If you’re new to craft sales and markets, or just eager to improve your sales, consider asking these 15 questions before you commit to any craft sale or market.
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It may be tempting to book into every craft sale or market you see, particularly if you’re trying to fill up your market calendar. But before you send payment to an organizer, there are some important questions to ask and things to consider.
I love participating in craft sales. Meeting and networking with other crafters and talking to prospective customers in person is so much fun to me. Plus, who doesn’t love making sales? However, not all craft sales are created equal.
Let’s ask some questions about that craft sale!
01. Is it a legitimate craft sale or market?
In recent years there has been an increase in scammers pretending to put on a market, taking payment, and then disappearing. This hurts sellers in three ways—first, and most obviously, you’re out the money you sent them for your “table fee”. Second, if you think you’re booked on a specific day you won’t book into a legitimate show that day, thus losing prospective revenue. Finally, if you spend time prepping for a fake show, you lose out on that time and those materials. Everything about it sucks.
How do you avoid getting scammed? If you’re in doubt, something seems off, or it’s a new show with an organizer you don’t recognize, call the venue and confirm a) that there’s a market there that day and b) the organizer’s name. If there is a market there that day, don’t communicate about that market with anyone but the organizer on file with the venue.
02. Is it a juried craft sale or market? Do they accept sellers on a first come, first served basis, or do they try to limit the number of sellers in each “category” (e.g. jewelry, bath & body, baking, etc.)
There are very few things quite as frustrating as setting up at a show and realizing you’re surrounded by people who make similar products. I only sell at shows that limit the number of sellers in each category. I do this for two reasons. First, it means less “competition” for me. Second, it generally results in a better experience for shoppers. Shoppers want to go to a market to see a variety of unique goods. If everything looks the same, they’re less likely to buy and less likely to return to shop next year.
03. Does the craft sale or market accept direct sales reps (e.g. Avon, LuLaRoe, Amway, etc.) or is it handmade only?
Some sellers don’t care if a show includes direct sales reps, some do. Regardless of how you feel about it, it’s still good to know if they will be there and how many. The relevance of this will also depend on where you are. In some areas, shoppers expect to find direct sales reps at markets. In others, the presence of direct sales reps can be a factor that makes them less likely to attend the market.
04. How much does it cost to participate in this craft sale?
How much will it cost you to have a table/booth/space? Is this a standard rate for your area? Does it cost more than other shows in your area and, if so, what are they offering to make it worth that price increase? Or, if it costs less than other shows in your area, does that mean the organizer is skipping out on things like advertising? Cheap shows are not necessarily better shows, but neither are more expensive shows. Cost is just one factor.
05. How much would you have to sell at the craft sale or market to make that fee back before you started making a profit?
You need to think about the pricing of your products, compared to the cost of the show. At what point would you start to make a profit? Do you only need to sell one product? Or do you need to sell 100 products? How realistic is the number, and do you reasonably think you could do it?
06. How much space would you have to display your products?
Do you have room for a 6-foot table? An 8-foot table? A booth that’s 10ft by 10ft? How would you lay out your display? Will you need to invest in more tables, display cases, or whatever you use to feature your products? Would it be worth it to do so? If you only have a tiny space available, can you fit enough inventory out to make money and properly display the variety of products that you make?
07. Do you have enough inventory for this craft sale?
It’s important that when you set up your display you can showcase enough products to make visiting your table worthwhile to every customer who comes by. Do you currently have enough inventory to put together a good display? If not, is there enough time to create the inventory that you’d need to do this? How much inventory will you bring?
08. Where is the craft sale or market? Is it in an area that would be a good place to sell your products?
Not every area will be ideal for your specific product. If you sell metaphysical products, for example (e.g. tarot-themed jewelry, certain herbs, and tinctures, etc.) you might want to stay clear of markets in areas in your city that are known to be more conservative or religious. Or if you sell high-end or especially expensive products, you may way to skip markets held in the parts of your city thought to be where incredibly frugal, or lower-income, people reside. Committing to a market requires a lot of time, effort, and money on your part—planning, creating inventory, buying materials and supplies, etc.—and it makes sense to be selective about where you sell your products. This requires knowledge of both your ideal customer and the city in which the market is being held.
09. How much parking does the venue have?
Parking is a big thing to consider. If you know a market is going to have about 50 sellers, and the venue only has 50-80 parking spots, that doesn’t leave a lot of room for shoppers. If the parking lot is full before the market even starts, will shoppers even bother to try and navigate it?
Another thing to consider, if you’re in a city with a lot of bus routes and/or walkers, is whether the venue is accessible by popular bus routes or if it’s in an area that people can walk to. Can people easily get to the market? If yes, great. If not, be wary of selling there.
10. Where in the venue would you be?
You also need to think about where in the venue itself your display would be situated. Would your booth be accessible? Is it on the main floor, or are there stairs between you and the door? If yes, is there an elevator? Is it easy for shoppers to find? And if you have a lot of inventory and display pieces, or your things are heavy, are there volunteers to help you load in and out of the market? What about the venue might stop shoppers from coming to check out your table?
11. Is this the first year this craft sale or market is being put on?
It’s also good to consider whether the market’s organizer has any experience in running markets. Of course, every organizer has to start somewhere. I generally don’t avoid markets with first-time organizers as long as it’s clear that they have a vested interest in success. If it’s the first time a charity or non-profit, a school, or some other community organization puts on a market, their reputation can be on the line if the show is a disaster. This means they’re more likely to put in the effort to do the best that they can.
12. What have past vendors said about this particular craft sale?
If this is not the market’s first year, or the organizer’s first attempt at hosting a market, take a look at what people have said about it in past years. The easiest way to do this is to see if your area has any craft sale review groups online, like on Facebook. There is one for the city in which I live, and I often search for shows that I’m interested in to see what people thought about it the year before. If you don’t have any such groups in your area, try googling the show, or reaching out directly to vendors who did it in previous years. Sometimes you can find out who did the show through hashtags on Instagram, or posters/posts on Facebook.
13. What was the foot traffic like in the past? How many people came to shop at the craft sale?
You can, and should, ask the organizer how many shoppers visited the show in past years. You can also ask past vendors how they felt the traffic was. Getting people to the show is one of the most important things; no shoppers at the market means very few sales. Keep in mind that this isn’t entirely in the organizer’s control… but it’s still important information to have when making your decision about participating in a show.
14. What was the advertising like? Do the advertisers run paid ads? Put up signs?
You can ask past vendors how they felt about the advertising, or ask the organizer directly. What did they do to get people to the show? Where did they advertise?
15. How will the organizer be advertising this year? Paid ads? Signs in the area?
One of the things I see often in my local market review group is vendors upset about the level of advertising done for the market. Sometimes there was none, sometimes there was not enough, or sometimes organizers neglected to do things that would have made a big difference.
You can minimize the amount of frustration you feel about a show’s marketing by asking upfront what the marketing plan is. If the organizer isn’t sure, isn’t willing to tell you (even just a general idea), or tells you there is no plan, you might want to re-think your participation in the market. If you do participate, at the very least you won’t be surprised by the lack of advertising. But don’t forget that you as a vendor are responsible for promotion too. If you participate, you need to do your part and make sure you’ve shared the show with as many people as possible!
Craft sales and markets are a great way to promote your business.
I love doing craft sales, craft fairs, and handmade markets. They’re a great way to get out there, show off your products, connect with shoppers, and network with other crafters. But it’s important to be selective about your markets. If you’re going to take a risk on a new show, go into it with all the necessary information to optimize your chance of success.
Are you looking for more information about craft sales? Check out my posts “5 RULES FOR CRAFT FAIRS AND MARKETS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR SALES” and “5 THINGS YOU NEED TO BRING TO YOUR CRAFT SHOWS AND MARKETS THIS YEAR“.
What other questions would you ask of a potential show before you decided to book a spot? Let me know in the comments!
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