Percentage back over booth fee

More and more I'm being asked to give a percentage back instead of paying a booth fee.
Now, initially this is appealing because I don't have to fork up ahead of time.
I also make sure it's from net profit and not gross profit. No risk of taking a hit that way.

Generally it's 20-35% (as I won't go higher).

Thing is, we're only a cash business. How am I supposed to keep track to prove to them I am not screwing them over? They've had no ideas. I'm not worried about it. I'm an honest person so I have no intention of taking anyone for a ride but I can't really prove it either. What do you do?

I've never been asked to "Prove it". Just pay them what's right and go on your merry way!

I did one of these where they said they wanted to collect the money and sort it out at the end of the day - I lost it! There was no way I was going to hand over my gross proceeds before I had counted it myself.

I told them to take my word for it or don't bother asking me again.

They are lucky to get the percentage off me so they had better take my word for it.

Apart from selling tickets I can't see anyway of keeping track of how many faces, tats. etc
In my experience they have always wanted 20% of my gross. they don't care about your net vs gross.
I wouldn't give more then 10% of my gross.
Greedy greedy event organisers!!

I haven't had to deal with this, but 35%? No way would I go that high! 10-15% sounds more in line with what I would be paying for a booth fee normally. The last event I did the booth fee worked out to be 12% of what I made- (and that's just me, not counting what my partner made.) If you take 20% of the revenu of the whole booth then that would be more than trippling the initial booth fee! I think event coordinators must be getting crafty.

I pay 10% to for-profit venues and only go higher for charity events that I personally support. I count my money and hand over the percentage. I encourage organizers to view me as entertainment rather than a crafter - after all, I don't sell goods, I sell a service and consider my work a draw for the event. So far, so good! You have to be willing to take a stand and line up as many gigs as it takes to make that work. Eventually your way becomes the norm! Good luck.

I pay 15%, they have a form and I have to make every customer to sign it with the amount they pay, I like it, helps me tracking my costs and I make sure the tips are not in the list.

Tips are not on the list at all.

The 35% I don't mind because the event is for 5 local, small charities. If I were to pay the astronomical booth fee, then I wouldn't have control over where the money was going, since it was paid to the organizers and they do with it as they see fit. This way I am donating back to the charities directly.

We have a tip jar that will be kept separate.

I refused to give them any percentage of gross. I need to make my own cost back first and foremost. They get net or nothing.

I've always just paid a flat rate for my vendor space. If i was asked to pay a percentage of what i made for the day, i'd say no. flat rate or nothing.

I have gone the ticket route, and as long as the price per ticket is set ahead of time (( get it in writing )) then i'm ok with it.

Sometimes what's good for, say, a food vendor, and what's good for a face painting vendor, is not the same thing. Watch out for number One.