A stall is the best sales training there is. You watch people pick a thing up, hesitate and put it down, and you learn more in a morning than analytics will teach you in a month. This is not an argument against it.
What a stall does better
The conversation. Somebody turning your work over in their hands, asking how it was made. That is where regulars come from, and it does not survive translation to a screen.
No shipping. They take it away. Nothing is packed, nothing is tracked, nothing arrives broken.
Same-day money. Cash or a transfer, and it is done.
What it costs you
The day. A stall is a whole day, usually two with the packing. That is the real price, and it is paid whether anyone buys or not.
The weather. A wet Saturday is a lost Saturday. A monsoon is a lost season for anything that cannot sit in damp air.
The catchment. However good your work, the buyers are whoever came to that market.
What changes online
The audience is not local, which matters most for work that is specific rather than general. The person who collects exactly what you make is probably not in your district.
The conversation moves. It still happens — in a show, live, out loud — but you are talking to a camera and reading questions as they arrive. It is a skill, and the first attempt is always stiff.
You pack things. This is the part makers underestimate. Build the packing into your price before your first sale, not after your first breakage.
The combination most makers land on
Markets for the season and the regulars, shows for reach and for the weeks when standing outside is not an option. A show costs you twenty minutes, not a Saturday, so the arithmetic of trying one is easy.
Questions people ask
Do I need a lot of stock to go live?
No. A short show with five pieces works, and suits made-to-order work better than a long one.
Can I offer collection instead of posting?
Yes, per item, for anything you would rather hand over. Up to five collection points.
Is it worth it if my work is heavy or fragile?
Then collection and local delivery are where to start, and the delivery price has to be honest about the packing.
More: is selling live worth it, buying handmade work, monsoon and your stock.