Was This Market Worth It?
Put in what you sold, what the day cost and how long it took. See what the craft fair or farmers market really paid you per hour — and whether to go back.
What you sold
What the day cost
Your time
Was it worth it?
| Sales | $0.00 |
| Cost of goods | $0.00 |
| Card fees | $0.00 |
| Booth fee | $0.00 |
| Mileage | $0.00 |
| Hotel, parking, food, other | $0.00 |
| Left for you | $0.00 |
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Know this for every market, without the math
Mind the Booth rings up your sales at the booth, costs what sold from your real batch costs, takes off the booth fee, the drive and anything you spent, and gives every market a Keep, Maybe or Drop — side by side with last year.
Start freeHow to tell if a craft fair or farmers market paid off
A busy booth can still lose money, and a slow one can be the best day of your month. Sales alone don't say which. What matters is what's left once the day is paid for, and how many hours it took to earn.
- Start with sales, not counting sales tax. If you collect sales tax, that money belongs to the state. Use what you sold before tax.
- Take off what the goods cost. Every bar of soap or jar of honey you sold cost something to make. If your recipes are costed, add up the real cost of what sold. If not, use a percent of sales.
- Take off the day. The booth fee, card fees, the drive (at the IRS mileage rate, which covers gas and wear), parking, food, and the hotel for an overnight show.
- Divide by every hour. Not just the hours at the booth: loading the car, the drive both ways, setting up, tearing down and unpacking. That's your real hourly pay for the market.
Then compare it with what you'd want to be paid. At or above your target, keep the market. Under it but more than half, it's a maybe: try a better spot, fewer hours, a bigger table or a different product mix. Under half, it's usually time to drop it and put the weekend into a market that pays.
Do this for every market, every season, and the choice of where to apply next year makes itself. Pricing too low is often the real problem — check your numbers with the free handmade pricing calculator. To track applications, booth fees, packing lists and the results of every show in one place, see the craft fair and market tracker and the booth register.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a craft fair was worth it?
Take what you sold, subtract everything the day cost — the booth fee, what the goods you sold cost to make, gas or mileage, parking, food and any hotel — and divide what's left by every hour the market took, including packing, driving, setup and teardown. If that hourly figure is at or above what you'd want to be paid, it was worth it. If it's well under, it probably wasn't, however busy the booth felt.
What should I count as the cost of goods?
What the items you sold cost you to make: their share of materials and packaging. Not your time — that's what the hourly figure is for. If you know your batch costs, add them up for what sold. If you don't, a percent of sales is a fair start; many handmade sellers land between 20% and 35%.
Should I count mileage if I paid for gas?
Count one or the other, not both. The IRS standard mileage rate ($0.70 a mile) covers gas, wear and insurance, so it's the truer cost of the drive. If you'd rather count only the gas you bought, leave the miles at zero and put the gas in other costs.
What is a good hourly rate for a market?
Whatever you would accept to do the same hours for someone else. Many makers start at $15 to $25 an hour. A market that pays less than half your target is usually one to drop unless it brings something else, like wholesale leads or a mailing list.