When most people think of a farmers market, they probably picture fresh produce, baked goods, flowers, handmade soap and relatively inexpensive crafty and handmade items.
They probably don't picture a $600 handmade sterling silver necklace.
But maybe they should.
We sell at two local farmers markets regularly, and one thing I've learned after years of selling jewelry in person is this:
Don't assume what your customers are willing to spend.
Our booth has a HUGE range of prices.
You can walk in and buy a simple sterling silver stacking ring for around $25.
You can also walk out wearing a completely handmade sterling silver chain that costs several hundred dollars.
And yes—we actually sell them.
Farmers Markets Aren't Necessarily "Cheap" Markets
I think makers sometimes make the mistake of assuming that because they're selling at a farmers market, everything in their booth needs to be inexpensive.
I understand why.
People might be walking through the market buying tomatoes, bread and a cup of coffee. Are they really going to suddenly spend $300, $400 or even $600 on a piece of jewelry?
Sometimes, yes.
We've sold plenty of higher-priced jewelry at our local markets, including handmade chains, Oregon Sunstone necklaces and statement rings.
This year alone, we've sold everything from approximately $25 stacking rings to a $600 handmade Byzantine chain necklace at a farmers market.
The customer buying the $25 ring and the customer buying the $600 necklace can absolutely be shopping at the same market.
Sometimes they're even the same customer!
“Your Prices Are Too High for This Market”
Early on in my vending adventures, I actually had another vendor tell me once that my jewelry was too expensive for the market we were at.
She looked at my prices, basically wished me “good luck,” and clearly didn't think customers were going to spend that kind of money there.
Well...
I ended up having a GREAT sales day. 😆
That experience stuck with me because it reinforced something I've learned over and over again: you really can't decide what customers at a particular market are willing to spend.
And neither can the vendor in the booth next to you.
What feels expensive to one person may feel completely reasonable to someone else—especially when they understand the materials, workmanship and time that went into making it.
It also reminded me not to price my work based on other vendors' opinions of what something should cost.
Know your costs. Know the value of your work. Pay attention to what your actual customers are telling you with their purchases.
They're the opinions that matter.
Having Different Price Points Works for Us
One of the things that works particularly well in our booth is having a wide range of prices. If you're thinking about what to bring to your next market, our post on making what sells at handmade markets goes deeper on this.
We have what I sometimes think of as our "bread and butter" jewelry—stacking rings, earrings, studs and other pieces that are relatively affordable and easy to purchase.
Then we have our more expensive work.
Those might be larger one-of-a-kind gemstone pieces or Will's completely handmade sterling silver chains.
Not everyone who walks into our booth is going to buy a $400 necklace.
They don't need to.
We need plenty of customers buying $25, $40, $60 and $100 pieces, too.
But if we decided ahead of time that "people at farmers markets won't spend $400 on jewelry," we wouldn't bring those pieces.
And then we definitely wouldn't sell them.
Give Customers Something to Work Up To
There's another benefit to having more expensive pieces in your booth: they give customers something to come back for.
We've had people look at a piece multiple times before finally buying it.
They may see us one weekend, try something on and think about it.
Then they come back.
That's one of the huge advantages of selling at a regular local market. Customers know where to find us.
A $30 pair of earrings might be an impulse purchase.
A several-hundred-dollar handmade chain usually isn't.
And that's OK.
Not everything in your booth needs to sell immediately.
Higher-Priced Items Can Help Establish the Value of Everything Else
There's also something interesting that happens when you have a range of prices.
A substantial handmade chain that costs several hundred dollars helps customers understand that they're shopping for actual handmade jewelry—not mass-produced accessories.
Our chains aren't purchased wholesale and finished with a clasp.
They start with solid sterling silver wire. Every link is formed, soldered, shaped, finished and polished by hand by Will.
Most take many hours to make.
When customers see those pieces and hear how they're made, it helps tell the story of our entire booth.
It also puts the rest of our pricing into perspective.
Suddenly, a $50 or $75 handmade piece doesn't seem particularly expensive.
Yes, We Put Price Tags on Everything
Yes—even the expensive stuff.
Every piece of jewelry in our booth has a visible price tag.
Our rings usually have the ring size written on one side of the tag and the price on the other.
Necklaces and handmade chains have their prices clearly marked, too.
And sometimes that number is a little scary. 😆
But we don't hide it.
I don't want someone to fall in love with a piece and then have to awkwardly ask, "How much is this?" only to discover that it's way outside their budget. I'd rather let customers browse comfortably, look at prices and decide for themselves what they want to spend.
And we don't apologize for our prices.
We use high-quality materials (a lot is made in the USA). Sterling silver is expensive. Gemstones and sea glass can be expensive. And some of our handmade pieces take many hours to make.
Our time and experience have value, too.
We also don't automatically offer discounts just because someone hesitates at the price. We've priced our work where we believe it needs to be based on our materials, labor and the value of the finished piece.
Some customers will look at a $400 or $600 necklace and decide it's too expensive for them.
That's completely fine.
Another customer will look at the same necklace, appreciate the workmanship and say, "Can I try that on?"
That's the customer it was made for.
You don't need to apologize for charging appropriately for good work. And you definitely don't need to hide the price tag.
Presentation Matters
If you're going to sell higher-priced work at a farmers market, I do think your booth needs to support it.
That doesn't mean you need an elaborate art-gallery-style display.
We certainly don't.
But your booth should be clean, organized and professional.
Higher-priced pieces should be easy to see. Customers should be able to pick them up or try them on when appropriate. And you should be able to explain what makes the piece special without giving someone a ten-minute sales pitch.
Let the workmanship speak for itself.
We also make sure our customers know we're established makers who stand behind our work. For our handmade chains, for example, we guarantee them and offer free polishing.
When someone is spending several hundred dollars with a small business at a farmers market, trust matters. And, we want our customers to leave happy.
Know Your Market
Now, does this mean you can take a $1,000 item to absolutely any farmers market and expect it to sell?
Of course not.
Markets are different.
Some markets attract tourists. Some have loyal local shoppers. Some draw people who appreciate art and handmade work. Others are primarily focused on groceries.
This is one reason I think there's so much value in doing the same good markets consistently.
Over time, you learn your customers.
You learn what they buy.
You learn what price points work.
And your customers learn who you are.
We've been pleasantly surprised more than once by what sells at our regular markets. And sometimes, even a well-planned market day doesn't go as expected—if that's happened to you, you might relate to what we've learned when a vendor event doesn't go as planned.
Don't Price Based on Where You're Selling
This may be the biggest lesson.
Your handmade work shouldn't suddenly be worth less because you're standing under a canopy instead of inside a gallery or boutique.
Your materials still cost the same.
Your labor still has value.
Your experience still has value.
And a piece that took hours to make didn't become less valuable because you're selling it next to someone selling strawberries.
If anything, meeting the actual maker can make a handmade piece MORE meaningful.
The customer gets to talk to the person who made it.
They can ask questions.
They can learn how it was made and where the materials came from.
That's something they aren't going to get from a jewelry counter at the mall.
If you're curious about why our own prices have changed over time, we wrote about that too: why our jewelry prices have increased—and why we're standing by sterling silver.
Let Your Customers Decide What They Can Afford
I think this is where makers can unintentionally get in their own way.
We look at something we've made and think:
"Nobody is going to pay that much."
Or:
"That's too expensive for this market."
But we're making that decision for the customer.
Don't.
Price your work appropriately.
Bring a variety of price points.
Make your booth welcoming.
Explain the value when customers are interested.
And then let them decide.
Some people will think your work is too expensive.
That's perfectly fine.
They're probably not your customer.
Someone else may walk into your booth, try on that expensive piece you've been hauling back and forth to markets for months, look in the mirror and say:
"I'll take it."
And trust me—that's a pretty great market day. 😊
Looking for more ways to boost your results at markets? We've put together some of our best tips to help increase your craft sales at markets.