How many batches do you need for Saturday?
Enter your target units, batch size, and prep time. Get your exact start time and a step-by-step prep timeline — no more guessing.
Prep smarter, not harder
The cost of running out early
Running out of your best product by 10 AM feels great for about two minutes — then you realize you turned away customers for the next three hours of market. Those customers don't come back. Plan your quantities for the full market duration, not just the rush. Your sell-through target should be 80–90% of inventory by the last hour, not 100% by hour two.
Build cooling time into your schedule
Baked goods need 1–2 hours to cool before packaging. Jams need to set. Candles need to cure. Most first-time vendors don't account for this in their prep timeline — then they're rushing to package products while also getting ready to leave. The calculator handles the math, but add 60–90 minutes of cooling and packaging time on top of your active prep for baked goods.
Parallel batching saves hours
If you have two ovens, two slow cookers, or two large pots — use them. Running two batches simultaneously doesn't double your output but can reduce your total time by 30–40%. Once you know your baseline prep time from this calculator, experiment with parallel batching. Even saving one hour the morning of market dramatically reduces your stress.
Scale up gradually
New vendors often try to maximize inventory at their first market and end up exhausted and oversupplied. Start with 60–80% of what the calculator suggests for your first two markets. Learn your sell-through rate at your specific market. Then scale up with confidence. It's much better to sell out and take orders than to haul unsold product home and question whether the market is worth it.