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What I have learned...

September 2nd, 2013 at 11:43 pm

Well, we have three months of having the booth under our belts.

I finished doing the paperwork today to see how we did.

One thing I learned is people around here do not buy deviled egg dishes. I sold the ones I had for what we had in them to a kind lady who was going to give them to a friend to replace the ones he lost due to divorce. I feel fortunate I didn't lose money.

Another thing I learned is to look at what everyone else has in their booths and not buy the same stuff. If it isn't selling in their booths, chances are it isn't going to sell in ours. So, we usually do a sweep every month to see what everyone has and look for different items.

In an earlier post I told my husband that we have to buy things that we ourselves might not like, but because someone else might collect it. It is difficult to do this because we usually gravitate to those items we ourselves like, but I have some things in our booth that I personally would not want. But we all have different likes.

In a previous post someone suggested to buy in such a way you can mark the price up to three times the amount. Sage advice, I might add.

I have been listening to what my friends say they buy and look for those items. One friend likes snowmen so when I find them reasonable, I pick them up and am storing most of them for more seasonable shopping, although I have a couple of things out. Another friend likes bird items and she has been a very faithful customer.

I think another thing I've learned is I have to do what I call, "hustle." I post photos on Facebook each week of stuff. I email people when I have items I think they might like. I move items around in the booth and exchange things out every few weeks so it looks different. We have seen booths that have looked the same for months. I wonder how they even make booth rent.

Our booth is small. I have it pretty packed. In all honesty, it has been fun.

So, I'm pleased to report that for the first month we broke even. The second month we made about $24. And last month we made about $36 after paying expenses.

We are using the profits to buy more items, but I think the education has been a benefit as well. I have no desire to go into business for myself, but it has been enjoyable.

4 Responses to “What I have learned...”

  1. LuckyRobin Says:
    1378166284

    Good job. From what I've seen and read, most of those booths don't make a profit, so you are ahead of the game.

  2. Thrifty Ray Says:
    1378177560

    Sounds like you are doing a good job of researching and knowing your market. Glad to hear your profits are increasing each month!

  3. pretty cheap jewelry Says:
    1378246568

    It's called 'promotion' and sounds better than hustle. Love the tip of looking at others and learning to not make the same mistake "look at what everyone else has in their booths and not buy the same stuff". But find it surprising there is ANYTHING you can mark up 3 times and still sell. Don't people comparison shop?! We have been known to stand in antique stores and check the price of an item on ebay before we buy. Keep the updates coming!

  4. Looking Forward Says:
    1379278492

    Sound like a fun hobby for you and DH, with making profit an added bonus.

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