New Vendor Form
A new vendor form welcomes a first-time vendor who has just been accepted to your market. Ten questions gather contacts, an emergency contact, their first market date, what they’ll bring, how they’ll load in and take payment, and their agreement to your rules, with an optional first booth fee paid at checkout.
How to use a new vendor form to welcome first-time vendors
The first market day decides whether a new vendor comes back. The ones who arrive knowing where to park, when to set up, and why their tent needs weights have a good day. The ones who don’t spend it flustered. A short welcome form is your chance to close that gap before they ever pull in.
Send it the day you say yes
This form comes after acceptance, so it should feel like a welcome. Send the link with your acceptance email while the vendor is excited, and open the form description with a line of congratulations. Link your market rules and a one-page vendor handbook there too, because the agreement question refers to them. Keep the form short. Everything you ask for here should help you prepare for their first day: how to reach them, when they’re coming, what they’re driving, and what they still need to buy. Screening questions belong in your application.
Spell out what first-timers don’t know
Veteran vendors forget how much they learned the hard way. Tell new ones plainly that a pop-up tent without weights can blow over in a light gust, and many markets ask for 25 to 40 pounds on each leg. Give the exact arrival window, where to unload, where to park afterward, and how long they have before the gates open. Say what the market provides and what it doesn’t, whether that’s tables, power, or trash bags. The load-in and “what you’ll bring” answers show you who needs an extra reminder by email before day one.
Set expectations for day one
New vendors often measure their first day against the busiest booth in the row, and it’s rarely a fair comparison. Tell them that sales usually build over a few weeks as regular shoppers get to know them. Suggest they bring small bills for change, price every item clearly, and pack water and a chair. If you offer a half booth, it’s a lower-risk way to start. On the day, have someone check in with them at setup and again at midday. A two-minute visit tells a nervous vendor they’re part of the market.
Pair them with a veteran vendor
A friendly neighbor teaches more in one morning than a handbook does in ten pages. Ask a few experienced vendors if they’d mentor a newcomer, then pair them by category or by booth location. Introduce the two by email before the first market so the new vendor has someone to text with questions. The experience question helps here: someone at their first market ever needs more support than a vendor who’s sold at three others. After a few weeks, ask your new vendors what confused them, and add the answers to your handbook.
Create your vendor application in three steps
Customize your questions
Add, remove, or edit questions to fit your market or event. From business details and booth requirements to permits and product images.
Set up vendor payments
Charge for booth spaces. You can create different pricing options for booth sizes or add-ons like electricity, or keep applications completely free. Payments are securely processed and handled through Stripe.
Publish and start accepting vendors
Publish your form and share it on your website, social media, email, or anywhere you recruit vendors. Vendors can apply and pay from their phone, and you can track every submission from your dashboard.
About this template
If your market needs something more specific, there is probably a closer starting point.
Browse all templatesHow is a new vendor form different from a vendor application?
A vendor application helps you decide who gets in. A new vendor form comes after you’ve said yes and gathers what you need to get a first-timer ready: contacts, an emergency contact, their first date, what they’ll bring, load-in details, how they take payment, and their agreement to your rules.
Should I charge the first booth fee on this form?
You can. Set a base fee, or add a booth size question with a price on each option, like a full 10x10 or a half booth. Vendors see a live total and pay by card through Stripe when they submit, and the money goes to your own connected Stripe account. We take no cut; Stripe’s processing fee applies. Leave the fee off if you bill another way.
Is the “I agree” question a signed agreement?
It records that the vendor chose “I agree” when they submitted the form, which works well as an acknowledgment of your rules. It isn’t an e-signature. If your market or venue needs a signed vendor agreement, check your local requirements and handle that document separately.
What do first-time vendors need to bring?
Most need a tent with weights on every leg, a table, a sign with their business name, a way to take cards, and small bills for change. Rules on tents, weights, and permits vary by city and venue, so list your market’s specific requirements in the form description and in your handbook.