So, one of my goals for this year was to have a stall at a craft market. So when a friend mentioned that she was doing one and asked if I would I like to join her, I jumped at the chance! I also thought it would be a good idea that my first craft market would be with someone I know for moral support. The craft market was a local charity Christmas market to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis so the atmosphere was very positive and uplifting. I sold a lot cards and a couple prints which was better than I expected. One thing I learned was my favorite products didn't sell and my least favorite products did! That proves that it is best to have a variety of products and lots of it. For my first craft market, I was pleased with the outcome.
Pros
Good for meeting customers and other crafty people
Usually get more sales in a day than online
Encourages you to make a lot of stock and come up with new ideas
Get instant feedback for products
See what's selling and what isn't
You can spread the word of your business
Cons
You need to spend money making stock
You need stock and a lot of it
It is a lot of effort
Have to pay to have a stall at most markets
Not guaranteed customers will buy things
Could end up with a lot of unsold stock
My tips
Lay out all your products on a table at home before the craft market to plan how it would look so that you don't forget anything.
Gather together as many things to make your stall look attractive like a table cloth, bunting, fairy lights, light up signs etc.
Have a range of priced products - have some smaller cheap items and have some bigger more expensive items.
Display business cards! If people don't buy, they are likely to pick up a business card and then they have your details to buy something another time.
Have a reduced/sale section - everyone loves a bargain!
Keep a record of everything you sell so you can see what is the most popular and how much money you have made.
Have a look at everyone else's stall and talk to everyone! It's good to meet new people to support each other and it is also important to see if you are over pricing or under pricing anything compared to others selling similar.
Price everything as clearly as you can - it puts people off when they don't know how much something is.
So that was my first craft market experience! I loved it and I can't wait to do more in the future.
-Meg
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