I thought I'd revive this thread
I make and sell crafts (jewelry, hair accessories, magnets, home decor, toys etc.). I do my selling at flea markets, farmers markets and craft shows. Even that has its challenges. In my case I don't always make enough money to cover the fees for setting up a booth (some charge $50 dollars or more so I can't even consider those). So far this year I've mainly stuck with free events, but they don't always draw a lot of people. Another problem for me is that I can't do them alone. One reason is that I don't drive another is that it's a lot of work setting up all of the tables and merchandise (it usually takes about 2 hours to set up and then again to pack everything back up). My mom does the sales with me, but they usually take place on Saturdays and she's often scheduled to work unless she asks for time off and she has to ask for it a few weeks in advance. I haven't even scheduled an event for the Christmas holiday season yet.
I haven't had any luck with selling online. I tried to create a business Facebook page and before I could even make a post they blocked my account. I was given all of these steps I'd have to go through or my account would be permanently disabled. I didn't even bother. Instead I created a free wix website (I've actually been quite surprised by how much you can do with the free version, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post a link to mine here), but I have yet to get any traffic to it. I had hoped to start getting some business cards circulating, but out of the 4 events I've done this year I was only able to have them out once because of wind. I also created a twitter page, but besides a few 'likes' it seems to have gone unnoticed.
I had hoped to make crafting more than a hobby. At this rate I need to slow down on the creating because I've run out of table space at the sales and storage space for my finished products and supplies
FWIW:
I am a shopper, not a seller. but I know something about behind-the-scenes stuff.
If only my dad was still alive, he'd work out your packing/unpacking routine for you. (He did flea-markets for years, not your kind of thing, he sold 'vintage' and oddments rather than hand-crafted. He thought it was the wrong place to sell his stuff (fancy woodwork). But he sold oddments like mad. Very organized. Wrap delicate stuff carefully, if it's sturdy metal stuff, a single layer of newspaper to stop grinds and scratches is good enough.)
Oh, and do you talk to people? Friendly chat seems to really work. Form a bondlet with the customer.
To the subject at hand:
Business cards - put 'em in a clear container, preferably with a lid - a small Tupperware, or, a glass or hard plastic box. The lid doesn't have to be clear, because it has a sign on it: Business cards, free, take one. Only use the lid if the wind is picking up.
I buy OOAK on Etsy, mainly. If you browse around the stuff you are interested in, you can tell what's as much copies as originals, just in volume. There is some remarkable work out there in so many categories.
E-Bay is my go-to for manufactured stuff, especially in odd categories or older stuff.
Older books: AbeBooks.com, a gathering place for a vast range of smaller booksellers.
Amazon: commercial. mass-market only, it wouldn't occur to me to look for handmade there.
Also, before you go to on-line selling, get cheap postal scales and a rate chart.
You want to know what stuff isn't worth mailing and should just be tableware.
If a 75 cent kid's item costs a dollar in postage and wrapping, maybe better to keep it for 'live' events, or only sell it in bulk?