How much should I expect to make at my first craft fair?
Most first shows are about hitting a clear break-even target and learning your real profit per hour, not walking away with a huge payday.
The Narrative (Left Column)
The Empathy
The first show is a swirl of energy: you spend weeks making inventory, set up before sunrise, and finally see real customers pick things up and pay. Then the day ends and you're holding a stack of receipts, a booth fee invoice, and a mix of excitement and doubt. The cash box looks good, but once you subtract materials, card fees, and gas, the number shrinks fast. It's hard to tell if you did great, just okay, or totally missed the mark—especially when it was your very first time out.
The Education
Research from craft fair organizers and seller surveys consistently points to two benchmarks that matter most for first-time vendors: a break-even sales target and profit per hour. A common rule of thumb is to aim for sales at least 2–4x the booth fee to cover direct event costs (booth, payment fees, packaging, travel) and leave room for materials and labor. If your booth fee is $75, that suggests a sales target of roughly $150–$300 just to clear the event overhead. From there, calculate profit per hour by subtracting materials and event costs from sales, then divide by the hours you spent at the show and on setup. This makes it easier to compare shows: a $350 day across 10 hours with $170 in costs is $18 per hour, while a $500 day with $230 in costs is $27 per hour. Those numbers are far more useful than gross sales alone.
The Solution
Treat the first craft fair as a data-rich test run. Build a simple price ladder (small impulse items, mid-range gifts, and a few higher-ticket pieces) because research shows a mix of price points lifts conversion and total cart value. Track three numbers the day of the event: total sales, total variable costs (materials + card fees), and total hours. When you get home, compare your sales to the 2–4x booth fee target and log your profit per hour. With just one show's data you can set a realistic next goal—maybe increasing average transaction value by $5 or adding five extra impulse items—and make confident decisions about the next fair.
