Please. Help. Me.

[BeadafterDarkJewelry]

So, let me preface this by saying I have only participated in two shows to date and this was my second. At the first venue in May, none of the vendors sold much of anything as it was poorly advertised and attracted people looking for food and not crafts...so I then participated in a very small fair (10 booths) where though traffic was light, most vendors sold at least several items.
I did not manage to sell anything at either venue. I am fairly new to ETSY (March 2014) and have had some sales online, so I am praying the issue is not my earrings...for now, I will assume that my set up is so forbidding it is repelling potential customers from purchasing anything?
I had 8 neat horizontal rows of earrings displayed (about 120 total) hung by their ear wires and grouped by similar colors on dowels (divided between two converted gold toned frames with a while linen cloth background and tied with lovely wide wired ribbons/ placed on upright stands); my tablecloth was white/I will need a banner...
I noted, having studied other jewelry displays, that a large banner, dark earth tones and wood/natural accents and tiers/levels seem to be the popular standard...I will attempt another show in a few weeks; what else can I do to improve; please be gentle, my confidence level is very damaged already...wish I could upload the display photo in this discussion box...
People did stop by and said they liked my items but did not pursue beyond that; my prices were not posted but I did suggest the range was $15 to $30...

[TigersandDragons]

-It's most likely that the lack of sales is because it was a poor run show with very little promotion,10 vendors is too few. There are tons of crafts shows out there but many of them are not worth your time and energy (value yourself, not just your goods!). Show organizers are happy to take your money, but then do very little advertising. Visit shows, talk to other crafts people to get their opinions on good shows, before you shell out any more money on booking shows.

-everything should be priced, most people do not like to ask for the price, so you will loose potential customers right away if you don't have signs and stickers.

- don't bother paying for a banner this early in your show career, as you display and branding will likely go through many changes. IMO a banner hanging on the front of a table is a waste, because as soon as someone stands in front of your table, no one else can read it. Make a small paper sign, put it in a frame and on your table, or come up with some other creative and inexpensive solution for now.

- READ READ READ through the threads in this group - there is so much good information here. You can do a search such as "first show" "finding shows", "display", etc.

[FayeValentineJewelry]

I agree with tigersanddragons, it's very good advice! I'll especially second the point about prices being easily visible. That's really a must.

You've just had some bad luck though. Don't give up! Better shows and better days are ahead.

[TheCatFarm]

Laurel hopefully your next show will go better. You do learn something every time you do one!

From reading your post the very last sentence is what did you in. Your prices need to be clearly posted. If they are not many will assume they cannot afford you and/or they just won't bother to ask. Tag each item with little jewelry tags or make clearly "can't miss" signage for each grouping. You'll still get people asking "how much?" even with tags or signs but that is far preferable to not having anyone ask because there are no signs or price tags at all.

[BeadafterDarkJewelry]

Thank you for the sound advice...I am checking Pinterest for examples of booth displays a well...
What do you think about color coding the prices with dot tags attached to the earrings and a price guide, or does that make it more confusing? (I only have about 6 or 7 price points)...

[WhimsyBits]

You should just price them individually. Some people might not see or understand a pricing key/sign.

Next time when you're looking for shows, I suggest you only attend ones that have at least 30 vendors (the more the better).

If you want to only stick with earrings I would try to expand the types you sell - when I did earrings I had a lot of people ask me for clip-on or non-dangly ones. And make sure the metal you use is hypoallergenic. I had a hard time selling my earrings because they were none of the above. Now I'm selling them for $2/pair just to get rid of them (4 years later....).

But expanding into other types of jewelry might give you better sales as well.

[AwesomeSauceDesigns]

I think your best bet would be pricing each item out rather than having people refer to a table. I think the table would make things too confusing.

[BeadafterDarkJewelry]

Thank you; all suggestions duly noted and very helpful

[PurpleGrace2]

It was probably the shows, not your market. But I'll offer my opinion. I've sold jewelry at shows for 17 years. I have always put each pair of earrings on a card with the price written down in the front corner in very small print. People like to pick up things. They like to hold the earrings next to their head to get a visual on how they will look. Have a mirror set up on your table. People like to know the price without having to ask.
I think hanging earrings on a card make each pair an individual work of art.
You can get cards from any jewelry supply or you can make your own. You can do a test at your next show. Put some on cards and some on your frames and see which ones people navigate to first.

[BeadafterDarkJewelry]

I will absolutely do this! Great suggestion to allow people to handle more easily for sure!

[ElisaAlvarado]

I agree with MaryGrace - earring cards are a great idea. I never shop from a booth without prices. It makes me feel like I'm being sized up for how much I can afford to pay. I recently saw a jewelry vendor group her items according to color. It was so lovely and easy for people to find a color to match particular outfits.

[BeadafterDarkJewelry]

I did sense the lack of pricing could be a problem, and hope that addressing it before the next show will help turn the tide, thanks.

[BeadafterDarkJewelry]

Just following up here; I did improve my display and I am now happy with the way it looks, but still no sales! Will be trying again at a local market on Dec 6...
if at first you don't succeed...