If you have ever shopped the Super Seconds Festival, firstly you'll know how great it is, but also how much incredible choice there is. Its hands down the best seconds sale across the UK and the only time EVER in my life I’ve actually made a plan for internet shopping and I’m hoping this year this extra bit of homework will pay off. There are 250 makers taking part, so it is HUGE.
So what are seconds and why is there a festival? The short version, is that as part of the handmade process, there will always be the occasional item that doesn’t come out perfect and that we aren’t able to sell for full price. Sophie from Ink & Bear came up with the idea for Super Seconds Festival in September 2020 in the middle of lock down after printing a whole pile of t-shirts that went ever so slightly wrong! You can read more about it on the Super Seconds Festival website.
Because this sale is often fastest finger first, I decided to put together a guide on how to find the best deals and make the most of the weekend.
1. Head to supersecondsfestival.co.uk
The best place to see all the makers taking part is obviously the home of Super Seconds Festival! Sophie, James and Abby have created the best resources for discovering all 250 makers. You can search by name, category and even create a wish list of your favorites so you don’t forget where you found them. Each maker has a page with photos of the types of products they are selling, the link to their website and information on any extra discounts.
2. Sign up to your favorite makers email lists
A lot of makers will be offering an exclusive discount to their email subscribers, and if you are anything like me, it’ll help you remember when the sale is live. This one is especially helpful if you want to be kept in the loop on some brilliant small business Christmas gifts as if you sign up to our lists, we can tell you all about them. Social media algorithms don’t always reach everyone but email is a great way for us to be able to keep in touch with you.
3. Open your must have makers and products in tabs that you can easily refresh when the sale is live (and set an alarm!)
This really can be a fastest finger first event (say that three times fast). Like trying to get your hands on Adele tickets, some of the highly sought after items can go very quickly. By their very nature, the items available for sale at Super Seconds Festival are often one-off items at a steal and there may be only one of them. If you do miss out on your favourite item, have a look if there is a discount on the full priced item or even better, just think how much joy it’ll bring you when it arrives and buy the perfect version.
4. Check out the hashtags #supersecondsfestival #supersecondsafterparty on Instagram
This is actually my favourite tip. If the thought of needing to be on the ball when it comes to adding to your basket and checking out doesn’t sound like your vibe, I have good news for you. There are 250 of us. Most of us have plenty of beautiful things that need a home and it is totally unrealistic that all items across the festival will sell out in the first 5 minutes. The reality is that you have ALL WEEKEND to shop with us and quite a few of us will keep our products live for at least the week after.
One of the best things about the community of makers taking part in the festival is that we all help promote each other, especially when things have started to get a bit quiet. These hashtags will really help you spot some of the pieces that are still available even after the event has finished, and you wont need to look at lots of different website to find them.
5. Watch your favorite makers live on Instagram
My last little tip for you! Lots of us go live with each other which really helps you to get to find out a bit more about us, see some of the products we have to sell and hear a bit more about our creative processes. It's one of my favorite ways to get to know the other makers taking part.
Happy Shopping!