Craft Event Selling

[Iguanadon]

Hi Everyone and a special hello to new members,

Although winter is still fully in force, spring isn't too far away and that means the beginning of markets, events, shows for many crafters for many areas. Realizing that not everyone sells their products, but for those that do or anyone thinking about it, I put together the attached "booklet" based on my experience the past 2 seasons that I like to share wherever I can. A lot of it is common sense type items, but trust me, when you're getting started your brain is so full of stuff sometimes you forget about the simple things. If you glean a couple of tidbits of useful information from this, great and please share any other things I left out or you have found to be helpful.

Iggy

Woodcraft By Scott eBook 20170928.pdf

[new2woodwrk]

Thanks Iggy,

Much appreciated by a newbie!

[rjweb]

Very good read and well organized, you should list it on amazon, when is your first show this year? I would say good luck with all your business ventures, but you don’t need luck, you are a well motivated individual that is always thinking ahead, RJ

[kmmcrafts]

Very good read and well thought out and organized.. I think about trying the craft show thing again now that the kids are bigger..  My issue with that is. then I'd have to build a bunch of inventory.. that I don't need to do with selling online.. The shows I did when first starting out in the hobby I had to drag the kids along.. and having 3 kids ages 11 and under.. at a craft event doesn't go over too well, LOL.. I did okay sales wise.. but found it not a great idea to do shows due to having to drag the kids around to them with me..

Which is why I broke your number 4 rule and started the web site first.. 

I do have a question.. How do you all do your custom / made to order items at a craft show.. do you have special order forms? Maybe you had this info in there and I missed it.. I'm one of those that reads stuff and forgets half of it before I am even done reading, LOL just doesn't sink in to my thick skull,  

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

1 hour ago, kmmcrafts said:

Very good read and well thought out and organized.. I think about trying the craft show thing again now that the kids are bigger..  My issue with that is. then I'd have to build a bunch of inventory.. that I don't need to do with selling online.. The shows I did when first starting out in the hobby I had to drag the kids along.. and having 3 kids ages 11 and under.. at a craft event doesn't go over too well, LOL.. I did okay sales wise.. but found it not a great idea to do shows due to having to drag the kids around to them with me..

Which is why I broke your number 4 rule and started the web site first.. 

I do have a question.. How do you all do your custom / made to order items at a craft show.. do you have special order forms? Maybe you had this info in there and I missed it.. I'm one of those that reads stuff and forgets half of it before I am even done reading, LOL just doesn't sink in to my thick skull,  

Basically the same way you do on line. Not much different. I have a receipt pad that I give a receipt to all purchases. Just add details on the page. Get their email  and phone number. Has price on it and item number and I take half. Send photos of completed item. If they agree I send after receiving second half and not before. If they do not like and we can not work out the final product I will send the money back no questions asked. Been doing this so long I have probably only gotten bitten maybe 3 times. I was able to reuse 2 items but the third was just a name plaque so could not reuse and just wrote it off as a loss. Taxes Taxes write-offs my friend. Will say this when I was doing consignment stores I had more orders than at craft shows. I have turned down custom orders because customer was not sure of what they wanted and I am not into guessing. Just not worth the effort to me. As I said time and time again life is way too short.  This is my story and I am sure other may handle things differently.

[kmmcrafts]

Thanks JT,  guess I had not thought about a receipt type deal.. and was wondering if one just wrote stuff down on a piece of paper or what.. 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

1 hour ago, kmmcrafts said:

Thanks JT,  guess I had not thought about a receipt type deal.. and was wondering if one just wrote stuff down on a piece of paper or what.. 

I have been using a receipt book since I started some 35 years ago. Helps me keep tract of all sales, type of woods used and has an item number. All my items are numbered (written on sales tag) I keep inventory that way as well. If someone sees a project of mine I just look it up and can tell how much I charge for it. I have made over 700 different items in inventory over the years. Made many more than that for other things but for what I sell. I give the customer a copy and my card for all sales. My clock inserts are guaranteed for life. So I can look up sales if I need to. When I did consignment stores they had professional forms. I would get a call and I go to store to pick it up and also checked on inventory while there. 

[tgiro]

Wow, Iggy - that's awesome. Good detail and easy explanations for almost everything.

Now if you just had a good method for handling the weird customers . . .

[Iguanadon]

On 1/31/2018 at 2:31 PM, rjweb said:

Very good read and well organized, you should list it on amazon, when is your first show this year? I would say good luck with all your business ventures, but you don’t need luck, you are a well motivated individual that is always thinking ahead, RJ

Hey RJ, thanks. First show is March 30/31 this year, Easter weekend which is early this year.  It's my first time doing it, but I know from visiting it last year that It's a big event so I'm stockpiling as much as I can cuz then I have another big event April 29 (I sold 96 puzzles in one day last year).

 

 

Edited February 2, 2018 by Iguanadon

[Iguanadon]

On 1/31/2018 at 8:30 PM, kmmcrafts said:

Very good read and well thought out and organized.. I think about trying the craft show thing again now that the kids are bigger..  My issue with that is. then I'd have to build a bunch of inventory.. that I don't need to do with selling online.. The shows I did when first starting out in the hobby I had to drag the kids along.. and having 3 kids ages 11 and under.. at a craft event doesn't go over too well, LOL.. I did okay sales wise.. but found it not a great idea to do shows due to having to drag the kids around to them with me..

Which is why I broke your number 4 rule and started the web site first.. 

I do have a question.. How do you all do your custom / made to order items at a craft show.. do you have special order forms? Maybe you had this info in there and I missed it.. I'm one of those that reads stuff and forgets half of it before I am even done reading, LOL just doesn't sink in to my thick skull,  

Hey Kevin,

I created my own order form, 2 to a sheet of paper. I print it on green paper just so it looks "different", see attached.  One piece of advice, I snap a picture of it with my phone as soon as a customer places an order in case I lose it in all the chaos during pack-up, etc.

 

[Iguanadon]

16 hours ago, tgiro said:

Wow, Iggy - that's awesome. Good detail and easy explanations for almost everything.

Now if you just had a good method for handling the weird customers . . .

I make the customers handle a weird scroll saw vendor.  :-D

[Jim Finn]

I have been selling my scroll saw items for nine years now and I agree 99% with what is mentioned here.  Especially the table set up for the display.  (I do not use a tablecloth myself).