Selling at craft fairs: Difference between revisions

Craft fairs can be an excellent way to sell your home created items and homegrown produce.

Ideas of what to sell

By way of homegrown produce: You can add value to foods grown by turning them into jams and jellies, vinegars and syrups, pickles and sauces, and so forth. For the more advanced practitioner, you could make cheeses, olives in brine, smoked meats, and the like.

By way of homemade produce: You can make lots of items using sewing, embroidery, woodwork, metal smithing, paper, repurposing, and so forth.

Choosing fairs

You can choose local, regional or national fairs. Each has benefits and drawbacks.

• Local fairs: You are known or supported by locals, easier to get to (spending less on fuel and travel), might be easier to restock quickly, etc. On the downside, the customer base might be smaller or diminish with frequency of visits, your wares might not get the coverage you'd desire, etc.

• Regional or national fairs: Larger customer base, new customers, more chances to sell crafts and produce further afield, could be included in regular monthly or annual rounds to different parts of the country, etc. Downsides could include travel and fuel costs, higher site/stall fees possibly, needing to take more stock with you when travelling, etc.

Setting up

• Table, trestle
• Portable tent/marquee or cover of some sort for wind/rain/sun protection
• Signage and pricing
• Covering for table/trestle
• Hanging space and hangers/pins, etc.

Other considerations:

• Safety and health (includes food safety if you are selling food crafts)
• Weather damage
• Theft and accidents (stock loss)

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