Craft products or edible items – you may increase your product earnings at a flea market stand, in a number of ways. Working from home does not necessarily mean you have to stay home each and every day. Although you are based at home, some aspects of your work may take place away from home, like at the home of a client or customer, or at a flea market or craft market.

Even if you are already doing well with your craft products or edible items, and selling them only from home, and through other means of advertising, like having your own website, by word-of-mouth, or by distributing pamphlets and brochures, by advertising in the local newspapers, or by putting up posters, it’s a great idea to get out to a flea market or craft market every once in a while, or perhaps even as often as once a week. Especially if you have been cooped up at home all week making your products. Get out a bit!

At first your flea market stand or craft market stand earnings may not be what you expected, though, and this may put you off trying again. Put in a lot of effort, right from the start.

10 ways to increase your earnings at your flea market stand:

1 )
Excellent display of prices – if you know your prices are really good, let people see this from even a distance – use large bright boards or posters or card with the prices of your products clearly displayed. Use a contrasting colour for the actual writing or typed price and wording. Use large letters and numbers, that are not all squished up together.

2 )
Quantity – Having a flea market stand or craft market stand with next to no products on display just doesn’t do it for me. Do flea market stands or craft market stands with next to nothing on display do if for you? Be sure to have a decent amount of stock before you attempt to try and sell your goods at a flea market.

On the other hand, depending on what your product is, less is sometimes best. If your products are classy or large, too many could make them look less classy.

3 )
Can I help you? – don’t say it! Keep your nose in that magazine or book, even if you are not really seeing any of the words or pictures in front of you. Let the people browse in peace. Do not risk chasing them away by asking them if you can help them. They will ask for help if they want help.

4 )
Take home reminders – Flea market or craft market browsers may have already spent all their money, or may want to first spend more time thinking about if they really want to buy your products or not. Have brochures or flyers or attractive business cards in an area that people can reach on their own. Even consider giving away free mini samples or miniature versions of your products.

5 )
Repetition and consistency – try and be at that flea market every week on the same day, in the same place, with your products and prices arrranged in the same way. People will get used to seeing your flea market stand, and with familiarity, comes the willingness to support. You’re also already there if people like your products so much that they seek you out again a week or two later.

6 )
Demonstration – Let people see that it really is you that made the products you’re selling. Pass the time by working on your next creation, right there at your stand.

7 )
Gift wrapping – offer a free gift wrapping service (if your products are expensive enough to warrant your cost of the gift wrap) or even sell attractive gift bags right there at your stand too.

8 )
Advertising swopping scheme – Speak to some of the other flea market stand or craft market stand owners – to those who have similar but definitely not the same products, or to those that sell something that complements what you’re selling – and display some of their brochures or advertising materials at your stand, while they do the same for you – as well as including a little “map” as to where your stands are.

9 )
Advertising – if you have sourced a few people or small businesses who don’t display their products at a flea market (products that are similar to yours or that complement yours) because they don’t have the time to, offer to put up a little poster for them, with some of their business cards nearby – at a fee, of course.

10 )
Sharing and saving – pay only half the cost of having a stand at the flea market or craft market, by sharing your stand with a friend who has similar or complementing products.

Conclusion:
Go the extra mile to make the extra buck, and more often than not, your effort is likely to pay off.

© Copyright Teresa Schultz 2012 and 2013