Anchorhead is generally a good place to bump into people. And they do take breaks between missions.. *grins*
1. I would advise going up field wear to 4 then casual wear to 4 thenexperimentation to 4 and last formal. I find that for most of the non master - bazaar sale items ,,black is a great choice. The route you take is perhaps more related to your buyers and what they want to buy ,,as a tailor you need master in the end anyway.
2. Check out the bazaar in several cities for a few days,,pay note of what is selling and for how much. On my server there is a variance in pricing by city, and to some extent what items are stocked regularly. Sometimes I find that cloaks (which always have sold well) are "no items found", then its time to make 3-4 and put them up for sale. If there already are 3-4 being offered, I look for another good seller instead. If you do this for a bit, you will find the pattern not only of the buyers but also the sellers. Use your 25 item limit wisely, so your items sell out in 1-2 days. Over time you will find the best cities and best pricing .
3. Again pricing will vary, but personally I dont sell crates of panels for less that 2500 per crate, if thats to high for the buyer, I dont lower my price, I let someone else be the supplier, and use my panels for clothing items. Most buyers will want crates so you will need a wearables factory which consumes one lot .
4. My last bit of advice is to send a personal thank you for every bazaar sale,,a waypoint to your shop, even if you dont have much yet on a vendor, just get your shop waypoint out there,,and begin to establish a "nice" tailor reputation.
I am a MT aslo trying to start a business, not having a good time at it though. These are the things Ive dont so far.
1 Put ad's in bazzars in sevaral planets.
2 talk to people in different cantinas and plyer citys
3 I pick the less dangous spot for my vendor for non violent players.
4Post in 3 major forums
5 ran searchs for different proffesions and sent personal invitations.
I ll give a week or two before I toatly give up.
Ooh, yes. Popping an ad on the bazaar in the 'dress' section did wonders for me, a month or so back. I also make a point of, once a week or so, sending thank-you notes to all who purchased from the bazaar (which I stock daily), sending them my vendor waypoint in the email and advising them of that week's "specials".
I have become a virtual-world telemarketer. *laughs*
But it really does work, and the folks who've bought wedding bands from the bazaar have had some wonderful stories to tell me. It was great to feel that I was actually providing a welcome service!
Oh, and popping your vendor in a convenient -- and safe spot is absolutely essential. I've not yet moved mine to our player city, simply because until we get a shuttleport, it's a 2k run from the nearest city, and through the midst of Alkhara and Squills and Tuskens -- oh my!
I recomend also putting together some 'interesting' looks. I have made master tailor on 2 servers and still find myself suprised by the combos I see. Model these 'looks' yourself - and wear them around populated areas - the area suggestions above are good. Then hopefully people will say- thats interesting - can i have a set of those items.
Also, as you see people in towns, look at what they are wearing.
If they have a fantastic jacket on - but still the noob trousers(maybe the bought of the bazaar and there was no selection or they could only afford one piece)send them a tell saying would they be interstesed in some matching trousers?
Or see a dancer with a fantastic bright dancing outfit who has no jewellery or nasty shoes - send them a tell saying have they considered those items.
Or see a TKA artist and suggest to them they could go for an oriental theme witha sunguard and wrapped skirt - or whatever.
An awful lot of the players of SWG do not know of the possibilities of the clothing and left to their own devices will wear black shirt and pants and a duster and sunguard. Show them they have options and they might be willing to go with your suggestions?
A couple "rules of thumb" I'd try to follow (mostly echoing what others have said):
1. Word of mouth is the best advertising you can get, and recommendations work wonders. And don't forget this with regard to *other* people, too! If you know a great weaponsmith, for example, remember to refer your customers to her if the topic comes up. That sort of thing tends to be remembered and reciprocated.
2. Everybody you meet is a potential customer! Note that this doesn't mean you should be really pushy and annoying, but keep it in mind. Thus, even when you're not actively selling stuff, be nice to people, even if you don't know them.
3. Kinda related. Assuming you feel reasonably confident and knowledgeable about the game, put on the HELPER tag. To help people first and foremost, of course, but it's also just a good way to make contacts.
Basically, networking is a Good Thing, and pays off in a bunch of ways that you might not even anticipate. For example, over the last few weeks, I've been given a really nice pistol (used, and my customer just got a new one, but *really* nice - I've never seen a better one!) and a mount, from customers for free, and they won't accept any payment!
- Thank you's - I can't emphasize the thank you notes enough. It help builds a customer base that will follow you as you level up. Send a wp to your vendor (you DO have a vendor, right? )
- Dress well - Don't be a slob. Dress yourself the best you can, especially using clothing YOU can make. If you dress well, people will often ask for what you have on.
- Know your craft - People hire tailors not just to make clothes, but to provide opinions, imagination, and knowledge. Spend time going through higher level schematics so you know what items are at what level. If you say,"I can't make that yet. That's at field wear3. I shouldbe there in a week,"people will most likelytell you to drop them a line when youget there. Know what items LOOK like. Many clients can only describe an item and don't know what it's name is. Experiment with clothing you can make and the different colors and combinations. Look at trends you see. If someone has something cool on, stop them and ask what it is so you might be able to duplicate/expand onit in the future.
- Get it right policy - If the customer doesn't like it, don't make them buy it after you make it. Sell it on the bazaar or just destroy it (you DID get xp afterall). This is especially true when trying to color match. I only advocate this for lower level items that don't require many resources.
- Factory- Invest in a factory as soon as possible, even if the schematics you have don't require factory items. The time you save by using premade components will be appreciated (although unoticed) by your customer.
- Be Prepared - ALWAYS have enough materials on hand to make the majority of clothing in your list. You never know when the guy in the starport will ask you for a pair of pants or something. Don't miss an opportunity to promote yourself!
Bluude wrote:
...340 person guild....
Dang that's a large guild.