Selling at a Market
Hello! In this month's vlog, I shared my experience selling at the Beautiful Land Market, which holds a collection of makers, crafters, and vintage shops here in Ames, Iowa. I've sold there quite a few times, and I always enjoy it! I don't sell at markets often. It takes a lot of work to do it, and you aren't necessarily guaranteed a profit. Since my career isn't purely based on selling products, I'm not going to do a lot of markets. Props to those whose careers center around them, because man! That's hard! My main focus when I sell at markets is to be out in the community; bonus points if I make a profit.
Anyway, here's some tips I've learned throughout the handful of markets I've sold at!
Have your booth tell a story.
This was advice I got from a guest presenter at art school who sold at markets. At minimum, you're selling a story to buyers. They may not buy a product now, but if you give them a story, they're more likely to remember you and buy from you in the future. You can have posters talking about how you started your business, your ethos, and in process pictures of making your pieces. Bonus points on if you do demonstrations at your booth!
You can totally do a market all by yourself!
I was so nervous to sell at a market by myself. I usually have my parents with me when I sell. When my mom had to change plans last minute last year, I was scrambling. If you're by yourself, consider limiting your stock and displays. You can only bring what you can carry and put up solo style. The tricky part can be setting up your tent. You can buy tents that only require a single person, but those are darn expensive! Good markets will have helpers or volunteers to help you set up your tent, but often enough I've had awesome booth neighbors to help me. Just remember to reciprocate by helping them or buying something from their booth :) If you can have a buddy with you while you're selling, it can definitely be a smoother and more fun time! Just have each of you take a few breaths before setting up your complicated tent.
What to bring:
Sandbags are absolutely necessary for outdoor markets, and many festivals require them. Iowa gets really, really windy! For my first Iowan market, I had 20+ mph winds, and everyone was having a hard time that day.
Bring plenty of water! A good market will hand some out, but bring extras. I like to pack two: one ready to go, and one that's completely frozen so I can enjoy it later. You can also pack a lunch with you if you want. Sometimes I like to buy food at the market, but in my head I'm like, "I'm trying to make a profit, right? So this is dipping into that." But if you want a fun snack, definitely get it from the market.
Sunscreen and a handheld fan are your friends. I got so badly burned after my first market, so I never leave home without it.
Bring a charging bank and cord for your phone. I sell through Square which runs on my phone, so if I'm out of battery, I'm totally screwed! Speaking of Square, I really like Square to take my credit card payments. You can get a free reader from them that attaches to your phone. I definitely recommend taking both credit and cash. Since my products are cheap, a lot of my sales comes through cash. People still pay with cash! I recommend getting change and keeping it in a fanny pack or cash box. Square takes a bit out of each transaction, so cash payments are super great. A nice way to entice people to pay cash is to calculate sales tax at the end of the festival versus every transaction. People are more likely to have straight $15 than $15.07. If you want to use Venmo and other apps like that, just be cautious and read their rules. They'll have different requirements if your selling as a business rather than through friends. I don't recommend only selling through an app. You're really limiting your customers; not everyone has a smart phone!
Business cards. People might not buy from you now, but they want to check out your socials. This is often the thing I give out the most at festivals.
Be present at your booth.
I've worked (and still currently working) in customer service since I was 17. My mother was a manager, so I've gotten a lot of good tips with her when engaging with customers. What drives me crazy when I'm a customer at a market is when the seller is on their phone texting away when I'm at their booth. To me, it seems like the seller doesn't want to be there! You can always tidy and restock your booth, talk to customers and explain your process to them, and even just say hi to folks who walk by your booth. If it looks like you don't care to be there, then it could look like you don't care about your product and that you don't care about selling anything. I think we've all encountered the poor worker at a department store that hates their job - you can understand why they feel that way but it'll still influence your thoughts about the experience, and thus your thoughts about the business. The same exact thing happens at a market!
Those are my current tips for selling at a market! I'm still learning and growing my market business, so these tips aren't a be all end all. I hope they were helpful for you all! What tips do you have on selling at markets?
