How to Track Income and Expenses as a Craft Fair Vendor
Why Tracking Matters More Than You Think
Most craft fair vendors know they should track their numbers. Fewer actually do it consistently. And almost none of them know, off the top of their head, which shows were actually profitable after accounting for time, travel, and booth fees.
That's the gap between a hobby and a business. Tracking income and expenses is how you close it.
What to Track for Every Show
At minimum, record these for each event:
- Gross income — Total sales for the day (cash + card)
- Booth fee — What you paid the organizer
- Travel expenses — Mileage (deductible at the IRS rate), tolls, parking, gas if you prefer actual costs
- Show supplies — Anything you bought specifically for that show
- Hours spent — Setup, selling time, teardown. This is how you calculate income per hour.
With these five data points, you can calculate net profit for every show and start making smarter decisions about which ones to return to.
The Spreadsheet Problem
Spreadsheets are a fine starting point. Build a tab per show, log your numbers, and you've got something. The problem is they don't scale well, they're prone to formula errors, and they don't give you the higher-level view you need — like which shows have the best income-per-hour across the whole year, or how your Q4 holiday season compares year over year.
Most vendors outgrow spreadsheets after their first full year of shows. At that point, the friction of maintaining them starts eating into the time you should be spending on your craft.
Tracking Your Inventory Costs
Beyond show expenses, you also need to track your cost of goods. That means knowing how much you spent on materials for everything you made — not just what you sold, but what you produced. This gives you your gross margin, which is essential for understanding the real profitability of your product line.
Some vendors track this per product type; others track total material spend per month and divide by units produced. Either method works. The key is doing it consistently.
Tax Deductions You Might Be Missing
- Booth fees and application fees
- Mileage to and from shows (2025 IRS rate: 70 cents/mile)
- Display equipment: tables, tents, grids, risers
- Packaging: bags, tissue paper, boxes, stickers
- Payment processing fees (Square, Stripe, PayPal)
- A portion of your phone bill if used for business
- Home studio expenses if you make at home
- Professional development: books, courses, conferences
Keep receipts for everything. A photo in a dedicated folder on your phone is enough.
Using BoothBook to Simplify Everything
BoothBook was built specifically for craft fair vendors who want to stop guessing and start knowing. Log each show, enter your income and expenses, and BoothBook automatically calculates your net profit, income per hour, and year-over-year trends. At tax time, export your full summary as a CSV and hand it to your accountant — no spreadsheet archaeology required.
The mileage tracker is especially useful. Enter your round-trip miles for each show and BoothBook generates a complete mileage report with the IRS-standard deduction already calculated. That report alone can save you hundreds of dollars in taxes.
Build the Habit
The hardest part of tracking is starting the habit. Make it easy: keep your phone out at the end of every show and log your numbers before you pack up. It takes two minutes. After a few shows it becomes automatic, and after a full year you'll have data that actually tells you something useful about your business.