How to sell vendor tables for a craft fair or expo

Set table prices, number your spots, take payment online and handle questions and no-shows when you sell vendor tables for a craft fair, expo or market.

How-to · 7 min read · By the ExpoRight team · Updated November 2, 2026

The short version

Best order: Plan, price, then open sales
What vendors want to see: Size, spot, price, rules
Easiest way to avoid double bookings: Pick and pay at the same time

To sell vendor tables for a craft fair or expo, decide how many tables the room really holds, number each one on a floor plan, set a price for every kind of spot, and put the details vendors ask about on one page where they can pick a table and pay. Sell the tables before you sell admission: vendors are what draw the crowd, and a full vendor list is the best thing you can show a buyer.

This guide walks through it in order, for a first or second event. It works the same for a craft fair, a flea market, a trade expo or a card show.

Work out how many tables you can sell

Start from the room, not from the number you hope for. Get the measurements, the number and size of tables the venue provides, and where the exits, doors and power are. Then decide how many tables fit with comfortable aisles. Our guide to laying out vendor tables shows a quick way to work this out.

Selling fewer tables than the room could hold is usually the better first move. A full room with wide aisles looks busy and keeps vendors happy, and you can always add a few tables next time.

Draw a plan and number every spot

A numbered plan answers the first question every vendor asks, which is where they will be. Put a number on every table, and keep numbers in an order someone can follow along a row. Mark the entrance, doors, power and anything vendors will care about, such as the food area or restrooms.

On ExpoRight you draw the room in the floor plan designer and place tables and booths on a grid. Tables are numbered for you and you can rename them. The plan saves as you work and attaches to your event.

Set prices for each kind of spot

Not every table is worth the same to a vendor. A table near the entrance, on a corner or on the main aisle gets more foot traffic than one at the back, and a double-width space holds more stock. A simple way to price it:

One standard price for most tables.
A higher price for corners and spots near the entrance.
A lower price for back corners, which is a good way for first-time vendors to try your event.
A multiple-table price (two or three together) if you want bigger sellers.

Look at what other events near you charge for a table of the same size, and what you are offering in return: crowd size, hours, power, chairs, and whether you advertise. Then pick a price you can repeat next time. Raising prices after a busy event is easy. Cutting them to fill a quiet one is harder to explain.

On ExpoRight, each table takes its price, colour and the number of people it admits from its ticket type. Create one ticket type per kind of spot, such as Standard, Corner and Double, and give each its own price. The colours show vendors at a glance which tables cost what.

Say what's included before anyone asks

Most of the questions you will get by message are about the same few things. Answer them on the event page and you will get far fewer. Cover:

Table size, and whether chairs, tablecloths and power are included.
Load-in and load-out times, and where to park or unload.
What may be sold, and anything that is not allowed (food, handmade-only rules, resale items).
Whether vendors need their own insurance, permits or a sales tax number, and what they bring on the day.
The date and hours, so vendors know when buyers will be in the room.
Your refund and cancellation policy for tables, in plain words.

Let vendors pick a table and pay in one step

The common way to lose time is to take reservations by message or form and then chase payments. Two vendors want the same corner, one never pays, and you spend the week sorting it out. It is simpler when picking and paying are the same step.

On ExpoRight, vendors open your event page, choose their table on the floor plan and pay online by card. The table they picked is held for them for 5 minutes while they check out, so nobody else can take it, and it is theirs when they pay. A table cannot be sold twice. You can see who has which table on your event's attendee list.

Open sales on a date you announce ahead of time and tell your regulars first. A short note to past vendors a few days early is a kind way to reward the ones who come back.

Keep tables back for people and sponsors

You may want to keep a few tables out of public sale: one for a sponsor, one for a vendor who asked months ago, one for yourself. In the floor plan designer you can mark a table Not for sale (it is drawn grey in the designer), and it does not go on public sale.

To offer a held table to one person, send them a private link from your event's overview. It works only for an ExpoRight account signed in with the email you typed, for 1, 3 or 7 days or until sales end, and the table stays off public sale the whole time. ExpoRight does not email the link, so you send it yourself.

Cancellations, no-shows and the day itself

Decide your cancellation rule before the first sale and state it on the page. A common approach is to allow a full or partial refund up to a set date and none after, because a late cancellation leaves an empty spot you cannot refill. Whatever you pick, keep it the same for everyone. ExpoRight's refund policy covers how refunds work on the site.

Plan for the day too:

Print the plan with table numbers, and tape a numbered sign to every table before vendors arrive.
Have someone at the door at load-in to point vendors to their spot.
Check vendors in with the same tool you use for admission: each paid table has a ticket with a QR code you can scan with a phone's camera.
Keep a short list of vendors to call if a table is still empty after the start time.
Walk the room before doors open and make sure the aisles and exits are clear.

Afterward, thank your vendors, ask what they would change, and duplicate the event from My events with its floor plan so next time you only change the date.

Questions

How do I sell vendor tables for a craft fair?

Work out how many tables fit your room, draw and number a floor plan, set a price for each kind of spot, list what is included, and let vendors pick a table and pay online in one step. Open vendor sales before you open admission.

How much should I charge for a vendor table?

Look at what events near you charge for a table of the same size, then think about what you offer: crowd, hours, power and promotion. Charge more for corners and spots near the entrance and less for the back. A price you can repeat next time is better than one set too high to fill the room.

How do I stop two vendors booking the same table?

Let vendors choose their exact table and pay at the same time. On ExpoRight a picked table is held for 5 minutes while the vendor pays, and a table cannot be sold twice.

Can I keep some tables for sponsors or regular vendors?

Yes. Mark the table Not for sale in the floor plan designer. You can also send one person a private link to buy it, which only works for an account signed in with the email you entered.

What should my vendor refund policy be?

Pick a clear cutoff date and state it on the event page before anyone pays. Many hosts refund up to a set date and not after, because late cancellations are hard to refill. Apply the same rule to every vendor.

Should I sell vendor tables before admission tickets?

Usually yes. Vendors decide how good your event is, so fill tables first, then use the vendor list in your promotion when admission goes on sale.

Draw your room, number the tables and let vendors pick and pay for their spot online. Listing your event is free, and it stays a private draft until you publish. Start selling tables