When it comes to determining how much stock to bring to a craft fair, there really isn’t a foolproof formula. Having too much stock can leave you with leftovers that might be hard to sell once the season is over. Plus, you’ll have to find somewhere to store these items until next year. Having too little stock can result in lost sales. Other factors can determine this too: weather, attendance, people who look, but don’t buy.
Anything can throw off sales, so there will always be some guesstimating involved. At the end of the day, you have to do what is best for your business. Let’s take a look at some factors that can help you determine how much stock to bring to a craft fair.
NARROW DOWN YOUR PRODUCTS
The main thing you want to focus on is narrowing your products to a specific niche. Instead of offering handbags, blankets, and kitchen items, narrow your products down to a few things within that category. Having too many different products can make your table look cluttered and disorganized and even overwhelm your customer. You want to keep it simple by sticking to one category of products.
For example, if you sell handbags, you could focus on a few different designs and make them in a few different colors. If you sell handmade soap, focus on selling one type of product, such as dry skin products, instead of catering to oily skin, acne prone skin, etc. Narrowing down your products can really help your table or booth look more organized.
OFFER PRODUCTS IN DIFFERENT PRICE POINTS
Another tip is to have a variety of products in different price points. This will help fit the budgets of different shoppers. Think about the average age and income of the people attending that craft fair. This will help determine what range of products you should bring. You don’t want to bring a lot of expensive pieces of jewelry to a craft show located in a school. However, bringing different character hats in various child sizes would be more suitable. Know your audience.
Making smaller, more inexpensive items might pay off at smaller events where people are unlikely to be carrying a lot of cash on them. They might impulse buy with what they have. At larger events, people may bring more money, so your smaller items can be used as ‘add ons’ to sell on top of your more expensive items. For example, you might sell simple keychains for $5, but you may have custom keychains for $15.
CONSIDER THE SEASON
When deciding how much stock to bring to a craft fair, think about what people will be looking for during the time of year your event is taking place. Does your event take place during gift giving season? If so, stock up! However, be careful as these products may not be desirable at different times of the year. For example, making Christmas wreaths and trying to sell them at a spring craft fair isn’t the best idea. You will be left with a lot of unwanted stock.
If you don’t want to make any of your products too Christmassy, it might be better to dress up your display instead and stick to creating products that sell well all year round. You can do this by using a red or green tablecloth, some garland, and even a mini Christmas tree. Just don’t make your table or booth too decorated as it will take away from the products you’re selling.
EXTRA STOCK
When it comes to bringing extra stock, you don’t want to go overboard. Keep in mind that you don’t want to bring the exact number of items you’re hoping to sell. For example, if you’re hoping to sell 10 crochet hats, bring 15 instead. Once a hat sells, you can replace it with your extra stock that you keep under the table. You want to make sure your booth or table doesn’t look empty by the end of the event. Shoppers are less likely to shop if you only have a few items to browse.
CONSIDER THE SPACE
Consider the amount of space you will have at your next craft fair. You can create a mock set-up at home to see how much stock can fit within your designated table or booth space without overcrowding. Like I’ve mentioned countless times, you don’t want to overcrowd your space and overwhelm your customers. I know I’ve been guilty of this in the past, and I’m trying to get better at not putting everything out at on my table.
CREATE A FLIP BOOK
Sometimes you might not have exactly what a customer is looking for. Maybe you left that particular item at home, you sold out of it, or you have other color options available. Creating a flip book of your products can be a great way to show off your skills. Having something to take away, such as brochures or postcards, could lead to an order later on.
Since you can’t bring everything, a flip book may be an option to showcase other products you offer for sale. You can create a flip book simply by printing out high-quality pictures of your items and placing them in a binder. You can also play a slideshow on your iPad. This is a great way to show your customers what you’re capable of, especially if you’re selling really well at that event.
If you’re happy to take custom orders that day, remember you will need to write down that customer’s information, what they ordered, and let them know when they should expect their finished item(s). It’s also important to get payment up front before you make that custom item.
BRING LOTS OF BUSINESS CARDS
It’s essential to bring lots of business cards to hand out to customers or potential customers. In my case, I like to have brochures to pass out as this includes all of my Etsy information, shipping policies, and a few pictures of what I can make. Having business cards (or brochures) is helpful when you run out of a product as people will know where to contact you if they’re still interested in purchasing that product.
TRACK YOUR SALES
It might be best to track your sales at all of your craft fairs. This will help you understand what sells well and what doesn’t sell well. Obviously the things that sell well you want to keep making. The products that don’t sell well you may want to do away with instead.
For me, I keep an inventory list of everything I bring to the craft fair. Throughout the day, I try to mark which items have been sold. After the craft fair, I go through my remaining stock and see which items I still have left. If I notice I don’t have a lot of dishcloths left, then I know I need to make more as they’re popular. Likewise, if I’ve made a bunch of scarves and only one has sold, I might want to reconsider making more of those.
When it comes to craft fairs, you never know which products will be your best sellers and which products will be a flop. Just because something sells for one person, doesn’t mean it’ll work out for you. Location and your audience are everything. However, don’t let that discourage you because you will find something that works out great for you!
What did you think about my tips on how much stock to bring to a craft fair?
Do you have any tips on how much stock to bring to a craft fair? Share them in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you!
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