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Booth Boss: How Much Inventory Should You Bring to a Market?

A Little Love From Made in Iowa ❤️

At Made in Iowa, it doesn’t matter if we’re hosting a market with 30 vendors or 160—we’re paying attention. 👀

We notice what you’re selling. We notice what’s flying off your table. We notice what’s still sitting there at 2:00 on Sunday afternoon. And yes… sometimes we notice that you probably should have brought more of those. 😂

Why?

Because we want you to SELL.

We’re not just interested in filling booths. We want our vendors to go home with lighter inventory, happy customers, and a little more money in the bank.

After watching thousands of vendors over the years, we’ve learned that one of the biggest questions is also one of the hardest:

“How much inventory should I bring?”

So we’re going to share what we’ve learned.

These aren’t rules carved in stone. They’re starting points based on the size of the market, your price point, your product, and—most importantly—what your own sales history is telling you.

Because we’re going to keep watching.

We’re going to keep learning.

And we’re going to keep sharing what we see.

Because when our vendors sell more, everybody wins.

And if your biggest problem at the end of a market is wishing you’d brought just a little more inventory?

That’s a very good vendor problem to have. 😉

I’m the Booth Boss, and I’m talking to vendors.

Now let’s talk inventory.

How Much Inventory Should You Bring?

One of the hardest questions for a vendor is also one of the most important:

“How much stuff do I actually need to bring?”

Too little inventory and you spend the last few hours of the show saying:

“Sorry, I’m sold out.”

Too much inventory and you’re hauling half your studio into the building, spending hours setting it up, and hauling it all back home.

So how do you find the sweet spot?

There isn’t one magic number.

But there are some good starting points.

First: Stop Thinking About the Number of Vendors

A 160-vendor market doesn’t automatically mean you need three times as much inventory as a 50-vendor market.

Your inventory needs depend on:

And probably the biggest factor:

How much did you sell at your last comparable event?

That’s your best data.

Not your friend’s sales.

Not the vendor next to you.

Not what somebody on Facebook says they bring.

Your own sales history is the Booth Boss gold mine.

A Starting Point by Market Size

If you don’t have enough history yet, use these numbers as a starting point.

🛍️ Small Market

20–50 vendors

Good starting quantities:

🛍️ Medium Market

50–100 vendors

🛍️ Large Market

100–200 vendors

🛍️ Huge Market

200+ vendors

These aren’t guarantees.

They’re starting points.

And yes, that giant range is intentional.

A vendor selling $8 earrings has a very different inventory requirement from someone selling $150 handmade furniture.

Let’s Make This Real

Because “bring 200 pieces” doesn’t mean much until we put a price on those pieces.

Example #1: You Sell $8 Earrings

Let’s say you sell handmade earrings for around $8 a pair.

They’re relatively inexpensive, easy to display, and customers can make an impulse purchase.

You don’t want to show up with 25 pairs.

That’s not a booth.

That’s a sample tray. 😂

For a medium-sized market, a reasonable starting point might be:

125–200 pairs

For a large two-day market:

200–350 pairs

And for a very large holiday market, you may want:

300–500+ pairs

But here’s the important part:

Don’t bring 300 identical earrings.

Bring variety.

Different colors.

Different shapes.

Different styles.

Different price points.

You want customers to think:

“Oh my gosh, which ones do I want?”

Not:

“Well, there are three choices.”

Example #2: You Sell $75 Wood Signs

Now let’s change the product.

You sell handmade wood signs for approximately $75.

You’re not going to bring 300 signs.

First, you’d need a warehouse.

Second, your booth would look like a lumberyard.

Third, customers aren’t buying a $75 sign the same way they’re buying an $8 pair of earrings.

For a medium market, you might start with:

25–50 signs

For a large market:

40–75 signs

And for a very large two-day or holiday market:

50–100+ pieces

Again, that’s not 100 of the same sign.

You want enough inventory to create a full-looking, interesting booth while giving customers choices.

Example #3: You Sell $25 Candles

Candles are a great example of why price point and product size matter.

If your average candle is $25, you can reasonably bring more units than someone selling $100 furniture.

For a medium market, you might start around:

75–125 candles

For a large market:

100–200+

For a large two-day holiday event:

150–300+

But don’t forget your scents.

If you have 20 fragrances, you don’t necessarily need 20 of every scent.

Your inventory should be weighted toward the scents and products that historically sell best.

Example #4: You Sell $5–$10 Consumables

This is where vendors often underestimate how much they need.

Food, treats, soaps, lip balms, small bath products, stickers, small accessories and other inexpensive items can move quickly because customers don’t have to think very long before purchasing.

If your average sale is $7 and customers regularly buy two or three items, your inventory needs to reflect that.

A booth with 75 individual products can disappear surprisingly fast at a busy market.

For these products, think in terms of hundreds rather than dozens when you’re preparing for a large event.

The Most Important Number: Your Sell-Through Rate

Here’s where Booth Boss gets serious.

After every market, write down:

What did I bring?

What did I sell?

What did I take home?

For example:

You brought:

200 earrings

You sold:

140

You took home:

60

That’s a 70% sell-through rate.

That’s useful information.

If you have another comparable event coming up, you now have a much better starting point than simply guessing.

You might decide to prepare around 225–250 earrings instead of 200.

You’re using your own sales data to make the decision.

Don’t Forget the Two-Day Market

A two-day market does not necessarily mean you need twice as much inventory.

Why?

Because the second day isn’t always identical to the first.

Saturday may be your big shopping day.

Sunday may be slower.

Or Sunday may surprise you.

That’s why your previous two-day sales history matters.

If you sold:

Saturday: 90 units

Sunday: 55 units

Your total was 145.

For the next comparable two-day event, you don’t necessarily need 290.

You need enough inventory to comfortably cover your expected sales plus a cushion.

The Holiday Market Exception 🎄

Holiday markets can change the equation.

People are shopping for:

🎁 Gifts
🎄 Christmas décor
🎅 Stocking stuffers
✨ Teacher gifts
👩‍👧 Gifts for family
👩‍👧 Secret Santa gifts
👩‍👧 Something for themselves

And customers may buy multiples.

A person who normally buys one candle may suddenly buy four because they need gifts.

The same is true for earrings, ornaments, soaps, baked goods, signs, ornaments, small décor and other giftable products.

Holiday markets are where being too conservative with inventory can really hurt.

If your history shows that your products sell well during the holiday season, adjust accordingly.

Variety Is Inventory Too

Here’s another Booth Boss lesson:

Inventory isn’t just quantity.

It’s choice.

Imagine two booths selling earrings.

Vendor A:

300 pairs of earrings in five styles.

Vendor B:

200 pairs in 40 styles.

Which booth gives the customer more reasons to stop and look?

The answer isn’t automatically Vendor B.

But Vendor B may create a much stronger shopping experience because customers have something to discover.

Your goal is not simply to have a mountain of inventory.

Your goal is to have enough inventory to create:

A full, interesting, shoppable booth.

Your Display Shouldn’t Look Empty at Noon

This is where display inventory becomes important.

You don’t necessarily want every piece of your backstock sitting on the table.

Instead, think of your booth as having two inventories:

Display Inventory

What customers can see and shop.

Backstock

What you can quickly replace as something sells.

If you sell a necklace and the spot stays empty for the next six hours, you’re telling every customer who walks by:

“Something used to be here.”

Replace it.

If three earrings sell from a display, refill the display.

A full booth looks like a successful booth.

And a successful-looking booth attracts attention.

But Don’t Overfill Your Booth

There’s a difference between:

“Wow! Look at all this!”

and

“I can’t even see the products.”

If customers have to move 14 things to pick up one product, you’ve created a shopping obstacle course.

Give products room to breathe.

Let people pick things up.

Make prices easy to find.

Create obvious groupings.

And make your best products visible from the aisle.

Your Price Point Changes Everything

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

Under $10

You need volume.

Customers can make an impulse purchase.

$10–$30

You still need good quantity, but variety becomes increasingly important.

$30–$75

You need fewer units, but more thoughtful choices.

$75–$150

You need enough inventory to make your booth look substantial without filling it with expensive products that may not sell.

$150+

Now you’re selling a completely different kind of inventory.

You may only need a few large pieces—but you need a strong presentation.

Don’t Forget the “I Don’t Know Yet” Products

Every vendor has them.

You made something new.

You love it.

You have no idea whether customers will love it.

Don’t make 100.

Make a smaller test quantity.

Bring 10.

Bring 20.

See what happens.

If they disappear?

Congratulations.

You have data.

Make more.

If you take every single one home?

That’s data too.

Maybe the price is wrong.

Maybe the display is wrong.

Maybe the product isn’t right for that audience.

Or maybe people simply don’t know what it is.

Don’t let one market determine the fate of a product.

But don’t manufacture 500 of something customers aren’t buying either.

Your Booth Boss Packing Formula

If you’re completely unsure how much to bring, start here:

Step 1

Look at your last 3 comparable markets.

Step 2

Find your average number of units sold.

Step 3

Adjust for:

Step 4

Add a reasonable cushion.

You want to be prepared to sell more than your average.

Step 5

Separate your inventory into:

Display

Backstock

Emergency “Oh crap, we’re selling everything!” inventory

Okay, maybe don’t actually label the last box that.

But you know exactly what I mean. 😂

And Here’s the Booth Boss Rule

Don’t pack based on how much inventory you WANT to sell.

Pack based on how much you have a reasonable chance of selling.

Those are two very different numbers.

If you normally sell 40 pieces at a market and you’re preparing 400 because you hope this is the market where everything changes…

you’re not preparing.

You’re gambling.

Use your history.

Use the event information.

Use your price point.

And then make an educated adjustment.

After the Market: Do the Homework

Before you pack everything away, write down:

Market:
Dates:
Hours:
Number of vendors:
Estimated attendance:
Inventory brought:
Inventory sold:
Sales dollars:
Best-selling product:
Slowest product:
Products that sold out:
Products customers asked for:
Products customers picked up but didn’t buy:

That last one can be especially interesting.

If 50 people picked up a $75 sign but only three bought it, maybe the problem isn’t the product.

Maybe it’s the price.

Or maybe it’s the display.

Or maybe customers love it but need a smaller $35 version.

That’s the kind of information that helps you build the next market instead of starting from zero every time.

Bottom Line

There is no magic inventory number that works for every vendor.

But there is a much better strategy than guessing.

Start with your history.

Adjust for the market.

Consider your price point.

Bring enough variety.

Keep your booth full.

Track what sells.

And use that information at the next show.

Because the goal isn’t to come home with an empty vehicle.

And it isn’t to come home with a warehouse.

The goal is to sell enough that you’re wishing you’d brought just a little more.

That’s a very good vendor problem to have. 😉

I’m the Booth Boss, and I’m talking to vendors.

Now go figure out how much you’re bringing!