Marketing Your Surplus Eggs -
How to Sell Your Eggs
This article follows on from Selling Your Eggs at the Farm Gate
If, like many 'backyard chicken keepers' you get
hooked and decide to have a few more hens, the surplus eggs can start
to become a real problem. 10 hens could be producing 2,500 or more
eggs a year. Since they lay less in the winter, this means some weeks
you'll be looking at nearly 6 dozen eggs.
OK, don't worry - I'm not suggesting you hire an advertising agency
and survey focus groups but you do need to tell people what you're
selling.
Put Up a Sign
First you need to put a sign up. Make the sign large enough to be
easily read from the road and make sure it's positioned so it can
be easily seen. Remember a car may be doing 30mph so it needs to
be large enough to be read in the time it whizzes by. Not a bill
board though!
If you find sign painting daunting, print your sign on paper using
your computer, then cover with cling film or laminate to stop it
washing away in a shower. Keep it simple - 'Eggs For Sale' says it
all.
Let the Customer Know What to Do to Buy Your Eggs
In smaller letters you should put a smaller message like 'Just Knock
on the Door' or 'House up the Path, Just Knock on the Door'. Many
people are reticent to just walk up a private drive and knock. I
know it seems a bit unnecessary but trust me, it tells people they
are welcome.
Eggs in Stock or Not? Let them Know
Another good tip is to have a second sign under the top one which
is on hooks and can be changed saying "Eggs in Stock" or "Sorry
Sold Out Today" This actually does two things, it tells them
they are not wasting their time coming up your drive or if they see
'sold out' it tells them your eggs are really fresh.
Be Careful About Claims Over Your Eggs
Avoid using descriptive terms like 'organic eggs' or 'free
range eggs'. These
are legal terms and you may need to prove your status legally. If
someone asks, offer to show them your hens. Once they see your hens
and you explain why you hate battery keeping you will have a customer
for life.
Generating customers for your eggs.
If the sign doesn't raise enough interest to move your surplus eggs,
perhaps you're out of the way and off the beaten track, you'll need
to build up a customer base.
The best method is word of mouth. If
you've a load of eggs over and you're not going to be able to sell
them - give some away. If someone buys a dozen eggs, give them
an extra half dozen and tell them to tell their friends.
Worth Advertising Your Eggs?
Advertising is pretty pointless and certainly not cost effective for someone
selling a few eggs from home but a few leaflets in the locality will help.
If you're hard to find, then a little map can work wonders, along with a phone
number if they get lost.
There's more information on the DEFRA
web site
Articles About Eggs
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