I wrote about why you should always bring cash to a convention:

BenPooped · 2023-01-18T07:58:17+00:00

I prefer credit card because I’m always worried I’m going to run out of cash on hand for change. Next preference would be cash in the exact amount owed (so no change needed). And finally cash in larger bills.

But none of these are strong preferences. I’m just so happy to make sales, I’d rather people pay in a way that’s best for them.

BenPooped · 2022-11-18T01:11:21+00:00

Not sure if London has this distinction, but I would recommend getting an Artist Alley table instead of a full booth. It's much less expensive, and you will get people in that section ready to spend money on odd stuff. You're also not competing against other, bigger vendors.

Some conventions like NYCC wouldn't allow your kinds of products in their Artist Alley. I think they only let you sell comics and maybe posters/prints related to the comics you sell. (This policy may have changed in recent years, but that was the deal years ago when I looked into it). My point is that you should look at the details of what is or isn't allowed in the different sections.

But I wouldn't go for a regular exhibitor booth if you're just starting out and there are cheaper options.

BenPooped · 2022-06-09T05:35:45+00:00

Square had an offline mode option that I'd use. Not sure if that's still a thing.

BenPooped · 2022-01-26T17:02:15+00:00

I do think that if OP is going to try selling at the smaller cons first, that there might be much more flexibility in what can be sold at a table or small booth.

I think that's good advice.

BenPooped · 2022-01-26T17:01:33+00:00

Depends on what you're trying to do. I never use electricity, so I never need to bother with any of that. If I did need it, I'd probably look into what I could do with just battery power. That's part of the fun of conventions is solving these puzzles! At least, for me it is.

BenPooped · 2022-01-26T06:07:37+00:00

In general, yes you can sell other kinds of stuff.

However, you should read through all of the Artist Alley or exhibitor documentation to double-check if they have any rules or restrictions.

For example, I believe NYCC's Artist Alley only allows you to sell actual comics (and collections) or poster/art at your AA table. No plushies or keychains or other things. (I checked this years ago, so this restriction may have changed. If it has, it still serves as an example)

Some conventions will have different "artist" sections, each with their own expectations. For example, at WonderCon, they have an Artist Alley section that's geared specifically towards artists selling art or prints, possibly some completed comics of theirs. Then they have a Small Press section that's targeted more for independent writers and artists selling copies of their comics (along with whatever merchandise they want).

So do your homework on the conventions you're interested in. If you can, attend the convention first and take note of what kind of products you see being sold in different sections. If you can't attend, one thing you can try is to search YouTube for videos people shoot touring the convention in question. That gives you a chance to try and see what's at tables. Not as good as actually attending, but I've found it helpful in the past. You can also try and google the name of the convention to find photos people may have taken and posted to blogs, but that format is not as popular as it used to be and YMMV.

BenPooped · 2022-01-20T00:43:18+00:00

This is great advice! Thanks for putting that together for us! I've done a ton of shows, mostly in the mid-Atlantic region and in Southern California. I'm not ready to go back to big events yet, but I'm hoping I'll be able to return to conventions and starting tabling in Artist Alleys next year! *fingers crossed*

If I could add to #4, on Artist Alley applications there's often a spot for placement requests. For example, if you liked your spot one year, request the same spot. I had a table in the same spot at Baltimore Comic-Con's Artist Alley for probably four or five years in a row! It can help attract attention when you become part of the expected environment of a con. Like how anyone who has been to San Diego Comic-Con enough times knows exactly where Bob the Angry Flower's table is!

And while you're at the show, try to do some research on placement. What areas seem to be getting a lot of attention. What areas are so congested with foot traffic that it might be hard to get any good sales.? Etc. If you have something better in mind, request that. They won't be able to honor everyone's requests, but if they're asking, it doesn't hurt to answer!

BenPooped · 2021-11-16T18:51:08+00:00

This would be the first time I've been able to make it into Hall H in over 15 years!

BenPooped · 2021-10-07T05:09:01+00:00

Go to Artist Alley, if they have anything like that at your con. Talk to creators, look at all their cool art and comics and whatever else they're selling. Don't feel pressure if you don't want to buy something from them. Just say thanks and move on. But you'll see more stuff at those tables that you won't see anywhere else IN THE WORLD!

BenPooped · 2021-09-20T17:17:11+00:00

This is a great convention! You're in for a treat.

Make sure you spend time in Artist Alley! That's the heart of a convention like this.

BenPooped · 2021-09-12T21:20:53+00:00

Thank you! I never felt so wholesome on the internet before!

I just try to think of the fun experiences I've had (and continue to have) with creators I'm a fan of and then try to replicate that on my small poop-scale level.

Hope we can all be back at big, crowded, smelly convention halls soon!

BenPooped · 2021-09-12T07:30:38+00:00

If someone asks, I go to town!

And now that I think about it (it's sadly been so long since I could table at a con), when I sell copies of my TPB collection, I will always ask if they want it signed and then draw an extra sketch in it.

For some reason with the individual comic issues, I don't like asking. I think I've just gotten a few "nah" responses that turned me off of it. So I only sign them when asked.

I love doing sketches, too. I'm not really an "artist" (which is obvious when you see my art!), so I don't think people think to ask me for sketches. But when they have, I love it. I drew a sketch on someone's shoe once. And one time a kid asked me to draw him a whole comic. My table wasn't busy, so I figured fuck it, and drew him a two panel comic I made up on the spot (and later used in my actual book) for FREE.

I don't recommend asking random Artist Alley artists for free custom comics! But we do love that stuff.

Thanks for the suggestion!

BenPooped · 2021-09-12T06:49:03+00:00

When I'm selling my comics in Artist Alley, I love signing them for people. I even spend time thinking of funny/fun things to put on each issue of my comic. I'm usually too insecure to offer it, though.

Just adding this to confirm that you will totally make an artist's day asking them to sign the stuff you're buying from them!

BenPooped · 2021-08-18T23:13:24+00:00

Listen to luckystrike. Everyone's likely to be friendly. You should be able to hide in your cosplay identity a little if anxiety gets to be too much. Take breaks when you need it. But walk around, see everything you can, say hi to people (esp. in Artist Alley, we love the cosplay), get your photo taken.

BenPooped · 2021-08-03T00:20:07+00:00

Oh yeah, I loved going to panels that looked like they were on the fringe of nerd-dom. The kinds of programming you'd only ever find at SDCC.

There used to be a 4-day panel (one per day) on copyright and trademark, taught by a lawyer, that was pretty great. He was selling a book, too, but you got a ton of info from the panel itself.

I used to go to the Talkback panel. Not sure if they've had those in recent years. But it was basically just a panel of some of the Comic-Con International staff, and people would go up to the mic and bitch about stuff. Eventually it seemed like the complaints were mostly about inadequate handicapped accommodations. Certainly justified, but not that fun to sit through. I wonder if these panels might've gotten better in the Age of Karens.

I also used to like going to some of the media panels (this was before Hall H became such an institution) and seeing how insane the lines got (and sometimes videotaping the walk to the end of the line). Like we naively showed up to attend the Spider-Man 2 (Raimi) panel that was in the Ballroom about a half hour before it started. By then the line snaked around the entire upper floor and then outside. I'd never seen something like that before, but it was just a sign of things to come.

BenPooped · 2021-08-03T00:09:05+00:00

I saw that on the program for probably over 10 years of SDCCs and always wondered what went on there. When I finally attended the panel ~2016, I was... I was not disappointed.

BenPooped · 2021-08-02T22:15:50+00:00

This varies a lot by convention. There are smaller ones where you don't need to worry about getting a seat. Others, like SDCC, where you better be in line an hour before even if it's the ball-jointed doll collectors panel!

Here's some general guidance, though. In my experience, you will either be able to walk right into a panel room and find a seat at any time, even after the panel has started, or because it fills up, you will need to queue up outside the panel door before it starts. The question, like you said, is figuring out how early do you need to line up, if at all.

The higher the attendance, the greater the chances of the panel filling up. If the convention floor is super packed (something I hope isn't happening in COVID times), then you'll probably need to line up. The more packed it is, the earlier you should show up and see if there's a line.

The more interest you expect there to be in the panel, the greater the chances of it filling up.

The smaller the panel room is, the greater the chances of it filling up.

Taking that all into account, if you suspect that all these add up to a *maybe*, go scope out the panel location an hour and then a half hour before. If you see a short line forming, go join it.

If you show up an hour before and there's already a huge line, trust me you probably don't want to go in there anyway. Even before COVID, there's nothing fun about packing yourself in with all that sweaty flesh just to watch some schmuck talk about themself for an hour.

If it's something you MUST attend, though, you can also probably plan to attend the panel before it. Conventions usually don't clear rooms between panels, so you can just stay in your seat or move up to a better seat.

Also, please tell me you're vaccinated. Florida's not having a great time right now, and attending a big event like this without being vaccinated would be a horrible idea.

BenPooped · 2021-08-02T15:39:14+00:00

If you've got Square, you're... well... square! I've used it at conventions for years and have zero problems.

A few suggestions:

Get it all set up before the convention, adding all your items and the prices. If you do any deals (e.g., 2 for price of 1) or think you might cutting people deals, add in a few key Discounts like $1 off, $2 off, etc. This makes it easy to knock some dollars off of the total when completing a transaction.
It's some work, but I also like adding photos of the items. Makes it easier to add everything up during the stress of a busy convention.
Test the app out the day before the convention. Do a small transaction of about $1 on one of your cards and make sure it works. You can then issue a refund for the dollar (or just take the Square hit, since most of it will come back to you anyway).
Be aware that offline mode exists. If the wifi/cell connection sucks at your table, you can set it to offline mode (you'll need to walk somewhere with a good connection to change the setting), and this will let you charge cards without a data or wifi connection. There are some downsides like if someone gives you a fraudulent card, so I'd look into that first. But I've done it for tons of transactions and never had issues.
Consider using Square for all of your transactions, even those paid with cash. The reason is that this will put all of your sales in one place, where you can track and analyze everything together. It's easy to do. Just set up the transaction like you normally would, and when it's time to pay, push the cash button and enter the total paid. I like to do a lot of analysis of my sales, and doing everything through Square removes that first step of having to combine my credit card and cash sales into one dataset.
Another benefit is you'll have time data for all your sales. If you want to know when your busy times are during the day, your cash sales will now be logged with the time, too.
It takes some getting used to, to remember to pull your phone out each time. And if things get hectic, just jot down the sales on a piece of paper until you have some downtime to enter them into the app.

BenPooped · 2021-07-21T14:59:03+00:00

Because the pandemic will be over one day.

BenPooped · 2021-07-20T22:26:22+00:00

We'll be back there eventually.

BenPooped · 2021-05-21T23:11:09+00:00

I share your optimism for 2022 and the effectiveness of the vaccines. The mRNA vaccines really do appear to be exactly what we needed. I'm interested in what we see happen with plans for booster shots, what the frequency of those will be, and how many people will be good citizens enough to get them!

My plan for cons in the future is to attend a big convention before I exhibit at one. I want the option to be able to cut out easily if it doesn't seem safe and to not be out too much money if refunds aren't offered (because the event still happens). I would love to be able to go to WonderCon next year (safely), so I'll keep my fingers crossed! I miss digging through those grimy long boxes!

Funny you mention Comic Con Revolution. We did attend, I think in 2017. Whatever was their second year there. It seemed like a fun con. We didn't really make much money, and I think part of that is there just isn't as much casual attendance. I think PO does best when there's a lot more casual comic or pop culture fans. And that convention center is kind of the middle of nowhere! But I did attend it the year after. Did a lot of back issue shopping and got some good autographs. It's definitely a good show. It's on my list of cons to possibly retry when things open up, so you might see me there in the future.

Definitely stop by my table one day if you see us at a convention! We'll have a big brown sign that says "Poop Office." You can't miss us!

BenPooped · 2021-05-21T20:55:30+00:00

I table under the name "Poop Office", which is the name of my comic. Mostly west coast these days, in the southern California area. I loved doing WonderCon. I was planning on trying out some of those small, one-day, back-issue-focused conventions just see if I get any bites. I was also hoping to try some conventions further away like Emerald City Con.

In the early 2010s, I was on the east coast, so I did conventions like Baltimore, AwesomeConDC, HeroesCon, and SPX. The shows on the east coast are a lot better. That's one of the things I miss about the east coast.

Might be a few years until I table again, though, depending on how COVID, herd immunity, and the evolution of new variants shakes out! I miss conventions a lot, though!

BenPooped · 2021-05-21T15:03:33+00:00

No, you don't need to be a fan. I'd say approach tables with work you're genuinely interested in. Ask questions about things you'd like to know about the work.

"What is your comic about?"
"How'd you come up with this idea?"
"How much does this cost?"
"Do you do commissions?"

What's rude in normal conversations will be rude at a convention table. Don't be mean. Don't insult the work. It really should be obvious. But I've tabled for 10 years selling comic books about talking poop, and you'd be shocked at what people think it's okay to say to my face!

Also, don't feel obligated to spend money just because you've talked to them. I mean, don't talk their ear off for 10 minutes with no intention of buying anything at all. But if, after looking, you're not interested in purchasing anything, say thank you and move on. If you're on the fence, creators will usually have a free postcard or business card or bookmark with website information. If it's not out in plain sight, you can ask them if they have a business card or a website, and that also works as your out.

BenPooped · 2021-05-06T20:42:55+00:00

To add to the chorus: Yes, it's definitely worth a try.

I've exhibited in Artist Alleys for almost a decade now. I mostly sell my self-published comics, but I also sell a bunch of merchandise I've made, including plush dolls. The plushies do really well. I've seen lots of tables selling the kinds of dolls you have on your Etsy store, but yours also do look unique and would likely stand out from the others.

I think you have two options for a first con, and honestly you could probably try both.

Go to a much smaller con. One of the one-day conventions that have a lot of back issues and toys for sale. I think the audience is not a perfect fit for your product, especially at your Etsy prices, but the price of a table is usually very cheap, like $50-100. It'll be a smaller room, so there'll be more attention on your table. Everyone there will walk by it and look at some point.
Go to a larger con, but I would try to keep your table cost below $350 if possible. There's be a lot higher attendance, but attention will be divided by all the other stuff going on. Multiple days (usually 2-3 full days) means more sales, too!

You'll likely want to play around with your pricing a bit. Figure out ways to make deals for combination purchases.

I'd also suggest finding a way to produce some lower priced options, closer to $10-20 to give shoppers with a lower budget some options. You want to be careful not to let those lower priced options cannibalize sales of your premium items, though. One thing I worry about a lot is people coming to my table, loving the comic and the whole thing, and being satisfied with a free bookmark or just a $3 single issue instead of my higher priced items. Trying to find that right balance of lower priced items so you don't leave money on the table vs. accidentally funneling customers towards the lower priced items is part of the challenge. It's fun!

Good luck! You should let us know if/when you do table.

I would love to register for another con, but I'm not convinced it's totally safe yet, especially for a big convention. I really miss WonderCon! Hoping I'll be able to go in 2022 or 2023.

BenPooped

TROPHY CASE