Counting inventory before and after a show
Counting stock in and out of an event is the only reliable way to know what actually sold.
Your card reader knows what it processed; it does not know about cash sales, the piece you
discounted, or the one that went home with a friend.
Units sold = Starting count − Ending count
Why the receipt total is not enough
A sales total tells you how much money arrived. A count tells you which things
left the table — and that is the information that changes what you make next. Two shows
can produce identical takings while telling you completely different stories about what to
put on the bench on Monday.
A worked example
You arrive with 24 of one design and leave with 7, so
17 sold — your strongest line of the weekend.
Another design goes 12 to 11. One sale in two days. It occupied the same table space and
the same making hours as the design that sold seventeen.
Three shows of that pattern is enough evidence to stop making the second design, or to
reprice it, rather than continuing on the assumption that it will eventually catch on.
What the counts tell you
- What to restock before the next event, in the right quantities
- What is dead weight — taking up space and setup time without earning it
- Whether you brought enough; selling out by noon is a lost afternoon, not a triumph
- Discrepancies between units sold and money taken, which usually means a
missed sale, a mis-keyed price, or theft
Making it quick
Count by design rather than by individual item, do the starting count while packing rather
than at the venue, and do the closing count before you break the booth down — not in the
car park in the dark. The whole thing takes a few minutes at each end and is the single
cheapest source of data about your own business.
Related tools
Pair the counts with the break-even calculator to see
whether the show cleared its costs, and the booth packing
list so the stock actually makes it into the van.
Frequently asked questions
How do I track what sold at a craft fair?
Count each design before you leave and again before you pack down. The difference is what sold. It captures cash sales, discounts and giveaways that a card reader's total will miss.
Why not just use my card reader's sales report?
It reports money, not units, and only for card transactions. It cannot tell you which designs moved, which is the information that decides what you make next.
How often should I count?
At minimum, before and after every event. Counting mid-day at a multi-day show also tells you whether to restock the table overnight.
What if my unit count and my takings do not match?
That gap usually means a sale was rung up at the wrong price, a sale was missed, or stock went missing. Small discrepancies are normal; a repeated pattern is worth investigating.
How much stock should I bring to a show?
Enough that you do not sell out before the end. If a line consistently sells out early you are leaving money on the table; your own counts across several shows are the best guide.
Is the inventory counter free?
Yes — no sign-up, and counts are stored in your browser on your own device.