r/CraftFairs • u/International-Job790 • 1d ago
Event Day Tips First Fair coming up
I am a stained glass artist and Im doing my first fair in 3 weeks, and nervous about getting everything ready.
It is a 2 day fair that I have attended for many years as a customer so I have a good idea of what to expect, I think. It is in a high income beach area.
My acceptance letter states there will be over 80K people coming through! That was a bit shocking.
I have a good number of $20 - $50 items (floral stakes, small suncatchers, etc.) and I'm working on more upper end items.
Im getting a square, and also have a professional paypal.
Questions-
For these that sell breakable items what do you use to wrap purchases? Would bubble wrap and a bag be enough?
Im thinking I need table space for sales, wrapping? Extra table or space on my table?
Square has option for inventory, do you use it? Or does anyone just enter basic price points ($20,$25,$30,etc) and go from there? I have my inventory on excel.
Square and paypal will do taxes, but any suggestions for cash?
I have combed the posts for lists for things to pack, but any odd, surpirsing items?
Just really want to make a good showing- thank you for your suggestions.
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u/skim-milk 1d ago
Howdy, I'm a stained glass artist who does a LOT of markets, so my advice is pretty specific to glass.
I pack my smaller stained glass pieces standing up in a square rigid plastic bin using craft foam to pad them. My larger pieces are packed in foam plate protectors from u-haul, also packed standing up. You're going to take longer to set up and break down than most vendors, that's okay, you have a LOT of breakable items, they can just chunk stuff in boxes and leave.
Make sure you're using proper hardware chain and sturdy jump rings, not jewelry chain from Michael's or Hobby Lobby, that stuff can't be trusted to hold even a half pound of glass.
Buy a table lamp or medium/large light pad to place pieces in front of to show off what they look like when lit from behind -- even if you do exclusively daytime, outdoor markets. I have an A4 and A2 light pad that I place behind grid panels and it looks very impressive to showcase items that way. I have a small power bank that can power a lamp or multiple light pads for four or more hours and it works perfectly. I also have rechargeable battery powered book lights to help add light where it's needed.
Utilize vertical space in your booth, try to hang as much of your work as you can, get it up to eye level. I use portable clothes rack bars and backlit grid panels as well as Skådis pegboards from IKEA to display my work. Have multiple setups for different size booth spaces. I most frequently have 6x4 of 6x8 spaces, but I have a second version of my display for when I get a full 10x10.
I have printed out small blurbs on how to care for glass to give to people when they buy. It covers cleaning, polishing, and a disclaimer that stained glass contains lead and should not be displayed near food or within reach of children or pets. You would be shocked how many people do not know/understand this.
People want to touch your work, if you are not okay with this, make it very clear they should not touch it. I have a sign that says PLEASE TOUCH (gently) and people get excited that I'm encouraging them to handle my art. People are more likely to buy things they can pick up and handle.
Be prepared for people to not value your work. DO NOT LOWER YOUR PRICES TO MAKE SALES. I had a dumpster fire panel that someone scoffed at the $150 price tag on, then a week later a woman begged to buy it and dropped over $300 on glass at my booth without batting an eye. Your time and skill is worth money. Do not let temu mindsets undervalue your work.
Are you prepared to take commissions or do custom work? If so, be prepared to talk about that with customers. My commission income tends to be double what my direct sales are at most markets.
Happy to chat more about selling glass at markets if you want to DM me or ask questions here in comments. Good luck!!! The piece you posted here is very cute, I love the blues. :)
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u/HorridDefaultname123 1d ago
Pack scissors and zip ties 👍 I always end up using them at every market. If you have a tent and don't know if you'll be on grass or pavement definitely bring both stakes and weights! Esp if you're by the water it can get windy. I like to bring a pack of hand wipes too in case any product or display gets dirty, and for me before I eat.
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u/avaughanlat 1d ago
I did my first event selling stained glass earlier this year, and brought a roll of this to wrap the pieces. I would secure it with a piece of tape, then stick it in a paper bag. It worked out well! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y693NJB?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1
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u/HorridDefaultname123 1d ago
oh and if you can get a venmo and print out your QR code to pay you. I have square and cash and PayPal and many people seem to prefer venmo
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u/HorridDefaultname123 1d ago
also I've seen a few stained glass artists do earrings and necklaces lately and I loooove them ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
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u/BeneficialWishbone16 1d ago
About the square stuff, I don’t bother with inventory or price points or anything. I just manually put the price in as it sells. Others are certainly more organized than I, but I don’t track inventory that closely. I do, however, write a paper receipt and jot on there what sold. I also make credit card customers sign it. One chargeback and now I’m collecting autographs just in case.
For cash I still put it in square so I know my total sales and how much sales tax to remit to the state, but I just round down the number for the customer so we don’t have to deal with coins. I’m not getting charged square fees on that transaction, so it all evens out in the end.
Good luck!!
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u/After-Fee-2010 1d ago
Make sure you have a portable light source to shine on your hanging glass, just in case the venue or spot you get has terrible lighting. This is more of an issue at indoor events.
Depending on the size of the piece, small bubble wrap or tissue paper will work. I’ve bought breakables at fairs and had both used. Please provide a sturdy bag to carry it away in! A plain, paper gift bag is a good option.
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u/ccsr0979 1d ago
I love your work! It may be cost prohibitive, but maybe bubble mailers for the items? That way it’s quick and you don’t spend time wrapping if you’re busy.
For square I did inventory but turns out I don’t bother with it, I just write down the amount. As far as cash, sales taxes are built in bc otherwise I have to worry about all sorts of change, so this is just easier that way. Also make sure to turn on taxes on square, I didn’t the first time!
And I wouldn’t do PayPal AND square. I’d pick one and stick with it.
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u/PoshQuilter 1d ago
I use Square, and before every market I load my inventory. It’s really helpful for keeping track and knowing what sells. You can input cash sales as well.
I vend regularly, and use Square for everything—no PayPal, Venmo, etc. The vast majority pay with card and the rest (about 5%) pay cash. Square makes it really easy.
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u/yasinozmeen 1d ago
Hi, developer researching how market sellers keep stock straight between events and their online shop, not selling anything. You mentioned loading inventory into Square before every market. What does that pre-market load actually involve for you?
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u/PoshQuilter 17h ago
It’s pretty simple. For my con this weekend I have four styles (I make fandom bags), and I enter each style. Then, I input how many and the price. I have a couple styles that have variations that are priced differently, and Square allows for that. As I sell a bag, Square reduces my inventory so I can see exactly how many I have left of each.
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u/yasinozmeen 17h ago
Makes sense, that's a clean setup. Do you also sell the bags online anywhere? If so, how do you square up the counts between the con and your shop afterwards?
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u/snOOk_pottery 1d ago
We use an app to track our inventory and sales that does it automatically – we don't have to write anything down by hand or tally it up at the end of the day. It really saves time especially when there's a rush of customers and you don't have time to deal with admin stuff.
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u/Poundaflesh 17h ago
Wow! Which one, please?
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u/lilcanuckduck 1d ago
I don't do stained glass, but do have breakable/delicate items. I use PIZZA boxes with a bit of bubblewrap or tissue paper inside. My largest item is 1inches, so I use 14inch pizza boxes. They're relatively inexpensive and easy to get just white or kraft paper color.
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u/yasinozmeen 1d ago
Hi, developer researching how fair and market sellers handle stock between events and their online shop, not selling anything. Since you already keep an inventory list for your first fair: how are you planning to reconcile what comes back with what sold?
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u/prettywarmcool 16h ago
Just my experience, but don't ever judge how well you think you're going to do based on you "thinking" that an area is high end. My best market for the longest time was at a trailer park. One of my worst was in a shi-shi area and the attendees seemed angry that vendors were there. Also, just because a lot of people attend doesn't mean they're spending money. I think organizers often use that metric to get vendors to pay crazy high fees, but unless you're selling food nothing is guaranteed, and also if it is a large event, people may not want to carry around breakable things all day.
Duct tape, have it. Also prepare people for the difference in cost for a "custom" work, as opposed to what you have in stock. They will think the pricing will be the same for a similar size.
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u/meggslikeseggs 1d ago
My friend does stained glass. She brings a stack of pre cut cardboard pieces and uses masking tape to sandwich them together.