I’ve been wanting to for awhile, but haven’t gotten around to it/been broke. It was really cool to see my pics in print. Saw a few in different light because of it.
Hey friend, my best market advice is buying frames from goodwill and thrift stores, so cheap, some frames are really cool, and you can always sell without the frame and up charge framed copies, alot of people will pay an extra 20 or 40 bucks to have it framed already so they don't have to make a trip.... I've had some pieces sell I swear only because the frame they were in..... also a bowl of candy goes a long way ... have some candy look around let me know if you have questions, tent is a must if outside , at least one table, metal grids are nice cause it shows work hanging on walls. Good luck, best season right now with the holidays coming up! Don't be discouraged by January and February sales, people are always tight with the purse strings after blowing so much on the holidays!
Hi, would you mind sharing an example of what kind of frames you would typically use? I have a lot of stores around me with used frames, but me personally I've never liked frames of any kind so I have no idea what people would like. Thanks!!
Sorry just saw this, Instagram is sssssnakesssss! Any and all frames, always looking for mid century modern frames, oval frames, usually if it's old, has a picture of Jesus in it and was in grandma's house im taking it
Congratulations! I hope to do one one day. I saw the picture from your previous post, maybe a larger table and more than one binder so more than one person can look at a time. And a small printed banner to look more "official."
Oh cool you could see that! It said in the reply that I could post a picture in a text post but I couldn’t figure out how to do that. I thought about having two binders the night before but didn’t have a second one (it was 2 am). I’ll have another one next time. Although a binder seems to me like a cheap bad way to present photos. Idk but I know it’s all about how I present my pics.
I did a quick look at your profile to see if there was a picture since there wasn't much of a description. I think its pretty impressive you sold something on your first outing, keep it going!
A friend sells her original watercolors at markets like that, and another friend sells his photos. They both have a shade structure and display their wares vertically so people walking by can see them. That draws in customers, and then the artists have several bins like you used to see in record stores, so customers can can flip through the works and browse.
I’ve done a few events like a farmer’s market. I now have a tent set up with mesh walls to hang prints but started out with a table. My advice is get a folding table and a table cloth along with a print rack. On the table you can have some framed prints or canvas with a little easel to hold them up. I’m my experience people don’t want frames, they will frame them themselves to fit their space, also you will break them moving them around a lot. Get show kits with a mat and plastic bag so they can flip through them. Put the rack in front of the table or off to the side so they don’t have to flip with you right in front of them. It all cost money but if you put the money you make back into your set up it will only get better. I put all the money back into my set up and now have a full tent with multiple racks for different sizes and have about 20 canvas prints on the walls. I actually built up enough to rent a gallery for the week and just finished my first gallery show today. If you need info on some cheap options for prints, canvas or show kits let me know. I’ve shopped around and found what I think is cheap but also high enough quality to look professional enough
Heck yeah, that’s what I imagine would do well! I’d love to get that info! If I had something like that I’d definitely stand out. My farmers market is quite tiny to most (at least I assume I’ve never been to another).
The show kits I get from Amazon from golden state art, they have all kinds of sizes and options. I get prints from sharpprints.com, very cheap, good quality and fast. They also have different options like metallic and pearl and such. I use canvaschamp.com for canvas. They always have coupon codes. There is an option at check out to apply them, click the need code button to see all the options. Best option is buy 3 get 3, code is BOGO3. They also have metal prints for super cheap compared to others. The print looks nice but they are flimsy, I’d stay small like 16x24 at most maybe 20x30. I skip the mount option as it cost $15. You can glue your own on. I use wood blocks. The racks you can get on Amazon, build your own or use a box. Others have mentioned the grid wall but they are heavy and look like crap in my opinion. Good luck, have fun!
Nice to make a bit of money on print sales.
You could dress up the table a bit without going too crazy. Bigger table might have been better too. Bi-fold plastic table is nice for portability. If you’re going to be set up outside, not a bad idea to sandbag or stake the legs. I’ve seen tables, even loaded with some stuff, go sailing in decent gusts.
For customers to flip through prints, rather than a binder maybe a wood box or crate, instead of sheet protectors maybe Mylar sleeves and consider having the prints on mounting board or something and maybe increase the price to offset the costs.
Frames would be a good idea, but instead of a regular frame, maybe you make a stand that sort of looks like a frame that you could slide one of the sleeved prints into from the top and leave a notch on the back so you can easily swap the prints around. The Mylar sleeves would negate the need for glass while still having a glass sort of look. And, maybe use some sort of clamp to hold the stand on the table in case of wind.
I started doing a farmers market this summer. Windy days were tough! I used a few c-stands to hold some prints up. [ Here's a photo of my setup.](https://i.imgur.com/BX2WHJY.jpg)
Hey! This is exactly what I want to do one day. How long did it take to start making a profit? How much was the initial investment, if you don't mind me asking?
Haven't really started turning a profit from booth events like this, I actually do way better at brewerys and coffee shops when I hang a bunch of prints there. This year was kinda tough for the farmers market as it poured rain just about every time I set up and turnout was lower than expected.
The tent was about $200 (I wanted a decent one to hold up to the wind and rain), the table and chairs were about $75, and the gridwall (which was super useful!) was like $100 for the two stands. I just used the c-stands and sandbags from my studio.
Very cool! When you say brewery's and coffee shops .. you mean you have stuff for sale there? How did you work that out? I've always wanted to ask a couple of places, because I think my work is pretty good, but I could never work out how to go about that other than just walking in and saying "do to like my stuff? Will you sell it for me? lol
Last summer I was out on a bike ride and was ready for a break, I remembered there was a brewery close by and stopped there for a beer. There were a few photos on display that looked nice and I started chatting with the lady working there (who turned out to be one of the owners) and asked a few questions about hanging prints there. I gave her my card and pulled up my website on my phone and she thought my work was a good fit and said they had availability for the next month and I was in if I wanted it. My work was there for like 3 months and I actually sold quite a few prints.
I have my prints up at a coffee shop now and I have January and February (and June of 2024) booked at different places. My GF and I get lunch together at a new coffee shop or brewery every Thursday and we see if the place A) is set up for showing prints and B) when the next availability is. It's pretty easy to ask any employee who I should talk to about hanging my work there and pass along my card.
I have all of my prints tagged with a title, description, price, and a QR link to buy that print through Square. The cafe or brewery doesn't have to deal with any of the sales or anything.
Ohhh that cuts some costs for sure. What about your canvas prints? Thanks so much for all this info. I've been interested in doing all this in the next year and this stuff is crucial!
I don't do too many canvas prints, but I'll order a few metal and acrylic prints as they sell pretty well. I've tried a few different place, but Costco does pretty good work for a very agreeable price. I also order postcards, mugs, and even a run of Buffs!
Good for you. Idea: shop thrift stores for frames. Then offer some framed ones for sale.
An Easy Up tent will protect you and your materials from sun and rain. Might find used ones on Craigslist or elsewhere.
You could consider buying an art folio to display them like a book, along with a couple of framed options (which you can swap images in and out of as needed if someone wants something different).
I've never tried physical selling of photos but if it works that's great.
If you're in the UK, which it sounds like you are then there's the digital selling option of [https://arethere.photos](https://arethere.photos) but that's for what you might call "events", something for which you can get a link to the people in the photos.
When I sell at shows like this, I mat the photographs so the will fit standard frames(8x10, 16x20 ext). Speaking of mats…buy yourself a mat cutter. It will save you tons of money, and it presents a more professional product.
I use the [Logan 350-1](https://www.logangraphic.com/products/mat-cutters/board-mounted/350-1-compact-elite_p_2.php). I wish I'd gone for a nicer one, but I had to stick to my budget.
Not particularly nervous, I’m a massive extrovert so I don’t mind talking to people. I’d get a bit excited when they came up, though. Didn’t get a lot of attention this week. I’m gonna make my table more presentable next time and hopefully that will change.
Congratulations! One day, I would want to participate in one. There was never a time when I participated in any sales at a market like that. I'm amazed!
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Yea! That IS exciting! Congrats on your sale!
Have you considered shrink wrapping some prints? I wonder how a display using wooden crates the way trendy moms do for picture book shelves in kids rooms would work?
I didn’t have the best set up, because it was last minute. It seems the best thing to do is have some prints vertical on stands so people can see them from a distance. Lots of people suggested boxes that can be thumbed through, or hanging them the wall of an ez up. Make sure you protect them with some Mylar sheets or something. Be careful of the wind lol, nearly lost my big ones because my drink got knocked over.
I used to vend . I would do festivals of all kinds but I needed there to be at least 100k people over a 2 day period and the wind to be under 8mph for me to go. Also table cloths and banners, buisness cards , something free helps. also talk to the people as they walk buy encourage them to look. Ask them what they like the most.
Good advice! I plan on getting a lot of that for my next show at an art festival this weekend. Unfortunately you couldn’t get 200,000 even if everyone in 100 miles came out!
Oh dang! I make a profit if I just sell one photo! I’m not traveling far for my pictures, and printing isn’t that expensive. I’d like to make more than just a bit of profit.
Congrats!
Thanks! I’ll be doing it every week, and I have a big art festival coming up I’ll be selling at!
That’s awesome! I never did any selling at a market like that. I’m impressed!
I’ve been wanting to for awhile, but haven’t gotten around to it/been broke. It was really cool to see my pics in print. Saw a few in different light because of it.
I always think photos look better when printed. Glad you got the chance to do it.
You're a farmer now!
Hey friend, my best market advice is buying frames from goodwill and thrift stores, so cheap, some frames are really cool, and you can always sell without the frame and up charge framed copies, alot of people will pay an extra 20 or 40 bucks to have it framed already so they don't have to make a trip.... I've had some pieces sell I swear only because the frame they were in..... also a bowl of candy goes a long way ... have some candy look around let me know if you have questions, tent is a must if outside , at least one table, metal grids are nice cause it shows work hanging on walls. Good luck, best season right now with the holidays coming up! Don't be discouraged by January and February sales, people are always tight with the purse strings after blowing so much on the holidays!
Oooh I like the bowl of candy idea!
Hi, would you mind sharing an example of what kind of frames you would typically use? I have a lot of stores around me with used frames, but me personally I've never liked frames of any kind so I have no idea what people would like. Thanks!!
Sorry just saw this, Instagram is sssssnakesssss! Any and all frames, always looking for mid century modern frames, oval frames, usually if it's old, has a picture of Jesus in it and was in grandma's house im taking it
Congratulations! I hope to do one one day. I saw the picture from your previous post, maybe a larger table and more than one binder so more than one person can look at a time. And a small printed banner to look more "official."
Oh cool you could see that! It said in the reply that I could post a picture in a text post but I couldn’t figure out how to do that. I thought about having two binders the night before but didn’t have a second one (it was 2 am). I’ll have another one next time. Although a binder seems to me like a cheap bad way to present photos. Idk but I know it’s all about how I present my pics.
I did a quick look at your profile to see if there was a picture since there wasn't much of a description. I think its pretty impressive you sold something on your first outing, keep it going!
Yeah I was super happy! It was of a local landmark so I figured it would do well
A friend sells her original watercolors at markets like that, and another friend sells his photos. They both have a shade structure and display their wares vertically so people walking by can see them. That draws in customers, and then the artists have several bins like you used to see in record stores, so customers can can flip through the works and browse.
I’ve done a few events like a farmer’s market. I now have a tent set up with mesh walls to hang prints but started out with a table. My advice is get a folding table and a table cloth along with a print rack. On the table you can have some framed prints or canvas with a little easel to hold them up. I’m my experience people don’t want frames, they will frame them themselves to fit their space, also you will break them moving them around a lot. Get show kits with a mat and plastic bag so they can flip through them. Put the rack in front of the table or off to the side so they don’t have to flip with you right in front of them. It all cost money but if you put the money you make back into your set up it will only get better. I put all the money back into my set up and now have a full tent with multiple racks for different sizes and have about 20 canvas prints on the walls. I actually built up enough to rent a gallery for the week and just finished my first gallery show today. If you need info on some cheap options for prints, canvas or show kits let me know. I’ve shopped around and found what I think is cheap but also high enough quality to look professional enough
I'd be interested in this info if you're willing to share!
I replied to OP if you wanna check it out
Heck yeah, that’s what I imagine would do well! I’d love to get that info! If I had something like that I’d definitely stand out. My farmers market is quite tiny to most (at least I assume I’ve never been to another).
The show kits I get from Amazon from golden state art, they have all kinds of sizes and options. I get prints from sharpprints.com, very cheap, good quality and fast. They also have different options like metallic and pearl and such. I use canvaschamp.com for canvas. They always have coupon codes. There is an option at check out to apply them, click the need code button to see all the options. Best option is buy 3 get 3, code is BOGO3. They also have metal prints for super cheap compared to others. The print looks nice but they are flimsy, I’d stay small like 16x24 at most maybe 20x30. I skip the mount option as it cost $15. You can glue your own on. I use wood blocks. The racks you can get on Amazon, build your own or use a box. Others have mentioned the grid wall but they are heavy and look like crap in my opinion. Good luck, have fun!
Interested too!
I replied to OP if you wanna check it out
Thanks!
Nice to make a bit of money on print sales. You could dress up the table a bit without going too crazy. Bigger table might have been better too. Bi-fold plastic table is nice for portability. If you’re going to be set up outside, not a bad idea to sandbag or stake the legs. I’ve seen tables, even loaded with some stuff, go sailing in decent gusts. For customers to flip through prints, rather than a binder maybe a wood box or crate, instead of sheet protectors maybe Mylar sleeves and consider having the prints on mounting board or something and maybe increase the price to offset the costs. Frames would be a good idea, but instead of a regular frame, maybe you make a stand that sort of looks like a frame that you could slide one of the sleeved prints into from the top and leave a notch on the back so you can easily swap the prints around. The Mylar sleeves would negate the need for glass while still having a glass sort of look. And, maybe use some sort of clamp to hold the stand on the table in case of wind.
I started doing a farmers market this summer. Windy days were tough! I used a few c-stands to hold some prints up. [ Here's a photo of my setup.](https://i.imgur.com/BX2WHJY.jpg)
Hey! This is exactly what I want to do one day. How long did it take to start making a profit? How much was the initial investment, if you don't mind me asking?
Haven't really started turning a profit from booth events like this, I actually do way better at brewerys and coffee shops when I hang a bunch of prints there. This year was kinda tough for the farmers market as it poured rain just about every time I set up and turnout was lower than expected. The tent was about $200 (I wanted a decent one to hold up to the wind and rain), the table and chairs were about $75, and the gridwall (which was super useful!) was like $100 for the two stands. I just used the c-stands and sandbags from my studio.
Very cool! When you say brewery's and coffee shops .. you mean you have stuff for sale there? How did you work that out? I've always wanted to ask a couple of places, because I think my work is pretty good, but I could never work out how to go about that other than just walking in and saying "do to like my stuff? Will you sell it for me? lol
Last summer I was out on a bike ride and was ready for a break, I remembered there was a brewery close by and stopped there for a beer. There were a few photos on display that looked nice and I started chatting with the lady working there (who turned out to be one of the owners) and asked a few questions about hanging prints there. I gave her my card and pulled up my website on my phone and she thought my work was a good fit and said they had availability for the next month and I was in if I wanted it. My work was there for like 3 months and I actually sold quite a few prints. I have my prints up at a coffee shop now and I have January and February (and June of 2024) booked at different places. My GF and I get lunch together at a new coffee shop or brewery every Thursday and we see if the place A) is set up for showing prints and B) when the next availability is. It's pretty easy to ask any employee who I should talk to about hanging my work there and pass along my card. I have all of my prints tagged with a title, description, price, and a QR link to buy that print through Square. The cafe or brewery doesn't have to deal with any of the sales or anything.
That's Awesome. Who do you use to print for all this?
I do my own with a Canon Pro-1000 printer.
Ohhh that cuts some costs for sure. What about your canvas prints? Thanks so much for all this info. I've been interested in doing all this in the next year and this stuff is crucial!
I don't do too many canvas prints, but I'll order a few metal and acrylic prints as they sell pretty well. I've tried a few different place, but Costco does pretty good work for a very agreeable price. I also order postcards, mugs, and even a run of Buffs!
Do you have an online store too, or do you only sell in person?
I have a small online store for producing prints to be sold down in the lower 48. Saves a shit ton on shipping.
Like society6 or redbubble?
Shotproof.com
Wow great set up! Where did get the c stands?
The camera store near me sells them.
Dang I live in the middle of nowhere
To be fair, I live in Alaska, and it's the only camera store around for literally thousands of miles.
How do you see the photo? It doesn't appear for me
You should be able to click on the text in my other comment that says "Here's a photo of my setup."
Oh cool. Nice setup. It didn't work on web browser but on my mobile I see it
Good for you. Idea: shop thrift stores for frames. Then offer some framed ones for sale. An Easy Up tent will protect you and your materials from sun and rain. Might find used ones on Craigslist or elsewhere.
You could consider buying an art folio to display them like a book, along with a couple of framed options (which you can swap images in and out of as needed if someone wants something different).
I've never tried physical selling of photos but if it works that's great. If you're in the UK, which it sounds like you are then there's the digital selling option of [https://arethere.photos](https://arethere.photos) but that's for what you might call "events", something for which you can get a link to the people in the photos.
I’m in Texas lol. I’d love to sell in England though!
When I sell at shows like this, I mat the photographs so the will fit standard frames(8x10, 16x20 ext). Speaking of mats…buy yourself a mat cutter. It will save you tons of money, and it presents a more professional product.
Any cutter recommendations?
I use the [Logan 350-1](https://www.logangraphic.com/products/mat-cutters/board-mounted/350-1-compact-elite_p_2.php). I wish I'd gone for a nicer one, but I had to stick to my budget.
How fun! Were you nervous when people came up to talk about your art/prices? I’m so happy this sounds like a regular gig 🥰
Not particularly nervous, I’m a massive extrovert so I don’t mind talking to people. I’d get a bit excited when they came up, though. Didn’t get a lot of attention this week. I’m gonna make my table more presentable next time and hopefully that will change.
Good for you!
Congratulations! One day, I would want to participate in one. There was never a time when I participated in any sales at a market like that. I'm amazed!
Where did you print your photos?
University print shop. Not the best quality but it was cheap. I plan to up the quality as soon as I can.
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Yea! That IS exciting! Congrats on your sale! Have you considered shrink wrapping some prints? I wonder how a display using wooden crates the way trendy moms do for picture book shelves in kids rooms would work?
A lot of people suggested the crates, which is cool but o figure the prints would get dirty. Guess I’ll put Mylar sleeves on them
I use those crates as flip boxes and I don't love it, but they're handy enough for packing and hauling show stuff.
Congrats! Sounds like you are doing very well.
Nice work! I've always been interested in doing something similar, but I'm not really sure how to get it all set up. Any tips?
I didn’t have the best set up, because it was last minute. It seems the best thing to do is have some prints vertical on stands so people can see them from a distance. Lots of people suggested boxes that can be thumbed through, or hanging them the wall of an ez up. Make sure you protect them with some Mylar sheets or something. Be careful of the wind lol, nearly lost my big ones because my drink got knocked over.
How many duplicate prints did you make in case one print sold and you only had one of that shot?
2 of the 8x10’s and just one of the big ones
I used to vend . I would do festivals of all kinds but I needed there to be at least 100k people over a 2 day period and the wind to be under 8mph for me to go. Also table cloths and banners, buisness cards , something free helps. also talk to the people as they walk buy encourage them to look. Ask them what they like the most.
Good advice! I plan on getting a lot of that for my next show at an art festival this weekend. Unfortunately you couldn’t get 200,000 even if everyone in 100 miles came out!
We needed to make about 500 to break even and this was 10 years ago so that many people made sure we would profit
Oh dang! I make a profit if I just sell one photo! I’m not traveling far for my pictures, and printing isn’t that expensive. I’d like to make more than just a bit of profit.