How To Start Selling At A Farmers Market

Make sure what you plan on selling is allowed at the market you are looking to join. Also, keep in mind when you apply that some markets will limit the types of booths they have if they already have an established vendor in that category. Obviously, fresh produce and homemade food items are always a popular choice, along with crafts and other small home accessories.

Remember: quality product is the most important part of starting a booth at a farmers market.

Check with your state or county authorities to make sure you are following all applicable regulations and applying for a permit to sell. This is especially important to research if you are selling prepared foods or produce/raw food materials.

While some states may not require farmers’ market vendors to have any licensing or registration, individual counties may. Check with the county you plan to sell in to see if there are any licenses/registrations you need to apply for and maintain to sell at a farmers’ market.

At the very least, you should think about acquiring a General Liability Coverage insurance plan; some markets may even require it. Other kinds of insurance you may wish to consider as a vendor are:

• Product Liability Coverage: Covers product defects that cause sickness or injury.
• Business Personal Property/Inland Marine Coverage: Covers moveable items (appliances and other gadgets) over land and does not cover a building/structure.
• Damage to Premises Rented Coverage: Covers property damage caused by vendors such as fire or other accidents.

Some farmers’ markets may provide basic supplies to their vendors (like a table and two folding chairs) but others may not. If the market you are applying to sell at does not provide anything, you should consider bringing the following:

• One or more tables are needed to display your products and hold other equipment/informational materials.
• Specialty containers or shelves to display your products in/on.
• A sign or banner with the name of your business.
• A sign (or several) with product names, descriptions, and prices.
• A cash box or register for collecting money and/or a mobile POS system.
• Small bills and coins to make change for customers.
• Bags or containers for purchases. We recommend purchasing cheap reusable bags so your customers can continue using them! Some states and even specific markets no longer allow single-use plastic bags to be used, so double-check before making a decision.
• A scale for weighing products if you plan to sell by weight.
• A canopy or pop-up tent to cover your booth and protect your products and customers from the weather, be it rain or sun.
• A place for people to sign up for more information about your business or your newsletter/email marketing! (How can you continue to market to the people you meet?)

Many larger farmers’ markets will have a formal application process for their potential vendors. Contact the market directly or visit their website/social media platforms to find the application and figure out when applications are accepted. You may only have a small window to apply, so make sure to set a reminder for yourself so you don’t miss out!

Your first step is to figure out where to sell your product. And just like the vendors you meet, not all markets are the same. Get a good idea of the culture, people, and products at each farmers market by visiting them yourself. Keep your eyes open for markets that need what you’re offering, but don’t forget to find a market that’s a good fit for you.

For example, if there are no other artists at a market and you feel uncomfortable selling your art there, keep searching. If you’d like to bring your four-legged friend with you, look for a dog-friendly market. You can also turn to the internet to learn more about the farmers market in your city and surrounding areas.

Get an idea of the registration process. While this process varies across markets, you need to be aware that vendor registration windows aren’t always open, and you may have to sign up weeks, months, or even longer in advance to secure a spot. You can find this information online or talk to a market manager in person to learn more about signing up as a vendor.

Nothing can bring your business to a halt faster than getting shut down by the health department or local authorities. Do your research to learn about local ordinances and health regulations, such as how produce and prepared food must be stored/displayed or how baked goods have to be prepared.

You will need a food handler’s permit and facilities inspections of your commercial or home kitchen if you are planning to sell prepared foods. Plan accordingly for this, and make sure you have enough time before you plan to begin selling to accomplish these tasks. Laws and regulations vary, so contact your local health department to learn more.

Even if selling at a farmers market feels more like a hobby than a business for you, it never hurts to create a business plan before you get started. Use this business plan to outline your goals, how you will finance your business, and your marketing strategies. If you’re panicked at the thought of a business plan that’s an inch thick, don’t be! A one-page business plan is sufficient for keeping you on track.

While selling at a farmers market can certainly be one of the more inexpensive ways to make money from the sale of your homemade goods, there are still some expenses to consider. One of the most common expenses is a booth rental fee. Some markets may even have an application fee, depending on their popularity.

You need to consider other expenses, too. Think about the equipment the market is unlikely to provide for their vendors, things like signage for your booth, tablecloths, and other items to spruce up your display, price stickers, and the cost of materials and packaging for samples.

These small expenses add up quickly, especially if you have yet to make a sale of your product. Determine whether you need to get financing before you start selling, set a budget, and stick to it.

Want more tips? Check out our guide on how to start a side hustle to learn more.

Depending on local regulations, you may be required to register your business before you take part in a farmers market. Some markets require you to provide an Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) when you register as a vendor. If an EIN is required, it’s easy to obtain one for free from the Internal Revenue Service.

Along with or instead of registration, some counties or states may require permits to sell products at farmers’ markets. There are many different kinds of these sorts of permits, and the one you may need depends on the products you plan on selling. For example, the permit for selling frozen meat or eggs is going to be different than the permit required for selling nursery plants.

Contact the farmers market you’re interested in to learn more about the registration, licensing, and/or permit requirements for vendors.

Some farmers’ markets require their vendors to have business insurance. Even if this isn’t a requirement, as a small business owner, you should research your options to protect yourself from liability. Start with general liability insurance and contact your chosen farmers market to determine if insurance is a requirement. They may even be able to recommend local insurance companies that other vendors use.

Even if farmers markets are just going to be your side hustle, you still need accounting software. Though it may seem like a pain now, you’ll thank us later.

No matter how much you’re bringing in from your sales at a farmers market, it’s important to keep track of your finances. The best way to do that? Accounting software.

The good news is that there are many options available that are low-cost and easy to use, even if you have no prior accounting experience. Tracking your finances will help you see how much money you’re making, as well as where you’re spending it. This will allow you to determine where you can make changes to increase your profits. You’ll also be glad that you kept track of your finances when it’s time to pay your taxes.

If you don’t know where to get started, take a look at the best accounting software for small businesses.

Mobile point-of-sale (POS) apps make it easier than ever to accept credit cards. The best mobile POS systems (typically plugged into the headphone jack or charging port) allow you to accept cards with ease without heavy registers or complicated systems. You could even score extras like stickers that advertise that your booth accepts debit and credit cards.

Contactless (sometimes called “tap” or “touch-to-pay”) payments include:

• NFC-based payment methods
• QR code payments
• P2P payments

NFC (near-field communications) payment methods include digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

P2P (peer-to-peer) payments include platforms like PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App.

Another consideration to keep in mind is whether or not you’ll be taking larger or custom orders during the time you spend selling at a farmers market. If you decide to fulfill these more complicated orders, you’ll need to have the ability to create invoices for tracking these orders and getting paid.

Let’s say that the holidays are coming up, and you’ve been commissioned to cater a Christmas party. Before you invest your time and money into fulfilling the order, you can make sure you get paid by sending your customer an invoice that can be paid online. If the mobile POS system you choose doesn’t allow you to create and send invoices, you can use separate invoicing software.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of figuring out the best POS system, getting invoicing software, or having to use your personal technology to accept payments, you could simply choose not to accept card payments.

Cash-only businesses are not unheard of, and many customers know that smaller businesses or farms that sell at the markets they frequent don’t accept cards. The quaint environment at farmers’ markets is often a big draw for customers, and paying for products in cash can be part of that experience.

Despite the cash culture that may be present, many farmers’ markets are also prepared for customers who only have cards on them, allowing them to purchase tokens that can be used to buy products from vendors. At the end of the day, these tokens can be redeemed with the market so the vendor gets their earnings. It’s a nifty way to ensure that you won’t be excluding any potential customers by choosing what forms of payment you will or won’t accept.

You can also, of course, handle cash yourself outright. You’ll just want to make sure you have a cash box with a lock or other security measure of some kind, small bills and coins to make change for customers, and some sort of paper to write down a receipt if a customer requests one.

If you have no brick-and-mortar storefront, receipts with your social media or website information are crucial to make sure repeat customers can find you again to repurchase their favorite products!