Your first craft fair can be exhilarating, exhausting, and everything in between. After talking to hundreds of vendors, we've distilled the most important lessons into 15 actionable tips that will help you avoid rookie mistakes and make the most of your first shows.
Booth & Display
1. Practice Your Setup Before Show Day
Set up your entire booth in your garage, driveway, or living room. Time yourself. On show day, you'll likely have 1-2 hours to set up — sometimes less. You don't want your first time assembling everything to be at 6 AM with other vendors watching.
Pro tip: Take a photo of your completed setup and tape it inside your tent bag. Future-you will thank present-you.
2. Create Height in Your Display
A flat table covered in products is the #1 beginner mistake. Nobody can see what you're selling from the aisle. Use risers, crates, shelves, and vertical displays to create a "stadium seating" effect where everything is visible:
- Back of booth: tallest displays
- Middle: medium height
- Front edge: lowest items at customer hand-level
Height also makes your booth visible from a distance, drawing people in before they even know what you sell.
3. Don't Overcrowd Your Table
More products ≠ more sales. A cluttered booth overwhelms customers and makes everything look cheap. Leave breathing room between items. Group similar products together. Create clear "zones" that guide the eye.
A good rule: if you can't see the tablecloth between items, you have too much out. Store extra inventory under the table and restock as things sell.
Pricing & Money
4. Price Everything Clearly
If a customer has to ask "how much is this?", you've already lost some of them. People are shy — many will just walk away rather than ask.
- Individual price tags on every item
- Category price signs ("All soaps $8" or "Small candles $15 / Large $28")
- Use round numbers — $20 is easier than $18.50 at a craft fair
5. Don't Underprice Your Work
New vendors almost always price too low. You're not competing with Amazon — you're selling handmade, unique products with a story. Use the formula:
(Materials + Labor + Overhead) × 2 = Retail Price
Pay yourself at least $15-20/hour for your labor. If you can't make money at a fair, the fair isn't working — but usually, the issue is pricing, not the event. Read our full pricing guide for the complete breakdown.
6. Accept Cards — No Excuses
In 2026, "cash only" costs you 30-50% of potential sales. Get a Square reader (the basic magstripe one is free) and set it up before show day. Card customers spend more on average than cash customers.
Also bring a cash float: $50-100 in small bills ($1s, $5s, $10s) and some quarters. Someone will hand you a $50 bill for a $12 item. Be ready.
Preparation & Logistics
7. Overpack, Then Edit
For your first few fairs, bring more of everything than you think you need:
- More inventory than you expect to sell (running out early is a tragedy)
- Extra display fixtures and tablecloths
- Backup supplies: zip ties, tape, scissors, markers, bags
- Extra phone charger and power bank
After 2-3 shows, you'll learn exactly what you need. Until then, the car is your warehouse.
8. Prepare for Any Weather
Outdoor fairs happen rain or shine. Your checklist:
- Sun: Sunscreen, hat, water, portable fan, shade from tent walls
- Rain: Tarps, waterproof bins (not cardboard!), rain poncho, towels
- Wind: Tent weights (25+ lbs per leg — MANDATORY), secure everything with clips
- Cold: Layers, hand warmers, hot drinks, comfortable insulated shoes
Critical safety note: Unsecured tents become airborne projectiles in wind. Weight your tent even if it's calm in the morning — weather changes fast.
9. Arrive Early, Stay Late
Get there at the earliest allowed load-in time. Setup always takes longer than you think, and you want to be calm and ready when the first customers arrive — not frantically arranging products.
Stay until the official end time even if it slows down. Some of the best sales happen in the last 30 minutes when serious buyers come through.
Sales & Customer Interaction
10. Stand Up and Engage
The biggest sales killer: sitting behind your table scrolling your phone. Customers read body language. If you look disengaged, they'll walk past.
- Stand or use a tall stool so you're at eye level
- Step out from behind the table occasionally
- Make eye contact and smile at passersby
- Greet people warmly but don't pounce ("Hi! Feel free to look around")
The sweet spot: be approachable and available without being pushy. Let customers browse, then engage when they pick something up or linger.
11. Have Your 15-Second Story Ready
"So what do you make?" is the most common question you'll get. Have a short, natural answer:
"I hand-pour soy candles using fragrances I blend myself. Everything's made in small batches in my workshop here in [city]."(If you're a candle maker, check out WickSuite to manage your candle business — from costs to inventory to fair profits.)
Short, specific, and opens the door for follow-up questions. Practice it until it doesn't feel rehearsed.
12. Let Customers Touch Your Products
Handmade products sell through tactile experience. Don't hover or put up "don't touch" signs unless items are genuinely fragile. When someone picks up your product, they're 5x more likely to buy it.
Have testers or samples for products that benefit from it: candles to sniff, soaps to feel, fabrics to touch. Put a friendly sign that invites interaction.
Business Savvy
13. Track Everything
After each fair, record:
- Total sales (cash + card, broken down)
- Number of transactions
- Best-selling items
- Total expenses (booth fee, travel, food, supplies)
- Net profit/loss
- Weather and estimated attendance
- What worked and what didn't
This data is gold. After 5-10 fairs, you'll know exactly which shows are profitable, what inventory to bring, and where to invest your time. Use our ROI calculator to crunch the numbers.
14. Collect Email Addresses
A craft fair customer who buys once could buy from you for years — but only if you stay in touch. Set up an email list signup:
- A clipboard with a simple sign-up sheet
- A QR code linking to your email signup page
- Offer an incentive: "Sign up for 10% off your next online order"
Even 10-15 emails per fair adds up to hundreds of engaged contacts over a season.
15. Network With Other Vendors
Your booth neighbors aren't competition — they're your community. Other vendors can:
- Watch your booth during bathroom breaks
- Share intel on which fairs are worth doing
- Refer customers to you (and vice versa)
- Become friends who understand the hustle
Bring extra water or snacks to share. Introduce yourself first thing in the morning. The vendor community is one of the best parts of doing fairs.
Bonus: Your First Fair Survival Kit
Things you'll forget if we don't remind you:
- ☐ Water and snacks (you won't want to leave your booth)
- ☐ Comfortable shoes (you'll be on your feet 8+ hours)
- ☐ Phone charger / power bank
- ☐ Cash for food vendors (support your fellow vendors!)
- ☐ A friend or helper for the first one (setup and breaks)
- ☐ Business cards
- ☐ Bags for customer purchases
- ☐ A positive attitude — your first fair is a learning experience, not a final exam
Ready to Find Your First Fair?
You've got the tips. Now you need the fair. Search craft fairs on TheCraftMap, filter by your state and preferences, and check application deadlines so you don't miss the window.
Start with a smaller, community fair to get your feet wet. Then use what you learn to level up to bigger shows. Every successful vendor started exactly where you are now.
Good luck out there! 🎪