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  • From: Paul Bransky <broadcaster AT mwt.net>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Undercutting prices
  • Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 06:57:55 -0500

Our tiny local market has an opposite problem: a blatant
re-seller. He could afford the $10 or $15 charge.

I don't know why the market manager (who would like to kick
him out, she has told me this) does not have the authority
to get rid of him.
Pat


Reselling is a cancer that can kill a farmer's market, because customers come to the market to buy from farmers, not pretenders. I always tell people that if we allow reselling we should move the market to the front of the grocery store so we can easily restock our stands when we get low. We put a rule against reselling in our market by-laws a couple years ago, complete with a threat of surprise visits to the "farm" by our market manager. This year we finally followed through and booted out two sham vendors who had NOTHING growing at home to show the manager. It made a dramatic change in sales volume for the rest of us.

The old guys selling cheap tomatoes don't bother me--by that time of the season everyone has tomatoes anyway. We just don't expect to make much money offering a product that most people already have.

A farmer can support higher prices with good quality, season extensions, farm story-telling at the stand and positive customer relationships.

Paul Bransky
Liz and Paul's Farm
Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin

Read the Organic Broadcaster. www.mosesorganic.org/ob/intro.htm




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