I had the wonderful opportunity to gain some first-hand experience selling items in a "booth." It was at a secondhand sale where I was essentially just selling things to get rid of them and free up some space. It wasn't too serious of an event and I was able to do it with my roommate who also had some items to sell.
An interesting thing to note is that since I had to pay an entrance fee, I actually "lost" about $4 since I wasn't able to sell everything I brought. However, I don't consider this a poor business move because the experience I gained was worth it. Plus I'll have the opportunity to sell the leftover items at a later date (with no entrance fee) so I'll easily earn back those $4 and then some.
But as I said, the experience was worth it. The secondhand sale was minor and I hadn't invested anything into the items I was selling. Attending some sort of craft fair with the items I plan to sell in my Etsy shop, now THAT will be a different story. I'll have to be extremely organized, and this run-through was the perfect way for me to see what I need to do.
So here's the list of what I learned:
1. Bring a cash box.
We had a container to put the money in, but the bills soon became difficult to control. It also posed a problem trying to give change because the bills weren't sorted.
2. Your display is EVERYTHING!
So this wasn't exactly an eye-opener, but even for something as simple as the mini-garage sale, having a sturdy set-up to display the items would have made a huge difference. We brought a few containers to make matters easier, but it wasn't enough. If people can't see your items they won't stop by. Only crazy shoppers want to dig through your stuff to find a "treasure." Everything needs to be extremely visible and appealing.
3. Purchase a card reader for your phone.
While I wasn't selling anything expensive enough to drive someone to use a card, I was reminded of its existence. My homemade items will definitely require one, and the more options I provide and the easier I make it for potential customers, the more successful I'll be. I'll just need to make sure I get some practice with it because I know they can be temperamental.
Here's what I did well, but want to expand upon to do even better.
1. Have an inventory of everything you brought and cross off what you sell.
I did this because with two of us selling items we needed to know who earned what. When it's just me selling things, it will be beneficial to see if anything of mine has been stolen. Hopefully that won't happen, but it'll be good to know. I typed up the inventory, listed the price, and even grouped the items into categories alphabetically. For future purposes, I plan on using a spreadsheet since I'll be selling multiples of the same item.
2. Bring money to make change with, cater it to your prices, and know how much you start with.
Being a secondhand sale, I was dealing with prices ranging from $0.25--$30, so I had quarters, $1, $5, and $10.
3. Have a "menu" for customers to peruse through.
We printed off two lists so people could read what we had and their prices. Our space was limited so sometimes the list got buried, but for future purposes I fully intend on using a more "sophisticated" "menu." What I plan to do is have a few items to display, and then the rest in a small folder that people can flip through to see what else I have to offer. Then this way I can have a set of wares made specifically for the display so it won't matter if they get a little banged up, and then underneath the table or beside me I'll have containers of what I'm selling. Depending on how popular my items are, I might even have to have the menu include things I didn't bring with me but are available through Etsy and the like and because they are ordering it in person I'll give them a discount or something.
All in all, a quite successful venture. I can't wait until I get the chance to put this into action!
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