Selling Your Arts and Crafts at Arts and Crafts Shows

Here you will find many tips on how to start selling your arts and crafts at shows, building websites, and more...Many I have learned the hard way. We will discuss just about everything from pricing to paperwork, and displays to where to sell! There are five pages to this section- all loaded with information. You can find the links to individual pages at the bottom of each page.
I have tried to include a number of text, banner, and photo links that will help save you time, and even some money, if you are serious about getting started with your craft business.
Good luck, and Happy Crafting!!

Signs and Packaging

Professional logos, signs, and packaging can be costly.Your logo on packaging is great advertisement. You may also want to create your own catalog, with a professional looking cover, to generate sales.
Click on the banner below to check out the software to easily do it yourself!
There is even a free demo!

Use signs to welcome and direct shoppers to interesting items and general prices. Your logo or banner advertising your top sellers or unique items will bring people to your booth. They should be noticeable, but done in good taste and not "yelling" at veiwers.
Clearance and sale signs, or red/orange lettering are not always a good idea, and many promoters do not allow them as the signs tend to make a nice show look like a flea market. These signs also tend to send a message that you are having trouble selling. This is not the message you want to send to promoters or shoppers. Take pride in your work and be creative! You can attract customers to your booth simply by hanging unusual or brightly colored products at eye level.

Pricing

There are many formulas artists and crafters use to price their work. Basically, you need to figure your cost, including materials and percentage of any commissions or average show fees/travel expenses, plus actual hours multiplied by your hourly rate.
You need to also consider what YOU might pay for such an item. If you find the price on a particular item seems far too high, you may need to consider lowering your price. This will certainly cut into your hourly rate, but if you have a line of products that sell well at their current price, raise their price slightly to make up for it.
You also need to consider where you will be selling your work. Galleries and boutiques will bring higher prices than juried art shows. Juried craft shows will fetch a better price than non-juried shows. Flea markets mostly attract customers looking for a steal. If you craft original designs, it is best to try to get into the galleries and juried shows, where resale items will not compete with your hand made original works of art.
You should start out towards the low end on labor and work up, but not too low, as quality may be questioned and sales will suffer. It is far better to raise prices than to lower them, as this may give the impression you are not selling- people will wonder why.
If you are using patterns, or copying other's work (careful!), you will not be able to get the prices the original artist is getting, and possibly find yourself in a lawsuit. Many juried show promoters look for originality first.Your best bet is to create your own designs, which will also earn you recognition. The artists who have created a name for themselves will also fetch the higher prices for their work. As you become more recognized, you may begin to raise prices accordingly.
Eventually, through trial and error, you will find the formula that works best for YOU.

Inventory for Shows
The more you have to display at a show, the more you will sell. A full display is much more attractive to shoppers than an empty one. It is best to have a few different lines in various price ranges. This will not only give you a variety of items appealing to a variety of tastes, but also gives your audience room to compare among the products at your booth.

If You Travel Show to Show
If you travel to many shows, you may want to consider purchasing an RV to save on lodging. Many shows provide areas for vendors to stay in their RV's - often at no added cost. In the long-run, your RV will pay for itself with the money you save.
Good Sam members save on parks, RV parts and services, road service, and more! If you own an RV, join Good Sam and start saving today!

JC Whitney offers a large selection of parts and accessories for your RV!

Trailer Life's Road Atlas & Travel Planner, Campground Directory, and Campground Finder CD make planning easy. Visit them now for huge savings on these essentials!

You will still need to keep your web business running smoothly while you're on the road. Visit the link below to find out how!

Continue to page 2: Places to Show and Sell

Skip to page 3: The Paper End

Skip to page 4: Show Tips

Skip to page 5: Display Tips

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The HempLady
Marianne Brender
4101 Sheridan Rd. #528
Lennon, Mi. 48449

*Links posted here have either placed our banner on their site, or pay a monthly fee/commission for inclusion. Do you sell a product which may HONESTLY help visitors to these pages? If so, please contact me with your proposal.