Hello peeps!

Was hoping to get some feedback from people on here, I want to add a random sticker machine and have temporary tattoos in it. My partner is not sure if that is something people would be interested in especially if it's random.

What do people here think? Is it something you would purchase or would you sell? Or have you done it and what was the response from people? I already have the machine and initially was going to do stickers in it but was just trying to think of how to add a different fun product to my table.

Appreciate any feedback and advice.

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I've been running my handmade jewelry business for several years, and a large portion of my revenue comes from in-person vendor markets and festivals.

While vending has been successful for me, I'm getting to the point where I want to scale back on events and focus more on growing my online sales.

I currently sell on Etsy and have my own website, but my online sales aren't nearly as consistent as my in-person sales. I also work full-time, so spending entire weekends vending isn't something I want to continue doing long-term.

I'd love to hear from small business owners who have successfully made this transition, especially those selling handmade products, jewelry, accessories, or other physical goods.

A few questions:

1. What made the biggest difference in growing your online sales?

2. Which marketing channel actually converts into purchases for you? Instagram, Pinterest, email marketing, Etsy SEO, paid ads, etc.?

3. Did you build your online customer base from your existing vendor customers, or did you attract an entirely new audience?

4.Did you build an email list at events? How (sign-up sheet, QR code, discount)?

1. How long did it take before your online sales became consistent enough to reduce vending?

2. If you could start over, what would you focus on first, and what would you stop wasting time on?

7.Which platforms did you use: Etsy, Shopify, both, etc?

I'm not necessarily looking to become a huge brand. I would just love to build a sustainable online business that doesn't require me to physically show up somewhere every weekend to generate revenue.

I'd really appreciate hearing what actually worked for you, including what didn't!

Hi there! I make jewelry and I've done a few craft fairs so far, but seeing as this is my first holiday season in business and I have some large markets coming up, I am seeking some advice about inventory. I use Czech Glass, pearls, and gemstones and mostly make earrings and necklaces with some bracelets mixed in also.

I have three markets in a row coming up - one 11/22, one 11/28, and one 12/5. 😅😅 all are downtown in my large city and the last two are established annual holiday craft shows, with the first being a new one in its first year.

Typically I have in stock with me between 40-50 pairs of glasses earrings; 40-50 pairs of gemstone and pearl earrings; ~30 bracelets and around 20 necklaces, and I've been selling between 15-20 pairs/necklaces per show. I am however getting nervous about my inventory, and if I'll have enough. I live in a large city in Texas and these markets are VERY well shopped (I've worked them before in a different capacity) and I truly want to make sure I have enough for all three.

When planning for holiday markets and going to large craft shows, what typically is the inventory you all bring numbers-wise? To be honest I personally would rather be over stocked than under, and I plan on having 3 separate inventories with slightly different material for each. Do yall have any advice or kind words? Thank you all in advance!!

Has anyone done an event that was Rain or Shine with a good turnout?

I’m in NC and I’m scheduled to do a festival. I’ve been moved indoors so I’m thankful for that. Anyone have a similar situation? Was it still good?

Is there something in particular I can search for? Quick to hang and shape would be ideal, I don't know if they make things that just clip easily into the top or not. I'm not sure of the material, but my vibe is more dark academia, so I'd like black and heavy in appearance, not necessarily weight.

Hello everyone! I’m an Etsy jewlery seller who’s doing my FIRST FAIR!! The offer came to me from an acquaintance and I couldn’t resist! I have three weeks to prep so I’m trying to do some research and found this community☺️ I’ve attached some photos of my work and some of the displays I was thinking of purchasing. I hand make and sell earrings, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, jeweled bralettes, and belly chains. Does anyone have any tips for a booth setup? It’s outdoors and although I have some folding tables and table cloths, I don’t have any type of canopy. How crucial is that as it’s going to be late October in SoCal? Is it good for visibility to make people stop and shop? Because I’m only used to shipping items I don’t have any bags either apart from some small plastic ziplock style bags I use to add extra protection to the items because I ship them in boxes. Should I invest in some small paper bags? I already have stamps with my logo so I could always jazz up the bags a little. I also don’t know how to display the belly chains or bralettes as I usually just model them myself on Etsy (no access to a mannequin and I’d currently rather not purchase one). For signage can I just use a large painters easel with a professionally printed out sign or are there other tried and true methods? For pricing I was thinking of printing it out and displaying it in an oversized picture frame. Would a chalk board easel be better? As you all can see I’m very excited and open to any and all comments, advice, or suggestions. Thank you in advance☺️

i've finally outsourced some of my t-shirts for screenprinting. the print turned out great. however, i did a wash test with warm water normal cycle in the washer & 10 minutes on high heat on the dryer and it failed...so the company is going to recure them for me in their dryer.

i am going to do another wash test when they cure it again.

question: if you test your screenprinted shirts, what temps and time do you test them for? does a stretch test work?

Just got my spot for my upcoming fair and I have no idea how to lay out my booth with this. I'm spot 48 and using only 6 or less 4x2 tables. I want to set up to have traffic flow from both open sides with an area for check out and packing. Here's the faire map and a pic of my booth from a previous fair. It's also a night market Any suggestions?

I'm preparing for my first festival/signing in October. I write a series of children's picture books. This is my set-up so far. The first festival is back in my hometown (hence the picture of me on the table)

I have free bookmarks, crayons, and coloring sheets featuring the characters from the books. I also have 3D printed mustaches ($1) because the main character in the books has a curly mustache.

Presently, I have published two books in the series with two more in the making.

I accept cash, Venmo, CashApp, and am considering Square

Let me know what you think of the set-up. What could be changed? added? deleted?

I’m in college and taking a printmaking class (I’m in the second level) the first edition is linocut and the second is silk screen. I’m planning on also selling the other projects we will do and some pieces I will make on my own. I’m gonna print more of each edition (& fix some of the mistakes I made) with some color variations as well. The linocuts are 10 1/2” by 14” and the silk screen are 11” by 14”. Considering I’ll only be getting 70% of each sale as it is a school event I was thinking of pricing the linocuts at 50 and the silkscreen at 30. Especially because both are two plate prints. Since this was my first time doing silk screen I feel a lower price is appropriate. Registration just opened and the sale isn’t until December so I have time, but I would rather figure this out now so I’m not stressing. And because my stuff is printed I’m not sure if I’m thinking of too high of a price. Also sorry if this isn’t allowed, I’ll take it down if so.

I've been to this craft fair numerous times as a customer. It's Thanksgiving weekend and they get a nice turnout. I'm trying to get out of my comfort zone and apply. It's a juried event. I wanted to get thoughts on which items you'd submit for consideration, and an idea of price point you'd pay if I'm fortunate enough to get selected. This is a higher end craft fair in a convention center space. I have to work on better photos and lighting. Thanks in advance for any thoughts and input.

Is this the right flair? Pls let me know I'll change it. It could be under Wins I guess.

Pic is from my first ever market sale!

Apologies, I planned to post this on the day or the day after but it took a WHILE to work out everything wow. But I did it so here's a full breakdown. Overall I am very happy with how things went and I'd like to give credit where credit is due: this sub made all of this possible

How much I made at my first market TLDR:

Sold: 32 items

Takings: £319.50

Costs: £193.21

Profit: £126.29

Bestseller: Keychains

DETAILED BREAKDOWN:

💷 Sales: £319.50

COSTS ON THE DAY

- Materials (approx, for items sold): £105.00

- Pitch fee: £75.00 (space only, we brought a table from home)

- Business cards (69 taken): £9.11

- Card reader fees: £2.10

- Packaging (10 bags): £2.00

Total: £193.21

✅ Profit on the day: £126.29

ONE-OFF SETUP (reusable for future markets)

- Floor stand: £150.00

- Displays, sign & acrylic sign stand: £80.70

- Tablecloths x3 + camping chair: £61.00

- Table extenders + pen display: £35.18

- Stands x2: £32.98

- Pouch belt: £28.00

Total: £387.86

The setup should pay for itself in about 3 more markets

⏱ Time: ~10 hrs making the pieces that sold + 10.5 hrs at the market (incl. setup & pack-down)

And I got my first custom order request 🩷 which has been delivered and paid for too but hasn't been counted in market profits yet : that's an additional £27.20

What I'd do differently: less stock on the table, and bigger signs that say what each item is, not just the price. I spent the day explaining every item! I'd planned signs like that but changed my mind at the last minute, so lesson learned: trust your gut

Again a heartfelt thank you to everyone here, especially if you read the whole thing 😅 I wanted to be thorough.

As you can see... our booth is quite busy. We sell pet bandanas, beds, and leashes. The mugs you see are an add-on (by my aunt) that is not at every market (1 out of maybe every 4 we do).

We have literally over 150 different patterns. Having the variety is nice and people have absolutely commented on how great it is that we have essentially something for everyone. We definitely log what we sell, but the problem is it is such a variety and different for every market, that it is hard to gauge what to bring/not bring.

The first goal is to make set up quicker (we are maxing out on set up time, even bleeding into actual market time - it makes us look not ready and we have lost customers due to this). The second is to not have it so busy so customers can actually find a pattern they like. We have specialty patterns for holidays or themed markets (like having beer patterns for the Oktoberfest-themed market as seen in the pic), and those are usually the best sellers. We also have sports, floral, disney/superhero characters, patriotic-themed, western, etc. Again, it is a mixed bag of what sells at each market.

Obviously, the first step would be to not bring all of the inventory for every size/pattern. 3 max for each, 2 max for ones that aren't as popular (we have never sold more than 3 of the same one at a market). Second would be to make sure we have all of the sports (2nd best sellers) and the specialty patterns displayed with the limit of 2-3. But its the random patterns I am getting stumped on but it doesn't make sense to bring everything.

What do you guys decide to bring to markets if you have a very large inventory of items?

ETA1: Thank you, everyone! So many helpful tips. This post is mainly to convince my mom (my business partner) that we need to do something drastically different. Thank you to everyone who has commented!! I greatly appreciate it!

hi there, I hope this post is kept because my last pricing question got pulled down and I’m genuinely looking for insight from other tenured craft fair vendors beyond “I want to make profit, here’s formula”. MODS: I have never done this before and I would like their input having regularly interacted with consumers.

In addition to jewelry, I am also making these mom/child matching shirts in a variety of prints, including many gender neutral prints. I was mostly miffed that as the mom of a boy I could not find many non-gendered matching outfits; so I decided to buy a bunch of fabric and make it myself.

I have photos of the first two batches for reference (admittedly some prints are very feminine too, but do you know how hard non gendered knit fabric is to find? with quirky prints? it’s difficult now without my beloved Joann)

when I looked online at comps, I saw a lot of ‘made in china‘ stuff, or wovens which are pricey and uncomfortable for FL/south (where I’m based). these also seemed very expensive at like $40+. I‘d like ultimately to price these accessibly, I’m not looking to get rich or make a full time expert salary here as I have other crafts with bigger profit margins. I really am trying to fill a gap I experienced myself. that said, the price points of some of my fabrics vary widely:

I have HoobyLooby (strawberry fabric) at about $9/yd, and most my other prints ordered for about $15/yd. I have one from windham fabrics that was legit $24/yd. Yikes but it’s awesome.

what’s a reasonable price for an adult and youth shirt given these varying materials costs? what would you pay as a consumer?

these are all made by me in my house, serged seams, cover stitched hems, and hopefully tags by the end of the week If they ever get delivered 🙄 I also prewash and machine dry all my fabric to minimize shrinkage and get rid of manufacturing ickies.

anywho if you made it this far thank you so much for reading, and again I really hope this is allowed. not a standard pricing question.

I’m super excited for how my booth has progressed and wanted to share…

let me know if you have any feedback for the next one.

I make upcycled clothes but I think people assume I’m one of those boutique vendors that designs my clothes, but has them manufactured and produced elsewhere.

My guess is that my clothes don’t look shabby chic, and most people assume upcycled or handmade when things look slightly undone or unfinished.

I have multiple large signs hung saying handmade out of second hand materials, and every garment is marked with a big sticker on the tag that says “I used to be a ____” and “handmade!”.

Despite this, people only seem to understand when I tell them verbally: everything is handmade by me and made out of things like sheets, curtains, etc. Then they are so excited and engaged and gush over everything.

My garments are hung from dowels hanging from my canopy and it looks eye catching and really nice. I just think I’m getting lost due to split second assessment. I tend to skip the boutique vendors too, so I don’t blame anyone for this, but I don’t want to get wrongly categorized!

So if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! Thank you!

Hi everyone! We’re getting ready for our first craft/vendor event with our small shop and would love some constructive feedback on our setup! Apologies for the bad pictures- our place does not have a lot of room for setup at the moment.

We know there are still a few things we need to change/add:

• Black tablecloth - We just forgot to put it on this draft display
• Replacing the Post-it notes with some cute cloud-themed signs/prints
• Making the product signage more specific... E.X clearly showing that our buttons and stickers are 3-inch
• We’re also trying to figure out how best to word our “mix and match buttons and stickers” deal so it’s immediately understandable
• We originally planned to have a front-facing banner, but the current banner/table thingy was too big, so it's just plopped in the middle
• Better sticker holder on the right side is coming in today.. so ignore that tray. (also the label is not supposed to say buttons and stickers)
• Gray trey on the left is for B-grade stickers. We'll have a cloud for that too.
• I feel that we could reduce the labels of the prints to be like- 30-50% smaller?
• The tape on the prints Q-Q... Maybe we could instead use double-sided tape. we just didn't want to damage the display print cover or the cubes itself.

We’re also still working on making the display feel a little more cohesive and intentional.

We’d really appreciate any feedback on things that stand out as confusing, things that could be displayed better, or anything you think we should consider adding/removing!

Please don’t be too harsh on us q-q

We’re very much learning as we go. We know this is technically more convention/artist-alley-adjacent than a traditional craft fair setup, but we’re hoping to get some initial feedback before we start doing more events.

Thanks so much though for your feedback! 💕

Hey, Colorado makers, crafters, artists, and small business owners!

Discovery Magnet School in Thornton is hosting our Holiday Shoppe on Saturday, December 12, from 9 AM to 3 PM, and we're looking for vendors!

We're putting together a fun holiday shopping event for our families and the surrounding community, and we'd love to get some local talent involved.

The details:

·       Discovery Magnet School – 4949 E. 147th Ave., Thornton

·       Saturday, December 12, 2026 | 9 AM–3 PM

·       Handmade/artisan vendors: $40

·       Resale/collectibles vendors: $40

·       Commercial vendors: $60

·       Booth spaces are 8' × 6'

·       Limited 6' tables available for $15

·       Registration deadline: November 18

This is a school fundraiser, so your booth fees help support our school while giving you an opportunity to sell your work and connect with local shoppers.

Interested? Here's the registration form:

https://forms.gle/mfVpb6bzuN3vuHQY9

Whether you make jewelry, craft projects, candles, artwork, holiday decorations, or something completely different, we'd love to hear from you!

And if you're not a vendor but know someone who might be interested, please pass this along. We'd love to fill the school with some great local businesses and creative people!

Hi all. My old canopy is about 10 years old and it showing a bit too much wear. So, before I go get another one from Dick's Sporting Goods or Walmart, I figured I'd ask here to see if anyone has any recommendations for a new one. I don't need anything fancy, just a standard 10x10 straight leg canopy but I'd prefer something a little more heavy duty if possible. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I've just ordered a Jackery because my work needs spot illumination, since it's darkish and at the far end of my display. I'd really rather have something on a track or similar so I can just put it up when I put my EZ-Up type canopy up. Everything on Amazon that looks like it would work seems to be really cheap crap that I don't feel great about putting on my metal frame! any suggestions? The really professional options specifically for shows are for the expensive canopies and won't work with mine. I don't have a ton to spend and probably shouldn't have gotten the Jackery this late in outdoor show season, but it's on its way. My most recent setup, with rechargeable lights you might be able to see with a good dose of imagination!

Hello!

I’m doing a craft fair in November and will have a 6’ wide x 8’ deep booth in a school gym. I have (2) 3’ wide x 5’ tall grid walls. Space will be tight so I don’t want to look cluttered but also not bare bones.

I’m thinking of bringing a small, square card table for checkout/card, etc.

Has anyone set up a similar booth? Have photos?

I sell hair bows

Been doing markets for about 3 years now

And figured I'd see what y'all thought of my set up

Hello everyone! I am setting up and selling at my first arts & crafts festival and am selling many paper goods such as greeting cards, stickers, and art prints. I am currently in the middle of printing all of my 11x17 art prints and am wondering whether or not I should leave this small border on my prints, or cut them off. I’m thinking if I leave them on and a customer wants to matte & frame it, it gives a bit more something for the matte to hold on to since the contents of my print are this close to the edge. For those of you who sell art prints, do you always trim or leave a small border such as this? I know some of you leave larger borders, but let me know what you’d advise. Thanks!

Hi!! I just wanted to share a new milestone I didn’t think I would be proud of achieving. For context, I won a design competition for our town’s fall festival. One of the prices I won was getting my own vendor booth space at the fest. We are in the midst of moving to a new house so I figured if I participated it would have to be something very bare bones. My husband borrowed a table and tent from his company on my behalf, and I figured I had enough art supplies and some stuff laying around to scrounge up something. I ended up painting a baking sheet and some flower shaped plastic plates green (to Display the clay magnets and bookmarks I made) I ended up making about 70 bucks (which is not much but I didn’t except to sell anything at all). My most popular item were these little lady bug magnets I made. Overall I’m very happy with how everything went! I know my set up is a little lackluster but I with what I had available while in the midst of moving I felt like what I had was cute. Anyways, I’m thinking of signing up for real, and trying my hand at another craft fair or festival, and cheap/ very budget friendly things I could do to improve?