craft shows in pittsburgh | craft shows | fairs
Channel: CraftShowBook
Date: 05/05/2013

http://CraftShowSuccess.Com/

7 Hot Craft Show Success Tips

Copyrights, Trademarks, And Patents Can Protect Your Creations

Considering the time, effort and cost to secure a patent, in most cases for most craft show items, a copyright will suffice. Patent fees run several hundred to several thousand dollars and you will most likely need an attorney, so this is a costly process. Again, check with other crafters, organizations, attorneys and Web sites to find out what is best in your case.

3 Profit Drainers: High Expenses, Bad Pricing, Low Booth Traffic

Craft expense - When you are putting together your crafts for profit, you need to keep a close eye on money that you are spending to build them. Overspending on supplies is probably the biggest mistake made by crafters wishing to make a little extra cash on their goods. Buy in bulk, make deals at the craft store, price check - do whatever you can to lower the cost of making your crafts. That is the first step.

Take Credit Cards And Paypal From Your Smartphone

Taking credit cards is essential for increasing sales - in my humble opinion. Merchant account providers are your key to getting into accepting credit cards easily and effectively. Do your homework and find the best merchant account provider for your craft show business and it will certainly help you boost the bottom line. Note that recently some smartphones are able to process credit card transactions. Companies like Square and Paypal offer devices to swipe cards.

Appeal To All 5 Senses In Your Booth

The more you can appeal to all of the senses (touch, smell, see, hear), the more you are going to sell. If you have knitted sweaters, let them hold, smell, and see the goods. Let them try it on; give the customer a sensory experience, and they will be more inclined to make a purchase. You can do this with a variety of crafts that appeal to all of the senses.

Use Email And Web To Make Sales After The Show

Set up a website - Studies have shown that more people are becoming comfortable and actually prefer to do their business online. Essentially you could have a craft show that goes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Taking the time to set up a website that showcases your crafts and also provides people an avenue to purchase the crafts can be a huge seller for you in the long run.

Keep Your Best Crafts At Eye Level

Eye level sells more crafts - If you have a variety of crafts in your craft show booth, you want to keep the ones that are going to make you more profit at eye level. Studies show that people tend to buy more products that are at eye level than if the (crafts) were near the floor, or up above the head. People like to see what they are buying, and they like to have it convenient - so eye level is always best to sell the crafts in your booth.

Get 30-Day Terms On Supplies If You Can

Keep track of your supply inventory so you can order in advance at better prices for busier seasons rather than waiting until the last minute. If you wait until the last minute you usually don't have time to find a deal - you just need the supplies fast! This could end up costing you a lot of money. Do your best to get 30-day terms, so you can pay suppliers after you've sold some product. You will probably have to pay with cash or credit the first few times that you go into a store, but after they recognize your patronage and you qualify with their accounting department, you can get terms that allow you to pay 30 days after you purchase the supplies.

Supply costs are one of the biggest costs when you are setting up your craft show business. As mentioned earlier, most crafts rely on materials of some sort or another. In order to ensure a tidy profit at the end of the day, you need to control the material expense so your prices stay competitive and you sell more product! 

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Link to Craft Shows Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CKZFVYS