Cash and Carry Items for Your Craft Show Booth: Tips and Ideas for Success

[jenne]

Ok..I have 3 craft show booths coming up. I was thinking about carrying some cash and carry items as follows:

Season's best cookbooks (people seem to love $1 items!)
coffee and more cups with hot cocoa mix in them...as a gift idea
prep bowl gift idea with candies in them
and others....

my question...how exactly do I do this...especially with the season's best...can I order them on a order supply and sell them for $1, or do I order them as a non-commission sale?? The same question with the prep bowls and coffee and more cups...non-commission, or individual order? And then, how much do I sell them for?? Obviously I want to get the full price for the mugs, and cover the cost of the mix added in, but what would be a going price, and is it wrong for me to then make profit off them?? I have never done cash and carry before, so I am just kinda confused about it all...in case you can't tell!!

 

[Nanisu]

I always have light weight stuff: the micro cookers are huge, anything from the supply order (I put them in little 3" terra cotta pots for display), or course the mini serving spatulas. I charge the amount of the item + tax and then round it up or down--if it's closer to the high number I round it up, if it's closer to the low number I make it $.50 (i.r. $16.27 would be $16.50). No shipping. If they order then they pay shipping

 

[chefann]

Technically, if we're selling items at an event, we're supposed to place a personal inventory order for them. There are instructions in the policies and procedures.

 

[ChefPaulaB]

OMG!!! I just made up a whole bunch of price tags for my cash and carry items for my booths coming up and I totally forgot about tax!!!! I am so glad that I read this post!!!! What was I thinking?! Thank you!So, like if you were to sell the Citrus Peeler... 75 cents, 5 cents tax, for 80 cents, you would just round up to $1.00? What about the SB, do you tax those or just go with the dollar?

 

[cactus_flower]

I am confused. I ordered via Personal Inventor for my Nov 1st craft show. My understanding is that I already paid the tax based upon the location where the fair is held. So I was assuming that I should not charge the customer tax. Do I still need to charge them tax to reimburse myself?

 

[Grandmarita]

I'd really like to hear the answer to #5 cactus flowers' question on the tax issue. I would
hate to get in trouble for not charging tax, but also figured I had paid it, and did not
have to collect it a second time for NYS, if I chose to offer NO TAX, NO SHIPPING OR HANDLING, I swallow that expense. Those words seem to be magical in getting folks to buy Cash & Carry. I tell them it is the catalog price less Tax and S/H. On items over $10 you might want to rethink what that amounts to in tax reimbursement. The only profit we make is our commission, and getting our name out in front of folks by stamping the SBCB, if I am correct.

 

[Ginger428]

I'm doing a Christmas Fair the beginning of Dec. so any ideas are a plus!!

 

[ChefPaulaB]

About the tax... now I'm confused too... I just assumed that since I paid tax on these items I should charge to be reimbursed... I don't want to give it away. I'm not charging them S/H, I paid that. I think that people will be happy for that. I'm just planning on putting a price on it that includes tax... I don't know if people will even know that it includes the tax.... hmmmm, you don't agree?

 

[Jules711]

Some people will notice the difference in price. I actually had one of my hosts call and mention it regarding another consultant's booth. She was surprised, but I said it may be to cover tax and s/h the consultant paid. I do the price in the catalog. People like to save.As for the Personal Order, you are supposed to mark it as inventory and order at least 6 of item. Then they do not charge you tax on it b/c you are expected to charge tax.

 

[jenne]

Some people will notice the difference in price. I actually had one of my hosts call and mention it regarding another consultant's booth. She was surprised, but I said it may be to cover tax and s/h the consultant paid. I do the price in the catalog. People like to save.

As for the Personal Order, you are supposed to mark it as inventory and order at least 6 of item. Then they do not charge you tax on it b/c you are expected to charge tax.

Oh dear...I don't want to have to order 6 of them (prep bowls, coffee and more)...I can't afford that. Now I've got everyone confused!! I'll get out my business guide and do some searching...hopefully I can figure out something! Otherwise I guess I'll just have to have the ideas out there and let people know they can order the stuff and put them together themselves. Although I think they'd prefer to just buy it and go....

 

[stefani2]

OH BOY! THIS IS TOO CONFUSING FOR MY SIMPLE MIND - LOL! :blushing:

 

[cactus_flower]

Actually, Grandmarita, on Personal Inventory orders, we do not get commission. But we get our 20% discount when we place the PI order. If we want the buyers to get their warranty, HO says we should write "Personal Inventory Order" on the top of each sales receipt and send the top copy to HO.I have chosen items (i.e. trivets, whisks, and gravy separators) which more than likely won't need to be replaced. So I am not going to fool around with receipts. It seems by HO's regulations that they don't favor "cash & carry". We do get our name out there, but that's about it--no money or commission for us.

 

[Chef Bobby]

I get my cash and carry items from personal orders that I made as a guest. That way tax has already been paid and it goes towards my personal sales. I tell everyone that they are not buying the items from PC but from me, just like a garage sale. If I take an order, then they are buying from PC and they have to pay the local tax. I worked a craft show in the lobby of the La state office of Tax and Revenue and didn't have any problem.
I've sold lots of my used items that I use at shows at the regular price. When I get home I reorder it for myself. That's why my stones look new. I keep selling them.

 

[ChefPaulaB]

So, it sounds like the majority of the people are not charging tax when they sell cash and carry items.... and I correct? I just can't decide. I guess most of my stuff I did get at a discount, so I won't really lose anything to sell it without tax... now, I have to 2 sets of price tags, glad that I didn't get rid of the first bunch... also glad that I haven't gotten around to putting the price tags on before I made up my mind! Thanks for everyone's input!

 

[BethCooks4U]

I never do cash and carry (well, except SB sometimes). I set up displays of ideas and if someone wants the item I take an order and give them a discount (usually 10%) from the catalog price but they pay shipping and handling. If possible I put them together as a show or add the order to a show. If they live a distance from me they pay direct shipping. I remind them that they don't have to carry the item around.

My purpose of doing fairs is to get leads for shows and recruits and I consider sales a bonus. Sometimes dealing with selling at the booth would take you away from someone that will give you so much more by having a show or joining your team.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

In addition to what Beth just posted - I have found that when I had cash and carry items, bookings and orders were much less. It seemed like people were content buying the SB or QK knife, and didn't bother with placing a larger order or show more interest in booking a show.
The most successful booths I've done have been when I took gift ideas for people to see, and displayed the upcoming Host specials in an attractive way.
I also seem to be able to sell spices well - I bring them and let people smell them.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I also seem to be able to sell spices well - I bring them and let people smell them.

I have taken spices with me too but didn't like all those people sticking their noses in my spices so I got some of those plastic cases that you can put your daily pills in and put samples of the spices in each space. That way I have all of them in a more compact space and people get to check them out before buying.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I have taken spices with me too but didn't like all those people sticking their noses in my spices so I got some of those plastic cases that you can put your daily pills in and put samples of the spices in each space. That way I have all of them in a more compact space and people get to check them out before buying.

That's a GREAT idea!:thumbup: Did you use a label maker or something to label the little boxes?

 

[BethCooks4U]

That's a GREAT idea!:thumbup: Did you use a label maker or something to label the little boxes?

A label maker is a good idea. I have PC stickers - it's a sheet of stickers from Merrill - comes with a couple of large label and several small ones, just the right size. And then I wrote in the name of each spice. The label was perfect to cover the MTWTFSS on the case.

 

[jenne]

These are great ideas!! Thanks so much. I have decided to have the ideas out for display, and maybe have a piece of paper with them as to what to order to make the gift. My goal at the next few booths was to get some bookings anyhow, so I guess I should just really keep that my focus. Maybe I'll push the homemade for the holidays shows...then they can have more gift giving ideas...

Anyhow...Thanks again...keep the ideas coming!!