Farmers’ markets are a perfect way to get fresh produce into your diet. They’re also a great way to support local businesses and connect with other people who love food.
But if you want to sell at farmers’ markets, you’ll need to protect yourself against theft. Thieves often target farmers’ markets because they offer high profit potential.
Vendor insurance protects vendors from theft and helps ensure that their inventory is safe while they’re selling at farmers’ markets.
This blog post will explain what farmers market vendor insurance is, how it works and how you can get started protecting your inventory.
How does vendor insurance work?
The basic idea behind vendor insurance is simple: If someone steals or damages your inventory, the insurer pays out on your behalf. The amount paid depends on the value of your inventory when stolen or damaged.
In most cases, this means that the insured person gets back all of their losses plus some additional compensation. This extra payment comes in two forms:
1) A cash payout – which may be used as an incentive to return the items to the rightful owner;
2) An item replacement benefit – where the insurer replaces lost or destroyed goods with new ones.
Let’s say that you have $100 worth of apples stored in your car trunk. You leave them there overnight and find them missing the next morning. Your loss would be covered under the vendor insurance policy. In addition, you’d receive a cash payout equal to half of the market price of those apples. And finally, the insurer would replace the apples with another set of identical apples.
If you don’t own any inventory but still wish to participate in farmer’s markets, then you should consider getting vendor insurance. Vendor insurance policies cover both physical property and business income. Physical property coverage includes things like vehicles, tools, equipment and inventory. Business income covers sales made through vending machines, tables, booths and displays.
If you plan to use these services regularly, we recommend purchasing multiple years of coverage so that you won’t lose access to your benefits during times of financial hardship.
Who needs vendor insurance?
Anyone who sells products at farmers’ markets has reason to worry about theft. It happens more than you might think. Here are just a few examples:
- Thieves steal fruits and vegetables right off the truck before customers even reach the stall.
- Vendors store merchandise inside their cars or vans overnight. When they wake up, everything is gone.
- Vending machine owners report losing thousands of dollars every year due to break-ins.
- Display booth operators sometimes forget to lock their display stands after hours. Their valuable inventory disappears without a trace.
These scenarios aren’t unique to farmers’ markets. They happen everywhere. But since many people do not carry liability insurance, they end up paying for the damage themselves. That’s why vendor insurance makes sense.
Why buy vendor insurance?
Farmers’ markets provide a great opportunity to make money. However, they also present risks. For instance, you could easily lose hundreds of dollars worth of inventory in one night. Or worse yet, you could suffer serious injury or death.
Vendor insurance protects against such events. By buying vendor insurance from us, you can rest assured that if something bad happens, our company will take care of it. We’ll payout on your behalf, no questions asked.
How much does vendor insurance cost?
It costs less than you might expect. Our rates start around $50 per month, depending on how often vendors need coverage. Most vendors only require annual coverage. If you’re interested in learning more, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today!
