Citizens of Craft Virtual Market
Deadline Extended May 16, 2021
The Citizens of Craft Virtual Market is a collaboration between Fabrique 1840 and the Canadian Crafts Federation. Our goal is to promote craft artists and expand their online reach. Supported by Canadian retailer Simons, ‘Fabrique 1840’ is a vital showcase for handmade products, connecting craft artists with the notoriety and visibility of the broader Simons.ca website.
For context, through the simons.ca platform, Fabrique 1840 reaches:
- 260,000 unique visitors per month
- An online community of over 360,000 followers
- 1 million newsletter subscribers
The Citizens of Craft Virtual Market will launch online on October 1, 2021, and special promotions will last 1 month. Products selected for the market will remain on the platform after the run of this promotion, at the discretion of Fabrique 1840.
APPLICATIONS OPEN UNTIL MAY 16
Conditions for participation:
The Canadian Crafts Federation is offering the opportunity for active members of the Provincial and Territorial Craft Councils to apply to this virtual market, for free. If selected, there are no additional registration fees for the event. However, participating artists must comply with Fabrique 1840’s rules of use that are in place for all of their business partners. These rules are described in the business model below.
If your work is selected for the virtual market, online product descriptions will be written and translated by the Fabrique 1840 team.
How to participate
To submit your application, you must:
- Complete a table of information about the products that you would like to sell. You may propose up to 6 products. Each row corresponds to a product and each column provides information that will allow Fabrique 1840 to write the product descriptions.
- Submit a photo for each product you are submitting. At this stage, the photos do not need to be professional. They just have to clearly show the product so that it is able to be understood. If selected, artists must work with Fabrique 1840 to take product photos that meet their professional criteria. Upload 1 to 3 photos of each product you are submitting.
To submit your application, fill in the survey and upload your documents here.
The Fabrique 1840 business model
The model is broken down into three components:
1. Fabrique 1840 takes a commission on a sliding scale, depending on the retail price of the items sold:
-
- 20% on products priced between $30 and $39
- 25% on products priced between $40 and $49
- 30% on products priced between $50 and $99
- 35% on products priced over $100
- Artists will be paid for orders on a monthly basis.
2. Craft artists are responsible for the act of, and the cost of shipping the products to customers. Each craft artist has access to Fabrique 1840’s shipping portal, which allows them to easily process the orders received and gives them access to specially negotiated rates with Canada Post. It is generally expected that works be shipped between 1 and 2 weeks from the date an order is received.
Here are the average shipping costs charged by product type:
| Category of product | Average Canada Post negotiated transportation fees |
| Fashion accessories | $7.71 |
| Food and drink | $9.31 |
| Beauty and wellness | $8.31 |
| Kitchenwares | $8.65 |
| Home accessories | $8.78 |
| Prints and wall decor | $7.71 |
| Furniture and lights | $20.60 |
| Kids’ items | $8.93 |
| Average | $8.88 |
3. All craft artists on the Fabrique 1840 platform must accept product returns. On average, the return rate is 5%.
For example:
A) Small products
An item sells for $55 retail price. Fabrique earns $16.50 (30%) commission, and the artist is paid $38.50 (70%). From this, the artist will deduct the price of shipping (estimated at $9). Therefore, on a $55 retail sale, the artist makes $29.50 (54%).
B) Large Products
For larger products, such as furniture, the customer will be charged between $20 and $40 to
cover additional shipping fees, depending on the product’s volumetric weight. This surcharge is
given to the artisan to put toward the cost of shipping.
APPLICATIONS OPEN UNTIL MAY 16
If you have questions regarding the application process, contact the CCF/FCMA at [email protected]. Once artists are selected, all questions must be directed to Fabrique 1840.