Collette Costello Manchester Evening News

How to Sell at Vintage Fashion Fairs

How to Sell at Vintage Fashion Fairs

I did my first ever local vintage fair at the age of just 21, with a hand-painted sign and homemade aprons.  This is where I kick started my business career with a home based business. Selling vintage fashion, gifts that I had made myself.  

Vintage, craft, local markets are a good place to start selling. Unlike the risk of owning a shop. you can hire a stall for the weekend. Test which of your products are more popular with customers.

Unlike on the internet, usually if you get your stock in front of people they are more likely to buy. A market is a great place to test which designs will sell, at what price and to get your brand out there.

I have taken part in quite a few vintage fashion market. Including “The Vintage Village” Manchester. On average I would sell £250+ per day and that was over 10 years ago. So here are my top tips:

  • Stall Position – Experienced craft fair stall holders. Will make sure they have a good position. Facing outwards and near the front.
  • Stall Layout – Full, busy market stalls attract attention. Give customers a chance to rummage and spend time there.
  • Customers – People looking at your stall will attract more customers. An empty stall can be intimidating, so try standing round the front tidying stock when its quiet.
  • Look Busy – Stall holders watching puts off customers. Simply say hello to be friendly and busy yourself with sorting fashion stock.
  • Display Brand – Your stall is a great advertising opportunity. Display your brand name and social media links clearly to customers.
  • Clear Prices – Have really big clear prices. Customers often won’t bother asking the price, if they are on display it will encourage a sale.
  • Expensive & Cheap – As a rule items under £10 sell best. Combine your cheaper items with a few more expensive ones.
  • Add Sale Labels – Add labels like today only price. Two for one and sample sale, to your fashion items to encourage customers to buy now.
  • Reduce Prices – During the day reduce prices if not selling. Make it clear to customers you have done this, better to go home with a profit than loads of stock.
  • Gifts Items – Customers at vintage markets are usually buying gifts. So offer personalised items for friends and family.
  • Refuse to Pay Organisers – If you feel the market was a waste of time. No customers, no sales. Refuse to pay the organisers as you are paying them to promote the event, bring in customers.
  • Sell Handbags & Purses – Fill your vintage fashion market stall with items that don’t need trying on. Reducing issues with fit and changing rooms.
  • Don’t Sell Shoes – Shoes you need to have available in all different sizes and they can take up loads of room on your stall.

Fashion has reputation for being a hard, risky business to succeed. Always be carefully before spending any money. I hope my experiences help you in some way, however you may find what did not work for me, will work for you. So please let me know about about your experiences.