How to sell at markets and craft fairs and online at the same time

By the Payly team · October 22, 2026 · 5 min read

Many makers sell at markets and craft fairs on weekends and online the rest of the week. The trouble starts when the same twelve mugs exist in two places: the shelf at your stall and the shop page on your website. This guide shows how to keep one catalog, record market sales so your records stay right, and bring people who met you at the stall back to your online store.

One catalog for both

Keep a single list of products and treat your online store as the master copy. Every item you take to a market should already exist there, with a clear name, a price and, if you use them, a SKU. A SKU is a short code that helps you match your table to your records.

Use the same prices in both places where you can. If you want a market-only price, treat it as a discount on the order, not as a separate product.

If you sell the same item in several sizes or colors, set it up as one product with options, each with its own stock count.

Take payment at the market

In-person payment goes through whatever you already use. That might be cash, or an app that your payment provider offers for taking cards in person. If you want to accept cards at the stall, check what your PayPal or Stripe account offers and read its fees on its own pricing page, since in-person rates can differ from online ones.

Record the sale as a manual order

Payly lets you create an order by hand for a phone order, a market sale or a bank transfer. It then appears in your order list and customer list alongside your online orders. See Create an order by hand for the steps. In short:

1. Open Orders and click Add Order.
2. Enter the customer's name and email address if you have them. Both are optional.
3. Click Add Item for each product sold and enter the quantity.
4. Enter shipping, tax and discount only if they apply. Type the amounts you actually charged.
5. Choose Paid if you already have the money, or Pending if you only want a note.
6. Check the total and click Save Order.

Some details matter at a market:

• Prices come from your products. You cannot type a different price on one line, so use the Discount field to lower the total.
• A Paid order sends real emails. Payly emails the customer an order confirmation and a sign-in link to the address you enter. Check it for typos, or leave the email blank if the customer does not want one. An order with no email address does not appear under any customer.
• Payly cannot refund a manual order. There is no PayPal or Stripe payment behind it. Hand the money back yourself and mark the order as refunded.
• Sales tax is your call. Enter what you actually charged. Payly does not file or remit tax for you, so ask your state tax agency or an accountant what applies to in-person sales.

A paper tally of items and quantities at the stall is enough. Enter the sales that evening.

Keep stock counts right

Stock is where two sales channels collide. If you sell your last mug at the stall on Saturday while it is still available online, an online customer can buy a mug you no longer have.

Turn on stock tracking for each product and enter how many you have. The count goes down when an order is paid, including a paid order you created by hand. An unpaid order does not use up stock. By default, Payly stops selling at zero. See Track and manage stock.

Pick one of these methods and stick to it, because mixing them counts a sale twice:

• Record market sales as Paid orders. Leave the stock count alone. Each manual order lowers it for you. Do this soon after the market so the online count catches up.
• Set aside stock before you go. On the Stock screen, lower the online count to the number you are not taking to the market, and put the rest on your table. Then record the market sales as Pending, which leaves the count unchanged and still keeps your records complete.

Marking a Pending order as Paid later changes only its status. It does not change your stock and sends no emails.

The Low stock tab shows what is running out, a ready-made packing list for the next market.

Turn market visitors into online customers

A market gives you a few minutes with someone who likes your work. Make it easy for them to find you again.

• Show your store address clearly. Print it on a sign and on your packaging. A QR code made with any free generator works too.
• Hand out a small card with a discount code. A code made for the market, with an end date and a usage limit, brings people to the shop. The code list shows how many times it was used, so you can see what the market brought in. See Create discount codes.
• Offer to take the details of people who ask. If a customer wants to hear about new work, write their name and email on your sheet with their agreement. You can add them on the Customers screen with a private note. See Your customers list. Payly does not send marketing emails, so this is for your own follow-up, and rules on marketing email differ by country.

Questions

How do I take card payments at my stall?

Take payment with cash or your own payment provider's in-person option, then record the sale in Payly.

Do market customers get an account?

If you save the order as Paid with their email address, yes. Payly creates an account for them and emails a sign-in link, so ask first. An order with no email address creates no account.

Should I add market orders while the Test data switch is on?

No. An order added while the switch is on is kept as a test order, out of your live figures. Switch it off first.

Is this free?

Payly itself is free, with no monthly fee, no transaction fee and no commission. Create a free account to set up your catalog.

This is general guidance. Rules on selling in person, including permits and sales tax, vary by place, so check with your market organizer, your state tax agency or an accountant.