Craft fair entry fee and sales

[Dennisfm56]

First off, I'm just a hobbyist mostly selling animal puzzles. I might average 1 hour per day in the shop, this is not a business for me.  I'm just wondering what you folks would expect? Let's say the fee for the fair is $50 and for this you can do an 8 foot table. How much sales would you expect to get as a return on investment, $100, $200, etc? I have done a couple of events already and with 1 exception have been ok with my sales, yet hearing some of  the other vendors, I'm just curious about folks in this group think. Thanks

[JimErn]

I'm a hobbyist too, I do one show a month for 8 months of the year.  It is a very small trade fair in my town, with a small population, I doubt we ever see the visitor number top 500 in the one day it goes on.  I do it to get out of the house, talk to other crafters about their craft, and watch the people walking by.  When I make booth rent I am happy, anything over that is gravy.

What to expect as return on your investment is really dependent on the vagaries of the public that day, and number of folks walking by.  What sells this month, is likely to not sell next month, or ...

To me it is a cost of the hobby, just as wood, paper, glue, stain, etc is.  You can make stuff and hang on to it, or give it away, or take the chance that you sell some and can then buy more wood.

 

[Dennisfm56]

1 hour ago, JimErn said:

I'm a hobbyist too, I do one show a month for 8 months of the year.  It is a very small trade fair in my town, with a small population, I doubt we ever see the visitor number top 500 in the one day it goes on.  I do it to get out of the house, talk to other crafters about their craft, and watch the people walking by.  When I make booth rent I am happy, anything over that is gravy.

What to expect as return on your investment is really dependent on the vagaries of the public that day, and number of folks walking by.  What sells this month, is likely to not sell next month, or ...

To me it is a cost of the hobby, just as wood, paper, glue, stain, etc is.  You can make stuff and hang on to it, or give it away, or take the chance that you sell some and can then buy more wood.

 

You certainly do more fairs than I do, I most likely have a larger population base around me and have at least made entry fee back at even the one I really wasn't happy with. But are my fellow vendors just a bunch of whiners or is there any "ratio" of fee to sales that would be considered good? I usually don't spend this much time online, but just taking breaks from a 48 hour snowstorm cleanup, luckily retired and no need to be anywhere soon.

[Jim Finn]

Mine is a well funded hobby.  I sell at a local summer farmers market and the space rent is $15.  I always get that back in just selling a few toys.  I also sell boxes with images inlaid into the hinged lids and average over $250 a week in gross sales.  I have been doing this for 12+ years now.  I spend about 30-40 hours a week in my shop.  About 1000 people attend this farmers market and there are fifty vendors there.  About half of them are crafters and half food growers.  There is only one other woodworker there and he does not make very many of the weekly sales.  I make almost all of them.  He makes cutting boards and I do not .  Works well.  I also do two large sales each year where over 3000 people attend.  Those are the best ones for me.  I used to travel to another large show an hour east of home but I stopped going there because of the distance.  I may go back next year though.  I much prefer making sawdust to selling .  I would love to just make the boxes and toys and someone else sell them.  Has not happened yet though.  

[JimErn]

1 hour ago, Dennisfm56 said:

. But are my fellow vendors just a bunch of whiners or is there any "ratio" of fee to sales that would be considered good?

I think it is all about expectation, if you expect to get paid well for time and materials, You need a large market attendance cause there is a better chance of someone paying up for your work. 

 

[bcdennis]

I do 4 or 5 shows a year, all are during the Fall/Winter season.  I usually get two booths at $40 to $50 each. These shows are well advertised and well attended.   I usually do one or two projects a weekend during the rest of the year and build up my inventory.  Most of the shows we make back our booth money in the first half hour.  The most important tip I think is to find out what sales in your area.  Here Western items are big.  I've seen some that only sale puzzles and that works for them, others like ornaments.  Just find what works for you and stick to it. 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

All the answers above are correct and spot on. So much goes into doing craft shows and the list can go on and on. The show itself. How well is it promoted. How well is it run. How well do they stick with just crafters and not allow outside sales vendors. (Start allowing in your Walmart crap and the show is in the toilet) How many visitors (again this depends alot on the first questions) How is parking. Is there a entry fee. How much for the space to set up. Is there an easy flow to the show. 

Then there is you. How well do you present your work. What kinds of crafts are you offering. What is the quality of your work. How good of a salesperson are you. How much do you charge and is reasonable and comparable to others. Are you in competition with other crafters that sell things like you. Here is one that no one here can tell you how to figure out and that is what sells. This varies from show to show, year to year, area to area. Good luck with that one. But if you do find a niche, ride for as long as you can. There are those here that have and do well. I can not tell you what yours would be. Have a variety of items is my motto. This gives people choices and they are sure to find something they like. You will find your audience is going to be WOMEN. so keep that in mind when designing projects. Color, people love color. draws their eyes to it. Have things elevated and keep your prize projects eye height. People are fickle and if it is not in front of their nose they will not see it. I can ask 100 people that walked by my table what they saw and believe me they would stumble. 

Then there is location and this is the one thing you can not control. The area the show is in. If you are doing a rural school or church show do not expect much. Move that show to a more populated area and easy access to then numbers go up. But again my opening statements come into play when going to do any show. 

To your question, there is no formula and you will read that most people here are either retired or close to it and do this as a hobby. I would say 99.5% here including me. Now you get out what you put in was what my Dad always said. So make a nice effort and you will be rewarded. But if you are looking to make a living or a killing at any show then get out now while you still can. Not for you. I will not go into the business side of this because it brings in people I do not want to argue over and over with again. Get their number and talk privately with them. Will say too if people pay to come see a show are usually there to buy and they are serious. The more the fee the more the serious customers. You will find that this time of the year is the best selling time. 

Above all have fun. Learn from each show you do. Walk a show ahead of time before you enter to get a feel for all the points I brought up. If you like it then go from there. Only you can decide how well you do and can control the things that are controllable. One other huge factor I forgot to mention is the ECONOMY. This many times dictates sales. If it is a year people have their hands in their pockets and are actually pulling them out then good luck. Let us know how you progress. happy Scrolling.

I do not usually do this because I do not think it is anyones business but to give you some numbers if that is what you are looking for, I am doing a show this Sat. I pay $150 for 2 8foot table spots but I can also fit a small card table too. My take is always over $2000. So the return is worth the effort. I keep changing up items each year to hope to strike a chord with the buyers. I have done better shows and have done worse shows. It averages out. But again always has been a hobby for me. I treat it as so. 

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[kmmcrafts]

I agree. that's why I opted to sell online rather than the possibility to sitting at a dead show because they forgot to advertise the show... Did that once.. table was only $10 for the two day church event and I did bring in $350.. Locally I'm only getting about $10 per ornament.. or $35-40 for a clock.. Online I get $15 -20 per ornament and near $75 for the clocks... and while the sales come in I'm still out in my shop making more sawdust... That said... I did spend about 10 hours packing orders yesterday so I only got 2 hours shop time.. Today I just got done packing the orders I could pack and now taking a break before i head out to the shop to make those other orders.. The big weekend sales event is done and is usually my busiest.. The weekend after thanksgiving and all the cyber Monday stuff I typically bring in close to $3,000 just those 4 days.. but I also be working my behind off packing and processing order... also answering dumb questions the customers email me like.. what size is this... Read the description, LOL or will this be done before Christmas, LOL  Last year I did $6700 in the first 2 weeks of December..  and about the same the year before.. The whole month of Nov. is typically about that much too.. Normally close the year out with around 35,000  This year is slower.. Mainly because I dropped selling on 3 of the sites and haven't really advertised or tried bringing in customers... mainly been busy with other things this year.. mainly Kids.. you'd think when they're older they'd be less work.. 

[ike]

I scroll for a hobby, It's not a business. I do 3-5 shows per year in the Christmas season. My fees are ueally $20 per table and I useally et 2 tables at that price . If i have a $300 day it is a wonderful sale but $200 is adverage dper sale. These are all small Church sales I do more visiting than selling I enjoy the small sales more relaxed and more enjoyable.I have 2 sales left and I need $80 to break even for the year.

IKE

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

2 hours ago, ike said:

I scroll for a hobby, It's not a business. I do 3-5 shows per year in the Christmas season. My fees are ueally $20 per table and I useally et 2 tables at that price . If i have a $300 day it is a wonderful sale but $200 is adverage dper sale. These are all small Church sales I do more visiting than selling I enjoy the small sales more relaxed and more enjoyable.I have 2 sales left and I need $80 to break even for the year.

IKE

Good luck Ike. You will get there for sure. It is nice to not have to be under pressure to meet deadlines and meet orders. Deal with things for a few days and your done for the year. That is how I look at things also. Nice to make a few $$ but it is not the be all do all thing because we are past retired ages. Hobbies are meant to be enjoyed and to past time. Talking to people is always a joy especially this time of the year and the shows take on the Holiday theme and spirit. Good luck to you and all those crafters out there. 

[teachnlearn]

Decide how far your would drive to sell. Say 50 mi. Create a circle around your town and check on line for farmers markets, local fairs, farmers markets, crafts fairof course your own town. Check what it would take to get in, fee ie daily, monthly, seasonal, rent for table, your own table, insurance. What they will take, one farmers market may take wood work, another not. THEN, BIG THEN. Go to the markets you want to go to, talk to the farmers, dealers. Grab the ones that don't have any one and don't interfere with their sale. Get a feeling for the show, if its something that makes you want to leave, there are people that will do the same.

If you can't go, there are generally lists of people on the fair/ market site of who's there, email or call them. Tell them who you are, what you want to do. Are they getting go business there? Are people asking them for work like yours. Create a set of basic questions to ask them.

This is a business/ marketing approach. If you randomly grab a market, pay a fee and sit there for the whole day without a sale and few people coming by, you may feel you work isn't good or its not worth it. Its a hit/ miss deal at all markets on the day, the weather and if there is a solid group of people that show every week. Guys pay big bucks to get a table at the city trade shows, and they also get thousands of people a day. Some cities have really good fairs and everyone comes. You can do a lot from you own place before you start sinking gas and fees and food into shows that are no goes.

I lived in one city that decided to kick off a farmers market and had major publicity. They missed getting the sellers. When the day came, there was one guy in the middle of a large lot sitting at a little card table. Absolutely no one was around. There are very large fairs and each has a market they want. If you even want to get into this to sell a few things, check it out before. You may find a popular crafts fair that is just right to talk and learn from others and have great fun with a few bucks in your pocket. Its going to take some time to get the word out your our their and what you offer. They is already some great information above with a lot of experience. RJF

Edited December 5, 2019 by teachnlearn

[ike]

I sell at 4 or 5 events and the tables aref $0 to $40 mostly $20 dddthe $20 I get 2 tables and I sell $200 ddto $300 dpe event. I have one this saturday it's a $40 PR Table and then my last one is the folling Saturday and it is $20. The $20 one  I useally do $200. This is a Hobby so if I do well that is fine and if I don'dt that's all right also,

IKE

[EATs Wood]

I will be doing my first show this upcoming fall.  Just curious...how much product do you bring with you?  I make holiday items, door decor, Christmas sleighs, ornaments, etc.  I just want to bring enough.  Is it okay to run out of items?

[teachnlearn]

22 minutes ago, EATs Wood said:

I will be doing my first show this upcoming fall.  Just curious...how much product do you bring with you?  I make holiday items, door decor, Christmas sleighs, ornaments, etc.  I just want to bring enough.  Is it okay to run out of items?

Check Vista Print for business cards, or check online, or get cardstock and design cards and cut them, or check office supplies like office depot, kinkos. Get a small batch. When you run out give them a card with the pattern they want, have a printed binder of patterns. Easiest off hand is 2 day shipping that has set charges to add in. Write them down, and arrange payment, up front or whatever you decide. Write the pattern on the back of the business card. Stores run out of things all the time. Also is the time to show similar items. Calculate what you can afford to cut. Go backwards from what your willing to spend on materials and cut the set of patterns from there. Don't try to stock like your a total store front. There are scrollsaw business that just take orders with personalized names on projects, ornaments, signs, take the information onsite, payment and send it when they get home. With that it just patterns cut to show your work. With things like desk signs, puzzles, toys, room signs, a added name is a special gift that isn't found and appealing too many. RJF

Edited January 16, 2020 by teachnlearn

[ike]

at my last itry I have had a total of $850, one sale the cost was $25 I had 2 tables and the sales was $395 and the second sale the fee was $20 I had 2 tables my ssales was $455 I would have been happy with $500 sales  it's beeen a good year for me.

IKE

[amazingkevin]

you'll never know what's going to happen over here.

[orangeman]

My guideline for shows: booth fee should be no more than 10% of sales.

If I do a show and it doesn't meet those guidelines I won't do the show again - unless weather was an issue.

bb

[Iguanadon]

Again, I'm late to the discussion, but... I do 25-30 events a year,  about 20 of those are my weekly local market that costs $20 per week for a space and is only from 8am to 1pm and then I have events that cost me $500 to rent 2 booth spaces so I have some elbow room.  My first 2 years were spent doing pretty much any event I heard about and then learned from those which ones were worth doing moving forward and I always keep an ear out for other events.

My determination of worthwile is I have to have sales of $100-$125 an hour for it to be one I'll do again.  Some events (4 a year) I have sales closer to $200-$250 an hour.  Those mega events are great, but they take a lot of work in advance and of course working the event, not to mention the after effects of having to replenish inventory, but it sure is nice coming home with a bunch of cash in my pocket.  LOL

[Fedido]

All,

Thanks for this thread as I have been thinking about selling some of my stuff. All this info is good for newbies like me. The big show where I am at is Memorial day weekend with an $80 fee. Been thinking if I go to that one, I know I will get a lot of exposure, but won't have much for inventory. Do you guys that go to shows use cash only or do you use a chip reader? Just something I have been pondering. 

 

Hendo

[Iguanadon]

On 2/26/2020 at 11:26 AM, Fedido said:

All,

Thanks for this thread as I have been thinking about selling some of my stuff. All this info is good for newbies like me. The big show where I am at is Memorial day weekend with an $80 fee. Been thinking if I go to that one, I know I will get a lot of exposure, but won't have much for inventory. Do you guys that go to shows use cash only or do you use a chip reader? Just something I have been pondering. 

 

Hendo

Dive right in and give it a try!  You pretty much have to accept credit cards these days or you'll lose a lot of sales.  Here you go, I wrote a "booklet" about getting started being a vendor.  As I mention in the intro, a lot of it is common sense, simple things, but when you're getting started it's easy to forget some of the simple stuff as your brain is on overload.

Woodcraft By Scott eBook 20170928.pdf

[teachnlearn]

Even though I've have done and continue small business I read Scott's vendor booklet. Very well done. He recommends a 12 volt power source and that works. Here is another which supplies household, but it has its limits of the amount of power it holds.

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable-Power-Station-Generator/dp/B07D29QNMJ/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=emergency+power+pack&qid=1583087893&sr=8-4

A inverter added to your power pack would give you that ability to use household electric items for a while. Just double check the 'amperage' or 'wattage' and how long your going to run it.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=inverter

There are also 'inverter' generators. These can be portable, much quieter then the open frame and puts out 'clean' power.

https://www.amazon.com/Champion-2000-Watt-Stackable-Portable-Generator/dp/B0041K09D8/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=2000+watt+sine+generator&qid=1583088207&refinements=p_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A13883097011&rnid=3619897011&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-8

There is a parallel kit that can be bought with it. Many of these generators can be hooked together as a twin unit giving also double the amperage for powering air conditioners or household emergencies.

I have a cargo trailer and plan on coveting it to a switchable travel trailer so I've spent time hanging around RV sites. Which generator is a religion and many argue that 'Honda' is the only way to go. They are much more expensive, but can be more durable and longer life. Folks living on the road will hook two of the Hondas together and live anywhere. The cost is much higher, but the phrase you get what you pay for has been repeated on the RV sites.

Here is a sample, though I would recommend shopping around. RJF

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R1HK2RL/ref=twister_B07T9N7V6Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1