Lessons I’ve Learnt 5- To Market, To Market

So you’ve been crafting for a little while and have been receiving lots of encouragement from family and friends to sell your items. Where do you start?
When I started selling there were really only 2 options; selling on consignment and selling via markets. Remember this was in the days before the internet and during a period where shops didn’t want to take the risk of buying stock wholesale and being stuck with it.
At 19 years old I didn’t have the confidence in myself or my product to go down the consignment path so I initially tried the market environment.
Today, there are lots of options for selling your handmade items. Consignment remains popular, wholesale sales have been reinvigorated and of course we now have a myriad of online options.
I understand the allure of selling your wares  online; it’s safe, affordable and non threatening. Consignment and wholesale are not for the novice. There is lots to be learnt about yourself, your product and the business of selling before you go down that path. If you rush in you may not get another chance.
It was in market environments that I got a first hand education via customer feedback about my product, stall display, pricing and branding. It take enormous courage to put yourself out there; to risk hearing negative comments, dealing with rude people, not selling anything and coping with inclement weather.
I still use the Lessons I Learnt selling via markets all those years ago today.I love markets, Customers are relaxed and you meet the nicest people. The next couple of posts will explore selling  at markets. Please post comments if you have experiences about selling at markets to share.