How To Be A Good Vendor… And Get Invited Back Next Year!

What To Do At Vendor Markets

Selling at markets and fairs is more than just researching, applying and showing up — it's also about being professional, positive, and a joy to work with. Organizers remember vendors who make their jobs easier. After doing hundreds of events, here's what consistently will help you get invited back (besides having a great product):

Be Reliable

• Apply early and pay your fees on time.
• Arrive early and set up on time. Late arrivals can lose their spot or get moved.
• Communicate with organizers promptly and clearly.
• Follow all vendor rules.

Be Respectful

• Respect your neighbors. Stay in your space, keep scents and music reasonable, and be friendly.
• Park in vendor-designated spots so customers have room to shop.
• Follow unloading and loading rules. Unload your car and move it quickly. Don't load your car until you are completely ready to leave.

Show Support

• Promote the event on social media — events notice when you help bring customers. Be sure to tag the event in your posts!
• Clean up after closing. Leave your space better than you found it.

Help Fellow Vendors

• Booth sit or keep an eye out when your neighbor needs a bathroom break.
• Share tools, equipment, supplies (I've shared Square readers, bungee cords, tape, pens… I've borrowed table cloths, duct tape, notebooks and more).
• Kindness goes a long way!

Look & Be Professional

• Keep a neat and inviting booth that makes it easy for customers to browse.
• Be gracious and positive. "Thank you" and positive feedback go a long way!

What NOT To Do As A Vendor At Markets

Not all vendor behavior is obvious — especially if you're newer to markets. Over the years, we've seen just about everything… and some things come up again and again. If you want to be invited back (and build a good reputation), here are the biggest mistakes to avoid:

⛔️ Vendor Behavior That Can Ruin Your Reputation

• Playing loud music, shows, or video games in your booth (headphones exist for a reason — especially for kids! This is a huge pet peeve of mine 🤣)
• Not bringing proper tent weights and expecting your neighbors to hold your tent down — this is a safety issue, not a favor. (A flying tent can cause injuries and ruin inventory.)
• Showing up late and expecting other vendors and organizers to accommodate you.
• Complaining loudly about sales, customers, weather, or the event itself (people can hear you — including customers and organizers.)

⛔️ Booth Setup & Space Etiquette Mistakes

• Letting your booth, signage or display spill into aisles or neighboring spaces.
• Using another vendor's booth space to unload your setup (especially while they're actively setting up — this happens more than you'd think!)
• Treating other booths as walkways or shortcuts to food, bathrooms, etc.
• Staying set up long after the event ends (organizers and volunteers are ready to wrap up and go home, too!)

⛔️ Selling & Rule-Breaking Issues

• Selling items you didn't apply with or weren't approved to sell.
• Bringing resell items to a handmade-only event (even worse — claiming you made them when you didn't… "Made in China" does not equal handmade!)
• Selling inappropriate or off-theme items for the event.

⛔️ Respecting the Event and Other Vendors

• Ignoring parking, load-in, and load-out rules (in other words, don't leave your vehicle and trailer in a prime loading zone for 2 hours while everyone is trying to set up or leave!)
• Hawking, aggressively selling, or trying to pull customers away from neighboring booths.
• Treating the event like a competition instead of a shared space.

⛔️ Kids, Pets & Booth Awareness

• Letting children run around the market or festival unattended.
• Allowing kids to enter or play in other vendors' booths (no one wants to be the person who has to say, "Come get your kid!")
• Clean up after your pet… need I say more? 🙄
• Keep your pet leashed and contained (yes, your dog is adorable. No, I don't want him sleeping in my tent or under my tables!)

Straight From a Market Manager: What Drives Organizers Crazy

We asked Jody Eaton, manager of the Corvallis Makers Market (where we sell on Saturdays!), to share her biggest vendor pet peeves. Her list is a good reminder that organizers are watching — and they remember:

• Not being truthful about your products. If you claim something is handmade and it obviously isn't, organizers will notice. Integrity matters — and so does the reputation of the entire market.
• Being arrogant. No one vendor is more important than another. A market works because everyone shows up with the same respect for the space and each other. Don't act entitled.
• Ignoring instructions and rules — whether verbal or written. Rules exist for a reason. If you're told something, follow through.
• Being a stand-by vendor who's never available. If you're on the stand-by list but consistently can't be reached or can't commit when called, expect to be removed.
• Being chronically unprepared. Forgetting supplies, not knowing how to set up your tent, needing constant hand-holding — it puts a burden on organizers and other vendors.
• Not completing paperwork, insurance, or other requirements. You agreed to the rules when you applied. Follow through. No exceptions.

The bottom line from Jody: rules are rules. Markets run smoothly when vendors take their responsibilities seriously — and the ones who don't tend not to get invited back.

💡 A Quick Reality Check

Most of these issues aren't just minor annoyances — they're things event organizers notice. And when it comes time to invite vendors back next year, they absolutely remember:

• Who DIDN'T follow the rules
• Who WASN'T respectful or easy to work with
• Who made the event harder than it needed to be

Markets, craft fairs and art festivals are a small community — and your reputation travels fast.

Be a vendor that:

• Shows up prepared
• Respects the space and others
• Helps promote the event
• Supports other vendors
• Follows the rules

Do those things consistently, and you'll stand out — for all the right reasons. If you make the organizer's job easier and contribute positively to the market atmosphere, you won't have to wonder whether you'll be invited back — you probably will be.

Looking for more vendor tips? Check out our Vendor Checklist for Craft Fairs & Holiday Markets and tips for getting customers into your booth.