Biz
Craft fairs: a waste of time?
Craft fairs: a waste of time?
The craft fairs can be either a very lucrative market or a black hole that will suck down everything I have. It depends on how well the pictures relate to the people coming to these craft fairs. It also depends on how well I relate to the people coming to these craft fairs.
These craft fairs can be quite expensive, especially to setup until I have a workflow that works for me.
Costs
- Exhibition fees: I need to rent a table. Some of the craft fairs do include electricity, at other I will need to pay extra for the electricity. The fee also varies depending on the day of the week, with weekdays being cheaper than the weekend.
- Exhibition supplies: I need to buy/borrow/rent a table with stands to show the pictures. If it does not look good, people will not become customers.
- Commissions: Some craft fair charge per table/space, some other craft fairs charge a fee + a percentage of the sales.
- Remote credit card payment system: 11x14 prints and 16x20 prints are more than a $100. This means that I will need to be able to accept credit card payments. I will need a remote credit card system connected to the cell phone to accept the credit cards.
- Travel & Transportation: I will need to travel to many of these craft fairs and gasoline/petrol is very expensive these days.
- Salaries: Only about half of the time will I be able to go to the craft fairs, so I will have to pay somebody else to go there for me.
- Supplies: Wrapping paper, receipts,...
Benefits
- Sell prints: Money coming in!
- Marketing research: I engage people in conversation by telling some of background of the picture they are looking at. From that, I get a feeling for what people want or don't want. This is definitely one of the biggest benefit of these craft fairs. This marketing research alone might be worth the troubles.
- Get referrals: That depends on the subject/topic of the photos. People, pets: OK, construction and industrials: No.
- Reputation: Some of these craft fairs are extremely worth it, but then it has to be a long term effort.
- Cross promotion: Promoting the website at the craft fairs.
- Meeting people: These craft fairs force me out, and to go to talk to people.
The craft fairs can be either a very lucrative market or a black hole that will suck down everything I have. It depends on how well the pictures relate to the people coming to these craft fairs. It also depends on how well I relate to the people coming to these craft fairs.
These craft fairs can be quite expensive, especially to setup until I have a workflow that works for me.
Costs
- Exhibition fees: I need to rent a table. Some of the craft fairs do include electricity, at other I will need to pay extra for the electricity. The fee also varies depending on the day of the week, with weekdays being cheaper than the weekend.
- Exhibition supplies: I need to buy/borrow/rent a table with stands to show the pictures. If it does not look good, people will not become customers.
- Commissions: Some craft fair charge per table/space, some other craft fairs charge a fee + a percentage of the sales.
- Remote credit card payment system: 11x14 prints and 16x20 prints are more than a $100. This means that I will need to be able to accept credit card payments. I will need a remote credit card system connected to the cell phone to accept the credit cards.
- Travel & Transportation: I will need to travel to many of these craft fairs and gasoline/petrol is very expensive these days.
- Salaries: Only about half of the time will I be able to go to the craft fairs, so I will have to pay somebody else to go there for me.
- Supplies: Wrapping paper, receipts,...
Benefits
- Sell prints: Money coming in!
- Marketing research: I engage people in conversation by telling some of background of the picture they are looking at. From that, I get a feeling for what people want or don't want. This is definitely one of the biggest benefit of these craft fairs. This marketing research alone might be worth the troubles.
- Get referrals: That depends on the subject/topic of the photos. People, pets: OK, construction and industrials: No.
- Reputation: Some of these craft fairs are extremely worth it, but then it has to be a long term effort.
- Cross promotion: Promoting the website at the craft fairs.
- Meeting people: These craft fairs force me out, and to go to talk to people.
