There are costs associated with creating and selling art. What they are can vary, depending on the volume of a supply you buy, how much is involved in the art you are creating, and the very practical costs of keeping a site up and running &/or setting up a vendor space.
I committed early on to sharing the journey I'm on and including a lot of practical information along the way. Here is a list of some of the potential costs - some that probably seem obvious but some you might not have thought about (I know there are some I was surprised by):
Basic supplies for the craft -- this is literally everything you have to buy to make what you're making. It can include earring hooks, necklace chains or ropes, charms, beads, wire or stretch chord, necklace clasps, jump rings, the pliers or other tools needed to construct all of these things (along with the boxes or spaces to store all of these supplies!
Basic supplies for the business -- business cards, a website (including an email and maybe a phone number), the e-commerce capabilities needed to actually sell things on that site (Wix is great because the e-commerce site comes with that system already built in!). If you're going to sell things in person you also need a Point of Sale system. There are a lot to choose from - one of the things I love about Wix is that I can designate whether something is visible in my online store, or on my in person pos. Either way it keeps track of my inventory so I don't have to worry so much about selling the same item twice. There will be costs attached to processing and payout of each sale, including tax and financial fees. And, if you're going to vend in person, let's not forget the display equipment, the tables, tablecloths, a chair, the plastic bags for each item or bags for sales or .... you get the idea. There's also the pop up tent (I'm going to devote an entire post to the tent - it's that important). One of the markets I tried out early on required me to have my own insurance policy. Some events cover you with their policy. I'm really glad I got my policy and was really glad I got it for the very reasonable cost that I did!
Shipping costs - this includes the package for shipping (yes, sometimes the best way to ship is a way that includes the box, but not often), and keep in mind the time and energy of doing this. When you buy something through my online store the shipping is already included.
If you are vending, there are also costs for doing the shows. Some shows are $50 or less for a spot. Some are over $100 -- I've seen some $475 or more. Ideally you will make more than the cost to be there, but that isn't guaranteed! I've also seen some shows that have a fee to be there and require a percentage of your sales. If you're selling food, make sure you find out the costs for food vendors that might be different from art vendors. You'll also want to keep track of food, drinks, snacks, etc. That is a very practical part of spending your day at an all day event.
What's the point of a market special? It's a perk for putting on pants and coming out in person to share that human interaction. I value that immensely! It's why I started vending instead of only starting the online store. And while I do hope to start doing more sales online in time to be able to avoid some of the hotter weekends this summer, I really enjoy the face to face.
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