Got Insurance?

The trials and tribulations of being an artsy crafter, part 86.

There are things that you think of when you are creating; design, colour, balance...even function. There are things that you DON'T think of when creating; insurance, liability, loss of profits...

I had a situation come up this week that kinda threw me for a loop. I received an email from the girl who I consigned my pillows and pins to earlier in the week. She is running a booth at the Fringe and, after being open for a day, realized that her insurance didn't cover the full replacement value of the stuff that she was selling...my stuff included. If anything were to happen to the merchandise, she would have to either tell us "too bad, so sad" or cough up the money to replace the goods herself. Understandibly, she made the decision to close the booth until she could get the whole matter ironed out. While she was working on getting better coverage in place, she contacted all of the artisans and gave us the choice to pull our stuff OR continue with the knowledge that we would not be covered for any loss or damage to our goods.

After weighing my options, seeking advice, and even playing a quick game of eenie-meenie, I decided to take my chances and keep my stuff in the sale. My reasoning is that the benefits *should* outweigh the risks. I someone comes along and sets fire to all of my pillows, the most I would be out is $100, plus the time I put in to making them. It's not like I would lose the house if that happened. If nothing adverse were to happen and 5 of the pillows actually sold, I'd be in the black. So, yeah.

Another reason that I decided to stay in the sale was exposure. I am still trying to make a name for myself and every little bit helps. There are literally thousands of people attending the Fringe over the next week. That's like a couple years' worth of craft sales! If I want to get the Ticketyboo name out there, then I have to grab every chance I can get. And If I don't have to sit there behind a table, even better. ;-) I KID!

The whole situation got me thinking, though...about insurance, yes, but also about the fact that I *hadn't* given it any thought prior to Wednesday. I guess i always just figured that if I had stuff at a show and it was lost or damaged, then it would be a case of "sucks to be me". But having it in the hands of someone else, well, that's a whole other story! I think this calls for a little more edumacation on my part...