Tourist numbers and selling at Anusarn market

[bamboozled]

A couple weeks ago I asked for thoughts on selling leather goods at Anusarn market. Well, my gal and I've been giving it a try and it's been pretty miserable as far as sales go. Luckily, it was a small investment to try it out but after two weeks we're most likely going to give it up. That's a small amount of time I suppose but it's tedious to haul ones stuff there every night, set it up, and sit there while ones bottom gets square from the stool...and very minimal sales (i.e. losing money). Of course, a year's contract in a shop at 30,000 a month to get the same results would be distinctly possible and distinctly a bummer so I am happy to not be in that situation.

Apart from whether our items are suitable for selling in Anusarn (I'm beginning to think they're not: not Thailand looking enough/not tourist trinket enough) what are folks thoughts on tourist numbers? Yes, it's low season (though I think with so many Chinese interested in Chiang Mai low season may change a bit and not be so "low"). I'm wondering if it's particularly slow just before and after Songkran, being that most tourists if they have April as a time frame for coming to Thailand will try and book their trip around Songkran and so the dates before and after the holiday are especially void of travelers. And that May while still being low season would show larger numbers of tourists (as compared to right now) as any effects from the holiday would be nil.

My point is, will next month be better for our sales? Should we try to sell in May at Anusarn?

On a slightly different tangent, I'm trying to recall what it's like to be a tourist and what I would be looking to buy at Anusarn market in an attempt to enter the tourists mind. I suppose price is a big factor though less so if it's an item that feels really special and tugs at the heart/soul. It seems if it has a Chang beer logo on it it has a proportionately higher chance of being carted away in a tourist trolley. So much for quality.

Cheers...

[Oscar2]

low season? high season begins 1 April, no?

[eyecatcher]

There used to be a low season starting this week, but since the advent of the chinese insurgents low season had now been plugged.

They are back for sure after the poorest february month for years. After that trouble in bkk, holiday plans were delayed and they came this month instead.

For us this month will be recorded as out busiest for 3yrs.

But the low season tourists are coming now, noticed from last tuesday.

I don't often go to the anusarn area, but I guess most of the vendors there have shops elsewhere during the day and this is just a part time job. It doesn't look easy to make a profit.

I would target daytime customers somewhere aswell, check out a small outlet in ban tawai.....you often see a dozen coaches parked up there.

Don't give up so easily, if you are not determined enough to succeed then throwing in the towel is easy.

[bamboozled]

Eyecatcher, what's your business? By last Tuesday, you mean the last day of Songkran, right? I started right before Songkran and things got a lot slower after, as you have mentioned. So you are thinking, as I am, that we have now entered the official low season, whatever that is these days with the Chinese, etc...?

As I was writing my post, "two weeks" to try out this new venture did indeed strike me as a very short time span. I know things take time but don't want to lose a lot of it trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole. I will check out Ban Tawai, that's an idea I never entertained. My items are not really mass market, however, and this is part of the problem. I'm trying to adapt, at least a little, to a cheaper more mass market item and quality but it is hard as my mind is not geared that way. I perhaps need two separate lines, a cheap and then a not so cheap.

[HeavyDrinker]

Bear in mind many locals are skint too at time of year having blown their brass over Songkhran

[Mousehound]

We were there in January looking for quality handbags and wallets. There was one quite good stall but they did not have quite what we wanted. Point is that we went to Anusarn to find what we wanted. Ended up buying when we got back to BKK.

[Chiengmaijoe]

Traditionally May and June are the quietest months. A week or two after Songkran it gets pretty quiet and doesn't really pick up till mid July. The Chinese tourists may be changing that slightly but overall May is not worth bothering with.

As someone pointed out, a lot of vendors in the night bazaar have daytime jobs or shops elsewhere so the evenings are an extra. The fascinating thing is how they can quite happily sit there day in day out selling next to nothing. Obviously there are stalls out there doing well and making good money, but a lot of small ones seem to just about get by.

[heybruce]

I have no numbers, but my impression is:

November through February--high season, package tourists with money.

March--lull

April--Songkran, lots of tourists, not necessarily big spenders

May--worst month of the year

June through August--backpackers, moderate numbers, not big spenders

September through October--slow, but not as bad as May

I'm not sure how or if Chinese tourists have affected these numbers.

If you can stand the crowds and find a space you could try setting up shop once a week on the Sunday Walking Street Market. That seems to have plenty of people all year.

[jingjoke]

^ I was going to advise the Sunday walking street, but then I have no idea of the protocol. Spaces are spoken for (paid for), even within the courtyards of the temples. Money is paid to the street mafia or to whom?

Wouldn't want to be confronted by someone who has already spoken for the spot.

[hawkeye76]

What are you selling in Anuusarn ?

I think that maybe that have more to do with the reason your not selling than the location..

Best of luck either way ;-)

[scd]

The fact that you're here asking for advice on Thai Visa says it all. Start talking to your fellow stall holders who have far more real life experience.

[northernjohn]

Not an expert but I defiantly think you are in the wrong season for a test run. I believe a lot of the long time sellers there make there money in the high season.

Not sure if leather things are Chinese items or not. Rumor is they can be very cheap so even if their are a lot of them you might not sell to them.

Personally I would fold up my tent and come back next October or November. I believe that would give you a better start.

At any rate best of luck to you in what ever decision you make.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I would LOVE to buy a nice real leather belt, as well as a leather billfold wallet that does have a coin compartment. With quality stitching please.

Also a leather (again, real leather) ladies shoulder bag that exactly fits an iPad Air (either just the Ipad, or a bag that has an iPad-air sized compartment as well as space for other things ladies tend to carry about) is something I'd buy in a second. Oh, and shoes that fit me, size 13 or so.

I also avoid the Night Bazar / Anusarn like the plague.

Maybe I'm your market, and the Night Bazar cattle are just looking for some Thai looking trinkets?

In general in business in Chiang Mai there are few places that do really well catering to tourists only. Places that do best cater to a mix of middle class Thais, expats, and tourists. (Or just the first two will do.)

Edited April 25, 2014 by WinnieTheKhwai

[northernjohn]

I would LOVE to buy a nice real leather belt, as well as a leather billfold wallet that does have a coin compartment. With quality stitching please.

Also a leather (again, real leather) ladies shoulder bag that exactly fits an iPad Air (either just the Ipad, or a bag that has an iPad-air sized compartment as well as space for other things ladies tend to carry about) is something I'd buy in a second. Oh, and shoes that fit me, size 13 or so.

I also avoid the Night Bazar / Anusarn like the plague.

Maybe I'm your market, and the Night Bazar cattle are just looking for some Thai looking trinkets?

In general in business in Chiang Mai there are few places that do really well catering to tourists only. Places that do best cater to a mix of middle class Thais, expats, and tourists. (Or just the first two will do.)

If you get the ladies bag will you pose for a picture with it on and post it?

[bamboozled]

Thanks for the input everyone. I don't know how other stall owners get by selling there. I've talked to some and the numbers don't look good for the most part but still they are there. Perhaps as pointed out selling here is just icing on the day job cake. I don't get it, how they can survive. Maybe they just wait it out to keep their spot until high season and take a loss during low.

On a similar note, I also don't understand all the shops/bars/restaurants/coffee shops/etc...that open up all over town. It's not cheap to open a business (not talking about a stall but an actual shop with walls and roof) and most often you have a contract with a big sum up front and the joy of a monthly rent of at least 10,000. Where do all these people find the money to throw around on slim chances of success? The ones that don't go under but have few customers, how to they keep going? I'm baffled, personally.

[cmsally]

What kind of leather goods are you selling?

Difficult to say without knowing- but I would say your typical Anusarn tourist is not your target market.

[bamboozled]

I make pretty funky fashionable leather goods, pretty niche market. And they're not cheap. Yes, they are not really proper for Anusarn but I thought I would get a few takers and drum up some interest. And hopefully attract some business folk that might want to do a wholesale order to sell back in Farangland or Japan (I think they have appeal to Japanese, IMHO). But I have tweaked my set up almost every night and sometimes I didn't bring my heavy hitters and brought less expensive items, made from canvas, cotton, hemp, some funky shoes, etc...Last night I brought an assortment of small leather items such as iphone cover, key chain, coin purse, etc... The perfect item for Anusarn. Last night I sold one key chain for 30 baht. Gross profit 15 baht. Yes! Anyhow, I don't think it's my merchandise, per se. I think it's the time of year. I talked to a long term seller last night and she said one works at a loss now until September and most folks just keep paying the rent and selling to hold their spot until the high season. Selling at Anusarn is not really my objective, it was just an idea to try, thinking it might be fun and bring in a little money and get some feedback. Well, I'll put a check next to the "idea tried" box and move on. We'll see when September rolls around.

Perhaps a market that is less tourist oriented would better suit my needs.

Cheers.