Stall fees for craft fairs in the UK generally range from £15 to over £100 per day, with smaller, local events (village halls/community centers) costing around £20–£40. Larger, specialized, or city-center events, such as Craft & Flea, can cost £60–£125+ per day, while major, high-footfall, or multi-day craft shows often charge over £100, occasionally up to £200 for weekends.
If you plan to sell your crafts at local markets or fairs, you may need: A market stall licence or street trading permit, depending on the local council's requirements.
What insurance do I need for a craft stall in the UK?
Public and product liability insurance. Public and product liability insurance covers your craft business against claims of accidental injury or property damage caused by your business.
Do I need to register my craft business with HMRC?
Yes, you do need to register your craft business with HMRC for tax purposes. Even if you earn less than the minimum income of £1,000, you'll have to be registered.
Watch This *BEFORE* Your Next Craft Show! // Ultimate Craft Fair Guide
What is the best way to take payments at a craft fair?
Quick Answer: To accept credit card payments at craft shows, sign up with a mobile payment processor like Square, download its app to your phone or tablet, connect a card reader, and enable chip, swipe, or tap payments.
The most popular crafts right now include the booming revival of crochet (especially granny squares), trending fiber arts like punch needle/rug tufting, personalized techniques such as wood burning, and digital/resin crafts like creating 3D printed items, epoxy resin art, and laser-engraved goods, alongside popular paper crafts like handmade stationery and invitations. These crafts appeal due to their potential for personalization, profitability, and alignment with vintage/nostalgic aesthetics.
Craft fairs are a brilliant way to grow your business, meet your audience, and feel part of a creative community. With a bit of planning and a great display, you're well on your way to a successful event.
Do I need public liability insurance to sell at craft fairs?
Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement, however, some craft fair organisers will want to see evidence of the craft sellers' insurance. This is because during the craft fair, you will be interacting heavily with the public.
Selling things that have been licensed by the rights holders is fine, but not if the seller has created them without permission. Creative works like photos, images, characters, and logos are protected by combinations of copyright, trademark, and personality rights.
The best-selling market stall products are often hot food/drinks, handmade goods (jewelry, crafts, soaps, candles, art), vintage/second-hand items, plants/flowers, and seasonal goods like Christmas decorations, driven by high demand, uniqueness, and impulse buys, with personalized items, organic produce, pet supplies, unique tech accessories, and natural cosmetics also proving popular across different market types. Success depends on market type (farmers', craft, festive) and target audience, so researching your specific market is key.
Decide what you want your hourly rate to be (please, at least pay yourself more than minimum wage!), and determine how long it took you to make the product. Labor cost should equal Time x Wage, so if you're paying yourself $10 an hour and it took you half an hour to make it, pay yourself $5 for that product.
The 2025 craft trends emphasize laser cutting and engraving, with items like wooden lampshades and door signs gaining popularity. Niche crafts, especially those catering to festive themes, are also in demand.
Jewelry has been and continues to be one of the top-selling handmade items. ERank — one of the most popular SEO research sites for Etsy sellers — shows jewelry as one of the most popular searches on the handmade goods platform, as well as jewelry crafter Caitlyn Minimalist as the top seller.
The easiest things to sell are often small, everyday items with broad appeal. Think custom mugs, t-shirts, or stationery. These products can be easily personalized via platforms like Gelato, making them low-risk and high-reward, perfect for quickly starting up a small business and turning a profit.
The 2/3/4 rule for credit cards is a guideline, notably used by Bank of America, that limits how many new cards you can get approved for: no more than two in 30 days, three in 12 months, and four in 24 months, helping manage hard inquiries and credit risk. It's a strategy to space out applications, preventing too many hard pulls on your credit report and helping maintain financial health by avoiding over-extending yourself.
