What is the responsibility of a convention organizer?

[kav]

if prices are the same as ebay-and theyre not, they're higher, but if they are, WHY buy at shows? why even go? Con dealers have to offer some reason to buy.

[RCheli]

if prices are the same as ebay-and theyre not, they're higher, but if they are, WHY buy at shows? why even go? Con dealers have to offer some reason to buy.

 

How many reasons do I need to give you.

 

1) You can see the book you're purchasing

2) You can be assured it won't get lost/damaged in the mail

3) You don't have to pay for shipping

4) You can get it immediately

5) You have the opportunity to buy more than just one book at one time

6) You have the ability to negotiate the price

7) You can talk to the seller -- have an actual interaction with a person

8) You can pay with cash

 

Do you want more?

[silverweb]

At the last Big-Wow Con in San Jose, I was really concerned about leaving my books overnight unattended, so I took my two most expensive boxes home with me. How do other people deal with this? Do you leave everything covered with a tarp and hope for the best? This is where I would think that the Promoter has to provide some sense of security. That's what I want.

 

 

here's what I want that hasn't been mentioned

 

make sure the room isn't freezing

 

don't over charge the door nor the tables/booths

 

make sure the place is clean and has parking

 

[kav]

Well, it's not working. Dealer con sales seem to be always a disappointment from the postings I've seen here. So maybe the strategy just ain't working. Boardies seem to be unanimous in saying con dealer prices are ridiculous.

[Buzzetta]

80% of ebay prices

 

Why would you do that? That's patently ridiculous.

 

So you're saying that I should sell the same copy to you for 20% less of what you could buy it for on eBay, plus you'd actually be able to see it and inspect it before buying it PLUS you wouldn't have to pay shipping.

 

More terrible advice from someone who obviously is not a dealer.

 

I would expect the seller/dealer/vendor to have at least the price they offer online. Is that too much to ask? I should not have to pay a premium because they brought it to the site or show.

[kav]

That

[jsilverjanet]

I try and give deals to all dealers and customers at shows so they look for me at the next one.

 

 

[Buzzetta]

I did not know you did shows.

[jsilverjanet]

That being said, it's hard to discount the bigger books when I know what they sell for on EBay

 

 

Yeah, cash is king and I'm saving 10 percent on fees, so I'm willing to work on price but I'm also not going to sell more than 20 percent off unless you've spent money with me before

 

 

[jsilverjanet]

I did not know you did shows.

small local ones only. I just did one today in Milwaukee

 

Did pretty good too.

[1Cool]

I did not know you did shows.

small local ones only. I just did one today in Milwaukee

 

Did pretty good too.

 

Like

[jsilverjanet]

I don't sell and tell

[Artboy99]

if prices are the same as ebay-and theyre not, they're higher, but if they are, WHY buy at shows? why even go? Con dealers have to offer some reason to buy.

 

How many reasons do I need to give you.

 

1) You can see the book you're purchasing

2) You can be assured it won't get lost/damaged in the mail

3) You don't have to pay for shipping

4) You can get it immediately

5) You have the opportunity to buy more than just one book at one time

6) You have the ability to negotiate the price

7) You can talk to the seller -- have an actual interaction with a person

8) You can pay with cash

 

Do you want more?

 

I agree with all of this. Personally I much prefer buying when I have the book in hand and possibly even have several to choose from from multiple dealers because I am at a convention.

When I am a seller I do not inflate my price over what I would sell it for on Ebay.

I may even give a further discount, but I will reserve that right and won't price at 80% value unless it is a book that doesn't sell at full value.

[TupennyConan]

What is the responsibility of the promoter? For a show which markets itself as a comic book convention, the promoter should market the show directly to the comics community, book comics talent, & attract comics dealers.

 

Can you complain...? Yes.

 

[manetteska]

I did not know you did shows.

small local ones only. I just did one today in Milwaukee

 

Did pretty good too.

 

I was there, too!

 

As to "convention pricing" -- I think people can reasonably argue each side of it (lower prices vs. higher prices compare to eBay). I also only have experience at one-day, small local shows where the table fees and entrance fees are not outrageous. I'm sure the large WW shows and costs (for tables, accommodations, food, help, etc.) are a big reason why prices may be higher than expected.

 

On my smaller "keys" (term used loosely) I start at 10% lower than eBay. If that doesn't work, I mark them down lower for next show, or stick them up on eBay between shows and see what happens.

 

I'm much more willing to discount $20 and under books as the time to scan, grade, list, and pack doesn't seem worth it.

[miraclemet]

if prices are the same as ebay-and theyre not, they're higher, but if they are, WHY buy at shows? why even go? Con dealers have to offer some reason to buy.

 

How many reasons do I need to give you.

 

1) You can see the book you're purchasing

2) You can be assured it won't get lost/damaged in the mail

3) You don't have to pay for shipping

4) You can get it immediately

5) You have the opportunity to buy more than just one book at one time

6) You have the ability to negotiate the price

7) You can talk to the seller -- have an actual interaction with a person

8) You can pay with cash

 

Do you want more?

 

RC I do get Kavs point. And some of your counters do make sense, especially when dealing with raw copies of books where an "in hand" evaluation is better than eBay scans/pictures.

 

BUT. online purchases give you a degree of protection a dealer doesnt (espcially if it's one who doesnt do a regular show, or have an easy contact method.

 

1. Agreed, BUT. I buy a couple hundred dollar raw GA book. Do an "at the con" check for restoration, but discover something the next day upon closer exam under better conditions... what can I do? Maybe I can contact the dealer and work out a a return (if they even bother to reply, or are willing to do a return). eBay purchase? Easy peasy. So while I gain "in hand" evaluation, I lose the streamlined return/refund process of eBay/paypal.

 

2. Completely agree with you on this one having lost a book in the past, and having had movers "disappear" art on me in the past. This is a very valid one... though how often does loss happen 1% of the time?

 

3.Agreed. So on that $200 book I save $20. So I'm certainly factoring that into my TCO, but it doesnt tip the scales when we're looking at a 20% markup on a book vs eBay.

 

4. Kids these days! Wanting stuff immediately. Where's the patience? I spent a year looking for it, what's another few days.... But yeah cons are great for "impulse" buys.

 

5. Ok You can do that online too... but I'll grant you cons are great for making BULK purchases. Shipping a long box of $1 books is pricey and suddenly those $1 books dont look like such a deal, but at a con, its easy to toss that box in the car and drive home. But again that gets more back to shipping... unless you're dealing with one of those evil sellers who "dont combine shipping"! THE HORROR!

 

6. Yep, (as you would with an OBO ebay listing, or about half of the online dealers that let you "make an offer") but yes, you can haggle in person and maybe that 20% markup over eBay can get down to 10% and you get as good of a price as eBay (when you factor shipping) and have the advantage of getting the book immediately and getting to hand inspect the book. \

 

7. Well, that depends on the seller... some of them I'd rather NOT interact with! Though I will agree on pricier books, or OA or GA books I do like to know some of the provenance when there is some.

 

8. Yep, handy for keeping things under the radar, but more and more people are managing their "hobby" budget via their paypal balances... And more and more dealers will do paypal or ePayments....unless you want to count the benefit of feeling like a high roller with a big wad of cash in your front pocket and you like peeling off $20s as you buy that sweet sweet slab...

 

In the end if prices are equal I think the scale tips in favor of the convention dealer, but once you get past the cost of shipping, you're about even. And when dealing with slabs (where condition factors are even more controlled) it's hard to justify any sort of markup over online prices. (though Im not going to argue about $5 here or there).

 

Also there's infinitely more stock online than in one Holiday Inn ball room.

 

oh and the book you buy on eBay gets recorded in GPA, reinforcing your price and the market, vs an offline purchase. Not a tipping point, but a little thing I do remember sometimes...

 

 

[Jeffro.]

Also there's infinitely more stock online than in one Holiday Inn ball room.

 

But perhaps not at a bargain. Certain comics that might go for impressive prices online fly under the radar at shows. I've found a number of bargains over the years. Of course, I love box diving so it's enjoyable for me. No online comic buying experience even comes close to being at a show.

 

I also prefer to go to small shows. The bigger ones are just too much hassle. They're usually located in urban areas and can be a pain to get in and out. There's parking to consider. High ticket prices. Gobs and gobs of people everywhere. No thanks. I'll stick to smaller shows and hunt the internet for other books.

[jsilverjanet]

Also there's infinitely more stock online than in one Holiday Inn ball room.

 

But perhaps not at a bargain. Certain comics that might go for impressive prices online fly under the radar at shows. I've found a number of bargains over the years. Of course, I love box diving so it's enjoyable for me. No online comic buying experience even comes close to being at a show.

 

I also prefer to go to small shows. The bigger ones are just too much hassle. They're usually located in urban areas and can be a pain to get in and out. There's parking to consider. High ticket prices. Gobs and gobs of people everywhere. No thanks. I'll stick to smaller shows and hunt the internet for other books.

+1

 

A lot of times I find books I never knew existed or were unaware of them but find in those types of boxes

[1Cool]

Also there's infinitely more stock online than in one Holiday Inn ball room.

 

But perhaps not at a bargain. Certain comics that might go for impressive prices online fly under the radar at shows. I've found a number of bargains over the years. Of course, I love box diving so it's enjoyable for me. No online comic buying experience even comes close to being at a show.

 

I also prefer to go to small shows. The bigger ones are just too much hassle. They're usually located in urban areas and can be a pain to get in and out. There's parking to consider. High ticket prices. Gobs and gobs of people everywhere. No thanks. I'll stick to smaller shows and hunt the internet for other books.

+1

 

A lot of times I find books I never knew existed or were unaware of them but find in those types of boxes

 

And there are some stuff at Cons that you can't put a price tag on. Hanging out for a bit and grabbing dinner with Hector and Jason at Baltimore was fun and it is just cool to see what other people are buying or have their eyes out for. I've never walked away from a Con with less then 30 or 40 books since there are always cool books in dealer boxes that have been forgotten.

[Cruzin' Thru Comics]

Just this past weekend I sold at the long beach show. One 10x20 spot cost me $1100. So forgetting about wages, gas, food etc... I have to basically give away 1100 worth of merchandise just to break even. I usually stick to smaller one day shows that cost 1 to 2 hundred a spot. I feel these are much more reasonable fees to pay. With ridiculous pricing (which just goes up every year) I won't be doing bigger shows anytime soon. I don't have any mega keys of which I can sell one and clear costs. Bottom line- if dealers have to pay a premium to sell and customers aren't willing to pay a premium to buy then I'm out.