Why bother

[xy mosian]

Craft fairs? a waste of time ....

Sorry to cut off the quote. I was involved with craft fairs quite frequently at one time. The only others involved who made any money were the ones renting out the stalls. Same with the Californian gold rush. Who made most money? Those selling picks and shovels!

xy

 

[Jacob]

.....
Craft fairs? a waste of time unless they are dedent ones, most opf them are full of kits that have bee assembled or imported tat that people have finished. Punters notice the price not the quality at these events.......

But you never know without trying. It could be a rubbish fair all round but it only takes one good buyer to make it worth while. Might even lead to repeat orders. Important to have your card or other literature for them to take away. People come back months or even years later.
See a rubbish fair as an aspect of advertising which might pay off at some point, if not immediately. Other makers often invited their own private or trade customers who might be interested in your stuff.

 

[billw]

What an interesting thread - I think many people who buy furniture from Ikea/Argos don't even realise a lot of it isn't actually real wood, and in fact if you peeled off the laminate to demonstrate they'd probably just think that's what wood "looks like inside".

 

[topconker]

I build and repair fly rods as a hobby.
To wrap a guide as a repair which includes the epoxy coating is £5.
A chap asked the other day how much to "fix his rod" where 2 of the guides needed re-doing, I quoted £10 and he nearly had a fit saying the rod wasnt worth much more.
OK, says I do it yourself or buy another rubbish rod.
Bet he buys another rod cos he can't re-wrap the guides, it takes time and effort to learn together with the right gear, something Joe public just doesn't appreciate.
Yet others who I've built for or have re-conditioned expensive rods for are delighted with the standard of work and skill involved.

As a friend told me the other day, "Buy cheap, Cost dear"!!!

TC