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Crafts and craft fairs etc.
Basically what I want to do is to start making different little things, and sell them at craft fairs.. A couple of things i was thinking to make were: painted rocks, clay objects (like buttons, beads, necklaces, frames, bowls, lightswitch covers, puzzles, little things like food, frogs etc.), friendship bracelets, the box bracelet thigns..
my question is are those good ideas, and will they sell? or should i just forget all about it? or are there any other things i could make that sell really well?
also, how do you sign up for a booth at local craft fairs? is there a website?
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I do a lot of craft fairs and can tell you how it works in the UK. There's a good chance it's not so different for wherever you are.
You need to be aware that although people like to buy handmade crafts, they're not so keen on the paying the prices for the effort it has taken to make them. If you are not sure what to make, go to a few fairs and look at the type of things that are selling well and see if they are the sort of things you have in mind. There's no point in paying money for the materials if they are not going to sell. If you're looking at selling food, there's always the chance that you would need a Food Hygiene Certificate, so you would need to check this out before starting anything. You need to know your market, all the ideas you have come up with may work better in some areas than others. Do some research and see what people are interested in buying where you live.
If you do find something, work out how much each item costs to make, double the price and then add another third. If this makes it too expensive for people to buy, again, it's not worth making it as you will not be generating enough of a profit to keep going. (If you had a shop and had to pay for premises, you would need to triple the cost.)
You need to factor in other expenses, like the table, energy (heat etc), travelling, and possibly instructions and advertising (like leaflets).
Most craft fairs either belong to a circuit or are staged by a local charity or fund raiser. Every time you see a fair, you will need to find the telephone number or email of the organiser and contact them yourself. Once you have done one fair with each organiser, they will probably keep you on their books and contact you the following year to see if you want to book another table.
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No one will buy that stuff.
It's a really, really, expensive hobby, and I don't suggest it.
And just go to a craft fair and take a brochure. Generally there is not a single website.
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