Do you provide shopping bags?

[Kosmerta]

My first Craft Fair is in 5 weeks, it's a one day event and I am very excited.

For those who sell at Craft Fairs regularly, do you provide shopping bags for your customers? If so where do you find them. I have been looking to bulk order some small ones, but the Google search results I keep getting are for expensive customized bags. I am just looking for plain brown or white paper bags, that aren't super expensive.

 

[amd]

I do. I've tried a few things - from sandwich bags (the paper lunch bag type, not the plastic ones) to the good handled gift bag type. I've discovered that the paper sandwich bags aren't good for holding a lot of product, customers seem to prefer the sturdier bags with handles. I buy mine at the Dollar Tree - medium sized bags come in a pack of 2, small bags come in a pack of 3 - which comes out to about the same price as buying in bulk from papermart by the time shipping is added - plus I don't have to find room to store 200+ bags.

If you're worried about providing purchase bags to customers cutting into your profits, then you don't have your prices set correctly. (Not that you expressed concerns about this, but it is something to think about.)

I also find that customers who are only purchasing one or two bars are more inclined to slip it into their purse, or another bag if they've purchased something else at the show. [side note: this is one of the reasons it is so important to label your product with contact information, they know where to find you when they run out... if they've kept the label] Customers who buy more will want a bag. Depending on how much time/extra money I have, I will stamp my bags with my business (free advertising as they shop the rest of the event) or use a sticker.

 

[lsg]

You can just use plain brown paper lunch bags. You can make stickers with your logo to put on them.

 

[Primrose]

I use the brown paper lunch bags for customers who only buy one or two soaps, I also have larger and more sturdy paper bags with handles for those who buy more than that.
I find quite a few who just buy one or two tend to be happy putting them in their handbag but I like to wrap them in the lunchbag anyway for them, since I sell mine only wrapped in a cigar band

 

[Angie Gail]

I use the plastic t-shirt bags (like the ones you see at grocery stores) that have 'Thank You' printed on them. They are pretty cheap and people like them. Plastic bags

 

[Primrose]

I forgot to add above, I use the paper bags because single use plastic bags are banned in my state along with my brand being plastic free

 

[Misschief]

I use paper bags with handles (2 sizes) and I get them from Uline. I used the Kraft bags and I have a custom logo stamp that I use to stamp each bag.

 

[KiwiMoose]

We don't buy new bags for our market customers. Most people in NZ bring their own shopping bags to markets, but if they don't have one we always have what the call the 'bag of bags' on hand into which we put any bags that we get during the week from our own shopping. In this way everything is re-purposed and we feel better about not wasting packaging.

 

[TheGecko]

I picked up some brightly colored paper bags with fiber handles from the local $$$ store and then stapled my business card to the outside. The bags were about the size you’d pack your lunch in and cost about $0.20 each; a little spendy, but I wanted the bag to be “seen” by other shoppers at the Craft Fair. And I wanted them to be something the purchaser would keep instead of tossing...with my business card.

At a Fair where folks either recycled local plastic grocery store bags, or used ‘Kraft paper’ bags...the stood out. I actually had a lady stop buy and buy a few of them...for a buck each.

 

[cerelife]

I'm all about branding so that's a big yes for me!
I buy mine by the case in 2 sizes and use custom stamps with my company name and logo to make them my own. They add an elegant touch and like TheGecko said, people love them and reuse them, plus it's great advertising.
I got my custom stamps from Vistaprint, and I buy my bags here:
https://www.nashvillewraps.com/bags/white-shopping-bags/p-843

 

[Michelle0803]

We use white paper bags with a handle that I buy either from Amazon or papermart. We have a custom stamp that we use on the bags.

For small purchases we buy a small flat bag with either chevron or some other design on it. We also stamp those bags.

For larger purchases we have a tote bag with our name and logo on it that we got from 4AllPromos. We give those away for purchases over $30 and also sell them.

We are all about brand awareness and get our name out there whenever possible.

It's also pretty cool to see people walking through a craft show or farmers market with our bags.

 

[Vicki C]

I have two sizes of kraft paper bags with handles with a sticker with my logo. I like the stamp idea though. To date I have just bought them locally - hobby lobby often has 50% off sales. I too like seeing people walk away with my brand proudly showing so I don’t mind the minor expense.

 

[Ladka]

For larger purchases we have a tote bag with our name and logo on it that we got from 4AllPromos. We give those away for purchases over $30 and also sell them.

We are all about brand awareness and get our name out there whenever possible.

It's also pretty cool to see people walking through a craft show or farmers market with our bags.

Are the tote bags made of fabric or paper? And what are the dimensions? I'm just considering using them too and would be grateful for any info.

 

[Christa10]

There are a variety of different kinds of bags at Wholesale Packaging Supplies and Products | Paper Mart. I don't know what shipping costs because they are close to where I live so I just do willcall, but the products that I have purchased from them have been good.

 

[lucycat]

Although I use kraft bags for sales from my home I use plastic T-shirt bags at fairs. T-shirt bags are so much cheaper and they don't take up a lot of space at a fair or in packing. They aren't as nice looking but they are practical. I hang them on the back of my table with a large safety pin to the tablecloth and they are easy to pull and use. If you use kraft bags decide where and how you are going to store them at the fair. A small fair may be doable with paper sacks but for a large fair you would need some type of storage to prevent them from getting wet if it rains.

If you don't provide a bag/sack you are telling your customer you expect a sale of 1 bar in a purse not 4-6 bars that need a bag.

 

[Vicki C]

Although I use kraft bags for sales from my home I use plastic T-shirt bags at fairs. T-shirt bags are so much cheaper and they don't take up a lot of space at a fair or in packing. They aren't as nice looking but they are practical. I hang them on the back of my table with a large safety pin to the tablecloth and they are easy to pull and use. If you use kraft bags decide where and how you are going to store them at the fair. A small fair may be doable with paper sacks but for a large fair you would need some type of storage to prevent them from getting wet if it rains.

If you don't provide a bag/sack you are telling your customer you expect a sale of 1 bar in a purse not 4-6 bars that need a bag.

Yes - same reason I take credit cards people will buy at least 3 bars