flea markets ect....

on a woodworking note, there is a local show here a couple of times a year, its more of a fleamarket/crafts show.
Alot of jewerly makers, knitters/crocheters?, and alot of people with their old junk.Not alot vendors, it fills up the railroad station parking lot.
Ive noticed theres one guy that sells wooden lawn ornaments, the twirly birds, planters, etc.......he seems to do ok with the stuff. Years ago I bought planter stands from him.
Hes there most times Ive went to the show, so Im guessing he does ok. I believe some of his lawn signs are purchased and he resells them, but he sells alot of stuff that seems homemade(as were the plant stands I purchased from him)
 
Two big crafts shows in our town each year. Hundreds of tables and about half of them jewelry, especially necklaces. Not much of it any good. The woodworking guys seem to get a lot of visitors but few sales. Same with turners although cheap stuff will sell a little. Gaudily decorated t-shirts and sweat shirts sell well. Beats me why.
 
i think you need to read between the lines a little micheal,, the jist is that from what they have said is that woodwork isnt selling, and food and t-shirts or jewelry are???
 
Oceanside CA

The main things I see at the downtown street fair (is that the correct word?) are paintings, jewelry, food and some ceramics. Wood items show up sometimes. I have no idea how things go financially. There are items frome a few dollars to a few thousand dollars (usually paintings or sculpture on the high end). Oh yes, usually a couple photography booths.

Enjoy,

JimB
 
It seems like the bulk of the folks who attend these things are either just enjoying the outing or looking for bargains. When it comes to wooden knick-knacks, the market can be difficult as the customers see little difference in a beautiful small cherry and ebony box versus one that is mass-made from some mystery white-wood for $2. Artist shows might be a better target as the audience is different and attending for a different reason(?). Cherry Festivals and car shows just don't make very good platforms for quality hand made items in my experience (observations as an attendee, not a as a vendor).
 
Ok well I'll start it off. I have sold quite a few Kids picnic tables and a few flower pots. I think its more of a season thing up here though. Everyone is excited for summer after a long drawn out winter and cooler than normal spring! lol
 
I guess I should have been more specific. What woodworking items have you guys and gals had success selling?

I have tried selling pens and duck and game calls locally. The calls don't sell because hunters/callers are a tiny percentage of the crowd. My pens are higher end priced and cause a lot of fainting and shock. :eek: A friend of mine uses low end kits and turns his pens out very quickly. To me, they also show much lower quality. But, he sells cheap and sells some pens. However, it almost never pays to travel any great distance. By the time you add up gasoline, motel rooms, food, table rental, etc. it is often not possible to sell enough to cover costs. Cheaper to stay home and just throw some of your stuff into the trash.
 
The question to ask is what motivates YOUR customer to buy. Then, where does YOUR customer shop. This is basic marketing stuff. I found my customers needed more than simple exposure to my things. They needed a reason to open their wallets. That is called positioning in marketing. Example: I was selling router jigs I designed and manufactured. I held hands on classes in my shop with the students bringing their own router to class. They learned how to do various joinery operations with their machine and my jigs. Guess what else they went home with? In other words, I positioned my product in front of people who then experienced the benefits before they bought.

Think this way. The customer buys benefits - what the item does for them. We sell the item, but we also need to provide the benefits - and state them upfront. People rarely buy things just to have them. Think about what motivates you to open your wallet. What obstacles does a seller to you have to overcome? Market and position accordingly.

Where you are when you buy is also very important to consider. If you are at a flea market, you expect to see junk and low prices. If you are at an art show, your expectations are higher.

Years ago at the Farmers Market in Escondido, CA there was a gentleman there selling simple wooden furniture. He had a few pieces displayed in a typical setting, i.e., a picnic table with picnic items on it, but not so much that the features of the table were hidden. He had laminated cards identifying the features and pointing out the benefits. He sold by taking orders and offering delivery. There are obviously more details here, and lots of 'extra' items that could be sold in a similar manner.

Bottom line: think about where you are and what you'd be expecting if you were the buyer.
 
Well Michael, I visited our local FM last night. Besides the jewelry, home baked goods, and vegetables, there were lots of garden products (non-woodworking), but there was a couple of folks selling bird houses and plant stands. The bird houses looked like they would do well, they were colorful and used a license plate for the roof. The plant stands were a bit cheap looking for the price.

So from hearing Allen's experience and yours, it sounds like the theme of gardening and practical home use type items may do well at a farm market.
 
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Think this way. The customer buys benefits - what the item does for them. We sell the item, but we also need to provide the benefits - and state them upfront. People rarely buy things just to have them. Think about what motivates you to open your wallet. What obstacles does a seller to you have to overcome? Market and position accordingly.

I believe the majority of people at craft fairs/flea market settings, tend to buy most of the stuff on impulse.
Things that catch their eye, and ofcourse, inexpensive.

I only speak of my experience as both a flea market vendor for 6 dozen years and from shopping in fairs with my wife, friends and family.
(I put myself through college selling reconditioned 8 track/LP/cassette boxes. I did it for 4 years until my supply went dead then tried electronics, which didnt work. I did sell boxes and boxes of cassette tapes and other small items, but never the big ticket items)
 
I don't know if he ever sold at a flea market, but I have a friend who is a wizard with a turning skew. He made a lot of money selling wooden knitting needles for $15 - 20 a pair, and he could turn 4 - 5 pairs per hour. He mostly sold at street fairs, but, as Carol pointed out, he also sold them to his wife's knitting students and people who came to textile workshops at their B&B.
 
Ok well I'll start it off. I have sold quite a few Kids picnic tables and a few flower pots. I think its more of a season thing up here though. Everyone is excited for summer after a long drawn out winter and cooler than normal spring! lol

Sounds like you've hit a good niche for your market. :thumb: I suspect some of it might be due to your location and the fact that people in your area appreciate handmade items more than in some other parts of North America. The flea markets and swap meets I've seen (in Albuquerque and Los Angeles) are more likely to have imported junk than handmade wooden items. The higher-end art and craft fairs will have more handmade wooden stuff, but from my own experience selling artistic turned stuff, the market for those types of things is a roll of the dice. Some shows/locations do well, and others don't. I finally quit doing the art shows a few years ago after having too many where I didn't sell enough (or barely sold enough) to cover my show entry fees, which generally ran in the $250 to $350 range.
 
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