Maker Waypoint help
Get better matches: what to tell Maker Waypoint.
You know things about your work that a photo or website cannot tell us. Share those details so the research starts with a clearer picture of where your collection could fit.
Already working in the finder? Keep that tab open and return to it after reading. Unsaved profile details and results stay only during that page visit. Save your project before closing or refreshing to reopen your work later.
1. Start with a focused collection
Choose products with similar uses, styles, and prices. Everyday cotton shoulder bags and silk evening clutches may appeal to different stores. You can research them together, but tell us which matters most, or focus on one for a more specific search.
Describe materials, construction, colors, size, and intended use. Include clear photos showing the whole product and useful details, or a public product website. If your site is password protected, use photos and a written description instead. Do not enter a website password.
2. Tell us what has actually sold
Store types and regions where your work has performed well are useful starting points. Share which products sold, what customers bought them for, and whether stores reordered. You do not need a formal demographic study.
For example, an artist might start with:
A more useful profile would add:
That history gives us settings to investigate. It does not mean every coastal store, winery, or garden shop will be suitable. The store’s current merchandise and prices still need to support the match.
3. Keep experience and ideas separate
Use What have you learned from actual customers and stores? for things you have observed. Use the market-review fields for possible customers, occasions, and settings you want to explore.
If you are new to selling, say “Not known yet.” Describe your product clearly and review the proposed market ideas. You do not need to invent a customer age, income, or sales history to use the finder.
4. Give prices and terms for this collection
- Wholesale: what a retailer pays you.
- Suggested retail: what the customer pays in the store.
- Opening minimum: your minimum first order, including any piece minimums.
- Lead time and capacity: when you can ship and how many new accounts you can support.
Include the currency. Use ranges for the selected collection, rather than unrelated products from your whole business. Store retail prices are compared with your retail prices. Wholesale costs and retailer margins require separate consideration.
5. Explain what your work could add
A store carrying similar products may still be a prospect. Your work could offer a different size, material, style, price tier, or use. For example, framed silk clutches could add a dressier choice alongside casual fabric bags. That is a possibility to investigate, not proof of an inventory gap or demand.
Add your thinking under What could this collection add to a store? If you are unsure, say “Help me explore this.”
6. Set the search boundaries
The current finder researches United States retailers. Tell us your preferred states or regions, where you can ship, and any areas to avoid. List existing store accounts and protected territories in the exclusions field so the research can avoid them.
A preference such as “coastal stores have done well for me” can guide research without ruling out a compatible inland shop. Say explicitly if an area is a requirement rather than a preference.
7. Review the evidence before reaching out
Read Why this is a retail prospect, open the merchandise sources, and review the four fit explanations. Check that the business carries outside makers, that the relevant products and prices are current, and that its submission and purchasing terms suit you.
Similar-looking products alone do not make another artist’s own shop a wholesale prospect. A store listing handmade work also does not establish that it is accepting new vendors.
Mark your assessment and add notes about what fits or does not. One useful lead can be more valuable than five weak suggestions. Five results are not guaranteed, and “no usable matches” does not prove that suitable stores do not exist.
Before you leave
Select Save work to continue later to download a file that can restore your profile, photos, results, assessments, notes, and draft. Later, use Open previously saved work inside this app. The downloaded .json file is a Maker Waypoint project, and you do not need to open or edit it yourself. Save again after changes. The file includes photos and business details, but no access code. Opening it does not run research or reset usage limits.
Select Download report as PDF for a readable report. It includes your profile, market notes, results, assessments, notes, and any introduction draft. Photos are not included, and the PDF cannot restore a finder session.
Editing your profile and saving a report do not use research batches. Running another search uses the applicable allowance and research resources. Nothing is sent to stores automatically.