If you’re an artist, craftsman, or miscellaneous maker, you don’t need us to tell you that running a successful booth at a craft fair is hard. With so much invested in the booth space, table, tent, and other necessary items, it can be difficult for many artists to break even, let alone pull in a profit. Based on data gathered from Reddit discussions, crafting forums, and other places around the web, here are craft fair selling tips that will help you be successful!
Buttons
By this, we don’t mean the buttons used to keep your cardigan closed; we mean the shiny pins commonly seen on backpacks, denim jackets, and lanyards (if you’re a fan of Office Space, they’re the “pieces of flair” that denote an employee’s enthusiasm).
Buttons are a very popular item for both artists and buyers. For artists, they call for a small, up-front investment of a button machine—usually costing around $100 to $200. Once that amount is paid off, though, you can continue to make as many buttons as you want for a very small cost. That means that buyers can purchase them for just a couple dollars, and you can still make a profit.
To make buttons for a craft fair, you’ll need a button maker, and the rest of the button blanks/backings. You’ll then just need to use a digital tool like Photoshop to create your designs. Over time, you can keep building your inventory, testing what sells and what doesn’t. Make sure that your name is visible on every button you make—that way, everyone who sees your button will know how to find you!
Stickers
Stickers are another small-scale item that don’t take a huge investment for either artist or buyer. They’re also somewhat practical, and very fun! Stickers can be made with either traditional media, like markers, or with digital drawing tools like Photoshop. You can order them from an online printing service, and if this is your first craft fair, you will probably have to. However, as your business starts to grow, you might consider investing in your own printer. Printing your own stickers lets you print to order, so you don’t have to order 500 stickers and hope that they sell.
The cost for stickers has a wide range, depending on the materials you decide to use. Sparkly or holographic paper adds a lot of visual interest, but will cost more. You can waterproof your stickers by using heavy-duty vinyl, which will protect them from wear, but this will increase your costs, too. If you’re not sure what to choose, try offering both “cheap” stickers that won’t last as long, and pricier stickers of higher quality. Your customers can vote with their wallets on which option they prefer.
Keychains
At this point, you might be noticing a pattern. Something that all these suggestions have in common is that they are small. Small items tend to sell more quickly than large items, because they are less of a commitment. True, you could focus on larger items, and likely make the same amount of profits over the same time period…but making a lot of sales, even if they are small ones, is much better for your self-esteem! It also helps spread your reputation much more quickly. For instance, if you sell one or two giant paintings, only one or two families will see them, presuming they are placed inside a home. But if you sell small items like stickers, keychains, and buttons, those items will travel all over the place with your name on them—helping to grow your business!
Anyway, to get back to our subject, keychains are very versatile and cost-effective, and you can make a wide range of designs for buyers to choose from. You can simply laminate a design between two sheets of plastic, or secure it in acrylic resin. Again, you can use an online service to produce your keychains for you, or acquire the machinery yourself. Glowforge is a popular at-home laser cutter that many artists use, though it will cost you around $1,000.
Prints
Making a painting or drawing takes a lot of time—hours upon hours of work. But if you make a print of that artwork, you can reproduce it over and over again in no time at all. Even better, you can print the item to any size, from postcard-sized to poster-sized. This way, you can offer the same image to your clients at a wide variety of price points.
To make high-quality prints of your artwork, all you will really need is a good quality printer or printing service. Some stores, like Staples, charge a few dollars per 11×17 in color print, but you may be able to find a better deal online. Make sure to request a “proof” of whatever you are printing. You don’t want to order 100 copies of a print that is much darker than the original artwork, or whose colors ran together. Try to resist using services that are extremely cheap. More often than not, the printing quality will look extremely gritty and poor.
Jewelry
Some jewelry items take a lot of time to make, but others are relatively easy to assemble—for instance, a simple beaded bracelet that consists of beads arranged on a string. Earrings are another very popular item, because they’re easy to make and make great gifts. Buyers tend to like things that help them express their identity—things like awareness ribbons; political causes; “geeky” characters; and pop culture references can all be transformed into fun, funky statement earrings. Try to be original and creative, and make something that can’t be found in stores.
The materials you need will depend greatly on what you decide to create. However, a word of warning, jewelry materials can really start to stack up. Try to carefully plan what you will need, and don’t get carried away in the arts and crafts aisle. If you do end up investing in expensive items, make sure to make that clear to buyers. Tell buyers when they are purchasing real stones instead of plastic, or silver backings that will not corrode over time.
Get more craft fair selling tips at SSI Packaging
We hope that these craft fair selling tips helped you identify some great items to sell at your next craft fair or art market. If you need anything for your small business, from shipping boxes to bubble wrap, order some from SSI Packaging! Our Richmond packaging company everything you might need to pack and track your image. To learn more, stop by and see us today!