Craft Fair Vendor Checklist

25 items · Lifestyle · Medium difficulty · 3 hours

Get ready to sell at a holiday craft fair: read the vendor agreement, sort out permits, price your stock, test your card reader and pack a supply kit.

• Read the vendor agreement and note the setup time, space size and what is provided
• Find out whether you need a seller's permit or have to collect sales tax

  Rules differ by state. Ask the organizer, or check with your state's tax department.

• Get liability insurance if the show asks for proof of it

  Some shows want a certificate before you can set up.

• Count your stock and decide how many of each item to bring
• Price every item with a tag or a clear sign

  A shopper who has to ask the price often walks on instead.

• Set up a card reader and run a test sale at home

  Turn on its offline mode if it has one. Phone signal inside school gyms and church halls can be weak.

• Get a cash float in small bills and coins
• Make a sign with your shop name that reads from across the aisle
• Do a full practice setup at home and photograph it
• Use risers or small shelves to lift items toward eye level
• Cover the table with a cloth that reaches the floor

  Spare stock and your bag go underneath, out of sight.

• Pack a supply kit
• Tape, scissors, zip ties, clips and safety pins
• Pens, a notebook for recording sales and a calculator
• An extension cord and a clip-on light, if your space has power
• Bags, tissue or boxes for wrapping purchases
• Put a business card or a card with your shop link in every bag
• Pack the canopy, weights and side walls for an outdoor show

  A gust can lift an unweighted canopy and carry it into the next booth.

• Pack food, water and a warm layer

  Tables near the doors of a hall get a cold draft every time the doors open.

• Line up a friend to watch your table during breaks
• Load the car the night before
• Arrive at the start of your setup window
• Keep your cash and your phone on you, not on the table

  Things go missing in the busiest moments, when your eyes are on a customer.

• Note each sale as it happens

  The tally tells you what to make more of before the next show.

• Count leftover stock and total the day's sales before you unpack at home

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