Tales from the Comic Box - Rookie Adventures in Buying/Selling/Cons 5 5

[Wall-Crawler]

7 hours ago, thehumantorch said:

10X is just a ball park number to estimate if the show was worthwhile.  If you only do 5X your costs you may very well be ahead if you sold a lot of books that had great margin.  If you sell 10X your costs of keys with only a 10% margin you may very well have lost money.  Typically we sell a bit or a lot of anything and if I did 10X my costs I did ok.  You'd be surprised at how many vendors consider it a successful show if they sell enough to pay for their booth.

$20 hour?  Considering the time required to buy collections, bagging and boarding, pricing, etc I'm sure I don't make $20 per hour.  But I do enjoy setting up at shows,  and I see a ton of comics and a few go into my collection each show. 

Excellent post.

The multiplyer is also a way for us to talk money without saying exactly how much we made or did not make.

With regards to time...It is my time to do what I wish...If I had to pay myself for the time to search, buy, respond, bag and all the other stuff that comes with buying and selling my time would be a profit killer ?

You definitely have to enjoy it and for me, it has been worthwhile in terms of building my own collection and helping out with other things.

[spreads]

1 hour ago, Wall-Crawler said:

The local antique show I do there are people who only use one table...You can fit A LOT of coins, military medals and toys etc on one table...If selling antique pine furniture, not so much!

That makes sense, for some reason I didn't think coins and toys would fall under antiques....you should just register as an antique dealer and say all your comics are 'vintage', regardless of year produced like kijiji, lol.

[spreads]

1 hour ago, 1Cool said:

For me it comes down to comparing selling books at a Con compared to selling books on E-Bay.  With E-Bay fees and Paypal I pay about 12% (lets assume shipping is a wash) which is a little better the 8x1 multiplier vs expenses.  I find listing books on e-bay to be easy since I can do that while watching tv or on my lunch hour.  Con require a huge outpouring of time all at once since I've got to get multiple long boxes of books prepped whereas e-bay I can do 100 books at a time.  So if I get 5x expenses then I'd rather just go for a couple hours and do some shopping at a particular Con rather then giving 20% of the profits to the house.  Now cash is key but considering how frugal most Con buyers are lately cash isn't that great since they want much less then e-bay prices. 

Ebay might be better for you being in the US, but unless you're a large seller in Canada you don't get a lot of action.  I would say both ebay and cons have the same on-going maintenance requirement, I'll sell the more obscure or higher dollar stuff on ebay if I want to target a bigger audience - you list it once, then your work is primarily done.  The same for cons, once I have my boxes out and priced all the heavy-lifting is done - maybe just update/review prices or add books to boxes.  It's bringing new stuff that takes time, same with listing new items. 

The major benefit with cons is that one buyer can make multiple purchases, how often do you see that with ebay (unless you're running many concurrent auctions starting at .99 cents).  And as WebCrawler mentioned earlier, you start to get repeat buyers once you've become established.  There are comic collectors with money that will show up to spend each month....

[1Cool]

1 hour ago, spreads said:

Ebay might be better for you being in the US, but unless you're a large seller in Canada you don't get a lot of action.  I would say both ebay and cons have the same on-going maintenance requirement, I'll sell the more obscure or higher dollar stuff on ebay if I want to target a bigger audience - you list it once, then your work is primarily done.  The same for cons, once I have my boxes out and priced all the heavy-lifting is done - maybe just update/review prices or add books to boxes.  It's bringing new stuff that takes time, same with listing new items. 

The major benefit with cons is that one buyer can make multiple purchases, how often do you see that with ebay (unless you're running many concurrent auctions starting at .99 cents).  And as WebCrawler mentioned earlier, you start to get repeat buyers once you've become established.  There are comic collectors with money that will show up to spend each month....

Definetely agree Canadian sellers have a harder time on E-Bay due to the high shipping cost.  I do have a lot of repeat buyers on E-Bay but that does take work and having 1,000 listing each month with a lot of new stuff each month is critical.  I think my E-Bay store has almost 150 followers and I do regularly sell people 3-10 books since my combined shipping is attractive.  I like Con selling to blow out $1 books or less which are just too much work on E-Bay but for $5 and up books E-Bay is the way to go (at least in the US).

[W16227]

11 hours ago, 1Cool said:

For me it comes down to comparing selling books at a Con compared to selling books on E-Bay.  With E-Bay fees and Paypal I pay about 12% (lets assume shipping is a wash) which is a little better the 8x1 multiplier vs expenses.  I find listing books on e-bay to be easy since I can do that while watching tv or on my lunch hour.  Con require a huge outpouring of time all at once since I've got to get multiple long boxes of books prepped whereas e-bay I can do 100 books at a time.  So if I get 5x expenses then I'd rather just go for a couple hours and do some shopping at a particular Con rather then giving 20% of the profits to the house.  Now cash is key but considering how frugal most Con buyers are lately cash isn't that great since they want much less then e-bay prices. 

 

For me - it is that outlet for selling the items that do NOT go over well on ebay. Lots of profit in the dollar books - but a waste to move the on the bay as they occupy a lot of time to pack and ship ( and bulk shipping rates kill trying to move large lots). 

By Sunday - I will likely sell by the pound to get them out the door - as I then have more $$ and room for the next collection ( and have a friend looking to move a significant one after the show).

Have over 100 shortboxes pulled with reloads for this weekend.  I also will have a decent mix of wall books and back issues - but most of the premium items will stay at home as I do not need to move them. I bring a selection to show that I have the goods ( and can always bring something of interest the followup days if this sparks a discussion).

back to prep.....

 

[spreads]

I've never had an ebay listing less than $20, those are the perfect show books!  Good idea not to bring books that may or may not be for sale, no risk of damage/theft.

[1Cool]

5 hours ago, spreads said:

I've never had an ebay listing less than $20, those are the perfect show books!  Good idea not to bring books that may or may not be for sale, no risk of damage/theft.

I love $10 books on E-Bay especially if I bought the book for a buck.  Shipping charges usually pay for the PayPal fees and I end up paying $1 in e-bay fees.  $8 pure profit for 10 minutes of total work (few minutes to scan and grade,  couple minutes to post and send invoice, five minutes to ship) - I'll take $50 an hour all day long.  

[Wall-Crawler]

On 10/17/2017 at 8:16 PM, W16227 said:

 

For me - it is that outlet for selling the items that do NOT go over well on ebay. Lots of profit in the dollar books - but a waste to move the on the bay as they occupy a lot of time to pack and ship ( and bulk shipping rates kill trying to move large lots). 

By Sunday - I will likely sell by the pound to get them out the door - as I then have more $$ and room for the next collection ( and have a friend looking to move a significant one after the show).

Have over 100 shortboxes pulled with reloads for this weekend.  I also will have a decent mix of wall books and back issues - but most of the premium items will stay at home as I do not need to move them. I bring a selection to show that I have the goods ( and can always bring something of interest the followup days if this sparks a discussion).

back to prep.....

 

Just got back from a business trip...With a cold...I have my small local show on Sunday...Damn it...(for the cold, not the show)

@W16227Let us know how the show went! Feel free to share some pics too!

Edited October 20, 2017 by Wall-Crawler

[Wall-Crawler]

On 10/16/2017 at 10:50 AM, Wall-Crawler said:

Next Show: Northeastern Antique, Collectible & Nostalgia Show,  Sunday, October 22nd 2017.  First "back to back" shows.

This is the show that I started doing and the one that is like 5 minutes from my house.  Basically, I am bringing the exact same stuff I did to the show I just finished with a few different boxes and items for the "antique" crowd.

After this one, I will likely stop giving updates on this show unless anything "interesting" happens as it is becoming rather repetitive at this point I would imagine.

Well, tomorrow is my "local" show and it may very well be last time I update on this one unless folks are still somewhat interested or there are new developments...

Pros:  I am super ready for this show. Nothing last minute to do.  I am relaxing now.

Cons:  I am still freaking sick. Ugh.  I woke up with a bad cold on Wednesday morning (after travelling for work) and it is lingering but at least the sore throat is gone but tomorrow definitely won't be as "fun".

Thankfully, my brother has offered to help unload and load and my wife will be helping me with the cash as usual. Family is great.

Something different:  As I have found the advertising for this show to be somewhat "lackluster", I decided to create a specific post on my Facebook Page to further advertise myself.  I opted to "boost" the post to all of the surrounding communities for three days (Friday to Sunday) for men and women between the ages of 18 to 65.  My budget? I allowed for a whopping $25 CDN. 

As you can see from the pic above, as of this writing, 807 people have been reached (by far my largest single reaching post) with 125 of those being "Organic" and 682 being "Paid".

This was more or less just to do as a small experiment to see if I get any casuals or non-regulars to stop by...I will make a note of any who may say "I saw your post on Facebook". 

Anyway, I just thought it would be "neat' to try...I mean really, it was only $25...Not like it is going to kill my bottom line or anything.

Edited October 21, 2017 by Wall-Crawler

[thehumantorch]

2 hours ago, Wall-Crawler said:

Well, tomorrow is my "local" show and it may very well be last time I update on this one unless folks are still somewhat interested or there are new developments...

Pros:  I am super ready for this show. Nothing last minute to do.  I am relaxing now.

Cons:  I am still freaking sick. Ugh.  I woke up with a bad cold on Wednesday morning (after travelling for work) and it is lingering but at least the sore throat is gone but tomorrow definitely won't be as "fun".

Thankfully, my brother has offered to help unload and load and my wife will be helping me with the cash as usual. Family is great.

Something different:  As I have found the advertising for this show to be somewhat "lackluster", I decided to create a specific post on my Facebook Page to further advertise myself.  I opted to "boost" the post to all of the surrounding communities for three days (Friday to Sunday) for men and women between the ages of 18 to 65.  My budget? I allowed for a whopping $25 CDN. 

As you can see from the pic above, as of this writing, 807 people have been reached (by far my largest single reaching post) with 125 of those being "Organic" and 682 being "Paid".

This was more or less just to do as a small experiment to see if I get any casuals or non-regulars to stop by...I will make a note of any who may say "I saw your post on Facebook". 

Anyway, I just thought it would be "neat' to try...I mean really, it was only $25...Not like it is going to kill my bottom line or anything.

I'm glad you've been updating this thread.  It's worthwhile.

I belong to facebook but rarely go there.  Could you explain how 'boosting' works?  Also what do you mean by organic and Paid in reference to reached?

[W16227]

15 minutes ago, thehumantorch said:

I'm glad you've been updating this thread.  It's worthwhile.

I belong to facebook but rarely go there.  Could you explain how 'boosting' works?  Also what do you mean by organic and Paid in reference to reached?

If you have a business page - you can "boost" any post - you pay a fee and they ensure your post is seen by an additional "XXX" people -  that are not already "likes" - I believe "reached" - is the number of people that click on the post. Organic- is the people already liking or following - paid is those that  you gained from the boost...

 

Beat ... Just beat now,... The show is definitely different than last year - Friday night was pretty useless, but it is supposed to be more of a preview night anyway,  

 

Saturday started real slow  - some early low key sales. Definitely a lot fewer people through the door than last year.  Was disappointed but then things started to hit. Sold some small slabs ( Silk ,  DC bombshell,  Punisher meets Archie) - but then a big $$$ score.  Had a spidey 2 restored - guy bought that and a marvel boy restored.  Probably not any better than I would have gotten here or on the bay after the juice - but still a nice chunk of change. 

 

After that - the dollar bin divers came out of the woodwork. ( and we were running them 2 for one - as I really just want to clear that stock out). Repeat customer comes in at the ned and is pulling lots of $2 and $3 books as well ( $150 total sale to him at close)... Had a guy rifle through and pick up like 20 caps too ( ranging $3 to $7 a pop)...

Sundays at this show are sometimes strange - they have a couple of kids based activities so you get a lot of families. Bargain bins are going to 4 for $1 and most back issues and sets 2 for 1. Want to really lighten the load. 

 

Will have pics later - got to make new signage and pick out a couple more slabs for tomorrow..... And ice the knees!!!!

 

later

dave

 

 

 

 

 

[Wall-Crawler]

36 minutes ago, thehumantorch said:

I'm glad you've been updating this thread.  It's worthwhile.

I belong to facebook but rarely go there.  Could you explain how 'boosting' works?  Also what do you mean by organic and Paid in reference to reached?

I have just dabbled this recently so I am by no means an expert.

On my More Fun Comics FB page, whenever I post something, it gives you the option to "boost" in the lower right corner. Boost basically lets your post reach more ppl.  I decided to try it today and basically followed the steps.

Organic reach is the number of ppl who would have "normally" seen the post through unpaid distribution.  Paid reach are those who are seeing my post because I paid for it or increased distribution based on the parameters and budget I assigned. I paid via PayPal.

How "effective" this is, I have no clue. I now know (according to FB) as of this writing that I have now "reached" over 1,000 ppl. 148 "organic" and 900 through "paid".  I have also had 4 new ppl who have "liked" my actual page. 

Whether or not this "translates" into anything "meaningful" is anyone's guess.  I have briefly read some blogs that say it is a waste of money, but like I said, this is the first time I have tried it and I am only putting a one-time $25 "investment" into it. 

I definitely have to do more research into it before making any kind of serious commitment to it.

 

Edited October 22, 2017 by Wall-Crawler
more info added

[Wall-Crawler]

7 minutes ago, W16227 said:

If you have a business page - you can "boost" any post - you pay a fee and they ensure your post is seen by an additional "XXX" people -  that are not already "likes" - I believe "reached" - is the number of people that click on the post. Organic- is the people already liking or following - paid is those that  you gained from the boost...

 

Beat ... Just beat now,... The show is definitely different than last year - Friday night was pretty useless, but it is supposed to be more of a preview night anyway,  

 

Saturday started real slow  - some early low key sales. Definitely a lot fewer people through the door than last year.  Was disappointed but then things started to hit. Sold some small slabs ( Silk ,  DC bombshell,  Punisher meets Archie) - but then a big $$$ score.  Had a spidey 2 restored - guy bought that and a marvel boy restored.  Probably not any better than I would have gotten here or on the bay after the juice - but still a nice chunk of change. 

 

After that - the dollar bin divers came out of the woodwork. ( and we were running them 2 for one - as I really just want to clear that stock out). Repeat customer comes in at the ned and is pulling lots of $2 and $3 books as well ( $150 total sale to him at close)... Had a guy rifle through and pick up like 20 caps too ( ranging $3 to $7 a pop)...

Sundays at this show are sometimes strange - they have a couple of kids based activities so you get a lot of families. Bargain bins are going to 4 for $1 and most back issues and sets 2 for 1. Want to really lighten the load. 

 

Will have pics later - got to make new signage and pick out a couple more slabs for tomorrow..... And ice the knees!!!!

 

later

dave

 

 

 

 

 

Dave,

Too tired to read back but what show is this again?

I have never done a three day show...I can imagine being zonked after those!  Are there any factors that made for lower and/or slower turn out? Sounds like things picked up though...Congrats on the bigger sales!

Look forward to pics and final update...Ice dem knees!

[thehumantorch]

39 minutes ago, Wall-Crawler said:

I have just dabbled this recently so I am by no means an expert.

On my More Fun Comics FB page, whenever I post something, it gives you the option to "boost" in the lower right corner. Boost basically lets your post reach more ppl.  I decided to try it today and basically followed the steps.

Organic reach is the number of ppl who would have "normally" seen the post through unpaid distribution.  Paid reach are those who are seeing my post because I paid for it or increased distribution based on the parameters and budget I assigned. I paid via PayPal.

How "effective" this is, I have no clue. I now know (according to FB) as of this writing that I have now "reached" over 1,000 ppl. 148 "organic" and 900 through "paid".  I have also had 4 new ppl who have "liked" my actual page. 

Whether or not this "translates" into anything "meaningful" is anyone's guess.  I have briefly read some blogs that say it is a waste of money, but like I said, this is the first time I have tried it and I am only putting a one-time $25 "investment" into it. 

I definitely have to do more research into it before making any kind of serious commitment to it.

 

Thanks for the info on facebook guys.

If 900 more people looked at your page because of your boost and you gained a few followers I'd say that's worth $25.  All it takes is one more guy to come by your booth to make it worthwhile.  If you do it again perhaps you should consider posting they'll get a discount or free stuff if they mention your facebook post.

[thehumantorch]

37 minutes ago, Wall-Crawler said:

 

I have never done a three day show...I can imagine being zonked after those!  Are there any factors that made for lower and/or slower turn out? Sounds like things picked up though...Congrats on the bigger sales!

Look forward to pics and final update...Ice dem knees!

The Calgary Expo is a 4 day show plus a setup day.  It's exhausting. 

But the schedule allows for some free time.  Wednesday we set up the booth in the afternoon and then relax.  Thursday we usually meet thirdgreenham for breakfast and then the show opens late afternoon to the public.  Friday we have time to sleep in as the show opens around 1 pm.  Saturday and Sunday are long days and packing up Sunday night and driving 3 hours home is tough.

But it's a immersive 5 day comic experience and I love doing it.

[thehumantorch]

1 hour ago, W16227 said:

If you have a business page - you can "boost" any post - you pay a fee and they ensure your post is seen by an additional "XXX" people -  that are not already "likes" - I believe "reached" - is the number of people that click on the post. Organic- is the people already liking or following - paid is those that  you gained from the boost...

 

Beat ... Just beat now,... The show is definitely different than last year

 

later

dave

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the info, glad you're doing well Dave

[W16227]

58 minutes ago, Wall-Crawler said:

Dave,

Too tired to read back but what show is this again?

I have never done a three day show...I can imagine being zonked after those!  Are there any factors that made for lower and/or slower turn out? Sounds like things picked up though...Congrats on the bigger sales!

Look forward to pics and final update...Ice dem knees!

Count I Con - lake county Illinois

was my 1st and regular con - I need to set up at more of these ( but a smaller layout) - as I have a lot of general stock

getting a second wind - good thing as I need to print new box labels

The three day - actually works well for me. We get load in on Thursday - and you are able to drive into the floor as long as there is room. I go in early - to be sure I can drop inside.

Friday night - is sort of a wasted one for the vendors. I do not mind as I am a local and have no real travel time. But it is slow. I get more business from the other vendors than from customers. Most are kicking tires or there for the costume party. But always good to network. My space is great - but being near the dance floor sucks. The dim the lights in my area-

I had managed to re-position my floods - head on you could at least see the wall books.  Got some light around the back row - so the bargain diggers could see.

Cosplay winner -

 

 

 

as far as attendance , just was not as busy Saturday noon - to 2:30 ish.  There was another comic centric con in Milwaukee I believe - more of a full on comic show. Count i con - lots of pop culture there too  - even though I am pretty sure there were more comic booths this year than in the previous two. Ended up decent - about 50% of the $$ was from that once sale, though. Hopefully the bigger sale will clear out even more of the low end.

 

 

[spreads]

20 hours ago, W16227 said:

If you have a business page - you can "boost" any post - you pay a fee and they ensure your post is seen by an additional "XXX" people -  that are not already "likes" - I believe "reached" - is the number of people that click on the post. Organic- is the people already liking or following - paid is those that  you gained from the boost...

 

Beat ... Just beat now,... The show is definitely different than last year - Friday night was pretty useless, but it is supposed to be more of a preview night anyway,  

 

Saturday started real slow  - some early low key sales. Definitely a lot fewer people through the door than last year.  Was disappointed but then things started to hit. Sold some small slabs ( Silk ,  DC bombshell,  Punisher meets Archie) - but then a big $$$ score.  Had a spidey 2 restored - guy bought that and a marvel boy restored.  Probably not any better than I would have gotten here or on the bay after the juice - but still a nice chunk of change. 

 

After that - the dollar bin divers came out of the woodwork. ( and we were running them 2 for one - as I really just want to clear that stock out). Repeat customer comes in at the ned and is pulling lots of $2 and $3 books as well ( $150 total sale to him at close)... Had a guy rifle through and pick up like 20 caps too ( ranging $3 to $7 a pop)...

Sundays at this show are sometimes strange - they have a couple of kids based activities so you get a lot of families. Bargain bins are going to 4 for $1 and most back issues and sets 2 for 1. Want to really lighten the load. 

 

Will have pics later - got to make new signage and pick out a couple more slabs for tomorrow..... And ice the knees!!!!

 

later

dave

 

 

 

 

 

4 for $1 seems like you would move a lot of books!  Are these books that haven't sold a few times at $1 each in the past, or do you just give them one attempt to sell at $1.

[1Cool]

I did 3x$1 at my last Con since they had been thru the ringer a few times and I was about to donate the boxes for the tax savings.  Guy actually asked how I was making money selling books for $0.33.  Told him I only paid $0.10 so even these were a profit maker.

Edited October 23, 2017 by 1Cool

[Wall-Crawler]

On 10/21/2017 at 6:25 PM, Wall-Crawler said:

Well, tomorrow is my "local" show and it may very well be last time I update on this one unless folks are still somewhat interested or there are new developments...

Pros:  I am super ready for this show. Nothing last minute to do.  I am relaxing now.

Cons:  I am still freaking sick. Ugh.  I woke up with a bad cold on Wednesday morning (after travelling for work) and it is lingering but at least the sore throat is gone but tomorrow definitely won't be as "fun".

Thankfully, my brother has offered to help unload and load and my wife will be helping me with the cash as usual. Family is great.

Something different:  As I have found the advertising for this show to be somewhat "lackluster", I decided to create a specific post on my Facebook Page to further advertise myself.  I opted to "boost" the post to all of the surrounding communities for three days (Friday to Sunday) for men and women between the ages of 18 to 65.  My budget? I allowed for a whopping $25 CDN. 

As you can see from the pic above, as of this writing, 807 people have been reached (by far my largest single reaching post) with 125 of those being "Organic" and 682 being "Paid".

This was more or less just to do as a small experiment to see if I get any casuals or non-regulars to stop by...I will make a note of any who may say "I saw your post on Facebook". 

Anyway, I just thought it would be "neat' to try...I mean really, it was only $25...Not like it is going to kill my bottom line or anything.

Show Update:

Show doors opened at 10 AM. My brother helped my sorry sick unload so that was a relief.   

Show was dead by 2:30 PM. We are literally having "Summer in October" so I think that was definitely a contributing factor. My bro helped me load back up. As always, my wife helped behind the counter as well. Yay family!  Despite the low turn out, for this type of show, I still did ok and it was worthwhile and will continue to participate.  

No slabs sold.

Most expensive single book sale:  Tales of Suspsense #94 (1st Modok)

Largest sale to a single customer, was to a very good and repeat customer who bought a whack of stuff. He 'saved' my day pretty much.

I did well with the $2 each or 3 for $5 boxes (gotta make more) and the sets.  Sets did very well again.  Best set I sold:  Complete Freedom Fighters run (original 1970 series).

On a lark, I brought a bunch of beater comics, put them in a box with a "Hey Kids, Comics" header and sold them for a quarter each.  Advertised as kid safe. These were beat up gold key Disney comics and I mean beat and not bagged or boarded. Reader quality. They all sold.  Next local show like this, I am going to basically make a long box of whatever kid friendly beater comics I have and put them in a box at a quarter each. No one here will take them as a donation (I have tried before), might as well try to make some money on them...

I am not really sure if the paid Facebook post made any difference.  I think the amazing weather this late in the season was a contributing factor to low turnout but there are other factors with this show I have mentioned before. At the end though, I had a good chat with one the organizers, so I might be being brought into the fold so to speak about how to maybe make it better.