Craft Fair Profit Calculator

Estimate the result of a craft fair, pop-up or market after event costs and product cost.

This is a planning estimate and does not replace accounting or tax advice.

Need event-by-event reconciliation and stock tracking?

The Craft Market Booth Profit and Reconciliation Spreadsheet combines starting inventory, product-level sales, payment methods, event costs and remaining stock.

What should count as an event cost?

Use the cost of the items actually sold, not the value of everything you brought. Add the booth fee, parking or travel, card processing, and expenses that exist because you attended the event. Comparing those costs with total event sales gives a more useful operating result than looking at revenue alone.

For repeat events, use the same method each time so the results are comparable. A high-sales event can still produce a weak result if the booth is expensive, the trip is long, card fees are high or the mix of products sold has a low margin. Likewise, a smaller event can be attractive when costs are low and the products sold carry healthy margins.

The calculator is most useful when the cost-of-goods figure reflects the products that actually sold. Unsold stock normally remains inventory rather than becoming the entire event's cost of goods. Keep one-off display purchases separate when you expect to reuse them at future events, and consider them as overhead or equipment in your own fuller accounting process instead of forcing the entire amount into one day's product cost.

How to compare two craft fairs

Run each event separately and compare profit, margin and the time required to attend. Also note whether an event generated repeat customers, wholesale enquiries or useful stock information. Those benefits may matter, but keep them separate from the calculator's direct event-profit estimate so you can see the cash result clearly.