13 Best Tips For Selling Handmade Jewelry At Craft Fairs

Selling handmade jewelry at craft fairs is a great way to make money. Here are some simple tips to improve the experience for your customers and yourself.

Beaded jewelry is an easy craft to make and sell. Once you have the skills, you can easily create items that attract customers and bring in money.

You may be interested in selling your handmade jewelry simply because you have too many pieces at home, you want to earn enough money to support this fun hobby or you actually want to run your own business.

Selling handmade jewelry can be fun and profitable. If you’re planning to get started with this, there are some things you need to know.

Here are 13 useful tips for how to sell handmade jewelry at craft shows.

Tips For Selling Handmade Jewelry At Craft Fairs

Wear Your Own Merchandise

Don’t forget to wear your own jewelry. The more colorful or sparkly the better, as this will catch people’s eyes.

Of course, if you don’t usually create colorful and sparkly jewelry, wear a chunky piece or an item that has some feature that will grab your potential customer’s attention.

Create Enticing Displays

Once customers are at your booth surveying what you have on sale, you want them to be able to easily see what’s there.

Use neutral colors, i.e. a solid table cloth or cover and displays so that your handmade jewelry stands out. It might be tempting to make your display as colorful as possible but that just confuses the eye. People won’t know where to look so they’ll probably just walk away.

Create different levels of jewelry displays so that all of your products aren’t on one plane. Not only does this makes your table look more interesting, it also makes it easier to see what you have available.

Clearly label items with the prices so customers can easily see what products cost. This is way more convenient for you because you won’t have to be constantly repeating prices to customers.

It’s also a more pleasant experience for customers when they don’t have to ask the price of each item they’re interested in. If you’re dealing with someone else, they may just move along.

Add A Statement Piece

Consider including a statement piece as the star of your display. I did this when I participated in an expo years ago and it worked like a charm.

People were drawn to my table just because they wanted a closer look at that necklace and lots of them ended up making a purchase while they were there.

Engage With Customers

Do NOT sit at the back of your booth and totally ignore visitors while you talk on your phone or do some other thing. When I see people doing this, it totally ticks me off.

Give people your full attention. Smile, be friendly and as engaging as possible without smothering customers. Ask them if they’re interested in anything in particular, what style of jewelry they prefer… Just let them know you’re there to help them.

Paying attention to your customers also goes a long way to prevent theft of your products. When you’re disengaged, it provides the opportunity for anyone to make off with your stuff.

Provide A Mirror

Have a mirror on hand so customers can look at themselves while wearing your jewelry. Once they see how good that necklace looks on them or a pair of earrings would look, they’ll be more likely to buy.

The mirror doesn’t have to be large and fancy. Even a handheld one can do the trick.

Make Jewelry In Various Sizes

One size does not fit all when it comes to jewelry so it’s important to have lots of different sizes to accommodate everyone.

If you don’t want to make several versions of the same necklace or bracelet in varying lengths, use chain extenders.

These allow the customer to easily adjust the length to suit themselves and doesn’t create much extra work for you.

I highly recommended attaching clasps using open jump rings. This make it incredibly easy to remove them if you need to and to add chain extenders.

Have Tools and Supplies On Hand

Bring along your beading tools and some supplies e.g. clasps and chain extenders when selling handmade jewelry at craft fairs.

If you need to make a quick repair, you’ll have everything on hand to do so.

You’ll also be able to make any adjustments your customer requires. For example, if you need to swap out a pair of ear wire hooks for some clip-on earring findings instead.

Money Matters

Have a float with lots of change to ensure you don’t lose out on sales. If a customer wants to make a purchase but you don’t have change for their money, they’ll probably walk away.

Also, provide a card machine, if possible. Lots of people avoid walking with cash and if you can accept cards at your booth, it’ll be more convenient for your customers.

Plus, a customer may only have a limited amount of cash on them but may want to purchase more items than they planned. If you have a card machine, they can quickly swipe and make that purchase. If not, that’s lost earnings.

Check out these mobile card readers.

Bring a Friend

Having help is a godsend if your booth is busy. An extra pair of hands makes life easier to help customers as fast as possible.

Plus, there’ll be another set of eyes watching your goods and making sure they don’t suddenly grow legs and wander off.

You’ll also be very thankful to have a helper when you need to eat or take a bathroom break.

Unless you have all your jewelry in glass cases that you can lock down and walk away when you need to, trust me on this one. Get help!

Bring a Project

When things slow down, it’s always good to work on another project. Not only does this help to pass the time, it also lets customers see how the jewelry is made.

People love to see behind the scenes. Getting a glimpse of how you actually make the jewelry and how much time and effort goes into each piece can make it all the more appealing.

Another bonus is, you’ll be using your downtime to create more products to sell.

Make Your Presence Known

It’s important to let potential customers know you’re present at the craft fair and what you’re selling, even from a distance.

Large banners or signs are a great idea. They should include your business name if you have one, contact information and maybe even a photo of one of your beaded creations. Add whatever information you can to make it clear what your business is all about.

Make sure you use fonts that are very legible and a letter size big enough to be read from far away.

You can hang the banner or sign on the wall behind your booth, on your tent or even on the front of the table. It all depends on the space you’re in and your setup.

Another great way to advertise is to wear a T-shirt with your business name etc. and/ or a name tag that also includes your business name.

As you walk around the venue or customers approach your booth, they can see your details and know your name. This will create a bit more of a personal connection that can enhance their interaction with you right away.

Hand Out Business Cards

A business card with all of your pertinent information is a good low budget way to make sure people can find you later if they need to. Hand them out to anyone who visits your booth and ensure you include one with every purchase.

If customers love your crafts and want more, you need to make it easy for them to contact you.

Also, people may purchase items from you as gifts. The gift recipient may also love the jewelry and having your card will make it incredibly easy for them to reach you.

Collect Email Addresses

Have a form on your table and ask people to leave their names and email addresses if they’re interested in hearing more from you about your business.

Be very clear what they’re signing up for. Adding a simple statement at the top of the form explaining how often you’ll be sending emails and what they can expect to be included in those communications is crucial.

No-one wants to sign up to be on some mystery list and they don’t want to be bombarded with sales messages. A short explanation can go a long way to easing any tension people may have about signing up.

If you plan to sell your beaded jewelry at craft fairs, these simple tips should definitely help make it worth your while.