Welcome to Day 18 of 30 Days To Your Financial Freedom Challenge! As we talked about in a previous lesson there are plenty of ways to make some extra cash from your backyard. In that lesson, we talked about selling your goods at a farmer’s market and I wanted to go into more detail on how you can get a start in this business.
One of the misconceptions about farmer’s markets is that everyone selling there owns a farm or a homestead. The truth is many of them do not. Some sellers are really resellers. They find low-cost organic produce or other products to resell at the market and mark it up for profit.
Even if all you have is a backyard garden or space, or a kitchen, you can get commercially certified, or someone to source product from, you can start selling at the farmer’s market.
Most markets require you to apply to sell, and they don’t let too many of the same type of seller join in. It will help if you visit a few times first before deciding what to sell. Try to fill a gap, so you don’t step on long-standing farmer’s toes.
- Fruit and Veggies – Even if you just have a salad garden for yourself, you can double it and sell your extras at the market. Find out what sells out fast or what is underserved in your area before you decide what to plant.
- House Plants – Many people like buying plants and starters at the farmers market instead of at a department store. You can cash in by choosing to offer something no one else does, but that is highly sought after in your area.
- Seeds and Seedlings – Whether fruit, veggies, or house plants, you can offer the seeds and seedlings for sale at the market alongside the rest of your offerings.
- Animal Products – Got chickens? Sell eggs, compost, and babies or the meat. You can do the same with meat rabbits. You can also sell cheese and milk if you have access to it.
- Preserved and Fermented Fruit and Veg – If you’re good at preserving food, whether canning or fermenting, there is a desire for it at farmer’s markets. Anything you can make that stands out as different will be sold out fast.
- Baked Food Products – It might be hard to break into the baked category of your local farmer’s market, and for a good reason. Many people are selling their baked goods twice as expensive as what you can buy in a store and selling out every week.
- Soap and Candles – If you’re good at making homemade soap, candles, lotions, and potions, they will be great sellers.
- Gardening and Farming Supplies – You can also sell the supplies that many farmers use in your local area to help them, or back yard growers get more from their efforts.
There is nothing wrong with selling your goods at a farmer’s market, even if you’re not a farmer. You still need a business license and tax ID number, and all the same credentials as any business to sell at the market anyway. You just need to have a legal means to obtain the goods you plan to sell, and it shouldn’t matter to anyone as long as your products are of high quality.
Have you thought about using a Farmer’s Market to sell your goods? Please leave any comments or questions below.
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