Everyday Limes

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By Leslie Campos from Well Parents

Craft fairs are a great place to sell your handcrafted items. They attract buyers who are looking for something unique that their friends and neighbors don’t have and are willing to pay artisan prices for them, too. And craft fairs offer an atmosphere that makes it fun and enjoyable to shop. People will go out of their way just so they can experience that atmosphere. People often go to them as a day’s outing with friends and family as opposed to shopping at a store, which is boring, routine, and often stressful. Today, Everyday Limes shares some helpful tips for how you can make the most of your craft fair experience.

Know the Rules

The first thing you’ll want to do is research the craft fair and its sponsors and find out what their rules are for vendors. Some events have strict rules about what type of items can be sold, so make sure to read the fine print before signing up.

There aren’t any specific licenses for selling at craft fairs. However, you may need to present a business license. Licensing requirements can vary by state or local city and county, so thoroughly research what you’ll need to be in compliance.

Look into having the right structure for your business, too. An LLC is one of the most common business structures because it allows you to limit your personal liability should anything go wrong. It’s more friendly tax-wise, too. If you’re not sure how to start an LLC in Ohio, you can consult a formation service, eliminating the need for an attorney. Again, rules vary by state, so check with yours to ensure you’re filing it correctly.

Practice the Presentation

As much as you can, set up your booth at home first and not the day before. Give yourself time to purchase items you’ll discover you need during your pre-set-up. You may find you’ll need shelves or decorative boxes to raise some items higher than others. By having a tiered presentation, you avoid having a table that’s too cluttered. And speaking of clutter, four or five groupings of items work better than everything spread out without any organization. People get overwhelmed trying to grasp everything all at once. The tablecloth you use should be plain for the same reason, allowing the customers to focus on your items without a lot of visual background “noise.”

Advertise and Market

Having a banner made can seem like a big expense upfront, but if you plan on doing fair and vendor sales often, it will pay for itself. Previous customers can find you, and new or prospective customers will notice your business name on a banner and remember it. Print up plenty of brochures and business cards too. You can always find apps and software to do it yourself if you’re on a budget or if you happen to already be talented in design. Just make sure your website address and contact information are on everything.

Selling

Price everything individually. Some vendors use a few signs with a price list on them, but that can be confusing or, worse, misleading. If someone tries to buy something and it turns out they misunderstood the price, you’ll have an unhappy person who will probably not buy your product.

Be prepared to accept credit cards as well as other popular forms of payment, like PayPal and Venmo. This is something you’ll need to have set up early since most credit card readers will have to be mailed to you. Have whatever device you’re using for sales, either your smartphone or tablet fully charged, and find out what internet service and password are available for vendors ahead of time. And for cash sales, you’ll naturally want a receipt book and a locking cash box. You can find those almost anywhere, but the largest selection will be at your local office supply store.

Inventory

Ideally, you’ll want to sell 8 to 10 times the show entrance fee to cover costs and make a profit. At an average show, you should expect that anywhere between one to three percent of fair attendees will purchase something from you, so learn as much as you can about past attendance numbers and what the sponsors are realistically expecting.

Have items at several price points. Many times people will not be there shopping for your particular product but might buy one or two small, inexpensive items.

Find a craft fair that has a good demographic mix. Make sure your booth is well organized and stocked with inventory. Bring promotional materials, such as business cards, brochures, flyers, etc., with you, and make sure you’re following all the rules of the fair as well as city and state laws. And remember, this is a great way to meet people, show off your carefully crafted work, and make money!

Everyday Limes is not only a place where you can come and shop and discover new handmade or vintage finds. It’s the place that curates it so you can easily add it to your own lifestyle. If you have any questions, let us know!