Packing list for vending

A packing list with many ideas—these are some standards, but each artist and event will have their own needs. This can form the basis of a personal template which can serve as a packing checklist.

Inventory & table

Things to sell

• Books, zines, publications.
• Art prints, cards.
• Other merch (t-shirts, totes, sculptures, keychains, pins, pens/pencils, etc.).
• Inventory count sheet/spreadsheet (record of items to sell and cash on hand before and after events)

Be sure to check the restrictions provided by fair organizers—many fests require some portion of each table's inventory be books/zines.

Ways to accept money

• A phone and means of charging it (portable charging blocks are nice for when there is no access to outlets).
• Printed QR code(s) for any cashless payment methods (Venmo, PayPal, etc.)
• Cash with small bills to be able to make change.
• Point-of-Sale (POS) for accepting card payments—generally these have inventory listings set up on them.
  • Some phones can accept tap-to-pay with an app, such as: Square, Shopify, SumUp, Zettle/PayPal, etc.
  • There are also dedicated credit card readers (tap and/or chip and/or swipe), some of which work in coordination with a phone app, others are standalone.
  • Most POS systems will require an internet connection of some kind.

Display & packaging

• Tablecloth (check the table size ahead of time—a full size table cloth can be folded up for a half- or quarter-table).
• Display racks, stands, boxes.
  • For travel, collapsible displays are important—a common supplier in the US is Clear Solutions Displays.
• Signage:
  • Name of the project/press.
  • Perhaps signs that answer any repeat questions in advance, i.e. "Cash, card, or tap to pay." "Everything risograph printed and assembled by us." "Feel free to pick up the books."
  • If the work is hard to interpret from the cover, consider a one-line description for each piece.
• A system for displaying pricing. There are many different approaches for this:
  • Price marked or stickered on a display copy—sometimes these are larger cards which include a title, artist, and blurb.
  • Each item individually marked.
  • A "menu" which lists everything on the table and its price.
  • Alternately there could be no prices displayed and people must ask for pricing.
• Paper bags/sleeves.
• Plastic sleeves for prints (if packaging sets of prints from stock as buyer picks them out), potentially chipboard.
• Freebies:
  • Business cards
  • Publication catalog
  • Project info sheets
  • Free items with purchase (postcards, bookmarks, small art prints)
• Newsletter signup sheet or QR code.
• Extras that come in handy: Scissors (if a local fair or checking a bag), tape

Self care

Staying fed and hydrated

• Water bottle
• Thermos for tea/coffee
• Cooler full of ice and drinks to share, if it's hot and you're at an event with a lot of people you know, maybe go in together for it?
• Electrolytes?
• Food to eat - snacks, lunch. Ideally something that’s easy to eat and won’t leave your fingers or clothes messy.

Staying comfortable

• Cough drops or throat lozenges for after you've talked a lot
• N-95 or KN-94 masks

• Medicines (prescriptions, over the counter things, etc)
• Layers of clothing to adapt to temperatures
• Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, sunscreen chapstick (esp. if it is an outdoor event)
• Anti-fatigue standing mat
• Earbuds, noise-reducing earplugs, other hearing aids. (e.g. Loop or Flare Audio calmer earplugs that don’t block sound, or noise canceling ones for listening to music on breaks)
• Face mist, moisturizer, hand salve or lotion

Travel packing

If you're traveling overnight or further afield for the event, you might want to add:

• Rolling suitcase
• Mailing boxes of books ahead (with LOTS of advance lead time)
• Toiletries
• Changes of clothing and layers/shoes appropriate for the weather

Related: Business tips and resources