I don't want to look like a crummy copycat

I'm trying to find a craft show to do, it will be my first one. I came across one with 600 booths, and not a bad price for the size of it. I searched the current vendors and there are two soapmakers already. I was thinking
1. Having 3 out of 600 vendors be soapmakers is still great, right?
2. I'm sure we all make very different soap, mine is all about herbal colorants & essential oils, let's check out their sites!

Crap, both of the other vendors make my sort of soap. Of course, some of their "all natural" essential oils are fragrance oils (yup, stating EOs for their cranberry almond soap), but otherwise, they're making what I'm making. (OK, and they're going to look better at it, because I'm not going to use FOs and lie about it)

I've been making my soap forever but haven't sold yet, so I feel like I'm going to look especially crummy if my soaps are in the exact same niche as the "pros," but I also have fewer scents and other bodycare options.

What do you all think, and is there even any way I can avoid this happening if I find another craft show?

Before you give up on the show, why not go along and check out exactly what the other soap makers are selling ....... And even buy some of their soap to try. You may find that you have a better product than you think!


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600 booths!? That is a gigantic show! At a show of that size, I bet few attendees will notice all 3 soapers, that's just an insane amount of vendors to work through. I've also found that very very few customers care what's actually in the soap and you'll be able to spot them because they'll actually read *every* ingredient list and then grill you on them. Again at a show of that size, you're not likely to have a customer grill all 3 of you and then pick their favorite. And if it does happen once or twice? Well you'll have lots of other customers to make up for it if they don't purchase from you!

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The average craft show/farmers market around here has at max, 100 vendors and I've seen up to 10 booths selling soaps and almost all look them same. Most every local soap is natural colored/herbal like scents. A few people are starting to sell more colorful and fun type scents.

Everybody's products are different. Buyers know that and that is why they'll go into several booths selling similar products. We love choices. And with 600 booths the chances are the attendance will be quite large.

Also, believe in yourself and your products AND don't compare yourself to anyone.

Thanks for the pep talk, folks.

And here I thought _I_ was the one doing something different! Sigh. However, it's the soap my family's skin wants, and that I want to be making, so I guess I'll try to stand out in the crowd by...coming up with something clever to make me stand out! (sets to work on becoming clever)

I'm sorry to say, but to me, most small soap making businesses look very unprofessional.
They often cover the creative part, but the business side of things isn't thought through.
I'd go out of my way in presentation (set up, packaging, flyers, samples)

Also, being very talkative, honest and proud of what you produce, sets you apart from the people who are there to make a quick buck. I wouldn't play the natural card, but emphasize the quality.

Good luck!

there's nothing new under the sun anyway We all have our personal takes on our craft. You never know what attracts a customer - could be your packaging, the scents you choose to use, your personality, your honesty and integrity. If the price is right - give it a try. You will at least learn something new, even if you don't sell every soap you bring.

I do a show 275 vendors in the summer and there are 4 of us and I still do really really well. It's all about presentation, packaging and your enthusiasm. Most show's I do have more than one soap, bath & body vendor. Not a problem for me.

Nothing sells my products faster than the passion I have for what I do. I've gone against a 10% soaper saturation at a show and came out very well. The soap doesn't always sell itself and I've noticed a lot of soapers just sit in their booths ignoring customers. There's far more to selling soap than just having the product! Perfect your sales pitch and why your soap is better than anyone else's and do it genuinely and you can't lose. A lot of my repeat customers come back because they love my enthusiasm, honesty and knowledge.

Two of the soapers at the show with a lot of us had zero confidence and I noticed the people that stopped at their booths would then come back to mine and buy from me instead.

Bring your products and your passion and you'll come out on top!

All great points, and as I walk through craft fairs and see over 50% are jewelry designers, I realize the market is big enough for more than a few soapmakers. One certainly needs soap more often than jewelry right?

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Thanks for the further thoughts. OK, I can try to stand out by being organized, having good packaging (I'm obsessing over that right now) and being a confident seller. I believe in the stuff I make, but I could easily be intimidated by feeling the soap appearance or presentation of the others' soap is better. So I'd better make mine good!

I do find it hard to figure out the balance between engaging with people, and letting them browse in peace. Probably I can ask a leading question when they "enter," explain what the specials are, then stay available for questions? (as in, not read etc.)

I looked at the show site again and realized I'd better search vendors with other terms, not just "soap." Yup, there are a couple other soapy vendors who classified themselves as bodycare. So as it currently stands I'd be the 5th soapy seller, which still sounds great according to your anecdotes.

The show is three days long, 7 and 10-hour days. I can't find anywhere that names the actual ATTENDANCE, or a crafter site that has reviews of it. I so do not want to make a million bars of soap only to find this was all a scheme to make money from vendors! (600 vendors times the booth fee is a lot of money! Maybe I should get into craft show production?)

have an awesome setup and be friendly and know your product, you will do well, not to worry.

I agree, just make your display stand out, be confident and don't worry about what the others are doing. I did a show where there was another soaper besides me and she was so insecure that she kept leaving the area she was displaying in and coming into the area I was in passing out her cards. We had two totally different styles (hers were natural colored with EO's only) mine are a mish mash of EO's FO's and blends of both and mine are colored with micas, oxides etc. I was very pleasant with her and complimented her on her soaps when I wandered around. So, don't worry and you will do great. There's room for everyone. I've also done venues where I was 1 of 4 or 5 soapers and still did very well. Just jump in and have fun!!!

At the start of this market season, I was one of THREE soapers (management is just too nice to say no to anyone, grr), there's never been more than 9 vendors on any given Saturday. Would you believe that when I look back over my sales for this season, the number of other soapers on any given day has no obvious bearing on my sales? One soaper did drop out of the market and the other has been pushing her soaps really hard to nudge me out of the market (she's mostly cosmetics and her soaps are very plain). But I have a base of regulars and do well enough to keep coming out. If I can make it in a soap saturation of up to 50%, I think any decent soaper will do well at a larger event where the saturation is only .5%.

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