Don’t be fooled this April

As the year begins to turn to spring, the calendar of events and selling opportunities start to really open up for Crafters and a real chance to sell their wares. Clever hacks for Crafty crafters can be found in many ways which means there are plenty of money-saving tips out there for creators to take advantage of. A quick look at the crafting calendar will illustrate that there are many shows going on through the springtime for you to showcase your products in. One thing that you need to make sure of is that you and your stall are covered for insurance. It’s always a good idea to see where the cheapest craft stall insurance UK is available.

So, in what ways do you need to be prepared for this busy time of year?

First of all, you need to be very careful about where you decide to sell your products, all the beautiful new products and designs that you have been spending the quiet winter months of January and February creating. However, it’s not just a case of simply picking out a few venues and booking a stall. You have to be very careful in where you set up. The really difficult part is knowing that the pitch price you are paying is going to be recouped through sales. Well established and popular events are a good bet but because they are so popular you can rest assured that the initial fee to book a place is going to be considerable. The best approach is to do a bit of research. Take some time to go along to the shows a year before you commit to them. You can see how the other stall holders sell and whether your products will fit into what’s already available. For example, if you see a lot of wood turners, and this is your line of work, is there space for you to take part or will you just swamp the market? Are you doing anything different from what the other producers are offering to make you stand out? This can be applied to card makers and knitters alike. Paying for a stall is one of the most expensive outlays that a crafter can have so it’s vital that you get this part right.

Secondly, try to ensure that your stall is of one look or theme. A mish-mash of images and messages about who you are and what you do is very off putting to the potential customer, and confusing too. Make sure that your banner and accompanying material all match up. The same is true for the tablecloth that you choose. Whilst this may seem a little “corporate” for many crafters it should all be remembered that income is a very important part of what we do, along with the love of doing it! Having a unified image and message stays with people and makes you look a lot more professional, it will also attract people to the stall.

Thirdly, a great money saving tip is to bring a selective product range. It’s best to approach this with a “greatest hits” mentality. It’s expensive and time consuming to just bring everything that you have made and then proceed to display it all on the stall table. It also opens up the possibility for accidental damage by yourself and members of the public. It’s why the cheapest craft stall insurance UK should definitely be considered to protect your wares and also the stall itself.

A word should be said about insurance in general at this point. One of the best ways to save money is to have this in place before you really start to take up the art of craft selling via stalls. It can be a long and gruelling circuit and making sure that you are adequately covered for any eventuality will mean that if something untoward and unexpected were to happen, you’ll have the peace of mind that everything is taken care of and you can concentrate on the task of creating and selling over everything else.

Another way that you can look to save a lot of money is to consider the possibilities of bulk buying, it’s something that you really do need to consider. Now is the time to really take advantage of being able to get in a lot of materials for your work. When you buy in bulk it immediately starts to bring the retail price down for you. Position it with suppliers that you should get some discount for taking a large amount of product from them. It also means that you will not need to be constantly replenishing the stock you have.

Spring brings with it plenty of sales opportunities for the crafter. There are many events in place where you can exhibit and produce pieces for. The main event is clearly Easter. There are so many themes that you can explore. When you think about Easter there are fun images of bunnies and eggs but there are also flowers and the religious aspect of the holiday that can be explored depending on your audience. Throughout the Spring there are three patron saints celebrated. St Patrick, St David and St George, and all are possible opportunities to create products for.

Never forget that you are also the best money saving element of your business. You can sell your product better than anyone in craft stalls because you know it inside out. Whilst it’s true that you will need the cheapest craft stall insurance UK to protect you, it’s money well spent to give you the time and space to produce new wares and to sell them to the public. It’s a truly rewarding working career and experience for you to discover.