It is time to get ready for the busy fall and holiday seasons by stocking up on jewelry supplies at your local bead show. Since I spend about a third of my year at bead shows I thought I would put together a survival guide to help you navigate your way through those long hard shopping days.

1. Wear comfy shoes – the floors are usually cement and being on your feet all day is hard. I like to have a second pair with me to change into half way through the day, or for your ride home. You would be surprised at how much this helps.

2. Layer your clothes. It can start out chilly in the morning, but by the time the afternoon rolls around and the lights have been on all day, most busy shoppers are breaking a sweat.

3. Food and water – Show food is terrible. Sure a hot dog will seem like a good idea when you have been shopping for 5 hours, but if you just plan ahead and bring a sandwich, some nuts and dried fruit, and a bottle of water, you will be much happier. I always go to the grocery store in the morning to stock up on pre-made sandwiches and snacks and plenty of water.

Nina Designs in Tucson 2008

To read the rest of our handy bead shopping tips, click below.

4. Bring your own shopping bag, tote or backpack to put your goodies in. Sometimes there are promotional bags and totes given out at shows when you walk in the door. Resist the temptation to stash your purchases in these bags. If you set the promotional bag down while shopping, it is much more likely that someone else will accidentally think that they are picking up their own promo bag and instead, walk away with your stuff! This has happened several times at our booth. If you know you’ll be buying a lot, invest in a bag with wheels. It will help avoid backache and minimize trips back and forth to the car to unload.

5. If you are a wholesale customer, bring multiple copies of your sellers permit (state resale license). Some customers even go so far as to print up address-sized labels with their name, company name, address, phone number and resale number on them. This saves time at checkout. And, trust me, vendors will appreciate it.

6. Stay organized! Make sure that you always double check that you have your receipt, your credit card, your resale license and your merchandise. Designate a pocket in your tote/purse to always put your wallet in. There’s nothing worse than the scare that misplacing your credit card brings. A black sharpie pen is a useful tool for writing prices on plastic bags. One of our customers in Tucson wears a fishing vest that has lots of pockets to stash pens, money and purchases.

7. Set a budget and make a list, but make sure you have some extra money set aside for those special treasures you didn’t expect to see. Inspiration can strike when you least expect it – like when you are looking at all of our fabulous new styles!

8. Walk through the whole show before buying. Ask about pricing, make notes in your program and then go back and shop. Often there are several vendors selling similar things – find the best quality for the best price you can afford.

9. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Quality varies widely at the shows. Sometimes you can luck out and get a closeout special that really is a great deal, but often you get what you pay for. Check to make sure that silver beads have a good weight in your hands, seams have been polished and that details are crisp; make sure that oxidation is consistent, and make sure you can re-order if you are buying something you could need in volume. When you are buying stones, check the stones for color and clarity, make sure the holes are drilled straight and that they are not too small. When it comes down to it, only being able to use 50-75% of the beads you buy isn’t a good deal – often it is worth it to spend a little bit more so that you can use your entire strand.

This covers much of what I have learned over my years of attending bead trade shows. Please feel free to add your bead own shopping tips to our survival guide. We’d love to share them with others.