7 Things I'd Tell Someone About to Start Selling on Faire

We do a lot of in-depth writing about Faire – things that are advanced guidance for established business owners. But I hear from folks every day who are just starting on Faire and really trying to find their footing. So today I want to go simple and share 7 things I would tell you if you're starting on Faire today.

1. Faire is a tool, not a strategy.
Faire is good at certain things. It’s good at getting your line in front of buyers you'd never reach on your own, and making it easy for a cautious retailer to try you (or reorder from you) without much risk. It is not good at helping you figure out your pricing, your product line, or your outreach. It's not good at helping you build relationships with store owners. Treat it as one channel in your overall wholesale strategy, not the strategy itself. (If you're still chewing on whether Faire even belongs in your strategy, this one could be helpful too.)

2. Your photos will make or break you, at application and overall.
It turns out that on Faire, unclear images alone cause a 21% drop in conversion. Before you apply, and before you list anything, put time into your photography. That doesn’t have to mean a professional photo shoot. But it does mean making sure your photos are consistent, well lit, consistent with your brand, and with no distracting backgrounds. Most of the time, it’s just about fixing the problems you already know your photos have.

3. If you're brand new to wholesale, don’t start on Faire.
This is something that even the Faire team told us pretty directly… and something we’ve seen first hand. Using the platform to learn wholesale from scratch is a rough setup, because Faire is taking notes on your performance the entire time you're figuring things out. Faire works best when you're already clear on what kinds of stores buy from you and what they love about your products — it's an accelerant for wholesale success you already have, not the place you build it from zero. We go deeper on how this plays out in our article on why Faire orders tend to dry up if you want more detail on that.

4. Your first few weeks are a test — treat them that way.
New brands get a window of elevated visibility so Faire can see how buyers respond to you. This early window sets a track record that follows you, so being prepared pays off. Ship every order on time. Answer every message fast. If Faire Direct is something you're open to, use that link often during this period. More on why the "set it and forget it" approach doesn't hold up anymore here.

5. Set operational expectations you can actually hit.
A short lead time looks great until you miss it, and a missed shipment costs you more than you would think. Same story with your order minimum — lower generally helps you, but only if it still covers your real costs. A minimum you can't sustain is worse for you than a slightly higher one you can. (Not sure what your real numbers are? Start here – most makers are surprised by what a Faire sale actually costs once everything's factored in.)

---

4 Things About Faire Most Makers Get Wrong

Get your free guide & discover:

🔓 What Faire actually requires to succeed (and what most sellers never find out)

🔓 The real limits of the platform — before they cost you time and money

🔓 Exactly how to decide if Faire is worth it for your specific business

---

6. If you're using Faire Direct, really use it.
Every retailer you send to Faire through your Direct link teaches the algorithm what your ideal buyer looks like, and it costs you nothing in commission. Using Faire Direct also tends to raise your conversion rate, which positively affects your visibility across the platform. Faire Direct isn't a fit for everyone (we talk through the potential pitfalls in Making Faire Work), but if you're using it, share it widely.

7. Name your products in a way that works for search.
I'm ending with the single most impactful thing you can do. Your titles need to work for search, not just read like a product name. Faire recommends titles between 35–50 characters, leading with the most concrete details — material, color, style, size — rather than a cute name alone. "Cassidy Necklace" tells a buyer nothing. "Minimalist Paperclip Necklace — Gold Fill Chain Link, 18 Inch” is proven to work for both visibility and conversion because it’s clear and descriptive.

None of this is a shortcut, and none of it guarantees Faire is going to be the right fit for your business. But if you go in with these seven things in place, you skip a lot of the expensive (and annoying) trial and error that most brands wade through in their first few months. Get your photos right, get your titles right, ship on time, and give the platform some positive cues to work with. The rest, you can figure out as you go.