HUGE craft fair - being a vendor

[Mynyel]

Is there anyone that has attended a huge craft fair as a vendor to sell their wares? If so, I need to pepper you with some questions! Please?

[nevergiveup]

Not a craft fair, but a farmer's market...

[MomatHWTK]

My experience this past year has been that low ticket and buy one get one items are selling.  I did well with low ticket gift items, but large purchases even of "heirloom" quality are still not moving.  That may be a regional thing.  I keep hoping that if I get into a fair where folks are really there to buy (i.e. the big Christmas show I'm going to next month) things will pick up.  But so far, I've made lots of small sales.  People just aren't ready to commit. 

 

You do have to talk and engage. I don't pressure, but I do try to be helful and if I see someone looking at one blue item, I might pull out others to show them, ask questions about what they need, etc. 

 

Oh- and have lots of ones and fives to make change. ;)  I try to price with whole dollars or quarter increments to cut down on my coin needs. 

 

ETA:  I wouldn't call my craft efforts profitable.  I am really just trying to make some of my money back on my hobby and DH and I work together on it so it is a bonding thing. 

[jenn-]

Biggest thing I would have to suggest, check what types of products they allow in.  If they require everything to be handcrafted by the seller, then you have a shot.  Most of the fairs around here are filled with resellers though and people won't pay for the handcrafted prices when they can go to the next booth and buy something similar for $3 (primarily seen with the jewelry resellers).  I've sold at two fairs and neither were particularly successful.  I was happy to make back the cost of the table much less turn a profit.