Craft Fairs part 2

We've all been to craft fairs, and, admittedly, some are better organized than others, but one thing remains constant throughout: all of them involve dealing with various vendors selling their wares.

Have you ever gone to a craft fair, looked at an item, and said, if not just to yourself, but out loud, “I can make that for less”? I know many of us have thought it, but I, for one, have never said it out loud in front of a vendor's booth at a craft fair, although I have seen many people exhibiting this extreme level of rudeness.

What you're not considering is the time and effort that went into making the item you're talking about. The planning it took to get to this point, where she is selling the item she handcrafted, not to mention any tools she may have used. Some craft shows charge a flat daily rate for table space, while others charge a percentage of their sales on top of table space.

For every person who has said, “Oh, I can make that for less,” 99.9% of you will never make the item in question.

Another rudeness factor is when you want to haggle with the person who made the item and expect them to give it to you for less than what they have it priced at.

Why are you doing that?

In all honesty, you wouldn't dare do that at a grocery store or quilt shop, so why are you doing this to the vendor at the craft fair? It's equivalent to asking someone to take a price cut in their paycheck. Okay, so you're buying six of one item; just because you're doing that doesn't mean you're entitled to a discount, so stop asking for one. You're not going to get a discount at HomeGoods, so why are you asking a crafter to give you a discount on those potholders or that quilted table runner?

When I first started my business, I was excited to get sales, and, sadly, I undersold myself so many times. I know my worth now, and I would never go back into selling my wares without the price I ask reflecting my knowledge and experience, my materials, the tools that I use, and most of all, my time. So consider what you’re asking of the vendor at these craft fairs; you’re asking them to give you a cut of their paycheck, and that’s just not right.