$1 boxes for a show

[paradigmcomics]

Hey Everyone,

 

I'm going to be selling at a show in February. From my past experience attending the show, and given the low key nature of this event, it appears that the $1 boxes do really well. I was thinking about doing several $1 boxes, some $2 boxes and some $5 boxes. I have a lot of stock I'd like to move so this seems like the best method.

 

My question to you all, for those of you that have sold in this format in the past, do you have any suggestions?

 

My main concern is determining what stock is appropriate for each box, and determining that in a fast manner. I have about 160 long boxes worth of stock I can go through, and I definitely don't plan on bringing it all. So I need to come up with a system to quickly go through the boxes and determine what should go where.

 

Also, is there any pricing discount structure that you have seen that has really worked well? Like 10 for $8 or something like that?

 

I was also thinking about putting all the stock at the show in alphabetically order, mainly because when I go to shows, when it isn't organized I usually only look through a few boxes and leave.

 

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[shadroch]

Much depends on your plans. Is this a one time show that you hope to move most of your stuff in or is it an ongoing effort?

 

Rather than discount down so that 10 books cost $8, give two free books with a $10 purchase. People like FREE and you'll get more money.

[paradigmcomics]

Much depends on your plans. Is this a one time show that you hope to move most of your stuff in or is it an ongoing effort?

 

Rather than discount down so that 10 books cost $8, give two free books with a $10 purchase. People like FREE and you'll get more money.

 

At the moment, it is a one time show. However there are several shows like this in my area, so I don't mind putting in the effort to establish an infrastructure that will allow me to do this more than once.

 

Adding more books for free, rather than discounting down is a good idea. I never thought about it but I can see the psychology behind it, and from a seller's standpoint it's better as I move more stock and get more income. I will probably develop a pricing structure along these lines.

 

Thanks

[catrick339]

You can fit 11 or 12 longboxes on a standard 8 foot table, so plan your inventory on how many tables you intend to take. (If you have a nice precut piece of 3/8 plywood you can stretch the space between two tables by a few inches and get that 24th box on top...provided there's room to push the tables apart 4 or 5 inches)

 

ALPHANUMERICAL IS VERY IMPORTANT!

 

So are dividers with a clearly printed title for each major title where you have a good amount of issues. Don't forget the dividers by alphabet too! (Q & R can be consolidated, as can Y & Z, but a divider for every other letter)

 

Print up some BIG $1.00 signs, mebbe comic book sans in bold, and 48 point or bigger, and make a backer for EACH box (two backing boards offset two inches and taped together stick up out of the longbox quite nicely) with the price. At least every other box, and one per box is better.

 

If you are going to have any other prices besides a buck ( $2 or $5 or $10 )

then you're going to need some quick and easy way to tell them apart.

 

Green dots for $2, yellow for $5, dollar books bare, works well for me. You want to be able to count and add as fast as possible if you get good business traffic.

 

Start NOW collecting paper grocery sacks. They offer a quick and easy way to pack up to 100 bag and board comics, and hopefully you'll be selling comics in those kinds of quantities.

 

If you have display boards or can kludge something together before the show and can transport them easily, by all means use them! The really flashy covers and popular titles will sell very well that way.

 

If you're setting up for the first time locally expect to be swarmed by other dealers before the shows as they cherrypick stuff you've overlooked and fill their customers' want lists.

 

Take change! Lots of change! $100 in singles and another $100 in fives and some tens and 20's is always a good idea.

 

Shadrock's suggestion above about tossing in a couple books is spot on.

 

AND if you get a hot customer feel free to do what you need to do to promote the contents of their wallet into yours, and always keep in mind that you're thinning the herd, and there's plenty more where these came from.

 

At the end of the show if you've moved a buttload of books and there's not much left you think is worth a buck you can always shop the leftovers as bulk for $20 or so a longbox to the other dealers.

 

Then you can head home empty and start planning your next buttload of alphanumerical longboxes.

 

Start prepping NOW for a show in February!

 

 

 

 

[paradigmcomics]

You can fit 11 or 12 longboxes on a standard 8 foot table, so plan your inventory on how many tables you intend to take. (If you have a nice precut piece of 3/8 plywood you can stretch the space between two tables by a few inches and get that 24th box on top...provided there's room to push the tables apart 4 or 5 inches)

 

ALPHANUMERICAL IS VERY IMPORTANT!

 

So are dividers with a clearly printed title for each major title where you have a good amount of issues. Don't forget the dividers by alphabet too! (Q & R can be consolidated, as can Y & Z, but a divider for every other letter)

 

Print up some BIG $1.00 signs, mebbe comic book sans in bold, and 48 point or bigger, and make a backer for EACH box (two backing boards offset two inches and taped together stick up out of the longbox quite nicely) with the price. At least every other box, and one per box is better.

 

If you are going to have any other prices besides a buck ( $2 or $5 or $10 )

then you're going to need some quick and easy way to tell them apart.

 

Green dots for $2, yellow for $5, dollar books bare, works well for me. You want to be able to count and add as fast as possible if you get good business traffic.

 

Start NOW collecting paper grocery sacks. They offer a quick and easy way to pack up to 100 bag and board comics, and hopefully you'll be selling comics in those kinds of quantities.

 

If you have display boards or can kludge something together before the show and can transport them easily, by all means use them! The really flashy covers and popular titles will sell very well that way.

 

If you're setting up for the first time locally expect to be swarmed by other dealers before the shows as they cherrypick stuff you've overlooked and fill their customers' want lists.

 

Take change! Lots of change! $100 in singles and another $100 in fives and some tens and 20's is always a good idea.

 

Shadrock's suggestion above about tossing in a couple books is spot on.

 

AND if you get a hot customer feel free to do what you need to do to promote the contents of their wallet into yours, and always keep in mind that you're thinning the herd, and there's plenty more where these came from.

 

At the end of the show if you've moved a buttload of books and there's not much left you think is worth a buck you can always shop the leftovers as bulk for $20 or so a longbox to the other dealers.

 

Then you can head home empty and start planning your next buttload of alphanumerical longboxes.

 

Start prepping NOW for a show in February!

 

Wow, thanks for the detailed information catrick339. I sure will be using some of this advice.

 

Do either of you have any advice on sorting through the stock?

 

The plan I have so far is to basically put all of them in alphanumerical order, with the exception of anything below a .15 cover price. Those, I will set aside and probably grade individually. Once the rest is organized, I assume I'll have some big groups of the same title (even the same issue) and I can easily just do a Completed Auctions search on eBay to see if any particular issue sticks out as being more valuable than a few dollars.

 

[Mike's Rack]

If you want to do a quick scan for relative prices, you can scroll through the my comic shop listings and see how each issue is priced relative to those around it. I use this for titles that are less familiar to me.

[DiceX]

ALPHANUMERICAL IS VERY IMPORTANT!

 

This can't be stressed enough.

I can't tell you how many tables I walk up to at a show and flip a couple of books.

If they're not in order I walk to the next table.

 

Flipping through discount boxes is a lot of work. If I have to flip every...single...book...because they're not organized, I don't give a damn what nugget of treasure might be in there. It's not worth all that trouble to find it.

 

 

[Artboy99]

ALPHANUMERICAL IS VERY IMPORTANT!

 

This can't be stressed enough.

I can't tell you how many tables I walk up to at a show and flip a couple of books.

If they're not in order I walk to the next table.

 

Flipping through discount boxes is a lot of work. If I have to flip every...single...book...because they're not organized, I don't give a damn what nugget of treasure might be in there. It's not worth all that trouble to find it.

 

 

alphanumeric on my main stuff is a must and I agree with the above however be advised alphanumeric on dollar boxes is a lot of effort as my experience says that within an hour of the first show it is all mixed up by some thoughtless person looking through it.

 

[DiceX]

ALPHANUMERICAL IS VERY IMPORTANT!

 

This can't be stressed enough.

I can't tell you how many tables I walk up to at a show and flip a couple of books.

If they're not in order I walk to the next table.

 

Flipping through discount boxes is a lot of work. If I have to flip every...single...book...because they're not organized, I don't give a damn what nugget of treasure might be in there. It's not worth all that trouble to find it.

 

 

alphanumeric on my main stuff is a must and I agree with the above however be advised alphanumeric on dollar boxes is a lot of effort as my experience says that within an hour of the first show it is all mixed up by some thoughtless person looking through it.

 

True, but you're missing out on someone like me who will buy, but will not dig through your unsorted boxes of mess.

 

 

[lemonman5]

I have 50 cent, $1 and $3 boxes when I do shows. I don't ever sort my stuff alphanumeric, and I don't see anyone bothered by it.

 

Then again, I only bring 2 short boxes and 1 long box to the shows I do, so people probably don't mind sorting through that many books.

 

I personally love sorting through unsorted boxes. Those are where the treasures usually are.

[DiceX]

I personally love sorting through unsorted boxes. Those are where the treasures usually are.

 

I did too, 20 years ago.

But I'm old now and my old bones can't handle it.

 

 

[the blob]

ALPHANUMERICAL IS VERY IMPORTANT!

 

This can't be stressed enough.

I can't tell you how many tables I walk up to at a show and flip a couple of books.

If they're not in order I walk to the next table.

 

Flipping through discount boxes is a lot of work. If I have to flip every...single...book...because they're not organized, I don't give a damn what nugget of treasure might be in there. It's not worth all that trouble to find it.

 

 

i guess i'm different than most folks who seem to have a list and are looking for specific issues. i enjoy the hunt and finding a deal, so it doesn't really matter what order the books are in. in fact, i am more likely to find that deal or the undervalued issue in the unsorted books because the sorted books get cherry picked 20 minutes into the show. if all the asms are in one spot, it's pretty easy for someone to just take the whole portion that are the BA issues, etc.

[DiceX]

ALPHANUMERICAL IS VERY IMPORTANT!

 

This can't be stressed enough.

I can't tell you how many tables I walk up to at a show and flip a couple of books.

If they're not in order I walk to the next table.

 

Flipping through discount boxes is a lot of work. If I have to flip every...single...book...because they're not organized, I don't give a damn what nugget of treasure might be in there. It's not worth all that trouble to find it.

 

 

i guess i'm different than most folks who seem to have a list and are looking for specific issues. i enjoy the hunt and finding a deal, so it doesn't really matter what order the books are in. in fact, i am more likely to find that deal or the undervalued issue in the unsorted books because the sorted books get cherry picked 20 minutes into the show. if all the asms are in one spot, it's pretty easy for someone to just take the whole portion that are the BA issues, etc.

 

My experience is that you walk in the show, first dealer table is organized, flip flip flip pull flip flip flip, done.

Next dealer is organized, flip flip flip pull flip flip flip, done.

Next dealer has 30 longs that are so unorganized that there are not two of the same title next to each other. You start flipping one book at a time trying to find the nugget...flip...flip...flip...

 

As you start your fourth box without anything but dirty fingertips, a friend of yours stops to say hi. He skipped the unorganized dealers and in 30 minutes managed to cherry pick every good deal in the rest of the room. Making your entire trip into a huge waste of time.

He tells you how much you suck as he goes home with his handsome booty.

 

At least that's how it goes for me. I skip the mishmash dealers and if I have the time, energy, and money, I'll give a halfhearted flip through his junk before I leave.

 

Keep it organized and you'll have more customers.

 

 

[chrisco37]

Keep it organized and you'll have more customers.

 

Yep. I'm not really a treasure hunter, but I still agree with what Dice said. If I were, I'd pass up the unsorted junk regardless of what I might find in there.

 

I like booths were what I'm looking for is easy to find. If the booth looks jumbled, I just walk right on by.

 

At a bare minimum, you need to break it out by title. If you're doing that, might as well go all the way and order it numerically.

[mangbus]

ALPHANUMERICAL IS VERY IMPORTANT!

 

This can't be stressed enough.

I can't tell you how many tables I walk up to at a show and flip a couple of books.

If they're not in order I walk to the next table.

 

Flipping through discount boxes is a lot of work. If I have to flip every...single...book...because they're not organized, I don't give a damn what nugget of treasure might be in there. It's not worth all that trouble to find it.

 

 

i guess i'm different than most folks who seem to have a list and are looking for specific issues. i enjoy the hunt and finding a deal, so it doesn't really matter what order the books are in. in fact, i am more likely to find that deal or the undervalued issue in the unsorted books because the sorted books get cherry picked 20 minutes into the show. if all the asms are in one spot, it's pretty easy for someone to just take the whole portion that are the BA issues, etc.

 

My experience is that you walk in the show, first dealer table is organized, flip flip flip pull flip flip flip, done.

Next dealer is organized, flip flip flip pull flip flip flip, done.

Next dealer has 30 longs that are so unorganized that there are not two of the same title next to each other. You start flipping one book at a time trying to find the nugget...flip...flip...flip...

 

As you start your fourth box without anything but dirty fingertips, a friend of yours stops to say hi. He skipped the unorganized dealers and in 30 minutes managed to cherry pick every good deal in the rest of the room. Making your entire trip into a huge waste of time.

He tells you how much you suck as he goes home with his handsome booty.

 

At least that's how it goes for me. I skip the mishmash dealers and if I have the time, energy, and money, I'll give a halfhearted flip through his junk before I leave.

 

Keep it organized and you'll have more customers.

 

 

I've had this happen to me on 2 occasions. Never again. I got stuck digging through a dozen unsorted boxes and found a few cool books on my want list for cheap but my brother ended up with a full run of Thor 126 - 200 for $50 (majority 4.0) at the next table

 

I also won't spend a lot of time haggling anymore. I had a guy unwilling to give me a deal on Batman: The Cult (1-4) and GL vol3 48-51 - he had a price of $40 for the 8 issues - I was at $10-15. We got into a pricing debate which led to my brother, again, landing a stack of Avengers #1 1st print Blanks for cover price at the booth next to me.

 

I will be going to 2 shows (1 this weekend and 1 next) and I will make sure to avoid unorganized long boxes and crazy priced 'sets.'

[Pike's Comics]

The only problem with sorting alphanumerical is it takes forever! I sorted 20 boxes the other week this way and it takes a long time to get to this point.

[catrick339]

The only problem with sorting alphanumerical is it takes forever! I sorted 20 boxes the other week this way and it takes a long time to get to this point.

 

HEH HEH, that's why I told him to start organizing NOW for a February show,

 

He'll need ALL his spare time to do things properly.

[catrick339]

...and as for organizing unsorted stock? I work out in my garage (LOOOVE that wood stove! Mandatory here in Michigan in the winter) where there's plenty of room to spread out.

 

I set up several folding tables, and start digging out boxes. When enough stuff is set up and open, I go through all the boxes and pull every A B C and D title, just stacking them by the letter

.

When I've gone through all the 20 or so boxes I work on at any signle time, I go through the stacks by letter and break them down into title, and then put each title in numerical order. When that's done take the A titles and arrange them in an empty box, and start in on the B titles, C titles, D titles.

 

When I'm done with the ABCD sort and they're all neatly packed I start over with the first 20, and pull all the E F G and H titles. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

Here's an important tip: Label the boxes as you go, either starting with 1 through 20 as they're completed, or mark on the front a - b, b - d, d - f etc so it's easy to arrange them in the right order when you're setting up at the show. I mark mine lower right on the front of the box, 1 thru 20.

[catrick339]

Oh, one last note:

 

If you should decide to bulk your first batch out after a show or two, it's a strong selling point to other dealers that your stock is already alphanumerical, then THEY don't have to do it, LOL

[the blob]

well, i do understand that if you are looking for specific issues that have gotten hot that might still be in dollar boxes (like NM 98 5 years ago or NTT 2 a little before that or Hulk 271 nowadays, etc.) , the alpha numeric table is the place to go, but seriously, unless this is virgin show stock and you are there in the first 10 minutes, how often are you going to find that stuff before someone else has nailed it?

 

i don't know what i want until i see it usually. that's why i don't mind the disorganized boxes. but sure, if after a box or two i see nothing of interest i will leave.

 

and for the organized guys i will often skip entire sections because i figure i'm not interested. truth is, there are probably books in there i would buy, but i just don't feel like flipping through all the Legion of Superhero books or whatever.

 

i am often amazed at what i find in the disorganized boxes 4 hours into the show, probably because people didn't want to do the work of looking.

 

of course, from a dealer perspective this means sort them alpha/num because, as a seller, i'm really not interested in hidden gems lasting until 3 p.m. that's what i would do, though i might just do it by title for dollar books.