Craft Fair Compliance Guides for Stallholders and Event Organisers
Compliance Made Simple
Plain-English guides to the rules and regulations that affect stallholders, food trucks, and event organisers. No jargon, just what you need to know to trade with confidence.
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New to selling at fairs?
The five guides to read before your first stall.
Selling food or drink?
Get registered, rated, and labelled before you trade.
Organising your first event?
The essentials for running a safe, legitimate fair.
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Product Safety and Labelling
14 guidesCLP Labelling for Candles, Wax Melts and Home Fragrance
How to label candles, wax melts, soaps, and other chemical products correctly.
Read guide →Hallmarking Rules for Selling Silver and Gold Jewellery
Legal requirements for selling gold, silver, platinum, and palladium at craft fairs.
Read guide →Selling Handmade Children's Clothes: UK Labelling and Safety Rules
Textile labelling, care symbols, and safety requirements for selling handmade children's clothing.
Read guide →Selling Handmade Soap, Bath Bombs and Cosmetics: UK Rules and the CPSR
Cosmetic product safety reports, notification, and labelling for bath bombs, soaps, and skincare.
Read guide →GPSR: What the General Product Safety Regulation Means for Makers
The EU General Product Safety Regulation explained for UK craft sellers: what applies to you and what does not.
Read guide →UKCA and CE Marking for Handmade Toys: How to Self-Certify
A step-by-step guide to self-certifying your handmade toys for UKCA marking before you sell at a craft fair, market, or online: the EN71 tests, Technical Files, and Declaration of Conformity explained.
Read guide →Food Imitation Regulations: What Candle and Wax Melt Makers Need to Know
Why food-shaped candles and wax melts are unlawful, what "do not eat" labels actually protect, and practical alternatives for makers.
Read guide →Selling 3D Printed Items at Craft Fairs: Safety, Testing and the Law
Plain-English guide to toy safety regulations, UKCA marking, EN71 testing, and intellectual property rules for selling 3D printed items at craft fairs and markets in the UK.
Read guide →Selling Resin Crafts at UK Markets and Fairs: Safety and Labelling
Plain-English guide to the safety and labelling rules for selling epoxy resin crafts in the UK, including food contact, children's products, and CLP.
Read guide →Nickel in Handmade Jewellery: UK Testing Rules and Legal Limits
How the nickel release limit applies to handmade jewellery sold at craft fairs and markets.
Read guide →Food Safe Materials: UK Food Contact Rules for Craft Sellers
Regulations for selling handmade ceramics, kitchenware, and other items that come into contact with food.
Read guide →Fire Safety Labels for Upholstered Furniture and Cushions
How the 1988 fire safety regulations apply to handmade cushions, upholstered items, and soft furnishings sold at craft fairs.
Read guide →Medicinal and Health Claims on Handmade Soaps, Candles and Skincare: UK Rules
Where the line falls between cosmetic claims and medicinal claims, and why it matters at craft fairs.
Read guide →Selling Handmade Toys at Craft Fairs: UK Toy Safety Rules
What the law requires before you can sell handmade toys at a UK craft fair or market: the toy safety regulations, UKCA marking, labelling, and insurance, explained in plain English.
Read guide →Food and Drink
7 guidesHow Food Hygiene Ratings Work for Market Stalls
What food traders need to know about hygiene ratings, registration, and inspections.
Read guide →Registering as a Food Business with Your Local Council
How to register, what to expect from your first inspection, and common mistakes to avoid.
Read guide →Food Labelling and Allergens: Natasha's Law for Market Sellers
Allergen labelling rules for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food at markets and craft fairs.
Read guide →Food Safety Requirements for Event Organisers with Food Traders
What event organisers need to check and require from food traders trading at their events.
Read guide →Selling Homemade Dog Treats: Registration and Labelling Requirements
Why dog treats are classified as animal feed, what registrations you need, and how the labelling rules differ from human food.
Read guide →Selling Homemade Jams and Chutneys at Craft Fairs: What the Law Requires
Why selling a few jars of jam is more regulated than most people expect, and what you need to get right before your first sale.
Read guide →Gas Safety Certificates for Mobile Catering: CP44, Setup and the Law
Plain-English guide to LPG gas safety for food trucks, market stalls, and mobile caterers. Covers CP44 certificates, flame failure devices, cylinder storage, and finding the right engineer.
Read guide →Insurance
4 guidesPublic Liability Insurance for Stallholders
Why PLI matters for stallholders and event organisers, and what cover you need.
Read guide →Craft Fair Insurance Requirements for Organisers and Stallholders
A complete overview of insurance types relevant to craft fairs, who needs what, and how to check cover.
Read guide →Product Liability Insurance for Crafters
What product liability insurance covers, how it differs from public liability, and why makers of certain products should have it.
Read guide →Employers' Liability Insurance for Event Organisers
When you need employers' liability insurance as an event organiser, including for volunteers and casual helpers.
Read guide →Licences and Permissions
5 guidesTemporary Event Notices (TENs)
When you need a TEN to serve alcohol or provide entertainment at your event.
Read guide →Do I Need a Premises Licence for My Craft Fair?
When a premises licence is needed, when a TEN is sufficient, and what the entertainment exemptions cover.
Read guide →Street Trading Licences and Consent
When you need a street trading licence, when you do not, and how to tell the difference.
Read guide →Do I Need Council Permission to Hold a Market or Craft Fair?
Plain-English guide for event organisers on when you need council permission to run a market or craft fair; street trading consent, market rights licences, and private land.
Read guide →Do I Need a Licence to Run a Raffle? Tombola and Fair Game Rules
Plain-English guide to the rules for raffles, tombolas, and fair-day games in the UK; when you need a licence, when you do not, and the advance ticket sales trap.
Read guide →Event Safety
8 guidesMartyn's Law: Does It Apply to Your Craft Fair or Market?
What the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act means for event organisers and venue operators.
Read guide →Fire Risk Assessments for Open Air Events and Outdoor Markets
Fire risk assessment, equipment, and compliance for event organisers.
Read guide →Risk Assessments for Outdoor Markets and Craft Fairs
How to write a practical risk assessment for your outdoor event, with a focus on what councils actually want to see.
Read guide →Fire Risk Assessments for Indoor Craft Fairs and Village Hall Events
Fire risk considerations when hosting craft fairs in village halls, community centres, and indoor venues.
Read guide →PAT Testing: Do You Need It for Your Craft Fair Setup?
The truth about PAT testing: it is not a legal requirement, but event organisers often ask for it. Here is what you need to know.
Read guide →First Aid Requirements for Events
What first aid provision you need at your craft fair, market, or outdoor event, scaled to event size.
Read guide →Noise Regulations for Outdoor Events
Noise nuisance law, practical noise management, and how to avoid complaints at outdoor craft fairs and markets.
Read guide →Gazebo Weights and Fire Retardancy: Safety Rules for Market Stalls
Plain-English guide to gazebo safety at markets and craft fairs. Covers weighting requirements, fire-retardant materials, wind management, and what event organisers expect.
Read guide →Running Your Business
13 guidesWhen Does a Craft Hobby Become a Business? HMRC Rules
When your craft hobby becomes a taxable business in the eyes of HMRC.
Read guide →Craft Fair Scams: How to Check an Event Is Legitimate
How to spot dodgy event organisers and protect yourself from scam craft fairs.
Read guide →GDPR for Craft Businesses and Event Organisers
Data protection basics for small craft businesses: collecting emails, mailing lists, customer records, and event bookings.
Read guide →Copyright and Intellectual Property: What Craft Sellers Need to Know
Protecting your own designs and avoiding infringing others': copyright, trade marks, and design rights for makers.
Read guide →Product Photography for Handmade Crafts: How to Take Better Photos of Your Products
Practical tips for photographing your handmade products and your stall, using a smartphone or camera, with free and low-cost editing tools.
Read guide →Taking Card Payments at Craft Fairs: A Beginner's Guide
Plain-English guide to moving from cash to card at craft fairs and markets: what actually happens, what kit you need, signal and bank accounts, and the questions to ask any provider before you sign up.
Read guide →Paying Helpers on Your Craft Stall: Cash in Hand, Family Members and HMRC Rules
When you pay a friend or helper at a craft fair, what HMRC expects: casual help vs employment, the 14-day rule, PAYE thresholds, and how to decide which side of the line you are on.
Read guide →Checking Stallholder Insurance and Documents: A Guide for Organisers
What documents to ask your stallholders for, how to check they are genuine and in date, and a sensible way to tier your requirements without scaring off good traders.
Read guide →Licensed Fabric and Character Images: Can You Sell What You Make?
Disney, Marvel, Peppa Pig. Whether you can legally sell handmade items made from licensed character fabric, and why buying the fabric legally is not the end of the question.
Read guide →How to Make a Craft Fair Poster: Templates, Tools and Design Tips
Practical guide for event organisers on making a clear, readable craft fair poster in Canva in about 15 minutes, and why AI-generated posters are sinking into sameness.
Read guide →Charity Fundraising at Craft Fairs: Proceeds, Collection Tins, and Permission
Plain-English guide to "proceeds to charity" claims, collection tins and permits, and using a charity's name; for stallholders donating takings and organisers running charity fairs.
Read guide →Making a Stallholder Application Form: What to Ask
Plain-English guide to writing a stallholder application form: the questions every event needs, the ones to leave out, and what you owe applicants once you hold their details.
Read guide →Likes But No Sales? How Social Media Works for Craft Sellers
Plain-English guide to social media for craft stallholders and food traders: why likes don't equal sales, and how to spend your time on posts that reach real buyers.
Read guide →Track all your compliance documents in one place.
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