Hi! I've done a few markets but I'm constantly changing my setup cause I feel like it's either ugly or over crowded. This is my second outdoor market I've done two indoor last year (paused this year for my wedding) and now I'm back to it. The last outdoor market went terrible. My tent snapped in the wind, my table cloths got ruined, banner ripped, yes I did have the proper weights on each leg. Two sand bags 35-50lbs on each leg. One hold 35 the other is 45-50lbs anyways it didn't go great and I wasn't a fan of my set up. Next one is this Saturday and I'm practicing my set up. What do you think? Would you approach my booth?

I don't have everything out. My check out stand has a banner, My table cloths and table banner isn't out, some products not put up but is it ok? I have more stuff to put out. But this is basically it. I did upgrade my tent to a crown shade 10x10 with the zip up sidewalls and so far it's been holding up.

Please ignore the messy bins, table top area and the product not put out. The clamps on the curtain will be replaced with zip ties to not look so ugly.

Hi everyone. First time poster here. This weekend I'll be a vendor for the first time at a Fall Festival in my hometown. I make handmade dolls. I was just wondering if there's any advice for someone about to do their first craft fair?

I have one booked in November that are charging £30 which seems very reasonable for a small Christmas fete. But I enquired about another one that’s much bigger at the county show ground and they are charging £465 to £660 just for a row stand, with the corner stands coming in at £995! All pitch fees come with the slot but if you want them to supply you with a folding table for the day, it’s an extra £25 on top. This seems absolutely extortionate no? I was looking forward to doing it but I don’t think I can afford those prices at all. Is this how much they all are?

Hello,

I sell fine art prints of my original illustrations and I just started doing craft fairs (just finished my second one). How many fairs do you test a design/product at before you stop bringing it?

I want my stall to be all knock out pieces and no dead weight — but sometimes it is hard to judge for myself which are my strongest pieces and sometimes things I don’t think are my most successful still manage to find homes. To add to that, I have been trying out very different markets, one of my pieces that didn’t get looked at all at my first market - sold out at my second. All to say I think I would sell more refining my stall but I don’t want to prematurely start cutting things — so I guess how many markets did you do before you started removing designs? What metrics do you use to make those calls?

Hi everyone,

I create handmade beaded jewelry and run my own WooCommerce website.

I’m getting a small amount of visitors to my site, but conversions have been really hard to come by. I’d love to hear advice from other handmade jewelry creators who have dealt with low conversion rates.

Here are a few things I’m curious about:

1. What website issues commonly stop people from buying handmade jewelry? Things like product photos, item descriptions, pricing, checkout flow, shipping details, etc.

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2. What styles of handmade beaded jewelry catch your eye the most, and what pushes you to complete a purchase?

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3. What information do you want to see on an independent maker’s shop before you feel comfortable ordering?

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4. Which marketing channels sent you buying traffic? TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, email marketing, and so on.

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5. What small mistakes did you make when launching your online shop that you wish you fixed sooner?

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6. If your site had visitors but few orders, what was the first thing you checked or changed?

I don’t aim to build a big brand. I just want to run a sustainable small online shop for my beadwork.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

I don't want to buy anything off of Amazon or Temu! I would really prefer a Canadian company: something similar to this US based site https://cleardisplays.com/

Any recs?

I'm doing my first market and I chose Montclair Flea because I'm hoping people would be willing to shell out $80 for a handwoven merino wool scarf. 😂

Has anyone been to this event? They host it every week and I'm not sure what to expect...

ETA: they don't host it weekly! I was wrong. Also it's supposed to be more artisan and handmade than an actually flea market. (Haven't been though so I can say what it's like) https://www.montclairflea.com

I make stained glass and this is my current setup. I only do indoor markets so don’t need a tent. Let me know your honest thoughts and advice! It’s hard to see but each piece is individually priced with a little white sticker so there’s no guesswork.

I normally have an even number of prints available but 3 went out of stock the day of the market.

Table behind grid wall has a jewelry tray with mini stickers and thats were I sit as well🙂

I am currently doing one product line with multiple design variations, they are plant markers. I am not heading toward anything fall/winter but hoping to hit up and register for some stuff in spring. I'm including a sample of my product, which was from a Facebook Marketplace listing.

I am currently selling local on Facebook Marketplace and I am hoping, as mentioned, to start in the spring at some small craft sales - I am thinking church sales and stuff. Do you think it's enough to apply to a craft fair with just one product type (Plant markers only)? I have countless designs, still deciding if I will run a larger inventory of markers or a smaller inventory to do more of a "make on demand" style with my very tiny Cricut (Joy 2) at the craft fairs. Worried I might need to flush out with more products, which is difficult for me at this stage. I make a lot but nothing that is really related to plant markers and I'd like to keep a cohesive/put together booth.

My idea is to do mix and match bundles where they could choose their own from available designs:
1 marker $4 (CAD for all)
3 markers $10
5 markers $15
10 markers $28

I can make a marker in about 7-10 minutes so the "make on demand" is somewhat feasable, I think. As I'm choosing a fair type that might be somewhat slow.

For my product line I have literally 50-100 sayings to choose from, but the main inventory I run is my top 10 sayings. For each show I can tailor that down to the top 25 for choice of a make on demand too, since 100 is very overwhelming even if it does exist.

I have done a few craft fairs before. I did Renegade Craft fair with homemade soap in 2003 in Chicago and that was very overwhelming and I didn't realize I wasn't ready for that at the time. I learned a lot though. I have also had a market table at a flea market for selling other type of products in the spring of 2026, so I am sort of recently active in that market type. I'm hoping to sign up for very small craft fairs to start.

Picture added to show product in a display.

Hi fellow crafters,

I hope my question isn’t silly! So I have been making my inventory of pressed flowers in photo frames. I’ve been using a lot of vintage and antique frames and frames I’ve bought from thrift shops and up cycling them. Repurposing. I also have some new frames as well that I bought. But I really do love a vintage photo frame, especially the gold and brass tone metal ones.
My question is regarding few frames I have purchased. Two have these tags on it. Should I keep that on there or remove when I finally start selling?

What do you do when your supplies have tags or stickers like that are used for a finished product? I’m not sure if they legally need to stay on or not?

I posted a couple pictures so you can see my designs and get an idea.

Thanks!

I have upgraded my booth and was wondering what you guys think. What should I improve on and if the colors matches? How should I display my items?

Edit: idk why people think my crochet items are from temu or any other chains. I just want to make it clear that all items are made by me. Crochet is 1 hook and can not be made by machines. I self taught in 2020 because I was depressed and wanted to do something that would help alleviate some of that sadness. I watched YouTube videos and a kit from Amazon. Then I picked up crochet books from other small crocheters to learn how to make amiguriumi dolls.

When everything was back to normal, I run a crochet ub teaching young adults how to crochet. I dont understand why all the hate on items that I make...I have videos on my social media showing how I crochet the items. I have been crocheting for 6 years making dolls and turning them into keychains.

As for the "random" items. Tiktok exposed me to creators making pens using doorables and they use other characters to make into phone and bag charms. It looked super cute and its a great accessory to decorate the device and handbags. So I bought beads and other materials from Amazon, aliexpress, hobby lobby, and Michael's. Then I branch out to make mini beaded flower bouquets cause its cute.

My sister had a wedding and she asked me to do a diy stand at her wedding. My 3 sisters, the bridal party, and a few friends came over to my house and made everything to prep for my flower stand.

I dont understand why me buying materials from Amazon, hobby lobby, or Michael's would not be handmade when I literally put them all together. It took us 2 weeks to make that many flowers.

How is this different than people making handmade jewelry? Beads and materials are not cheap. If you think my stuff is bought from temu or any other chain, then thats you. I know that I made them by hand and thats all that matters.

Thank you to those who gave me actual feedback and being so kind to inform me on certain things.

Edit again: Lots of you are telling me about my cups being generic. Well these are not "water bottles" nor "empty cups where I slap a decal on". These are snowglobe cups. They are double layered and are customizable. It can be turned into a "soda" cup, a cool effect cateye cup, or a lava cup like a lava lamp. I make them on on-site. Customers pick a decal, choose a cup type, and they pick glitters and little clay pieces to put into their cup. Go look up snowglobe cup creators on youtube and titkok before you come at me.

For my pens, yess, they are easy to make but each pen has different design. I made pre-made pens for display and to sell. But I have a DIY pen bar for everyone to make their own pens. Both kids and adults had a fun time putting them together.

As for my wrinkly banners and logo, I wasn't supposed to be vending at this market. I was rejected because it was full and it was pushed to an indoor market. I was asked around 2 pm if I can do it because 8 vendors pulled out from the market because they were sick. So I agreed and started packing, organizing, and making inventory. I didn't have time to iron my banner and table cloth. I will invest on a portable steamer. I was so anxious that I woke up 4 hours before the market. As I was loading my stuff into my car and running millions things in my head making sure I have everything, my car battery died. I have to get someone to jump my battery and go to Autozone to find a replacement.

Before you judge me based on what you see, maybe think about how much time it takes to make, the cost of materials that I invest in, and what was the last thing YOU made with your own hands. Would you call it handmade or a couple of generic beads from a store with wire, glue, and hooks?

Some things might not be handmade but I create things by hand. If you have not done any of the crafts I make, just scroll away and have a nice day. If you are a craft creator like me, thank you for stopping by and giving me cool ideas.

I'm ordering one of those vinyl banners that people hang behind their table or sometimes in front of the table, and just wanted to check that 76cmx122cm is a good size? It makes sense to me because trestle tables seem to be mostly around 76cm so if I want to be able to hang it in front of the table for indoor markets then it shouldn't be taller than the table is.

I have measured the size out with measuring tape but I'm generally terrible at imagining how things take up space so I want to make sure that it's not too small to be seen from a distance!

After resigning from my job, I started haunting thrift stores for crafting materials. I discovered lots and lots of cheap and beautiful crystal. I start building fairy lamps from recycled crystal by putting solar lights in them. The facets in the crystal make beautiful patterns of light and there is no shortage of sunlight where I live.

I have never owned a business but was a kid sitting under my parents flea market table. We did craft shows and flea markets to make ends meet selling hair accessories. From that experience I learned that I never want to own a business.

After selling a few lamps on Facebook, I worked up the courage to apply to a bunch of craft fairs. Boy, not having a business location, card, website, or name makes it hard to get accepted. However, I did finally get accepted to a tiny craft fair run by a local church. I was thrilled! I bought a 10 by 10 pop up on temu, paid the $25 fee and made a big ass lamp from a crystal punch bowl for donation to the fair.

Honestly, my set up was more akin to the kids in your neighborhood trying to sell lemonade on a card table and a hastily made poster of sharpie and science fair trifold. So im not surprised that I sold only three lamps all day. It also doesn't help that after months of no rain, it started to rain. So everyone was not interested in buying solar lamps on a rainy day.

Well, I had decorated my table with little fairy garden pieces I had started to collect to maybe evolve my creations transformation from crystal light to super fairy crystal light of immortal cuteness in your garden. As I saw kids walking by, their hungry little eyes started darting around at my sparkly little mushrooms with faces, glass dragonflies, and enamel gold bees with diamonds on their wings. On a whim, i declared: all kids get one piece of free fairy magic. Within 10 minutes, every child within the boundaries of the lutheran church manifested to my table. As eager little hands clutched at bits of plastic between my crystal lamps, i contemplated that this was probably not the best idea in general. However, no children nor crystal were hurt in making of this story. Nor did this idea garner any more business from the reluctantly following parents.

A booth across from me was a group of kids making bracelets and Keychain out of beads and selling them. We had very similar levels of business infrastructure and felt a certain kinship through our bonds of poster board and marker. One little girl from that stand took a piece of fairy magic and ran back to her station. I smiled. But then she suddenly ran back to me and gave me a hug and a little Keychain she made. Even though my grand total profit was -$10 and a hug, I think i still did ok.

The first photo is my display at my very first pop up event in December 2025, and the other two are from this weekend.

The clearer pricing has helped with making sales & adding risers to the tables was a huge upgrade as well.

I'm currently displaying my chokers on corkboards, held in place with pins. It takes some time to take them off/put them back on when a customer wants to try one on. I would like to figure out a way to make that easier for me when a market is very busy. Any ideas?

My dad and I have been doing vendor events for two years now, and this is our most recent booth setup after a much needed refresh.

We typically do artisan markets, but have been getting accepted into more of the ren faire scene, so we're attempting to appeal to both crowds. It was our best show ever by a LOT, so we think we are on the right track, but obviously one can always improve.

What are your first impressions? Feedback is welcome, we're hoping to start planning for next year. Thanks!

I enjoy the social aspect of craft fairs and getting to chat with people all day (and then hibernate for like a week cause it's a lot lol)

But I meet a lot of vendors who wish they weren't vendors at all. I've heard them mention that craft fairs simply seem more profitable than spending all their time agonizing on oversaturated platforms like Etsy.

That's one of the reasons I prefer being a vendor too.

I'm wondering how common this sentiment is, that craft shows are the lesser of two evils (the other being an online platform) and would be avoided if possible 🤔

On the brighter side though, I'd love to hear why you love being a vendor if that's the case!

Edit: Wow, thanks so much for commenting! I've gotten a lot of insight reading y'alls comments<3

My first market event! It went well over all and I learned a lot.

I plan on making the magnets, prints, art cards and sticker more “self serve” with better shelves. Bigger price tags and cutout signage as well. I think the bonus item spinner (with purchase) was popular.

Also, I’m changing my layout to show the gallery display grid thingy at both ends of the booth as attention grabbers. Or maybe more of an L shape. I have one table, and the grid wall. Not sure the curtain backdrop will work for outdoors, I’ll need to weigh them down

Constructive criticism welcome. I have another market coming up so I’m planning to make lots of updates.

Included pictures of my booth from my most recent 4 markets. The last picture was my most successful. I know the economy is bad and it’s very plausible that I’m just picking bad markets but I see posts from people selling 40+ items in a few hours and I barely sell 20 😅 Any thoughts?

Edit: the white screen is a looped video of me making a few of the plushies

Has anyone made these fabric letter buntings for their tables? I’m struggling with how to hang them nicely. I’ve used safety pins on the corners but I’m not sure that I like it hanging that way. I love the letters and I love them on the table, it is just the pinning that bothers me.

Don't mind my face I was dead tired😅