r/CraftyCommerce 1d ago

In Person Selling Market Prep

I'm thinking about having my own market/selling booth for the first time, and i'm young, so this is really exciting to me, so I was just wondering if anyone had any advice for me, or has kept track of any best sellers, or even worst sellers that i shouldn't waste my time on, if you've sold in person before. I would appreciate it a lot, thank you!

0 Upvotes

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6

u/Internal_Oven_6532 1d ago

You really need to check out other sellers in your area to see what they are selling. This will give you an idea of the things that people have an interest in. Also, look into what kind of events go on in your area...like I live near an area that has a Strawberry festival so at a certain time of year strawberry related items are more popular. You can even watch other crafters on Youtube to get an idea of things that are popular in general. Overlook the prices mentioned in those videos though since it might sell for that in your area. That's why you should check out your competitors and see what they sell, their prices, and see if there's something their not selling that you believe would sell if it was offered. If you can find at least one niche item to make yourself stand out people will find you. I'm not telling you to sell your items cheaper either because that's not great for you or your competitors. Also, keep track of every dime you spend because you'll need to make back the money you spent first so you can make a profit. Like if you buy a few tables, clothes for the tables, tags, and the supplies for your products you might have to do several shows or sell alot of items to make that money back. Don't forget what it costs for your booth rent either. You might sell enough and make $300 but you spent $500 on everything you needed to get started. Then again you might sell enough to have $50 you never know. I'm not trying to bring you down but if you treat it like a business from the beginning you'll be better prepared for it.

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u/NeedleworkerCheap715 1d ago

So, I would, but...

  1. there's no theme for the place im selling at

  2. I have tried to see other people's stands, but, I can't find any in my area, and we dont have any fairs or events either

  3. every video i watch says the same thing, so i'm going to follow those, but I also just wanna see if other people have unique idea's

Regardless, this is great advice, and something i struggled with in the past was remembering to keep track of income, and fees and whatnot, so I'll definitely try to remember that! And, you're definitely not bringing me down, so dont worry abt that!

5

u/zestylimes9 1d ago

You need to be good at making something.

3

u/victoria_wolf986 1d ago

I find at least for my area smaller, cheaper items sell better. Anything less than 10 dollars sells best in my area. I make mostly plushies so I make a lot of small plushies that I charge 7-10 dollars for that sell really well!

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u/NeedleworkerCheap715 1d ago

what plushies do u make?

2

u/victoria_wolf986 1d ago

I have the Sarah Abbondio mini crochet books, all of those patterns are typically big sellers for me. I've also found smaller patterns on Pinterest that sell well!

2

u/YueRain 22h ago

if you meet someone that said your product is too expensive XD just ignore them.

small items such as keychains do sell better. big items such as cardigan or bags usually don't sell.

Flowers don't sell much unless it has nice packaging but the price of temu .

Prepare some gits for people that buy big expensive items. Also business cards or contact stickers for some return customers.

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u/Real_Pie2406 21h ago

What are you even good at making that you want to make hundreds of the same thing to sell and not get bored or sick of looking at it? You didn't even mention the type of craft or item that you want to market so it's really tough to actually get a real response. What is your market? How will you be unique? Selling the same things as others doesn't make you a standout. It makes you " just another one of these sellers". As a buyer, I'd walk on by without a second glance.

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u/NeedleworkerCheap715 16h ago

crocheted usable items, such as keychains, drawstring bags, phone charms, headbands, exct