Our Tagging System FAQ

Paper or digital?

There are many different systems from one vendor mall to another. There are pros and cons to each system. For starters, we will begin with old-fashioned paper tagging system but reserve the right to upgrade to a digital bar code or QR code system in the future.

The pros to paper tags, you can customize and make your tags anywhere. They are cheap to create and don't involve purchasing expensive sticker labels that have to constantly be reordered. Your paper tags will be returned to you in a bag with your check. The tags are your receipts so you can see what you sold. The con to this system is having to wait until the end of the month to collect tags. However, you're able to inspect your tags anytime a clerk is on duty and not actively working on books. And because we are entering sales into a computer, you can still call the clerk or stop by the store to check your numbers.

The pros to digital system is that many systems allow you to enter your inventory from any device connected to the internet. Less need for paper tags as many items can receive a sticker directly without the added need for paper tags. Barcode stickers can also be attached to paper tags. Cons, these sticker labels, monthly software fees, and printers can be very expensive which adds costs to everyone (it can cost hundreds of dollars a month). Some can be printed to paper and cut into tags without stickers. We may still opt to upgrade at some point, because a lot of vendors like to check their sales in live time from anywhere.

But even with paper tags, we're only a phone call away. So for now our paper tag rules are as follows:

Size: No smaller than 1' x 1" and no larger than a poker card. 
Materials: Use any card stock or thick paper with blue or black ink. Some of you are savvy with your own printers and you can also use printed tags.
Attachment: Tags can be attached with string, plastic tagging barbs, safety pins, staples, or tape.  Please, no strait pins, they poke! Be SURE tape holds the tag firmly in place and if it won't stick to the item or bag without damaging the product during removal, use another method or try bagging small items and attaching the tag to the bag instead.
Tag Information: The first line of data needs to have TWO numbers separated by a dash. The first 3 digits are assigned and represent the location of your booth. That way, if your items gets left in another booth it can be returned to the correct booth number. The second number, following the dash, will be your four digit vendor number. The reason we need that number too, is that some vendors have more than one booth space and the vendor number is there so we know how to consolidate your payments into one check. The middle section is for the item description. Please be specific so people do not switch tags and so if a tag falls off, we can find the item it goes to. And the final line is for price. Please use WHOLE numbers like 5.00 or 3.50 rather than 4.99 or 3.49 as it just makes checks and accounting easier. 
Packaging: Large items do not apply. If you're a vendor that sells a lot of small items like jewelry or tiny collectibles, we highly recommend placing these items in plastic bags or containers, especially if there a bunch of little items in a collection. sorting them in bags increases your sales and presentation and also helps reduce loss or theft. It's better to attach tags on the outside of the bag rather than inside the bag because during high traffic it slows down check out lines for clerks to have to open bags to fish for tags. For small items that have a big price tag (gold, gems, currency), we recommend renting space in one of our glass displays near check out.