How much are you willing to pay for a booth?

[MoorieCaavieKnits]

There are some craft fairs that I would love to do, but a booth seems to be overly expensive at them.
My price range is normally $50-$75 for a 8 X 10 booth for a day. Some shows you can have a booth for $300 for 3 days and I even saw a booth a a show at Lamb's Farm for $750!!
Even if I sold everything I own, a $750 booth fee would not get me significant profit.
What is the max you are willing to pay? Do you choose a fair based on merchandise, how many people will travel through and what you can sell??

[WillowSwitchDesigns]

The very first show I did, I paid $725 for 3 days, and based on that show I am actually going to do it again, as well as another large show this year for $825 for 3 days. I enjoyed doing the larger shows, and learned alot, and sold alot. What I did was take my show fee for the next big show first out of what was sold, and put it into savings so I could be sure to afford it again when the time came. It was definitely worth it for me. I think I am doing pretty well basing my decision on whether to do a show or not on the attendance as well as whether or not it's a large percent of handcrafted or not.

[Former_Member]

I know for me, because my items are lower priced, I have to sell way more than someone who has higher priced items. I have to choose my craft shows wisely. If I go with a show that is $400 for two days, I know it must be a popular show with lots of traffic and I got to sell a whole lot of body butters and soaps. I also remember it is about making future sales, getting wholesale accounts, and getting my company brand out there. So just take everything into account when you think of doing a show.

[ArteOfTheBooke]

The most I have ever paid for a weekend show is $550. That's one is this fall, so I don't know yet how I will do!

[Former_Member]

I know the shows in my area are more profitable for food vendors than anyone else. The awesome macaroon maker at the next booth over always makes double or triple what I do. I don't know what her profit margin is like, but she's the only one at the Art Walk that always gets close to selling out.

Jennifer makes a really good point about attendance. I made way more at a $70 show that was 5000 people than at the $50 show that was 1000 people. That said the most expensive one is the show I'm prepping for right now. $250 for Friday through Monday gaming convention. I usually won't pay more than $50 to $75 so I'm kind of freaking out. My friend / table partner went out and payed all the fees and hotel and everything. She said "you're definitely doing it, don't argue!" so I guess I'm doing it, haha.

Lars makes a good point too. I keep my prices low and make more money at a smaller profit margin not just because I have a lot of "impulse buy" items but also because so many people take a card and buy from me here later. That's where the traffic volume is more important than the kind of show I'm in.

I sell a lot at shows with a high female attendance because both the gamer/anime/science fiction fan-girls and the non-fan-girls attending will buy from me. At this point I'm changing over more and more of my inventory to my newer lines (seriously in need of an Etsy Minion to post it for me) that fit a fandom crowd rather than the higher end gemstone work I put in stores. My Kazuri and Vintage Glass lines sell better here on Etsy than in person so I'm moving away from making them at all for the moment. I think when I'm at a craft or art show I get lost in the crowd more so I'm really looking forward to buying my 3-d printer and making things that are even more unique.

Good luck and big sales!

[PlaynwithScraps]

This is my 3rd year doing shows. I started out sharing a booth at $25-50 local street fairs. Last year we upgraded a little to $50-85 larger local shows. This year I'm doing it solo and I'm still at the $50-85 price range since I'm not sure how having an entire booth by myself will affect my sales.

I haven't done any juried or weekend shows but I do try to find ones that have been around for awhile, have good attendance and don't allow direct sales vendors. I also sell jewelry and I wasn't accepted at some shows because they already had too many jewelry vendors. So far my sales have been pretty good.

[CindyTSews]

The Lambs Farm show Holiday Lights gift and craft show has a significant amount of buy sell. Everything from Tupper Ware to Pampered Chef. Load in is fairly easy but load out is a nightmare.

My shows range from $225.00 to $1,200 and they are all worth the fee.

[woodsmokewoolworks]

I did the Etsy section at One of a Kind in Toronto this past spring. End booth fee, including lights and insurance was almost $1200 for a 2 1/2' by 4' space, 5 days. Worst return on a show I have ever done but I did learn a lot.
Most of the shows that I do run around $300 for 3 days for a 10 by 10. They all get good traffic and I make fairly good money, considering the economy here is still a little tender. I make a lot less than I did 5 years ago but money is money so even though the return isn't what it should be, I'll keep on keeping on. Without vendor support shows will fold or the standards will go down to the point that buyers will lose interest.
In general, you get what you pay for so the higher priced shows are uaually the better ones.

[wayfaringgoods]

Right now the most expensive one I do is $550 but I'm contemplating a $1,200 one for next spring... we'll see how brave I'm feeling!

[PrairiePrimitives]

The most I've ever paid for a booth is about $500 for half of a (large) booth at a wholesale show. For retail-only shows, it's $250. I prefer to spend about $100 per day.

[stringnstone]

Not sure how much I would be willing to pay for a show but to this point it has been $100-$180 for 2 days 2 spaces... right now we are doing super well at a Bazaar type market that is also a farmers' market with only a $15 a day cost.

[YAHAccessories]

To pay for a $500 show, I'd have to sell $750 worth of product. It takes me a week to sew $750 of product. Not worth to me.

I won't pay over $100 per day for a show. I stick to the $50 - $75 a day shows.

I have done as well at a $20 show as a $100.

[Plantcycled]

I think the most I would be willing to pay would be $225 but that would have to be for a big holiday show, my items are not expensive so the most I have paid was $100 so far for a show.

[RachelleStrackeArt]

I really think (as noted in this thread), you have to decide based on cost, attendee numbers, number days of the event and the cost of your items, plus any travel time & costs. Mine run in that $5 - $10 range mostly so it takes a lot of sales to recoup booth fees. For those selling higher ticket items, the sales $ add up quite a bit faster.

I try to use the mindset of ...right now it's all about marketing so even though I may not make a lot of sales, I'm trying to get my name out there. I'm doing a show this year I did last year so hopefully I get some repeat customers but last year it was super hot and people weren't buying much of anything. I usually note whether or not they are carrying packages when they come in or walk by. The most I've paid is $100 for a one-day show that brings a lot of people to town, but a lot of that number is for food, music and the other activities.

[Former_Member]

I feel that I'm more likely to make money on more expensive shows. I don't like to pay more than 400, but I will for a good show. I pay about 350 for a season long growers market that I do 3 weeks of the month (it's a great deal). The other week of the month is devoted to larger events. I try to have a variety of expensive items for the larger events to pay for the higher fees along with the usual foodware. If I have to get a hotel, I want at least 15,000 people in attendance and I prefer more depending on how many days of hotel I need. I like juried shows. I feel that a jury is like a prescreening tool to be sure that my work will fit in and be profitable. I will not spend more than 30 for someone to jury my work. Jury fees bother me more than any booth fee ever will. Any event promising free samples of food or drink will make me less money than one that isn't. I can't sample pottery and if people are there for the free stuff they spend less with me, even though my stuff is food related, they can't eat or drink it. I will not pay more than 100 a day for these and won't travel for them. In general I think you tend to get what you pay for, but not always.

[CindyTSews]

It would be interesting for you to pose this same question on a professional artist/craftsman forum and see what kind of answers you get.

[Former_Member]

Hi Cindy, do you think on other forums the answers would be drastically different?

[LizArti]

The most I've paid is $125 for one day, and I wouldn't pay more than that. I sell more at lower priced farmers' markets anyway, and am thinking of cutting out the craft fairs altogether.

[TigersandDragons]

Former topic, Expensive booths is it worth it
https://www.etsy.com/teams/8070/craft-fairs-its-a-living/discuss/13643688/
https://www.etsy.com/teams/8070/craft-fairs-its-a-living/discuss/13640087/page/1

[CindyTSews]

@Lars, Yes they would. We travel the country doing shows and you get to know a lot of the artists and craftsman from many different states. There are a handful of inexpensive shows throughout the US that do very well and we are lucky enough that there are a couple close by. But the the larger more expensive shows are very competitive and pretty expensive. But the exhibitors doing those shows are full time veterans who are looking to bring in thousands of dollars per show. Generally the only complaints about jury fees you hear are when they extend deadlines or increase the number of booths at a show. And yes you do hear some grumbling about increases in fees on occasion but it is generally from someone who complains about life in general. I would suggest joining http://www.artfairinsiders.com or https://www.facebook.com/groups/NAIA.Forum/ you get a pretty good feel for the industry on both of these. You will also find some good reviews on shows.

If someone is worried about recouping a $50 - $100 booth fee then self employment may not be for them.

[rocksandsalt]

We generally pay about $150-$300 a day for shows, and have paid as much as $2,500 for a four day show. Earlier this summer we spent $150 on a 2.5 hour show and it was totally worth it.

At the end of the day it still comes down to finding the shows with the right customers for your product. We've done $500 weekend shows that were great and we've done $500 shows that just didn't have our customers at them. We did a four day music festival last month with 16 hour booth days and 100,000 people there for the weekend - it was $1,100 and we barely made our booth fee back (though we got to see some great shows!), but our friend selling awesome bohemian jewelry at the same show did great.

[TigersandDragons]

That's interesting Sara, hat sellers always do well at the music festivals I go to, sometimes better than jewellery because there is usually only 1-2 booths of hats versus 10-15 of jewellery.

[BitsandPiecesCrafts]

Wow do I feel lucky! I pay $150 for a 10 x 20 outdoor booth space for 2 days at the annual Pagan Picnic and at the end of this month I have a 10x10 space at the local mall for 3 days for $195.

Sales at the picnic have been great - even this year when we had a nasty thunderstorm and some pretty heavy rain. This is the first time I'm doing the mall event so I'm not sure about that one yet.

[rocksandsalt]

Tigers, we've done well at other music festivals this one was just totally a bad match for us - too bad because we enjoy music festivals!

[Former_Member]

I'm paying $210 for my 2 day fall fair in September... The actual booth is only $170 but I don't have my own tables yet so I have to rent those. Regardless it's the most I have ever spent on a booth and I am VERY nervous about it. I has lots of traffic though, EVERYONE goes to our fall fair, and I am hoping that being there will help get me into our big annual 3 day craft fair in November. I'm trying to think "brand recognition" right now so that when people are actively thinking about Christmas I will pop into their brains.