beckyw

I'm having a problem selling at craft fairs. I don't want to make any more until I find out what really sells. I have made wine bags, microwave bowls, animal feed bags, aprons, table toppers ,yoga mat bags, gift bags, and walker caddies. I dont price them to high or to low. My work is fine. This is what people said they wanted. Can anybody help.

Tartan

​Sorry no help here as buying at craft fairs is down. When people can get cheap things from the $ store they are not willing to pay higher prices.

mamagrande

What Tattan said..some times some of those items are bought by other quilters or people who sew because they like those items but don't want to take the time to make them...like me. Because i know the cost of fabric and the time it take to make the craft, I usually buy for gifts to friends, I like the items but I would rather be making quilts and I am not much of a craft person. Maybe you could sell at quilt shows and holiday boutiques.

beckyw

I see that buying is down at craft fairs and flea markets also. I do better where people have a lot of money. Then they are wiling to spend the money. That person doesn't go to craft fairs or flea markets. Maybe I need to find shops that are willing to sell my crafts.

Anniedeb

Holiday boutiques seem popular here. They pop up at local hot spots. A golf club, a suburb with an old fashioned downtown. A strip mall with many vendors participating. The wine bags I saw were really "glitzy" with a new years vibe. Reversible table toppers/runners. Mug rugs packaged with mugs and tea or hot cocoa. Cute little purses, and bags. There was such a variety available. Lots of woodworking, ornaments, pillows, jams, jellies, candies. What I noticed was the booths/tables with a mix of things, or things pre-bagged seemed to be more popular.

Onebyone

My sew group has a craft table several times a year. We make enough to pay for our retreat costs for the group. Presentation is the key. Nothing piled on top of each other on the table. Every item is showcased. We do not use dark fabrics like civil war. Bright happy fabrics sell. Different size snap bags sell a lot. They are priced to sell as our other items are more pricey. One thing, the thread has to match the fabric, no white thread. White top stitching looks cheap. Fabric rope bowls, hot pads and coasters sell fast and then again stitching thread to blend in. We sold all the very large hot pads we had at our last show. They were about 3ft round. I made a big 3ft round bowl and it sold as soon as we put it on the table to another vendor. You don't need dozens of different things. Choose a few, make them quality, and change up at every sale.

klswift

There are so very many factors that go into the why and why not things sell. If you know your type of items sell in your area and your pricing is correct, try changing how it is merchandised. Do you sit everything out on a table?flat? Try putting some small boxes under your cloth so you are changing the height of areas of the display. Gather like items in baskets or other containers. Have several gift bags open and stuffed with bright colored tissue paper. Very important is to have some box or basket with $1 items for them to dig through (buyers love to fiddle around in a bowl!). Have a couple wine bags stuffed with an empty bottles and have a cute gift tag. Put a card in front of it saying 'dress up that inexpensive gift bottle of wine with a handmade bag'. Make tags for your microwave bowls and add that they are great for holding cold ice cream bowls also. Have cards made (vistaprint for under $10) or make 1/4 sheet flyers for folks who want to contact you later to purchase. Use your email as contact, not you address or phone number. The idea is to #1 get them to your table, #2 inform them on how things can be used, and #3 let them realize that they can't live without your product! Good Luck.

willferg

Our local chapter of Project Linus holds a craft fair each year around the holidays, and I have found you just can never tell what will sell. One year something will sell like hotcakes, the next year or two the same item just sits. It's kind of frustrating, so we just tell our members, make things you enjoy making and we'll hope for the best.

cjr

Find something really unique. I have found shows before payday the 15 & 30 of the month have less sales then those right after pay day. Also accept credit cards. Point out what makes your things special - Pre washed fabrics important to some buyers, larger size pot holders rather then 6", imported from Africa or Australia fabrics. American made fabrics. All machine sewn or all sewn by hand. As someone else said Make what you enjoy doing. Color sells. Keep similiar things together. Good luck. Keep us posted.

bearisgray

About the only thing I will buy at a craft fair are the crocheted nylon scrubbers.

I like to look - and see how things are priced.

I am also getting to the stage of life where I'm not buying much "stuff" any more.

I have seen a few items where I would have been very willing to pay for the instructions on how to make them - a casserole carrier, for one thing.

I really don't know how people even break even on the cost of their supplies - much less make anything for their labor.