How to Sell Products from your Weekend Market Stall - By: Pete Nisbet

The main objective of a stallholder at a weekend market is to sell as much as he or she possibly can. Selling from a stall involves specific skills that are not needed in mall stores, for example, so here are some tips on how to maximize your market stall sales.

1. Know your Products
If you are selling anything that could possibly be an antique, such as old porcelain, furniture, clocks or collectibles such as medals and thimbles, educate yourself in the products you are selling. Check out catalogues such as one of the Millers Price Guides or ask an expert for a valuation to make sure you won't find out its true potential value after selling it for $10!

2. Quality Counts
Go for quality in what you are selling. When you are searching for stuff to sell on your stall, make sure that it is of good quality and that functional items work. Don't sell anything you don't think you would buy, but at the same time, don't put anything on the stall you don't really want to sell. Check 1, above, first before setting a price. If you are selling electrical goods, make sure that they work and conform to any electrical regulations.

3. Be an Early Riser
Get to the market as early as you can: except when there are permanent stallholders it's often first come first served for spots, and the early risers get the best stalls. Make sure you show off your goods to their best advantage, and set them up so they look good. Take a table if none come with the spot, and use a good covering for it. A dark blue velvet table covering, for example, is great for laying out gold and silver jewelry. Don't make people bend down to the ground to examine your items - some won't and some downright can't!

4. Clean Everything.
Make sure everything you are selling is clean. However, if you are selling antiques don't polish them up because you may reduce their value. Get expert advice. Furniture should be cleaned and polished and any glass polished up. Even if you are selling CDs or older vinyl records also give them a clean.

5. Display the Price
Make sure that everything is priced using easily removed stickers, or tied labels. People prefer to see the price of an item without having to ask, but they don't like to have to pick away at labels in order to remove them. Not only can it damage furniture, but it is also an unnecessary nuisance.

6. Make Sure the Price is Right
Keep your prices reasonable for the item. Make sure you know the average store price for what you are selling and undercut that. Also be prepared for haggling. Set your price slightly higher than you are prepared to accept, and then allow the haggler to talk the price down to a level you are comfortable with. You get the price you want and the customer goes away happy. Don't accept the first price offered, but offer something less than the label but more than you want, then get beaten down to what you want.

7. Be Patient and Polite
Never press visitors to your stalls to purchase. Let them browse and they will make up their minds in their own time. Many visit a weekend market just to look around, but if the stallholder is particularly pleasant they might decide to buy something. Selling is also about patience and being pleasant. Don't put them under pressure and never appear arrogant. Also never take advantage of ignorance, and try to get more money from somebody by persuading them that they are buying a genuine antique when it is not. That will backfire on you.

8. Bundle a Bargain
Towards weekend market closing time, separate the unsold items on your stall you want to offer next time from those you want to sell today. You could offer several special offers at half-price, or bundle them and offer similar items together at a special price.

9. Spruiking and Signs
There is nothing wrong with advertising your goods, and spruiking often pays dividends. Corflute and other forms of prominent signage can work, and if they produce the desired result then make sure you have a good float of change. Many people will offer you the first note they find rather than search for the right money. Additionally, if you are a good quality antique stallholder, spruiking and fluorescent signage can have very negative results so do it only where appropriate.

10. Get on Our Weekend Market Directory
Finally, if you are a stallholder seeking a local market where you can offer your products, then use our online market directory to find your nearest weekend market. Make sure that you check with the organizer or market manager prior to turning up because the market details are not always the same as those advertised and it is best to make sure what you will pay for your stall and what facilities are available for you.

About the Author

More information on how to sell products from a market stall is available on http://mymarketday.com.au where you will also be able to find the Local Weekend Markets close to you and at dates suitable for you and your stall.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Pete-Nisbet/37304

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