Next Steps...

So after my first craft fair, life has been pretty hectic...
 Trying to juggle a full time job and then squeeze in time to do something you love is proving quite difficult. I really don't know how others do it. However, I have persevered, and have now booked to do a further two fairs which I am really looking forward to. The next one being in May. This giving me plenty of time to be as best prepared as I can going off my learning experiences from the first one.
So as I have sorted my next craft fairs I have now decided to venture into another unknown for me. The world of selling my cards online...
Competition is tough. Trying to work out what your prices should be and what you would actually like for them is even tougher.
My full time job is in the retail sector so I do have an good understanding of peoples reluctance to part with money due to the current economic climate. I cant blame people as I am exactly the same when I make purchases. 
So with regards to selling your stock, how do you decide what the best possible price is without taking a loss?
My cards have been listed for quite a number of days now with views but no one purchasing. How long is reasonable before you look at whether or not to lower the prices originally set?
All things I am again learning...
I think when I have initially listed my items I maybe went too high. Everybody probably likes to think their cards are worth what the price is they originally set. Realistically and in my opinion, people are not going to want to pay so much online as they also have the extra charge of postage. An awkward subject it would seem with many crafters and their paying customers. Personally I think the postal service makes it confusing for everyone. A subject I may save for a future post...
So back to my dilema. How long do I leave it before reducing my prices? Well, me being as impatient as I am and wanting to still get some kind of feedback as to whether or not my cards are nice generally, I have already done it. So for the next few days I shall (try) patiently to observe and see what the general feel is.

My First Ever Craft Fair

So on Saturday the 15th March I did my first ever craft fair.

I had found a local church advertised on the stallfinder website in January and chose to have a 3ft stall, as never having done this before I was unsure as to how many cards I would need and so on. 

This gave me just under 3 months to prepare, make sure I had enough stock and how I would present myself. 

As the two months flew by I felt nervous but was excited that I had finally plucked up the courage to do this.

 I have only ever really had feedback on my cards from friends and relatives, and I think if you are asking for an opinion off someone you know, they are more than likely going to say that "yes they are nice". So I knew I needed to get feedback off complete strangers to decide whether or not to carry on. 

Finally the day arrived, and I arrived early not really knowing what to expect. There were about twenty tables in the hall and only two other stalls setting up. Both card stalls! 

By this point I was quite scared and nervously began to set up. Straight away I felt at home, although my first thought was that a 3ft table was definitely not big enough. Lesson no 1 learned. 

Eventually the hall began to fill up and the hustle and bustle made me feel quite at home. One thing that I really liked was that all the stall holders were so friendly and helpful. I had explained to the stalls either side of me that I was new to doing craft fairs and they had lots of great advice and even a few contacts for me to look into for future events. 

But the whole point of the day was to try and sell my cards (my aim was to at least cover the cost of the table fee I had paid) and hopefully get an idea of whether or not people liked my designs. 

To my relief, I believe my cards went down rather well and I did manage to get quite a few sales and reach my aim. However, it wasn't very busy, and by mid afternoon many of the stall holders decided to pack up and leave.
Although the church had advertised the fair, the entrance to the hall was at the back of the building and from the front, the church was hidden by scaffolding. In future I shall visit the locations to be able to get a better knowledge as to whether there will be good enough footfall. Lesson no 2 learned.

I didn't manage to get any good pictures of this event or my stall but will be doing for future events I participate in.

Overall, this was the ideal fair for someone new to starting off in this business,  and to gain a better understanding of what potential customers look for and how to prepare and present yourself to increase opportunities. Most importantly, it made me even more determined that this is something I definitely want to do on a more permanent basis...

A Little Bit About What I do...

I started making cards as a hobby and a way to relax and I think most crafters would agree that it is very therapeutic. 
Over the past year or so I have begun to realise that I would like to make this hobby develop into something much more and so am finally venturing into the big wide world of "trying to establish myself" although I must admit I am quite nervous.

I hope to begin participating in local craft fairs and markets to gain feedback and knowledge into what I do and will be posting about events I attend. 

Any help or encouragement would be greatly appreciated as this, as well as blogging is all new to me. 

I hope you will follow me on my journey...