What Do the Public Actually Want?

“If only I’d made more of these.” “They should have been bigger—or a different colour.” “Perhaps I should reduce the price.”

Thoughts like these are hard to avoid after selling your work at a fair or market. They can quickly lead you to second-guess yourself. In a conversation with another trader, the question came up plainly: what do the public actually want?

Looking back, missed opportunities can seem obvious. But the lessons from one event rarely transfer neatly to the next. Location, season and even the time of the month can affect what people are looking for. Traders with far more experience than I have told me that there is often little rhyme or reason to what sells on a particular day.

That can be difficult to accept when a piece has taken weeks to develop—from the first idea and drawings to choosing materials and solving production problems—and still fails to attract a buyer. It does not necessarily mean the piece is wrong. Finding its buyer may take longer than you hoped.

I recently read a post in a Facebook group for laser engravers from someone considering selling his equipment because he could not generate enough sales. Some people were in the same position; others offered encouragement. One reply stood out:

“Stop making things that you think are cool, find a niche of things that everyone likes, and sell them.”

It made me angry. What does everybody like?

We could all make football club crests, take them to the local market and compete with everyone else on price, but that would become a race to the bottom; there is a great deal of work in that, with little room for the ideas that made us want to create things in the first place.

Finding an audience is sensible. Trying to make something that everyone likes is another matter. I do not have a formula for what sells, but I think variety helps: a mixture of statement pieces and more accessible items, alongside a willingness to listen. My wife has often spotted designs that were not quite working and suggested changes to their scale, colour or finish. That kind of feedback can improve a piece without losing the idea behind it.

After a market, I try to pay attention to more than sales. What did people pick up? What did they ask about? Was there something they liked but left behind? One quiet day gives you questions to explore; repeated feedback across several events gives you a stronger reason to make a change.

So, what do the public actually want? I do not think there is one answer, because there is no single public. Some people want something familiar and practical. Others are looking for a piece they have never seen before. Some may love your work but have no reason—or money—to buy it that day.

Try this after your next market

Use the Post-Market Notes Sheet (PDF) to record what sold, what people asked about and what you might test next time. You can find it alongside the other printables in Maker Resources.