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

[Wall-Crawler]

So...Planned on getting ready for the first new show tomorrow...This will be one of the shows I am LEAST prepared for...My hot water tank decided to have a complete meltdown today...Thankfully, no comics or really anything all that important is near but...

@#$^%@

[thehumantorch]

3 hours ago, Wall-Crawler said:

So...Planned on getting ready for the first new show tomorrow...This will be one of the shows I am LEAST prepared for...My hot water tank decided to have a complete meltdown today...Thankfully, no comics or really anything all that important is near but...

@#$^%@

Crud, noticed that mine was leaking last week and replaced it on Monday.

Decided to try setting up at a local antique show this weekend.  Booked one booth because I don't think it will be a good venue.  Showed up and went to my booth area and nothing was marked off.  No lines on the floor, nothing on the wall, no ropes or dividers.  It was about an 80ft stretch.  Went back to the organizer and he told me they'd moved the food vendor who was supposed to be beside me and I could have all the space.  80 feet by 10 feet  .  Went home for more stuff and tables... 2 day show

[Wall-Crawler]

2 hours ago, thehumantorch said:

Crud, noticed that mine was leaking last week and replaced it on Monday.

Decided to try setting up at a local antique show this weekend.  Booked one booth because I don't think it will be a good venue.  Showed up and went to my booth area and nothing was marked off.  No lines on the floor, nothing on the wall, no ropes or dividers.  It was about an 80ft stretch.  Went back to the organizer and he told me they'd moved the food vendor who was supposed to be beside me and I could have all the space.  80 feet by 10 feet  .  Went home for more stuff and tables... 2 day show

I was also supposed to be able to set up night before got a call about 20 minutes before and said that the room I was in got booked for a function that evening...I didn't know this but the way it is laid out is a narrow entrance way, then a room to the right (where all the "collectible" guys are going) and then the main hall. Kinda stinks that a) I did not get to set up night before, especially given the water tank issue and b) finding out that I am in a side room...Only good thing is (I guess) is that all the "collectible" guys are in there and you have to walk by the room as soon as you come into the place...Also, the venue is brand new and looks very nice...I am feeling unprepared, a little stressed and just really don't know what to expect...We shall see...

[thehumantorch]

19 hours ago, Wall-Crawler said:

I was also supposed to be able to set up night before got a call about 20 minutes before and said that the room I was in got booked for a function that evening...I didn't know this but the way it is laid out is a narrow entrance way, then a room to the right (where all the "collectible" guys are going) and then the main hall. Kinda stinks that a) I did not get to set up night before, especially given the water tank issue and b) finding out that I am in a side room...Only good thing is (I guess) is that all the "collectible" guys are in there and you have to walk by the room as soon as you come into the place...Also, the venue is brand new and looks very nice...I am feeling unprepared, a little stressed and just really don't know what to expect...We shall see...

Don't sweat the small stuff.  You'll probably do fine and it's hardly life and death.  Have fun.

Day one of the antique show wasn't good.  Despite all the space few of the attendees are interested in comics.  Most valuable book sold was $50.  Total sales today less than $350.   And I have probably $150k of keys on my wall and books from 5 new collections in my inventory.  I was warned that Sunday is always slow so not expecting a turnaround    Did talk to a few people who have collections to sell so perhaps that'll be the saving grace.

[spreads]

10 hours ago, thehumantorch said:

Don't sweat the small stuff.  You'll probably do fine and it's hardly life and death.  Have fun.

Day one of the antique show wasn't good.  Despite all the space few of the attendees are interested in comics.  Most valuable book sold was $50.  Total sales today less than $350.   And I have probably $150k of keys on my wall and books from 5 new collections in my inventory.  I was warned that Sunday is always slow so not expecting a turnaround    Did talk to a few people who have collections to sell so perhaps that'll be the saving grace.

What would you say would be typical or average if you had that kind of inventory for a show?  I hadn't put any metrics behind this, but it would be interesting to see what kind of sales turnover ratios you can calculate, e.g. percentage of value of inventory-brought that was sold.  There's a couple big dealers that bring some massive keys to the monthly show, and one in particular has multiple copies of books like X-Men 1.  You would think there should be some intangible cost factored into the sales to put a dollar value to the risk of bringing those books (damage, theft, lost books, etc.).  I really hate to think what would happen if you were driving to a show and comics got severely damaged in an accident...

[thehumantorch]

10 hours ago, spreads said:

What would you say would be typical or average if you had that kind of inventory for a show?  I hadn't put any metrics behind this, but it would be interesting to see what kind of sales turnover ratios you can calculate, e.g. percentage of value of inventory-brought that was sold.  There's a couple big dealers that bring some massive keys to the monthly show, and one in particular has multiple copies of books like X-Men 1.  You would think there should be some intangible cost factored into the sales to put a dollar value to the risk of bringing those books (damage, theft, lost books, etc.).  I really hate to think what would happen if you were driving to a show and comics got severely damaged in an accident...

Tough to say what's a typical show.  So  many factors like who's there, how old your inventory is - sales are always goosed when you've bought new books and what the local economy is like.

Alberta is a boom or bust province.  When oil revenue is high there's jobs everywhere and many of them are paying very well.  Welders up North can earn more than $100 per hour and even the rig guys are making great money.    5 years ago the economy was great and we sold roughly 1/3 of our wall books at the Calgary Expo.    For the last few Calgary and Edmonton Expos - my two biggest 'local' shows -  sales have been way down and we might sell a few wall books each day and a few other minor keys per day.  Oil price is down and Canadian $ value is down against the US $.   I have high hopes for the Calgary Expo next week as a spring 1 day show in Calgary was wonderful and everyone seemed to be spending, it was easily our best 1 day show in Calgary we've had.

Edited April 23, 2018 by thehumantorch

[Wall-Crawler]

Great Northern Antique to Oddities Show Post-Show Assessment

As those following the journal will know, this is the show that emerged after the collapse of the other local show with new organizers.  The show took place over two days.  As with any new show there were a few hiccups but they were relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. 

Challenges:  So the Friday afternoon before the show, my hot water tank exploded.  Repair guys were supposed to come that afternoon, but it got pushed back to Saturday and would show up "between 8 AM to 1 PM" on Saturday   Fortunately, my brother did me a solid and came over in the morning and stayed until they were done.

Oh yeah, so Saturday night when we get home I decide to put the laundry room back together (they had to move a bunch of stuff to install new hot water tank) and in doing so, I knocked over a heavy piece of exercise equipment right onto my baby toes on my right foot. Pain dropped me to my knees. I have two very, very purple toes now, walking is a pain but carrying long boxes at the end of the show was quite painful.

...But I digress...

Advertising:  The organizers of this show put some thought and money into advertising.  They advertised in some antique magazines (full page spreads) and did a pretty solid social media blitz via Facebook and Instagram. They also entered and apparently won a contest the local TV station was having for free TV advertising, which they put to good use.  There were probably a few other outlets they could have advertised in but as a whole, definitely better than previous local shows.

Sidebar:  I also opted to do my own social media advertising via Facebook.  I “boosted” a post for 7 days for $25 (but FB gave me a $10 promo discount). According to the analytics, 1,897 people saw my post, 161 post engagements (where people clicked “like” or “love” or whatever) and 47 shares. I also got 15 new Page Likes/Followers. 

Attendance:  The event was very well attended.  I am on fairly friendly terms with the organizer and I was told that over the course of two days, 922 people came through the doors.

Venue:  The venue is definitely a “step up” from the previous show location. The venue is right downtown on Main Street and close to other shops and the bus station.  The venue itself is brand new and very nice.  The downside is that because it is downtown, their parking lot is very, very small as it is fenced in, so not friendly for show set up. 

Fortunately, many were able to set up Friday night (I was only able to unload as the room I was going to be in was in use for a function), however, had the venue not had a cancellation on Friday which allowed most people to set up on Friday evening, Saturday morning would have been a total mess show for vendors to get set up. There is only one set of load in doors with a narrow ramp and steps. There is no place to really load in from the front entrance on the street.

The organizers have recognized that they “got a little lucky” in this regard and said they will definitely factor it in to planning for the next show and are not adverse to even changing locations. If people can load in night before at staggered times though, not a problem.

Booth Location: At first, I was a little disappointed at where we were set up…From the front entrance, I was set up with a few other vendors in a different room from the main hall.  I understood, when explained to me that people would “have to” pass by us to get into the main hall but this wasn’t exactly the case. We were in in the “collectible” room with the vintage vinyl, sports card guy and silent auction items.  Also, the lighting in the room was very dim. The venue needs to get better lighting in that particular room. 

Overall though, I don’t think not being part of the larger hall “hurt us” all that much but something to consider if we want to get in the main hall next time, if at the same venue.  The pros to being our own area is that it was a lot cooler than in the main hall, we had a fun vibe in the smaller room and we got to listen to some great music over the weekend and we made friends with the vintage vinyl dealer.

Booth Size:  I was allocated one 8 foot table and two six foot tables…Not exactly sure what my square footage was but I know it was a little cramped behind where I was, but it worked. I couldn’t go too much further out from the wall due to layout of that particular room. I still can’t bring myself to do a “U” or “walk in” type booth though .

Costs:  Booth spaces were very affordable. My space cost me $80.00 for both days. Add in shawarma and pizza slices for lunches for us over the two days and with the FB ad I am probably around $135 in total costs to set up for the weekend.

Sales:  Sales for Day 1 were very good, by far the best of any of the local shows I have done.  Day 2 sales were about half of Day 1, but still “good enough” to meet my “threshold” of what I consider a “successful” day. I did just under $1,600.00 over the course of two days.

So, what sold? Zero slabs were sold. Lots of lookers, but no sales.  I sold two “wall books” at $30 and $35.  I only had a single book sale of more than $40 (Campbell Spidey variant). Several singles in the $10 to $25 range and other singles issue sales ran across the spectrum, but no “huge” stand outs.

Sets by far ruled over the two days.  I take pride in my sets I build and package them very nicely and the customers seemed to appreciate that. I sold sets and TPBs ranging from Avengers to Zenescope titles. The single biggest set I sold was Doctor Strange, Vol. 3 #1 - #50.  I need to stock and build up my set offering before my bigger show in June for sure.

The “surprise” sales were my Big Little Books. I went from 15 to only having two left. The negative side is my cheapo section did not do as well as I had hoped but there were not that many “kids” in attendance, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Of course, as with every show I was asked if I had this or that and in most cases I do, just chose not to bring that particular box or books. For these shows, I am learning I need to bring a bit more of stuff that does not typically sell among “comic collectors”, like cartoon books and I had several request for Dell/Gold Key books. I suspect it might have to do with some of the demographic coming through. Then again are the folks who are asking actually wanting to buy these or just "see" them. I may have to find out for next time.

Final Thoughts:  An excellent first show. The weather was gorgeous and it still seemed like people came out to shop. The organizers seem very committed to putting on a good show.  They are interested in things like advertising, presentation, variety and (gasp) feedback! They also did some little things, like complimentary coffee and tea for show goers and a bar was open. They also frequently checked in to see how things were going. I did well enough on Sunday for a two day event but even still, I would have been fine had they kept it to just one day, but if they keep at 2 for the next one, I will 100% sign on again.

What's Next:  Northern Game Expo in Sudbury, ON...Next Sunday 

[thehumantorch]

Booth looks great.  Your sales were pretty good and you mostly sold smaller value books, that's a win.

[Wall-Crawler]

10 hours ago, thehumantorch said:

Booth looks great.  Your sales were pretty good and you mostly sold smaller value books, that's a win.

Yes I was very pleased with sales and I am happy to sell the smalls.  Sets extremely popular this show.  I almost had a few bigger ticket item sales but for whatever reason, buyers didn't bite (I do price fairly for slabs via GPA) so not like my slabs are way out there. 

I did have a few requests for ASM #300 though.

I have to turn around for NGE with no time to replenish my sets, I still have a solid selection but will definitely have to beef them up again in time for Sudbury Graphic Con in June. I will also be revamping my boxes and going completely alphabetical for that show too, so I am going to have a bit of fun with the "redesign".

[spreads]

On ‎4‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 11:12 PM, thehumantorch said:

Tough to say what's a typical show.  So  many factors like who's there, how old your inventory is - sales are always goosed when you've bought new books and what the local economy is like.

Alberta is a boom or bust province.  When oil revenue is high there's jobs everywhere and many of them are paying very well.  Welders up North can earn more than $100 per hour and even the rig guys are making great money.    5 years ago the economy was great and we sold roughly 1/3 of our wall books at the Calgary Expo.    For the last few Calgary and Edmonton Expos - my two biggest 'local' shows -  sales have been way down and we might sell a few wall books each day and a few other minor keys per day.  Oil price is down and Canadian $ value is down against the US $.   I have high hopes for the Calgary Expo next week as a spring 1 day show in Calgary was wonderful and everyone seemed to be spending, it was easily our best 1 day show in Calgary we've had.

You can always hedge the CAD dollar by increasing your online presence!  I know a buddy who's worked in G.P for years, in a small engineering firm, I understand the boom/busts to some extent.  It's nice to have those kinds of blue-collar types with high disposable incomes (when they're being paid), they tend to spend their money - unlike here with the highest medium income in the country, I think a lot of public servants are cheap! 

 

[spreads]

That's a great setup, and thanks for putting in a detailed and thorough summary. 

I think your sales were fantastic especially considering you never sold a wall book!  Moving sets, moving a lot of inventory, and moving stuff that you'll be able to replace in further collections will all keep having buyers coming back to you!  I just had a repeat online sales buyer the other day and I'm starting to just grasp the significant of recurring buyers.  I couldn't imagine those kinds of sales with a top book being only $30, that's really solid.

Regarding lesser known books, I agree with you there and I'm slowly diversifying more and more...I do get odd requests, 'archie', 'star trek'???, but I did have a kid ask me about dell/gold key and he flushed a bunch of those from my $2 box.  So I think it's fair to say people asking about obscure (or less popular) titles are MORE likely to buy it if you have it than everyone chasing the latest hot book - ASM 300 (not that this is a latest hot book but you see my point). 

[CKinTO]

4 hours ago, Wall-Crawler said:

I have to turn around for NGE with no time to replenish my sets, I still have a solid selection but will definitely have to beef them up again in time for Sudbury Graphic Con in June. I will also be revamping my boxes and going completely alphabetical for that show too, so I am going to have a bit of fun with the "redesign".

From a buyer's perspective, definitely agree about the value of having your boxes be alphabetical. While there will always be the dedicated bin-divers who are ok with going through 10+ longs in random order, there's a big chunk of potential buyers (myself included) who won't if random, but definitely will go through certain sections if done alphabetically. I get that it's a hassle for dealers to do sometimes (eg. if they bought a big collection that was random itself), but I do think it goes a long way to having more eyeballs checking out your stuff!

[Wall-Crawler]

1 hour ago, spreads said:

 I think a lot of public servants are cheap! 

 

[Wall-Crawler]

27 minutes ago, CKinTO said:

From a buyer's perspective, definitely agree about the value of having your boxes be alphabetical. While there will always be the dedicated bin-divers who are ok with going through 10+ longs in random order, there's a big chunk of potential buyers (myself included) who won't if random, but definitely will go through certain sections if done alphabetically. I get that it's a hassle for dealers to do sometimes (eg. if they bought a big collection that was random itself), but I do think it goes a long way to having more eyeballs checking out your stuff!

Yeah before they were organized by character but as some have thinned out and others grown and I have priced more from my stock, it is definitely time to go alphabetical.

I am also replacing a lot of my boxes that have gotten beaten up over the past few shows/years and going with new front label designs.  I don't want to be the dealer who has boxes that look like as it detracts from the eye appeal of your booth.

I have also purchased some new plastic comic book dividers (blue and red) that have a flex tab that can fold down when the lid is put on. I choose blue and red as matches colour scheme of my banner and will help to separate more clearly the different titles in the boxes.  I am also placing the label name on the front and back of the divider so if anyone asks if I have "x title" I can scan from behind the table to tell a customer where to go (in a good way) fairly quickly.

[spreads]

12 minutes ago, Wall-Crawler said:

Haha.  My partner works for EC and my mom works for the RCMP; they love these comments but admit there's some truth! 

[Wall-Crawler]

1 hour ago, spreads said:

That's a great setup, and thanks for putting in a detailed and thorough summary. 

I think your sales were fantastic especially considering you never sold a wall book!  Moving sets, moving a lot of inventory, and moving stuff that you'll be able to replace in further collections will all keep having buyers coming back to you!  I just had a repeat online sales buyer the other day and I'm starting to just grasp the significant of recurring buyers.  I couldn't imagine those kinds of sales with a top book being only $30, that's really solid.

Regarding lesser known books, I agree with you there and I'm slowly diversifying more and more...I do get odd requests, 'archie', 'star trek'???, but I did have a kid ask me about dell/gold key and he flushed a bunch of those from my $2 box.  So I think it's fair to say people asking about obscure (or less popular) titles are MORE likely to buy it if you have it than everyone chasing the latest hot book - ASM 300 (not that this is a latest hot book but you see my point). 

Thanks!!!

Like I said, for me, sets have proven to be KING for my area especially for casuals. I put together sets of anything if I have a complete one I can make. I have sold some sets of some pretty obscure stuff and variety has been key too.  I don't mind buying "drek" if I can get it for the right price and package it nicely as a set (presentation matters too). My sets are individually bagged and boarded and placed in a larger bag and sealed. Yes, this is time consuming but has definitely been "worth it".

Edited April 24, 2018 by Wall-Crawler

[spreads]

4 minutes ago, Wall-Crawler said:

Yeah before they were organized by character but as some have thinned out and others grown and I have priced more from my stock, it is definitely time to go alphabetical.

I am also replacing a lot of my boxes that have gotten beaten up over the past few shows/years and going with new front label designs.  I don't want to be the dealer who has boxes that look like as it detracts from the eye appeal of your booth.

I have also purchased some new plastic comic book dividers (blue and red) that have a flex tab that can fold down when the lid is put on. I choose blue and red as matches colour scheme of my banner and will help to separate more clearly the different titles in the boxes.  I am also placing the label name on the front and back of the divider so if anyone asks if I have "x title" I can scan from behind the table to tell a customer where to go (in a good way) fairly quickly.

That's a good idea, let's see some colors! 

The other thing about organizing stuff is it's usually a one-time investment, do it at the beginning then further sorting (locating books) makes it easier.  I had a few boxes that were sorted but not labeled at home and I still have to spend time to fish in there every so often....

[thehumantorch]

16 minutes ago, Wall-Crawler said:

Thanks!!!

Like I said, for me, sets have proven to be KING for my area especially for casuals. I put together sets of anything if I have a complete one I can make. I have sold some sets of some pretty obscure stuff and variety has been key too.  I don't mind buying "drek" if I can get it for the right price and package it nicely as a set (presentation matters too). My sets are individually bagged and boarded and placed in a larger bag and sealed. Yes, this is time consuming but has definitely been "worth it".

I love selling sets.  The books come in collections and you don't pay a ton for them, the whole run goes rather than sitting except for a few keys, and it puts a fair amount of money in your pocket.

Bagging and boarding each book is important.  Otherwise they look like hell after a couple shows and the outside books take damage.  For cheaper sets I will often put 2 books to a bag and board to lower costs and reduce the amount of room the set takes in a box.  I also like to label the top of the set so a buyer can just scan a box and see what's there.

[Wall-Crawler]

1 hour ago, thehumantorch said:

I also like to label the top of the set so a buyer can just scan a box and see what's there.

I am totally stealing this. Great idea.

[spreads]

1 hour ago, thehumantorch said:

I love selling sets.  The books come in collections and you don't pay a ton for them, the whole run goes rather than sitting except for a few keys, and it puts a fair amount of money in your pocket.

Bagging and boarding each book is important.  Otherwise they look like hell after a couple shows and the outside books take damage.  For cheaper sets I will often put 2 books to a bag and board to lower costs and reduce the amount of room the set takes in a box.  I also like to label the top of the set so a buyer can just scan a box and see what's there.

I picked up some cheap labels, similar to my sticker for book prices but it's a horizontal bar.  Where do you guys get bags/boards?  I spent quite a bit of time researching but found a local source that enables me to get regular size boards/bags at a touch over 11 cents a book.  I think different size bags are about the same cost (maybe golden slightly more) but I can easily fit silver books in these same bags.  Plus I have loads of mylar/full-backs/half-backs I just for bigger books (that supply will be there forever, haha).

Edited April 24, 2018 by spreads
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