$1 boxes for a show

[shadroch]

Here is the problem with putting the books in alpha/numerical order.

The idea is to sell books , so after an hour of two you are going to have boxes that are getting empty. Either you simply pull comics from the reserve and fill the gaps- rendering the A/N system obsolete, or you take the time to pull from box B to fill box A, box C to fill box B, ect, ect and keep doing that every quarter hour or so.

I try to keep the Marvels together, the Dcs together, the Indys together, but when selling dollar comics you have to keep a close eye on how much labor you put into them. You will lose some sales by not putting them in A/N order, but is ten hours of labor worth an extra $100 to you?

[Pike's Comics]

Here is the problem with putting the books in alpha/numerical order.

The idea is to sell books , so after an hour of two you are going to have boxes that are getting empty. Either you simply pull comics from the reserve and fill the gaps- rendering the A/N system obsolete, or you take the time to pull from box B to fill box A, box C to fill box B, ect, ect and keep doing that every quarter hour or so.

I try to keep the Marvels together, the Dcs together, the Indys together, but when selling dollar comics you have to keep a close eye on how much labor you put into them. You will lose some sales by not putting them in A/N order, but is ten hours of labor worth an extra $100 to you?

 

This is my question. I am perfectly fine for the higher priced stuff but after doing this a few times for my dollar boxes I am getting to the point is the work worth what I am getting out of it?

[comicwiz]

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.

 

Maybe when people walk up to my booth they get this mental image:

 

 

Because I've never once alpha sorted a comic my entire life, and never have had trouble selling.

[miraclemet]

Here is the problem with putting the books in alpha/numerical order.

The idea is to sell books , so after an hour of two you are going to have boxes that are getting empty. Either you simply pull comics from the reserve and fill the gaps- rendering the A/N system obsolete, or you take the time to pull from box B to fill box A, box C to fill box B, ect, ect and keep doing that every quarter hour or so.

I try to keep the Marvels together, the Dcs together, the Indys together, but when selling dollar comics you have to keep a close eye on how much labor you put into them. You will lose some sales by not putting them in A/N order, but is ten hours of labor worth an extra $100 to you?

 

I think every 15 minutes is an extreme application of this...

 

I see dealers doing this [combining boxes as sales start to render bigger holes] maybe once or twice a day at a well traveled show (thinking Motor City). Doesnt seem like a huge ordeal to do this. And its less about cascading than seeing Box A, B & C all lose enough so that you can then split the remains of box B between box A and box C and pull box B.

 

Saw this being done a few times a day at a mid-sized con. Cant tell you what the big ones would need, though again, every 15 minutes is alot (unless you have a couple of guys come in and buy up big runs of titles)

 

Though this does mean either a) relabeling the boxes if they say "A thru C", D thru E and so on or b) not labeling them in the first place. I find that as long as they are alphabetized I dont need someone to tell me what part of the alphabet a box is.

 

[lhcomics]

I'm currently boxing up 20 long boxes of 1980-1993 Marvel and DC comics for the small 1 day show Feb 2nd in St Louis. 18' of table for $100.

 

Multiples of a lot of issues unbagged with titles together in the same box but not numerical or alphabetical.

 

These will be combined 50 cent and $1 boxes. Everything cover price of 75 cent and above is 50 cent. Everything below 75 cent cover is $1.

 

I will do quite well with these as they are fresh inventory just picked up last month. The next show they will all be $3/$1. After that they will go in my garage with all the other drek that is not worth bring to a show.

 

 

 

 

[paradigmcomics]

I'm currently boxing up 20 long boxes of 1980-1993 Marvel and DC comics for the small 1 day show Feb 2nd in St Louis. 18' of table for $100.

 

Multiples of a lot of issues unbagged with titles together in the same box but not numerical or alphabetical.

 

These will be combined 50 cent and $1 boxes. Everything cover price of 75 cent and above is 50 cent. Everything below 75 cent cover is $1.

 

I will do quite well with these as they are fresh inventory just picked up last month. The next show they will all be $3/$1. After that they will go in my garage with all the other drek that is not worth bring to a show.

 

What do you eventually do with the drek deemed not worthy to lug to the show? I assume I'll have this same issue.

[miraclemet]

Here's my mentality:

 

For $.50 an issue I dont mind digging thru disorganization

for $1 I want at least alphabetical and by title I can live without numerical...

 

If I walk up to a dollar bin that is disorganized, I look for 10 seconds and walk away.

 

I also like the dealer who specializes in "complete" sets. Used to have a dealer in Michigan who would complete sets (usually between 6 and 50 issues of a mini, arc, or run) and bag them as one brick and put a price on them. Usually around $1 a book, sometimes lower). He always seemed to do well and have a busy table. Doesn't work if everyone does this, but if no one in your area does this you can be the sole provider to the market.

[lhcomics]

I'm currently boxing up 20 long boxes of 1980-1993 Marvel and DC comics for the small 1 day show Feb 2nd in St Louis. 18' of table for $100.

 

Multiples of a lot of issues unbagged with titles together in the same box but not numerical or alphabetical.

 

These will be combined 50 cent and $1 boxes. Everything cover price of 75 cent and above is 50 cent. Everything below 75 cent cover is $1.

 

I will do quite well with these as they are fresh inventory just picked up last month. The next show they will all be $3/$1. After that they will go in my garage with all the other drek that is not worth bring to a show.

 

What do you eventually do with the drek deemed not worthy to lug to the show? I assume I'll have this same issue.

 

I'm not sure what to do with them. I have talked to a guy in AL but he will not come to me until I have 100 boxes. Probably sell them $15-20 a box.

[paradigmcomics]

I'm currently boxing up 20 long boxes of 1980-1993 Marvel and DC comics for the small 1 day show Feb 2nd in St Louis. 18' of table for $100.

 

Multiples of a lot of issues unbagged with titles together in the same box but not numerical or alphabetical.

 

These will be combined 50 cent and $1 boxes. Everything cover price of 75 cent and above is 50 cent. Everything below 75 cent cover is $1.

 

I will do quite well with these as they are fresh inventory just picked up last month. The next show they will all be $3/$1. After that they will go in my garage with all the other drek that is not worth bring to a show.

 

What do you eventually do with the drek deemed not worthy to lug to the show? I assume I'll have this same issue.

 

I'm not sure what to do with them. I have talked to a guy in AL but he will not come to me until I have 100 boxes. Probably sell them $15-20 a box.

 

Have you ever had an opportunity to bulk the drek/leftovers at the end of the show to another dealer or to an attendee, like catrick was suggesting?

[lhcomics]

Not really. Most of the small shows I attend the dealers can't afford $20 a long box.

 

But I'm sure you might be able to hit a dealer up at your show. Worth a try.

[sckao]

Last small show Marc of House of Comics and I did, we ended up with another dealer's 16 longboxes of leftover dollar book drek for $100. That comes out to $6.25 per longbox I guess.

 

 

[the blob]

Here is the problem with putting the books in alpha/numerical order.

The idea is to sell books , so after an hour of two you are going to have boxes that are getting empty. Either you simply pull comics from the reserve and fill the gaps- rendering the A/N system obsolete, or you take the time to pull from box B to fill box A, box C to fill box B, ect, ect and keep doing that every quarter hour or so.

I try to keep the Marvels together, the Dcs together, the Indys together, but when selling dollar comics you have to keep a close eye on how much labor you put into them. You will lose some sales by not putting them in A/N order, but is ten hours of labor worth an extra $100 to you?

 

you could bring some sort of spacers or whatever to stick at the back of boxes as they get a litte emptier. at some point you can just combine two longies or turn 3 into 2 boxes.

[FlyingDonut]

I'm currently boxing up 20 long boxes of 1980-1993 Marvel and DC comics for the small 1 day show Feb 2nd in St Louis. 18' of table for $100.

 

Multiples of a lot of issues unbagged with titles together in the same box but not numerical or alphabetical.

 

These will be combined 50 cent and $1 boxes. Everything cover price of 75 cent and above is 50 cent. Everything below 75 cent cover is $1.

 

I will do quite well with these as they are fresh inventory just picked up last month. The next show they will all be $3/$1. After that they will go in my garage with all the other drek that is not worth bring to a show.

 

What do you eventually do with the drek deemed not worthy to lug to the show? I assume I'll have this same issue.

 

Donate them to a library or a hospital. Everybody wins, and you can take a tax write off.

[catrick339]

The hope is always that you start out with, say, two eight foot tables or so of fresh stock at the start of the show, call it 24 longboxes. You sell for a couple hours, and hopefully you've moved mebbe 300 comics or so, and the boxes are looking a little empty. You can:

 

1. Refill from a spare box or two you had the forethought to drag along to to the show, or

 

2. Consolidate the boxes from left to right, pull out empty box 24 and offer a longbox of customer's choice for $150 or so

 

If folks are pulling nice long runs and plenty of hole fillers you can also offer it gratis to the next person with a big honkin' stack.

 

Repeat every hour or two and hopefully go home with about 18 of your 24 boxes and $1200 or so (A longbox holds more or less 200 bagged and boarded comics, or 250+ bagged and about 300 unbagged, if you're leaving sufficient room to thumb through easily)

 

Now. Some realistic math.

 

Two eight foot tables at the Detroit shows are $120 for the day, gas from outstate and back is $50 or so, you either pack your lunch or buy junkfood, add $10, boxes bags and boards for 5000 comics or so (depends on how you prep your stuff) no less than $75 or so even for bare books, plus lost time with friends and family: One Entire Sunday.

 

Figure on getting up at 5 or 6 AM, driving, setting up your tables, selling from 10 until 4, then breaking down, loading back up, and driving home, where you have to unload everything and put it back where it came from .....call it 12 to 14 hours depending on your drive time .

 

This does NOT include what you paid for the actual comics, the assumption is you either bought them for a nickel or less, or they're truly just "I don't give a carp, I need my garage back!" leftovers that you're trying to turn back into a bit of cash.

 

Figure in the many many hours you'll spend doing the prep for a show and you're working cheap! CHEAP, I tells ya!

 

Good thing that you Really Love Comic Books, isn't it?

 

You have to figure that a realistic nut for a one day show is about $350 plus or minus, so you don't put dollar one into your pocket until you sell your 351'st funnybook

 

Heh heh, and this is just the hobbyist, many brick and mortar dealers show up even at the one day shows with a hundred boxes or better

 

 

[sterlingcomics]

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.

 

For me, a disorganized table tells me 1. you don't care about the books and 2. you don't care about my time. A cheap price MIGHT pursuade me to waste my time, but I try and remain efficient.

[jerome34]

1) Sorting the cheap books takes a lot of time and your hourly rate or return

can be small. But you do GET RID OF A LOT MORE BOOKS and that cam

make it worth it.

 

2) On show costs, I use the following formulas:

A) Local shows break even =

2*[(table cost) + (transportation) + (food) + (misc exp )]

B) Out of town shows break even =

(Break even for a local show) + 2*(motel, etc., expenses).

 

These are just rough estimates, good to get a general idea as

to how well/poorly you did. Your mileage will vary.

 

3) Lower prices per item for big purchases works for me.

You might use: $1 < 10 books; $10 for 12 books; $20 for 25

books; $50 for 100 books and $125 for a full box. Whatever

you choose (and this might be more options than you wish),

document it in your signage.

 

4) Geed luck.

[shadroch]

[quote=paradigmcomics

 

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.

 

Unless they have been in a damp basement for the last two decades, there is no reason to put 20-25- or 30 cent books in dollar boxes, especially without going thru them yourself. These boks are in demand, and you can get a heck of a lot more than a dollar a pop for them. Id start the dollar boxes with 50 cent books, nothing below that unless they are VG or worse.

Putting lots of nice BA books in your dollar boxes is akin to throwing away money.

[dgarthwaite-migration]

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.

 

He's giving two free with an $8 purchase. It's not much of a psychological difference. Asking for $10 can shy people if you are really offering comics only worth a dollar.

 

DG

[sckao]

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.

 

He's giving two free with an $8 purchase. It's not much of a psychological difference. Asking for $10 can shy people if you are really offering comics only worth a dollar.

 

DG

 

Whoa. You're asking the seller to pony up $2 in change for every 10 book purchase? Crazy.

 

$10 bills or $20 bills are what people carry...

 

 

[Jeffro.]

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.

 

 

As long as they aren't modern drek, I like looking through these types of boxes. It's like a treasure hunt.