Selling crabs

[Jim Bright]

A while back I asked the group if it was worth the hassle of selling crabs direct to the public. Well I tried it last season. Keep in mind I am on the lower Eastern Shore. I'm sure things are different depending on where you are. Here's what I learned, and what some of you already told me to expect:
1. People love crabs and not everyone steams em. One lady who moved here from Jersey cleaned the crabs and cooked the crab halves in with her gravy!
2. Cash is king but it's nice to have other options--I tried Venmo.
3. Some people want a "crab guy" and they will call you often even if they aren't buying crabs that day, or they call the day after they got crabs to let you know how they were. 
4. More people want #1s than #2s, but they will take 2s if 1s are spoken for.
5. I was able to sell #1s for double the price of #2s.
6. Crabs are easier to sell on weekends.
7. I continued selling to crab houses as well and that made things easier.
8. Some days I didn't have crabs when people wanted them--not good! Breakdowns happen. High Demand on weekends.
9. Some people want to order in advance. I didn't take preorders. I didn't want that added stress, but it may have helped my sales.
10. I tried selling through Facebook, a website I made, and just a sign in the yard. I'm better at crabbing than I am at doing FB and websites.
11. Some people wanted me to give them paper and seasoning--so I did--didn't cost me much and kept them happy.
12. New line winders are expensive and so is bait, etc., so hopefully crab prices aren't as low as they were in '23. I was hearing some wholesalers were paying the same prices they were paying 20 years ago. I think prices will go up in '24. I don't think they'll go back  to '21 and '22 prices though.
13. Consumers really seem to set the price, not the wholesalers. Supply and demand. I felt better about selling crabs cheap rather than getting stuck with them. Not sure that was the best strategy.
14. I didn't get as many no-shows as I thought I would.
15. Some people care where their crabs come from. They want Maryland crabs and they will ask where the crabs were caught.

[Stabilizer]

Your whole list resonates with me as well.

[Mr. Breeze]

Your whole list resonates with me as well.

With me as well.  Check your b-mail if you haven't already

[partime59]

being the first year of direct sales sounds like a success, it will only get better

[Jim Bright]

If I calculated what I made by the hour I'm not sure it would be considered successful by most, but it felt like I succeeded. Plus I got to eat crabs a few times. And my wife and kids get to eat soft crabs much of the year. They just finished the last of the soft crabs last week.

[rdbeard]

i take pre orders with a warning, if i don't catch u don't get crabs from me. my customers would rather have my crabs as opposed to seafood stores. quality is everything. i stop taking orders based on how i've been catching.

[Crabslayer]

i take pre orders with a warning, if i don't catch u don't get crabs from me. my customers would rather have my crabs as opposed to seafood stores. quality is everything. i stop taking orders based on how i've been catching.

In other words you're starving? 

[rdbeard]

slayer, never starving and as most comm crabbers never getting rich. i love trotlinin, if i didnt i would have got out years ago. as long as i can crab i will.