What to Take to a Christmas Craft Fair: A Checklist

Christmas fairs are the busiest selling days of the year for a lot of makers, and they’re also the days when a forgotten extension lead or a run of missing price labels hurts most. Here’s the checklist we’d work through before a winter fair, split into what to pack, what to sort out beforehand and what to do on the day.

Before you pack: check with the organiser

A few things depend on the venue, so ask early rather than guessing:

• Table size and whether one is provided. A 6ft trestle is common, but don’t assume. Some halls supply tables and chairs, outdoor markets often don’t.
• Indoors or out, and is there power? This decides whether you need lights, an extension lead, a gazebo and weights.
• Public liability insurance. Many organisers ask to see a certificate before you trade. Keep a copy on your phone and a printed one in your box.
• Set-up and pack-down times, parking and unloading. Knowing where you can stop the car saves a lot of carrying in the dark.
• Any rules on electrical items. Some venues want plug-in equipment PAT tested, so check before bringing fairy lights or a heater.

The stall itself

• Tablecloth that reaches the floor at the front, so you can hide boxes underneath
• Risers, crates or shelves to bring things up to eye level
• A sign or banner with your shop name
• Battery or plug-in lights (it gets dark early in December, even indoors)
• Chair or stool, plus a gazebo, side walls and weights if you’re outside
• Clips, cable ties, tape, scissors and a few spare S-hooks

Stock, prices and packaging

Take more of your cheaper items than you think you’ll need. At Christmas, plenty of people are buying stocking fillers and teacher gifts, so small things around the £5–£15 mark can do a lot of the work.

• Your stock, counted and written down before you leave
• Price labels on everything, plus a clear sign for any “3 for” deals
• Bags, tissue paper and a few gift boxes
• Business cards or flyers with your website or shop link
• An order book or sheet for custom requests you can’t make on the spot
• Samples of personalised items, if you take Christmas orders

Count your stock the night before and write the numbers down. It’s the only way to know at the end of the day what sold, what didn’t and what to make more of for the next fair.

Taking payment

Most shoppers will want to pay by card or phone, but you’ll still need cash.

• Card reader, fully charged, with the app logged in and tested at home
• A power bank and charging cables for the reader and your phone
• A cash float in small notes and coins, kept in a zipped bag or cash box
• A way to record each sale, so your takings add up at the end
• A sign showing which payment types you take

Card readers charge a fee on each sale and the rates change, so check your provider’s current fees and build them into your prices rather than getting a surprise at the end of the month.

Looking after yourself

Winter fairs are long and often cold. Pack layers, fingerless gloves, a flask, snacks and water. Bring a small first aid kit, hand sanitiser and a bin bag for rubbish. If you can, ask a friend to cover the stall for ten minutes so you can take a break.

On the day

• Arrive early so you’re set up before doors open
• Stand up and say hello rather than sitting behind the table on your phone
• Note what people pick up and ask about, even if they don’t buy
• Keep a running record of sales, so you know when something is selling out
• Count your cash and stock before you pack down

Afterwards, compare what you took with what each item cost you to make. A busy day can still leave you short if your prices don’t cover materials, time, stall fees and card fees. Our guide on how to price handmade items walks through that sum step by step.

Two apps that help with fair days

Halls and fields often have poor signal, which is why we made Market Day Till. It’s a simple till for your phone or tablet that works offline: tap to log a sale, mark it as cash or card, keep track of stock as you sell and see the day’s takings at a glance. That covers the “record each sale” and “count your stock” jobs above without a notebook.

Before the fair, Stock & Costing helps with the other half: it works out what each product costs to make, including materials, time and packaging, suggests a price that hits your target margin and puts anything running low on a shopping list, so you’re not out of supplies in the middle of December. Both are free to try in your browser and you pay once to keep them, with no subscription.

If you’re making quick stocking fillers, our free leather patterns include a key fob, bookmark, coaster and luggage tag, all of which sit nicely in that small-gift price range.

Ready for fair season?

Print this checklist, tick it off the night before and keep it in your stall box for next time. And if you’d like every tool we make for one payment, the All Apps Bundle includes Market Day Till and Stock & Costing, and you can try each app free first.