Penny-wise Product Pushing: Do a Craft Show without Breaking the Bank

2008-03-03T19:33:00Z

Sellers, we're at the start of Spring, and so for many Etsians, it's time to ponder the craft fair season. How far is too far to travel? Which events are right for me and my items? And, a question many sellers grapple with, how do I not break the bank? Etsy seller pawandclawdesigns — along with some other seasoned sellers — shares her thoughts on the subject.

Almost every crafter or artist has toyed with the idea of doing a craft show or market. However, there's always that lingering question you have to ask yourself: "Will it be worth it, financially?"

You might fear that you’ll buy all the booth displays, pack up all your work, travel several hours, get a motel and pay a huge booth fee, only to have poor or even nonexistent sales. You’ll end up with less money than when you began.

I'm here to tell you: do not fear! I began selling at a large weekly event in 2006, and it was surprisingly affordable for me to get a booth set up for under $200, and to secure a booth for as little as $10 per day. I quite often make at least $100, get many leads for custom orders, and hand out about a thousand business cards per season with minimal effort.

Below are a few of the things I’ve learned, from experience, and some great advice from other Etsians.

[Photo by soapdeli]

Start Planning Now
Start now, so you won’t feel rushed. Keep your eyes open for display ideas year round, even if you only sell at shows during the summer. Stash them in your basement until it’s time to use them.

Browse the Clearance Section/Yard Sales/Trash
I found an EZ-UP style tent for $30 in the clearance section of a sporting goods store. As a bonus, it’s pale beige, with green edging, which makes me easy to find in a sea of bright blue and white. If a potential buyer says “I’ll stop back later,” I can say, “Look for the beige tent!”

I also found cheap cloth clamps for my table, and a cooler to hold my lunch. I picked up light-weight folding tables for $12 dollars each in the hardware section of that store-that-must-not-be-named, and while I was there, I picked up four mesh trash cans to hang my earrings on, and a few cans of black spray paint for my “found” displays.

Next, I hit the local church rummage sales and thrift shops and got ten yards each of black and silver crushed velveteen to cover my tables for only a dollar. I also picked up a few cup holders and a jewelry display, which cost me a mere fifty cents each. Yes, my display décor was less than three bucks!

I also picked up a few large picture frames at the local dump, which I stapled plastic screen into to hang the earrings from as well. Finally, I stopped by the local liquidation store and talked to the manager. I asked her to please save the displays that they were going to thrown away when they became empty. (The jewelry they get comes with new displays each time.) I was able to pick up level T-Bars and a bracelet stand for NOTHING! I was also given a few light weight shirt racks and towel displays, which I gave to fellow craft show vendors, in exchange for them watching my booth when, um, nature called.

[Photo by misscourageous]

Check Out Weekday Shows
If you don’t work a regular “day job,” you might be able to find lower priced shows that take place during the weekdays. Some of the shows in my area are as low as $20 per day, compared to $250 or more for a Saturday show. Sure, the traffic will be less, but for the price, you can still move quite a bit of product and hand out lots of business cards.

Sell Local
Some of the major expenses of selling at shows are travel, food and lodging. By selling local, you can avoid all these expenses. Another benefit? Many shows organizers will allow you to set up the day before a show. (Do this only if the show space is secure. An hour or so of time saved in the early morning is not worth losing a large amount of inventory to theft.)
Pack your own food and drink; four dollar bottled water will eat up your budget quickly.

Team Up
Some shows will allow booths to be shared by two vendors. The biggest advantage in this is double the manpower for half the price, as you split your booth and travel costs. (Just make sure your items work well together.) For example, your handmade evening bags would work very well with your pal’s handmade crystal jewelry, and this could help increase both your sales. However, baby “burp” cloths, with cute hand-sewn animal embroidery, not so much. Pair these with your sister’s knitted baby hats and booties.

[Photo by butterflydesign]

Be Flexible
A lot of times, 20-30 minutes after a show starts, the organizers will start selling off the unsold or “no-show” spots. If they show picks up late, this might be a great chance to get a prime spot. If your booth happens to be in the middle of a mud puddle, now is a GREAT time to take advantage of an abandoned space closer to the “action.”

Have Fun
Above all, make sure you have fun. No matter how much planning you do, things will very often not go as planned. Embrace the excitement, and sometimes, the chaos. Sure, you may have had a different plan in your trial run at home, but if the wind is blowing your displays down, you’ll have to change your plans.

Above all, be enthusiastic about your work. Confidence in your work will make a much better impression than a picture perfect display. When you count your money at the end of a day at a show, you can be that much happier that getting there didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Further Resources:

For a great directory of indie shows, check out http://indiecraftshows.com

Search for craft shows at http://www.craftlister.com

Great book with lots of ideas and checklist for shows: Crafting As Business by Wendy Rosen

Some decent articles here as well! http://craftshowsuccess.nitchmarketers.com

Also, remember to jump onto the thrifty crafter's thread in the forums for more great ideas on maintaining a budget!

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Penny-wise Product Pushing: Do a Craft Show without Breaking the Bank