Anyone Doing Craft Fairs?

[seashells_Shelly]

Keep up the necessary and much appreciated work you do. Volunteers are a lost bunch but how much would fall apart without volunteers?? I am so happy to meet you
HUGS, Shelly

[bjdevi1018]

I did a craft show at local high school back in October and it was a bust. Didn't even make enough to cover entrance fees. Have done them years ago with the same results. Won't be doing anymore for the near future. Prefer selling on Etsy.

[Theresa L]

I did a craft show at local high school back in October and it was a bust. Didn't even make enough to cover entrance fees. Have done them years ago with the same results. Won't be doing anymore for the near future. Prefer selling on Etsy.

Unfortunately, I hear more and more crafters say this same thing. Unless you have a really high priced item that you know you will sell a couple of so that you can cover the entrance fees, cost of gas going to and from and the food and beverages you need to take for while you are sitting there, it isn't worth the time and effort in most cases. I hope you find another avenue for selling your goods that is more rewarding.

[suejoycetn]

Here's my thought, I can see where a lot of people attend craft fairs for ideas on things they can make. I think Etsy may be a similiar situation. I was wondering how Ebay works, it appears to be patterns mostly not finished projects, I'm probably looking in the wrong place. My idea is Pinterest. I think the people that shop there have money to buy hand crafted items but do not have the time or talent it to do it themselves. Anyone have any ideas on this? I can not afford to just put the things I make out there, I need to sell some things. Thanks

[LeadFrogger]

I teach a Crochet class at our local Senior Center, where we make lap afghans, prayer shawls, and hats of all sizes. We go to the Crafts shows every year, to sell our work, so that we can buy more yarn! We donate everything we don't sell--the afghans to Veterans' hospitals, the hats to homeless shelters and children's hospitals and the prayer shawls to our local Hospice. The things people like to buy changes EVERY year! So we always have a good assortment of things to sell in our booths. We "shop" the other booths, and try to keep our prices within their prices, so that we won't discourage any of the other sellers! But mainly--we just have fun!!!

[LI Roe]

I have been to craft fairs in the past and have heard people comment that they can do better. My opinion, if you think you can, try getting a booth yourself and see how you do and how you like others commenting on your hard work. I have never done a craft fair but have gone to them because there are crafts I don't do anymore or don't do at all (like small stained glass pieces) and sometimes there is something that just strikes me.

When I worked, I sold my crocheted items and I wasn't even trying. I used to make a lot of gifts and people would see what I was doing and want them for gifts also. So I priced them very fairly and made some unexpected money. They were little items but it was nice that people wanted them.

As long as you go into your endeavor with an open mind and realize it can be difficult at times, you will be fine. And often you never know who will buy what at any given time. I give all those who do craft shows and start small online sales a lot of credit.

Good luck to all of you and happy sales!!!!!

LI Roe

[Sweet Sue]

I have been doing craft shows for over 20 yrs. Currently I do only 5 shows a year between Oct. 1 and Dec.1. I don't claim to be an expert, but I have observed some things that might help those of you that want to start doing shows. The first and most important thing, is to MAKE SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN EVERYONE ELSE! If many booths have a popular item for sale, what will attract people to what you have to sell? Maybe it's the packaging, or the way it's displayed, or the materials you use, but if it is like everyone else, you will go home with your lovely items. A second thing to remember is that you will never get paid for your time. Take the price of your materials and multiply by 2 or sometimes 3, and price accordingly so you can make a little profit. Most of us are people with a hobby that results in items we can sell, but we aren't a retail store. If I would have had to pay my monthly bills on my craft show earnings, I'd have been living out on the street years ago, but it's my hobby, not my full-time job. When I did my first craft show a gentleman next to me said that he made over $10,000 at every show he did, or he wouldn't do that show again. I was impressed. After a while, when we did many of the same shows, I got to be more familiar with him and his show sales, and I discovered that he was full of crap! There are some of those big vendors out there, but they are few and far between and they are doing the high volume shows in big cities, selling high end merchandise, and paying huge rents for booth spaces. In most cases, $500-800 a booth, so don't always believe everything that other crafters tell you. I am a firm believer that you must have traffic to make money in craft shows, and most of the time, this means doing shows that have at least 50-75 vendors. The organizers of these shows have the money to advertise and promote which a small show with 15 tables cannot afford to do. On the other hand, if you want to see if you have a marketable item and do not want to invest a lot of money to "test the waters", try a small show and see what your sales are like. You friends might be very supportive of what you do, but do they buy from you? Positive feedback is nice, but cash in your pocket is what you are looking for. If you opt to share space with another crafter, be sure that your items are not so similar that you will be competing with each other for the same customers. You might save a little money on booth rent, but it could cause problems for your friendship if you have different sales techniques and display ideas. In my personal situation, sharing space didn't work out, but that is just one person's experience, it might work out just fine for someone else. Also, visit every craft show you possibly can in your area, large and small, to see what is being sold there. If you make curly scarves, and every show has lots of curly scarves, the market is probably already saturated and you are just adding one more vendor to the competition for the same people's money. If you never see what you are making, then maybe you have something really new, and people will want to buy it. Another thing to keep in mind is that display is everything when you want to attract people into your booth. A card table with your items spread out flat isn't as visible from the aisle as are things that are displayed in baskets, raised up a little or hanging so they are at eye level. They don't have to be big, professional displays. Even a plastic tote, wooden crate or cardboard box draped in fabric will add dimension and visual interest to your display. I find that specializing in a single item can be limiting to your total sales. A lot of shoppers will be enticed to enter your booth space if they see a color, pattern, or specialty item that attracts their attention. Once they come over to look at that original item, then they will notice what else you might have that they like. I have discovered that a lower price item that sells for $1.50 to $2.00 sells very well for that little something that people want to give to their friends or their kid's teachers. Lastly, do not try and oversell your items. Greet people and let them look at what you have to offer. They know what they like, but you don't so don't try and sell to them from the moment they enter your booth space. If they ask questions, answer as fully as possible without telling them exactly how to copy an item. If they ask a question you do not want to answer, simply make a joke of your reply by saying that if you told them that, they wouldn't have to buy one from you. If they are critical, let it roll off your back, and don't argue with them. Once they have decided that they don't like an item, it's pretty tough to get them to change their mind. If the criticism is about the specifics of a particular item, then listen to see if they all they need is another color or size. In other words, try to accommodate them, but don't try to convince them to change their minds. I hope that this doesn't sound like I am preaching, but I know from experience how intimidating it can be when you are just starting out, and sometimes the simplest things will make the biggest difference. If you want to try a show, take a chance. It's actually kind of fun and is a good experience if you allow youself to learn from it. It's especially beneficial if you watch other vendors operate. Use what they do well, and avoid what you see that you don't like. The most important thing is believe in yourself. We have all tried things that we really loved, were different and well done, only to find that no one else had our same opinion of them and we now have a whole box full in our craftroom! Keep looking for that special thing that you enjoy making and others will want to buy. It's there, it just sometimes takes a few misses to find your big hitter. Good luck.