Craft Fair ROI Calculator
Calculate if a craft fair is worth your time and investment. Enter your costs and expected sales to see your potential profit.
Your Costs
$
Travel cost: $14 (round trip at $3.5/gal, 25 mpg)
$
$
$
Expected Revenue
$
Estimate based on past performance or similar events
%
How much of each sale goes to materials/product costs?
⏱️ Time Investment
Total time commitment: 13 hours
Maybe Worth It 🤔
Marginal profit - consider other benefits
📊 Results
Expected Profit$161
Total Costs$189
Net Revenue (after COGS)$350
Profit Margin+32.2%
ROI+85.2%
Break-Even Sales
$270
You need to sell this much to cover all costs
Your Hourly Wage
$12/hr
Based on 13 hours total time
💡 Pro Tips
- • Track your actual sales to improve future estimates
- • Consider intangible benefits: networking, brand exposure
- • Factor in product prep time if significant
- • Local fairs often have better ROI (less travel)
How to Calculate Craft Fair ROI
Return on Investment (ROI) helps you determine if a craft fair is worth your time and money. This calculator considers all your costs—booth fees, travel, lodging, supplies—against your expected sales to give you a clear picture of potential profit.
Understanding the Numbers
- Total Costs: Everything you spend to participate (booth fee, gas, food, supplies, etc.)
- Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): The percentage of each sale that goes to materials and production costs. Handmade items typically have 25-40% COGS.
- Break-Even Sales: The minimum you need to sell to cover all costs. Below this, you lose money.
- Hourly Wage: Your profit divided by total hours spent. If this is below minimum wage, reconsider.
Tips for Better ROI
- Choose local fairs: Less travel = lower costs = better margins
- Multi-day events: Higher booth fees but spread over more selling hours
- Track everything: Keep records to make better predictions next time
- Consider intangibles: New customers, email signups, and brand exposure have value too