When it comes to selling items, are craft shows/bazaars worth the time and effort? I'm looking for something that would allow me to continue to stay at home with my kids while generating a little income. I don't know anything about selling at craft shows or bazaars (are they the same thing?) and would love some advice.

my daughter and i tried that for awhile didnt really pay only helps support your habit LOL more people shop for ideas than to buy stuff. Just my experience

Yep, I sell and re invest in more fabric, but I love to sew, and I enjoy others liking what I make! Craft show and bazzars are pretty much the same thing.

I think it would be much easier to sell online through Etsy or eBay.

Have you tried selling your stuff on etsy? Then you don't have to make a bunch of stuff to have on hand like at a craft show. And if they don't sell you aren't out a ton. Never have done a craft show though so what do I know :)

I agree - we use to do craft shows for years, but in the last 2 years, our sales were small - most people were looking around at our crafts and taking notes!

But, I have to admit, I take mental notes and then go back to my craft booth and try to sketch out all the great ideas I saw...lol.

I have been doing them for ...a long time. Biggest tip ... pick your show carefully. Small shows = small sales. Look for well established shows( means people go to buy, or they would not still be around). I wasted too much time doing small shows , remember its the same amount of time sitting at a small show as a larger one. Do not be afraid to enter juried shows, this means that amougst the sellers there is competition to get in , thats a good thing, means people are selling. It also keeps the quality higher than non-juried shows.
People buy more items priced from $5- $50 than higher priced goods. Remember when the customer went to the show they had no idea of what they would see/buy. So most items are impluse purchases.
Fall shows are typically higher for sales ...people looking for gifts.
Research a show buy attending , what is selling what is being packed up at the end of the day.
Most of the better shows require photos of your work , make them high quality photos that really show your best work . They will be making a decision based on what is in those few photos. It is not unusual to have to apply many months prior to a show . Most of the fall shows are putting out the applications now. Go on line for the shows in your area and see when applications are due. Read ALL of the applications requirements. It would be a shame to be turned down because you missed something in the application. Oh most of the bigger shows do have an application fee.
It takes a while to find your niche... but it can be done!
Just one word of caution ... taking a much loved hobby and turning it into a business , can result in the hobby not being loved/fun quite so much.

I think a lot depends on your area, the season, and of course--the prices. I have an older friend that is originally from the San Francisco Bay area and her crocheted baby blankets, washcloths & scarves, quilted table toppers, embroidered dishtowels sell very well for a decent price but when I helped her setup for a St. Louis area fall craft show--my quilted potholders, trivets and fleece fringed scarves flew off the table but I only made about $40 more than my half of the $90 entry fee for a very long days work. I had very little invested in materials because I had used scraps from quilting and all the fleece was from a Hancock Fabrics (the only one in Missouri I really liked) that closed. I went to help my friend and I did have fun but she was very disappointed. The people next to us made & sold costume/fashion jewelry & they seemed to do pretty good.

It really all depends on the area you are in. My mom quit her great paying job to do crafts and she did well. She was always getting orders for more stuff. We moved to a smaller town and there is nothing around us. The craft shows we have gone to here are pretty much a fun day out. We usually make our money back and take the extra and buy other sellers stuff that we can't make ourselves.
You'll never know until you go to a couple. It's worth the try. It's always lots of fun meeting the other crafters...they are always friendly. You could always try selling online on too.

Lori has told you just about everything...Some shows one thing is going to be the big seller another week, something else. There is no rhyme or reason to what will sell. Also, please use a solid table cover that goes down to the floor...it shows off your merchandise much better, and will cover any overstock or empty boxes under your table. Black is required with some promoters. Good luck

NO....it is not..different venues for one and way too much competition and hassle!

I have done this ALL of my life,,, being military it allowed me to stay home with kids and SEE things too....I come from a family of artist/crafters, so I come by it honestly....the addiction to selling your wares that is...

anyway... you have to do your homework...really know your area, your markets, your show promoters...etc...
it takes so much time to do shows...IF you are doing large shows..

I make just as much money at small shows...rural OK has more small shows anyway! AND being the HOME of Hobby lobby, everyone here thinks they are the Martha of homemade stuff!
This fall the most booths were filled with crappy gaudy costume jewelry and rhinestone everything....oh, and crocheted baby headbands with giant flowers on them...eeewww...

you see little to NO sewn stuff and NO quilted stuff..reason...this is OK..they think they invented quilting and everyone sews and or quilts!

what few you will see are the stuff made from Hobby Lobby fabrics, usually backed with fleece and tied..and they do sell...for about $35....yeah, you can not make money on that!

I learned my first year here that sewn stuff was out of the game....I do hand made goat milk soap, and all natural organic herbal bath products! Not my first love, but it sells better than sewn stuff!

IN Alaska, it is was sewn stuff....everyone loved a good wall hanging, sewing cases, you name it....if you sewed it, it would sell! Same with anything knitted or crocheted!

In MI, I sold to 3 markets, up in the thumb was rural farmers, if it was not useful, they did not buy it! period...
over in Saginaw, it was yuppie time, anything trendy sold..at the time it was all things wooden and painted!
down around Detroit (Utica) it was ALL things...
the funny part of MI was if I sold an item in the thumb area it had to be priced so that I made NO money on it...in Saginaw I could make about 50% return..but in Utica/Selfridge, I could make 300%! All on the very same item!

In Italy, I had a great market...anything hand made by an American sold like crazy! I specialized in doll clothes & Christmas stuff there....what a market I had....

So, there you have a wealth of useless information..hehehe
the bottom line, do what you love, never follow a trend, do your homework, and remember, if you make more than $600 a year, you have to pay taxes on that!....

I did craft shows when my kids were little and would average about $3000.00 a show but the economy was stronger and people were really into hand crafted items now people are not so much into it and I know I got out before I started loosing money. You have to have a strong product and most stuff that sells is under $5.00 so it takes quite a few sales to make a good amount of money.

I do it all. I do craft shows from the Spring up until Christmas but I don't do any shows that require you send photos of the items you want to sell to be approved. Those are way to expensive. The most expensive show I do is $50 a booth. I have 3 websites - 2 with Artfire and 1 with Etsy. Then I have repeat customers that I make things for (which I have gotten originally from the craft shows). I do pretty good with all of them. I have one repeat customer that found me a craft show last year that I am still making quilts for. I have made 5 quilts so far, working on another, and have at least one more for this man. I even got two custom quilt orders from someone on the QB.

one other you have to be very careful of now that was not a big issue back in the 80-90's when crafting was huge is "copyright infringement"....

you can not take a Lazy Girl wonder wallet pattern and mass produce them for sale at shows or on websites....that is a HUGE no-no...

you also can not use "licensed" fabrics LIke disney, cartoons, colleges, etc to make mass produced items ...and not just the fabric but anything...like a machine embroidered bib with mickey is out, or wooden wagon with OSU on the side....all of those things, characters, schools etc, are licensed and you have to have a lot of money to buy into their programs that allow to sell items using their colors/names/characters....

Etsy, Artfire and Ebay are hot beds for copyright infringements and schools and designers are always on the lookout for violations!

Having said, there are some designers in the modern world that recognize the fact that if you sell something made from their pattern, then others might want that pattern as well! Kaye Wood is one and Nancy Halvorsen is my favorite! Nancy is from Art to heart fame and she gives you permission to make 12 of each item in her books to sell. Kaye will grant you permission in writing to produce "X" number of the item. IF you find something you like and you think it will sell, take a moment to ask the designer if it is ok! If they say NO, then you really need to find something else to make! But many are really good about it.

I agree with you IF you can afford to do the "juried" shows. You're looking at no less than $300. for one booth per day. Most crafters don't have that kind of money, I don't. I have done very well at the "small shows" and I have people coming back every year because they want to see what I make next. I take more than one medium though. I not only sew, I make jewelry and stained glass (painted of course) also. If one doesn't sell this show it just might the next show. I like doing many different shows each year and with the "juried", I would only be able to do maybe 1 every other year if I saved up for it. I guess what I am trying to say without stepping on toes is that do what you can afford and not take away from what you need to survive on (bills, food, mortgage, etc). Don't go into them thinking you're going to make a million dollars. It's just not going to happen. Do it because you enjoy making things and meeting wonderful people. I can't tell you how many really good friends I have made over the years at the "little craft shows".

If you are just starting out, it helps to have a good variety of different types of items. Once you are established at a show, people will come back every year looking for you and what you have new to offer. So you usually can't just do one thing and keep doing it over and over, unless it is something that is used up like candles or soaps or lotions and potions that people find they really like and keep coming back for more. But you still have to have something new and different every so often even in those.

I am doing a show here in NJ on Jan. 29th. Its at a church. No table fee, just donate 20% of your sales to missions. So if you don't do well, less to pay. This is their 7th year, I was a customer last year before i started quilting and crafting. I did a juried show here in NJ only $30, mostly sold items under $10 and this was in Nov. I did pretty well, nice day, met nice people.

I used to do craft shows, the small ones are mostly people killing time and looking for ideas. If you have something small and low priced that catches people's eye, you may do well. Jewelry seems to do well, I can see where soaps and lotions would too.
Beware the people coming around at show A passing out flyers for show B. They are looking for new vendors - reason, the old vendors are not coming back, reason, not a good show.
The really good shows are juried and some have a waiting list for vendors.

I gave it up, couldn't stand all the oohing and aahing, and Oh my you have been busy, over and over. Guess I am an old grump.

Unfortunately quilting is so popular that it is getting like afghans. Almost everyone knows someone who makes them, so the market to buy one is not as great as it would be with something rarer like stained glass or metal work. I think I read there are some 20 million quilters in the US.

Lots of good advice has been posted here.

Having spent 25 years on the (very local) craft show circuit I would add a few points:

Do your homework. Go to a few shows as a shopper. Look to see if anybody else is selling items similar to what you would like to do, and if so, note their prices. If their items are VERY competitive, then ask them what other shows they will be at. You probably won't want to do those particular shows.

Actually, you will want to ask a bunch of crafters what shows they do and which ones they think are best. If possible, ask fabric crafters if you're going to be doing fabric crafts. Ask them why they like those particular shows. If they are outdoor shows, ask them if shoppers still turn out in case of rain. Some shows have a very dedicated customer base, others do not.

Never - did I say NEVER? - do a show that's a "first annual" show. No track record, no customer base, and who knows if the organizers know anything at all about getting the word out?
Also never, EVER do a show that is combined with a flea market. Shoppers will be cheap and will want to haggle.

Also find out if you will need a tax id. I've seen tax inspectors come around to the larger shows here, and you can get fined if you do not have your tax number on display.

That said... once you go the tax number route, all your sales will be "on the books" and you cannot remain "invisible".

Personally I'm not a huge fan of the idea of selling on eBay / etsy. If I were starting out, small-time, I would rather just do a few shows. It would be easy for you to spend just as much time doing photos and descriptions for etsy/eBay as you would sitting at the show. You can choose to only accept cash, if you prefer, and you don't have to worry about shipping, or major record-keeping in case of a tax audit. If you sell interstate, you will have to keep records proving where you shipped your product, so that you won't be liable for sales tax on all those sales. At least, that is the way it works in NYS.

Oh - and if you decide to do shows and accept checks - always get a phone number, and wait 2-3 days before cashing it. People tend to overspend at craft shows and they can overdraw their account without even noticing. That gives them a couple of business days to put more money into their account and you won't get hit with a fee for a returned check. (Yes, the banks charge both the issuer of a check and the party receiving it.)

Jacquie and Lori...you really have a lot of right-on ideas! I've also been doing craft fairs for about 18 years. It can be the most frustrating, waste-of-time days, not making your table money and schlepping all the stuff to your booth (doing it alone.) It takes weeks/months to sew all the items necessary to fill the space and represent yourself fully. The next day you wonder why your back and shoulders hurt. ANYWAY, I absolutely love it! I love meeting people, both buyers and fellow crafters. I agree that picking the right fairs is important, but the funny thing is that NO ONE can predict what will sell in a given show or given year. I schlep around things for a couple of years and get so fed up at looking at them and ready to give them away, when someone just loves the item! It's too funny.
After all my banter here, and to get to the point, is that I do hospital craft fairs and find them the most successful. It's a win-win situation; there are no fees to go, you simply donate 20 percent back of your sales. I'm the only one in the lobby with no competition, and the volunteer office sends out emails notifying all employees of when I'm coming. They meet me before I can get the goods set up and many come in even when it's their day off! The reputation I'm building is really rewarding. Aprons are my biggest seller (thus my name here,) but my perfectionist thought process always leads me to what else I should make because how many aprons can a person buy? Potato bags are another latest and greatest product.

I think that the crafting market has been oversaturated and with tougher economic times, people are just not willing to spend a lot even on wonderful crafted items. They are browsing and commenting but are just not buying. The time and money you would spend to produce quality items would not be returned with $ you need for a home income. I also think that having to sew a certain item and make it over and over would definately take the thrill out of any stitching hobby. You'd make more money running an in home day care or doggy pet sitting than you would sewing craft items.

Apronlady, I have been wanting to try doing a show at one of our local hospitals but I haven't. I don't make the potato bags but I do make tortilla warmers (my own pattern) and I sell out every year (I do maybe 5 shows total). People are always looking for me at my usual shows and they buy more. Another thing that I have come up with a pattern to is a walker caddie. They have the pattern for the large one that I make but I also make a smaller one that I just scaled down the larger one. You can use these on either type of walkers. Here is a few pictures of both sizes.

apronlady, you are so right...like I said, I have done this ALL of my life...I can not imagine life without crafting for shows/bazaars!

as for NEVER doing a NEW show..that is bunk...find out who is hosting it...I picked up 2 new shows this year...both did very well....if the host knows the biz and picks the right date and location even a NEW show can do well! Mostly because it is NEW!

This holiday season was hard...mostly older people out for a day of browsing! None spent any money!
and it was not just ME that noticed, my largest show has 150 vendors not all hand crafted, and most the regulars I spoke with during the day said the same thing..when you can look down the aisles you know things are light!

but the following week I did another regular show with about 80 vendors, ALL hand crafted items only, and at closing time, we were still selling!

both of these shows have been going on for over 25 years, same weekend, same places, so you just never know....

BUT I will NEVER stop doing it....
I just got a vendor contract to do a small quilt show in Anthony, KS....of course for that I will be bringing my OTHER biz....quilting/sewing/fiber art supplies!

OH MY...those are GREAT! The hospital's contact person uses a walker and I'd love to give her one of those bags. She's a sassy 85-year old and loves the NY Yankees...not that I can get any of that fabric...but I have a storeroom full! Is the pattern available in stores (Simplicity or whatever) or did you download it somewhere?

Wow, what a wealth of information I'm getting here. THANK YOU for all of your responses! At this time, I'm in the brainstorming phase. We'd always planned that I would go back to work when our youngest was in 1st grade. That's 1 1/2 years from now so I'm beginning to think about what I might do. We don't have school bus service so I need to be available for transportation to and from school each day. I also want to be able to continue volunteering in the classrooms and leading Cub Scouts. I'm looking to generate supplemental income that will allow me the flexibility I need.

Etsy and ebay have been suggested by friends, but I'd rather not increase my computer time. I may keep that in mind for the future, but for now I'd like to enjoy the personal interaction that shows would provide.

If I do this, I'm thinking about focusing on baby things: quilts, bibs, burp cloths, etc. I could also do diaper bags, travel kits, onesies, and maybe venture into mother/daughter aprons and a few things for the toddler age like cloth books, dolls, etc. I think with baby quilts I could prepare more in less time. I could offer a wide variety of colors/styles. I could appeal to a wide price range by doing some that are tied, some machine quilted, and some handquilted.

I will begin researching shows locally and find out what I can about the market. I appreciate all of the tips on this.

A couple of questions:
Is a business license typically required?
Do you insure your inventory? Details on how to do that?
If my designs are originals, do I need to protect my ideas? How do I do that without copyrighting, or is copyrighting a necessary step?

Again, thank you all for your input. This is very helpful.

I AM GOING TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IN ALL CAPS, I AM NOT "YELLING" JUST MAKING IT SO YOU CAN SEE THE ANSWERS BETTER!

Is a business license typically required? THIS WOULD DEPEND ON YOUR STATE LAWS. SOME SHOWS WILL REQUIRE YOU TO FILL OUT A TAX SHEET AT THE SHOW AND PAY TAXES TO THEM. THIS IS FOR SMALL TIME SELLERS WHO ONLY DO LIKE 3 SHOWS A YEAR!

Do you insure your inventory? MOST INSURANCE COMPANIES WILL "NOT" INSURE YOUR ITEMS UNLESS YOU BUY A RIDER! EVEN AS A COMPANY WITH A $100k INVENTORY IN MY HOUSE MY INSURANCE WILL NOT INSURE IT!

Details on how to do that? ASK YOUR INSURANCE PERSON!

If my designs are originals, do I need to protect my ideas? How do I do that without copyrighting, or is copyrighting a necessary step? IF THEY ARE TRULY ORIGINAL AND NOT MODIFIED FROM A PATTERN YOU BOUGHT YOU SHOULD COPYRIGHT THEM. BUT THAT IS REALLY ONLY GOOD IF YOU ARE GOING TO PRINT AND SELL THE PATTERNS TO MAKE THEM! IF NOT, THEN DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE COPYRIGHT, IF SOMEONE BUYS YOUR TOTE BAG AND USES IT AS A PATTERN TO MAKE THEIR OWN, THERE IS NOT MUCH YOU CAN DO ABOUT THAT!
IF IT IS A GADGET THAT IN UNIQUE AND TRULY YOUR OWN DESIGN/INVENTION THEN YOU SHOULD SEEK A PATENT FOR IT!

Just my 2 cents, but it's more likely that someone will copy, having seen your item online, than at a local show. Though the copying did happen to me, locally. (It was a stuffed cat.)

And... unless you have a lawyer in the family that will work for free, Jacquie is right... there is not much you can practically do about copying.

It has happened to me, too...at a local show. I have one person that is always checking out my booth...then I see her version on my original idea in her booth a week or so later.
I have even had people stand looking into my booth and sketching. I usually walk up to them and tell them to at least have the courtesy to purchase one before they duplicate my item...a couple have stomped away...rather redfaced...

It is happening more with the use of cell phone camera's. I found one person taking many photo's , they stopped when I told them the designs they were photographing were copyrighted, and my brother is a Lawyer. ( I don't even have a brother), but they were/are indeed copyrighted.
I wouldn't mind if someone is going the duplicate for a one time or personal use ... but if they intend to sell my design, now that is another issue. Many times I can tell a quilter or sewer looking really closely , and I ask if they sew , if they say yes , I will gladly tell them how I did it . Many times they end up buying because they say ... "you know I will get home and figure out I would never really get it done... too many other things".

Sketching in the booth? Yeah, that's rather bold. We had that happen too.

My craft-show-partner used to use her best "mother" voice, and walk up to the person and say, "WE don't DO that here!!"

I guess the potential harm is that someone else could copy and then copyright your idea. As you continue selling your original idea, you could be accused of copyright infringement. Seems like a lot of work for someone to go through to put that on you, but I suppose it could happen.

I certainly wouldn't want anyone sketching the pattern at my booth, but like it's been said, with cellphone cameras, they can simply take a snapshot, download it, then copy it at home.

I won't plan to copyright unless I'm going to publish and sell my own patterns, which I would like to do someday. Selling patterns at my booth for quilts on display could be a good idea too perhaps?

This is what I did this morning for the craft fair I am doing on Jan. 29th. Flannel pillow cases for kids.

Very nice. Pillowcases have become quite popular lately. I hope they sell well for you.

Cute cute cute...pillow cases were always big sellers for me...everybody needs them...and your colors are just so enticing.

I did three bazaars and had the same experience.

We NEVER had great experiences with ETSY or EBAY...BUT we make Kitchen Witches for wholesale distributers for Renaissance Fairs....so we don't have to be involved with the fairs...just producing

I have been selling on Ebay for 9 years and Etsy for 3! I can not wait to be done with Ebay this year....come March probably, and I will be putting 90% of my merchandise on ETsy!

I am tired of paying ebay $500 a month so people can steal from me, call me a liar, cheat me, etc, etc.....I can go to a flea market and have that for FREE!

Jacquie,

How would you rate selling on Etsy instead or in addition to the craft fairs? My experience with craft fairs is to do them only from the months of September to December. My items are table runners, placemats, and mostly aprons, so I find people not really doing any home decorating except for autumn and Christmas. I'd love to be able to bring in some cash for the other 9 months of the year and be able to move merchandise. Would you recommend Etsy or do you think there's too many people on it already? Does it take a lot of your time to do it?

Etsy if FULL of hand crafted items..that is what the site is for!
search out the items you make and see if they are selling, or not!

I sell supplies, so my customers are limited to the artists! Mainly I have beaders and doll makers as I really just have ultrasuede listed there right now!
SOON, I will be moving over charms, patterns, books and some more notions!

Hopefully once I can get rid of the store inventory I can back to working/selling handcrafted items instead!