Sharing a Craft Stall

Many crafters, especially when starting out in craft stall selling, consider sharing a craft stall with a friend or family member. Each person has their own products to sell, or you maybe will work on joint projects. This can be a great way to split the cost of a stall, to ensure a companion/assistant when actually selling and be a lot of fun.

If you are thinking of sharing a stall with someone else, please do consider some of the possible problems that can arise from this arrangement.

Be sure to know in advance how you are going to divide up the takings, share the costs and who is going to do the various actions required.

I strongly recommend having a craft stall dress rehearsal before the event so you are both happy with the way the stall is set up and the stock is presented.  I have an article on a craft stall dress rehearsal here.

The Simple 50/50 Split

If you are working together on all the stock and just splitting everything 50/50 then it will probably be pretty painless. Ensure that both parties know exactly what they will be creating so the workload is divided fairly. Decide in advance what you will be doing with any left over stock (if not keeping it for another craft stall.) Keep a written record of how much the stall costs and what you have each paid towards the cost – and for any other costs involved. Discuss in advance things such as how you are going to get to the show (who’s driving!), where products will be stored beforehand and who is responsible for paying for the stall, getting insurance and any other costs.

Don’t forget to consider what you will do with any remaining stock too.

The Individual Stock Scenario

Another common scenario for sharing a craft stall is where both parties have their own individual stock and each has the takings relating to that specific stock. Stall costs etc are usually divided up either a simple 50/50 or in proportion as to the quantity or value of stock each party has.

With this type of arrangement it is important to work out in advance how you are going to divide the takings properly. Here are some often-used ways:

  • Sellers have a notebook and write down all the sales (or the sales for one party)
  • Sellers divide the money as they go along – can be a bit tricky if you have a lot of stock or a lot of sales
  • Comparing remaining stock to stock lists made before starting to see how much each party sold

Sharing a Craft Stall with More than One Other Person

If you are planning on sharing a craft stall with more than one or two other people, things can get more complicated. One common way to handle the takings in these situations is to mark all the products with coloured sticky dots.  You use a different colour for each seller. When a sale is made the person handling the sale notes the colour of the dot and the amount taken in a notebook. At the end of the show you can tally up the dots and amounts to see how much each seller earned. This system can work well when the sellers are not too sure who else is selling what. Another common (and perhaps simpler) option is to be sure to have clear records of how much stock from each person is on the stall then afterwards you can see who has sold what.

A Contract For Clarity

Unless you are very, very sure of your relationship with the other seller/s it may be well worth drawing up a simple agreement in advance. You can use this to outline those issues where there might possibly be contention later on. This could include how you are dividing the takings, how you are dividing the costs and who is responsible for actually paying those costs, who is supplying a table, display stands and any other stall-dressing that you will require, what is going to happen to any surplus stock (if jointly making individual products) and any information that will be required for tax purposes.

However you decide to go about sharing your craft stall, best of luck with your next event!

You may enjoy my in-depth article, Preparing for a Craft Stall or Craft Show – you can also listen to this article as a podcast too.

Click here for a free Handy Checklist for your next Craft Fair or Show

Check out my article on 6 Easy Ways to Improve your Craft Stall

Sharing A Craft Stall - A Craft Stall With A Friend

Sharing a Craft Stall – A Craft Stall with a Friend
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