It’s nearly summer time and that means craft fairs!  While they can be a lot of fun, you want to make sure you’re pulling in enough profit to cover all those hours of smiling, selling, and standing.  So we’ve listed below a few ways that you can ensure a great craft fair before you even get there!

1. RESEARCH!  Make sure each fair you sign up for fits your target market.  It doesn’t matter if all your friends and their mom are doing Renegade if your target market doesn’t go to such things.

2. Ask past vendors about the fair.  There’s nothing wrong with shooting off a few emails to past vendors (who are hopefully still doing the show) to see what their experiences have been.  Do they do well?  Is there anything you should know as a first-time seller?  Is there a steady traffic flow during the whole show?

3. Cut costs.  Make plans to pack lunches or drop off your set-up and then park in free spots.  Rent a table and take your suitcase full of wares onto the lightrail.  Any costs you can cut up front means more profit in the end.

4. Have something to upsell.  You should ALWAYS be upselling in your booth.  If a customer likes a necklace, point out the matching earrings.  Show how certain pieces work together.  “Buying for a friend?  Why not get one for yourself too?”  Upselling is the reason places like McDonalds are still in business.  Think about it: how often do you say no when they ask if you want fries with that?

5. Have something to pre-sell. Craft fairs are the PERFECT time to do market research for a new product.  Have a sample piece and see how many people sign up to a mailing list for more information.  You will get a much greater feedback at a craft fair than just on your blog or Twitter.

The craft fair season means tons of money for makers but make sure you’re actually making a profit!  Crunch ALL the numbers and use some of these tips to ensure that you come home with a pocket full of profit.  Most ‘successful’ shows will bring in 3x to 10x the cost.  Make sure your show is a success financially!

{Featured image via Renegade Craft Fair}