From William T Lasley,
Your Guide to Arts / Crafts Business.
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A question that is often asked by crafters who are just starting out on the craft show scene is "How much inventory should I bring to a show?". Since empty space in a booth will hinder your sales dramatically, the obvious answer is to bring more than you intend to sell. But how do you calculate how much you will sell? Of course, it is impossible to answer this question with 100% accuracy, but there are a few guidelines to follow to ensure you have enough inventory for an event.

First, if the event you will be attending is not brand new, talk to other craftspeople who have attended the show in previous years. Try to get an idea of how many customers normally attend the show. (The show promoters can also help you out with this question.) Were the customers a serious-buying crowd in the past? What types of products seem to sell the best at the show? If you expect a large number of buying customers at the show, then you should plan on creating more products for the event well in advance.

After taking into account the experiences of other craftspeople, assess the things you already know about your product line. What are your best sellers? (Or, if this will be your first time selling crafts, what are the items your family and friends like best?) Do you have any seasonal or holiday items that correspond to the season the show is held? You should always bring an excess of these items to a show.

While there are no easy answer to this question, a good rule-of-thumb is to bring as much as you can possibly carry to an event. However, if your crafts are small and lightweight, this is much easier to accomplish than if you carry large, harder to transport items. So if your products are very large, concentrate on bringing as many of your most popular products as you can. Twice the amount of inventory as you expect to sell is considered a safe number.

Remember, a booth which is scarce of products will also be scarce of customers! You can always bring home what you do not sell, but craft shows have a very impulse-buying atmosphere, so you should always be prepared to have enough inventory that you do not sell out of anything.