Holiday Craft Shows and Flea Markets

[tony mazzone]

Hi all,

I do laser engraving and sublimation. This is the first year that I'm planning on doing some holiday shows. Does anyone take orders for personalized items at these shows and how well does that work out for people? I'm not planning on bringing my engraver or heat press with me. Will people pay extra to have these items shipped to them or is it better to just have general items to sell. I was thinking of doing things around music, sports, pets, and teacher gifts to name a few.
If anyone else can let me know what usually sells at these events I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
Tony

[Nicolas Silva]

I sell a lot of engraved wallets with a wide variety of motif.
Personalization is tough when you're not doing it right on the spot. I find 7/10 will walk away. But you can't exactly set up a laser inside most enclosed facilities. The other 30% are usually willing to come back the next day to pick it up.

Nick Silva
45 watt ULS M-300

[Glen Monaghan]

I've never done a show with laser engraved products, but have done other sorts and my experience is that the best sellers are those that "pluck the heart strings", the sort of stuff that gets an emotional response, and that they can purchase on-the-spot for instant gratification. A dog owner deeply invested in his or her breed of dog is likely to impulse buy something with that breed on it, a Marine's spouse is likely to buy a related decoration as a gift for an upcoming occasion or "just because", a gear-head will buy a keychain with his car on it or a shop plaque knocking the competition, etc.

Something that is merely clever, attractive, intriguing, or decorative with no particular emotional connection will sell much slower. What specific sorts of items then? Highly dependent on your location and the sort of people who attend the kind of show you are going to. You can do two different shows back-to-back in the same venue and the hot and cold sellers can be radically different because the crowd will be different and have different interests.

Regardless, my general observation is that, if the potential customer has to think about it, can't pay for it out of pocket (or has to check with SO regarding the price), or can't pick it up and walk away with the new purchase (i.e., has to place an order and wait for it to be shipped), the conversion rate drops quickly, IME. And the higher the price, the lower the conversion rate, and a few bucks for shipping can be enough to make a potential show customer walk away empty handed. Not to say always, just more often than not.

That said, I've heard people talk about coming back from shows with enough orders that it took a week to fill them, so YMMV. You have to figure out who your potential customers will be and what will motivate them to connect with your offerings.

[AL Ursich]

In my area the economy has not picked up enough to make it worth my time to do shows again. I did mostly CNC type signs and some Sublimation. Tourist products....

Things like "Man Cave" signs sell... and Pink "WOMan Cave" signs worked too.... Along with Santa type signs.... "Define Naughty"

As always be careful with Copy Protected Sports and Logos.... That Innocent picture of your booth could have been taken to forward to a Lawyer for a finders fee....

Good Luck,

AL

[Doug Novic]

We have done a lot of shows (arts & Crafts) with good results. On one out-of-state show we received a lot of custom orders. Had the customers pay in advance (which all were eagerly willing to do), charged flat rate shipping through the postal system and spent the next week at home base filling the orders. These were items they saw and touched at the show that they wanted personalized. Some of them are now repeat customers. We stay away from flea markets because we have found that there is a different "market mentality" looking for a deal on a bag of socks and velvet Elvis paintings. Not all are like that but this has turned us away from them. Juried shows are the best bet. Good Luck and Enjoy!

[Joe Hillmann]

I do lots of craft shows in the summer. I usually don't sell a single custom item at an average show but I often hand out lots of brochures and it it common to have someone call and place an order and say "I picked up your information 6 months ago at such and such show"

I tend to look at the shows more as advertisement then as money makers.

[AL Ursich]

Speaking of out of state shows... I live on the boarder of NY/NJ/and PA. I wanted to do some good shows in NY like at the location of the 1969 Woodstock Music event Bethel Woods. I had a NY Sales Tax ID. You should have seen the PANIC when the Sales Tax People showed up at the show.... I was GOOD... I have since given up my NY Tax ID as I don't do the shows anymore. Found other ideas...

I have a $38.4K out of state quote in the works... pinch me.... hope I get it...

AL

[Dave Sheldrake]

I've never done a show with laser engraved products, but have done other sorts and my experience is that the best sellers are those that "pluck the heart strings", the sort of stuff that gets an emotional response, and that they can purchase on-the-spot for instant gratification. A dog owner deeply invested in his or her breed of dog is likely to impulse buy something with that breed on it, a Marine's spouse is likely to buy a related decoration as a gift for an upcoming occasion or "just because", a gear-head will buy a keychain with his car on it or a shop plaque knocking the competition, etc.

wise words indeed :)

The act of purchasing an item any of us do not actually require for a practical purpose is based on emotion. It's human nature to spend more on what we "desire" rather than items we "need".

cheers

Dave

[tony mazzone]

Thanks all for your input. Please keep it coming.

Tony

[Anthony Scira]

I will never do a craft or holiday show again. For me it was a waste of time other than meeting some very nice people in the neighborhood. For me people that attend those shows are looking for a bargain. So unless you are ready to give stuff away they are not buying.

[Tim Bateson]

I will never do a craft or holiday show again. For me it was a waste of time other than meeting some very nice people in the neighborhood. For me people that attend those shows are looking for a bargain. So unless you are ready to give stuff away they are not buying.

Ditto... It was fun & very exhausting. I've now moved past my hobby days. My time can be better spent.

[Peter Odell]

I do alot of craft show 1 out of 10 I make great money at them I also take orders from the craft show that I fill in the next week with. It all depends on the people and what kind of mood they are in.

[AL Ursich]

I will never do a craft or holiday show again. For me it was a waste of time other than meeting some very nice people in the neighborhood. For me people that attend those shows are looking for a bargain. So unless you are ready to give stuff away they are not buying.

I lived in San Diego for 13 years and Anthony has a great outlet for his work in the tourist town of Julian, Ca.

Anything "Apple" to start with....

AL