Let this be the year; my year! The year I finally sell what I can make at my first craft fair!

 

I finally sell at my first craft fair! I earn some money from doing what I love! I sell products that I can make!

Is this you my friend? 

Are you a great baker? Do you sew beautifully? Are you an accomplished knitter? Can you upcycle trash and make something beautiful from it?

Have you been making things for your friends and family for years?

Everyone tells you that you should be selling your work? But …… let me guess – you are too nervous to try?

Then let this be the year 2019 that you summon up all your courage, and you just go for it!

Dip your toe in the water, take a table at a local market, school fair, community event!

Do you have that little voice in your ear saying ………..

“I would love to have the feeling that someone/anyone loved something I made so much, that they actually paid me for it? They walked right up to me, and handed over their hard earned cash for my handmade products?”

Wouldn’t that feel amazing? Close your eyes, picture the scene, Can you imagine how thrilled you would feel? 

What’s stopping you?

Not sure if your products are good enough? Too scared to try? Afraid people will laugh at your efforts? Don’t really know where to start in booking a stall?

What’s the worst that can happen? You lose a few pounds for the cost of your stall, and you have some stock left over that you couldn’t sell on the day.

 

What do I know?

I have been selling at craft fairs for the last 15 years – jewellery, knitted accessories, crochet accessories, artwork – but my advice will work for you whatever it is that you want to make and sell. 

I can still remember my very first craft fair. Couldn’t sleep a wink, I was so excited and nervous, all rolled into one.

And you know what happened, I didn’t sell a thing! Now I am not telling you this to put you off, (as clearly it didn’t put me off), but because it actually wasn’t all about me or my products. it was the fair I had chosen – poor location, poor management, poor advertising – and the more experienced sellers around me didn’t do well either!

So my first lesson was a hard one – Do your research on the fairs you want to try! More about this later!

 

Let’s get back to you and your very first craft fair!

Let me give you some pointers on what you need to think about!

What do you need?

1. Great Location – have a think about the type of market you would like to sell at, and your own shopping behaviour when you attend a market or fair. For your first market you want a low cost to be there, with high footfall, somewhere easy for customers to get to, free or low cost entry, family friendly. Is it a day out or somehere to browse for an hour? Seasonality – is the time of year favourable for your products? Target Customer – imagine who your target customer is and their interests, how and where would they spend their leisure time – would your target customer be attracted to this market or fair? (Also be aware that for larger professionally run fairs you will need Public Liability Insurance – but for your first fair if you pick a local small market or school fair etc you shouldn’t need this – the organiser will always let you know anyway.)

2. Customers – think about the fair/market – where does their audience come from, how well known is the market, how regularly does it run (can you visit before you book to check it out?), is it easy to get to and park? is it advertised anywhere – how did you personally hear about it? Is their advertising effective? What is the main draw for the audience? For instance a charity for stray dogs having a fundraiser can draw a big crowd who love dogs, and anything dog related, but maybe if you are selling jewellery they may pass you by.

3. Stock – you need to have enough stock to make an eye catching and interesting display on the table and that if you sell 5-10 pieces you have covered your cost of being at the fair. If you go on to do further fairs then you would also need to consider your raw materials cost and your time, but first you need to find out if you like being in front of your customer and “selling” so don’t invest too much money in making lots of stock.

4. Display Items – practice at home with a plain coloured cloth and use a few props from around your home that you can easily transport on the day, to give your table display some different heights and interest. Generally, you will have around 5 seconds as people walk past and give your table the once over to catch their attention enough to stop and look harder.

5. Pricing – price your items and then stick to it! Do not allow people to haggle with you, and do not blurt out a reduced price in conversation because you are scared they will walk away. Value your products, if your pricing is a little high then adjust it at your next fair. If you price your product too low then people will assume they are cheap and not worth their purchase. You have worked hard on your products and ensured they are high quality so don’t undersell yourself, your skill, and your time.

6. Meet the Maker! You are your brand! So stand behind your table, smile and say hello when they walk past; and then stop talking, and let them look! Answer any questions they ask, ensuring they know you have made everything, but don’t overdo it! You can really put people off with great long explanations and too much detail.

7. Review your efforts! Through the day, watch the customers walking around other stalls, what catches their attention, which stalls seem most popular – and why? Talk to other stall holders and see what you can learn from them about other markets, display, etc. Enjoy yourself, try not to get stressed out if you are not making sales – this is fun, and it’s your first one so you have lots to learn!

It doesn’t really matter what you sell, my advice will suit all complete newbies – with the exception of food and drink producers who would depending on your country and laws would also need some hygiene certificates, kitchen inspection etc. before selling to the public!

 

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I hope this was useful for you and I have encouraged you to make this your year, the year that you finally just give it a go!

 

Love Sarah x

 

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