Choosing your Craft Fair
A craft fair can be a good place to sell your hand made jewellery. It can also give you the opportunity to network with other jewellery makers and to make new friends and contacts.
However, it is important that you choose the right one. We know of a few people who have attempted to sell their beautiful hand-crafted jewellery at a craft fair only to be out-priced by another stall selling cheap imported jewellery. Always try to find out in advance if the craft fair is restricted to craft makers or if stalls selling bought-in goods are also allowed.
It is a good idea to try and visit the craft fair before taking a stall. This will enable you to find out what other people are selling and to observe how many customers are present. Spend some time talking to the stallholders and ask them how long they have been selling there. If they have been taking a stall for a number of years then they must find it is a good place to sell their jewellery and it should work for you too
At the Craft Fair
Jewellery looks better on than off so always wear a piece of your jewellery when you are at the fair. Keep the price on it to allow customers to see that it is for sale. If you sell it put on a different piece. Wear a plain outfit that will go with as many of your jewellery pieces as possible.
Try and display your jewellery in an interesting and professional way. For ideas about this see our Displaying your Jewellery page.
If you produce a newsletter leave out a list that people can add their names to. This will help you to build up a customer base who you can then email with details of new jewellery ranges or upcoming shows and special offers.
You may find that you are sitting for long intervals at a craft fair without many people stopping at your stall. A way to help pass the time, and to draw in the customers, is to demonstrate some jewellery making. People love to see how jewellery is made and they will stop and watch. You can then engage them with a smile and a little conversation, which will make them more likely to want to buy something.
Packaging
Always try to package the jewellery you sell as attractively as possible. Put them in boxes or in organza bags or pouches or wrap them in tissue and put them in a small bag with your business card.
This will help to reinforce the image of high quality jewellery.
Keeping a Record of Sales
To help you to work out what has sold well it is a good idea to keep a record of what you have sold at a show.
An easy way to do this is to add an item code to the price label and to keep this label when you sell the jewellery.
You can also use a receipt book with 2 copies separated by carbon. Give one copy to the customer and keep the other one for your information. Before you go to the show staple your business cards to the receipt, or use address labels, so that people can easily contact you if they want to buy again.
Shop Lifting
Shoplifting is sadly a hazard of having a shop or a stall. It is impossible to watch everybody all of the time. For this reason it is a good idea to put your most expensive items out of reach at the back of your table.
The best preventative is to make eye contact with everyone that approaches your display, smile and say a quick hello, then they know that you have seen them and are aware of them.
Remember to Take
Make a list of things to take with you to the Craft Fair. When you are busy getting ready it is easy to forget something essential. Below are a few suggestions.
- A mirror, so that people can see how they look in the jewellery. However, don’t let people try on earrings, because then you cannot sell them to someone else.
- Extension cable and lights.
- Information cards for your jewellery, describing the inspiration behind the piece and any special components you have used, such as Swarovski crystals, Semi-precious stones, Sterling Silver findings etc.
- Your business cards and promotional material
- Clip on earring findings to allow you to change ear wires to clip ons for customers without pierced ears.
- Jewellery tools in case you need to make some last minute adjustments or to change earrings findings to clip ons.
- Your newsletter list for customers to add their names to. Don't forget the pens.
- Extra labels or price tickets in case a price gets lost and you need to make a new one.
- Your receipt book.
- Boxes, tissue paper and pouches for packaging your sold jewellery.
- Credit card machine (if you are using one)
- High energy snacks and drinks to keep you going.
Good Luck!
