I'm new to the Swap Meet... And I'll be selling this year... Any tips for me? D:

[yotsuba]

I've always overlooked the Swap Meet,
but then, it hit me... There's A LOT of stuff I want to sell.

So, I started looking up info about the Swap Meet...
It looks exciting.

Does anyone have any tips for the newbie?   ???

One of my biggest questions was how to transport your goods.
Since, we're not really encouraged to bring a hand truck or cart...
Being a union place and all...

Don't really want to bring boxes up one by one...

Oh, and what about change?
Does anyone get a set of various bills?

Yeah, I'm probably thinking too much, but hey...
I'm new to this.  :D

[angeljibrille]

I've always overlooked the Swap Meet,
but then, it hit me... There's A LOT of stuff I want to sell.

So, I started looking up info about the Swap Meet...
It looks exciting.

Does anyone have any tips for the newbie?   ???

One of my biggest questions was how to transport your goods.
Since, we're not really encouraged to bring a hand truck or cart...
Being a union place and all...

Don't really want to bring boxes up one by one...

Oh, and what about change?
Does anyone get a set of various bills?

Yeah, I'm probably thinking too much, but hey...
I'm new to this.  :D

Almost everyone brings a cart -- just make sure it's not a ginormous one. We have to consider the health of our sellers too, and we don't want you killing yourself carrying stuff.


I strongly suggest bringing a blanket or  tarp to put your stuff on, because the floor is gross XD


Other than that... I'll let people make suggestions~

[Hachimitsu]

Alot of people will be brining 20 dollar bills and ask for do you have change even if they are for only the swap meet neighbors (or other side)

I noticed this after i was looking at some intereseting Sailor moon items and noticed that alot ofpeople are asking to break a $20 or a $10 in $1 or $5 dollar bills. I recommend going to a bank and ask for broken change (mostly 1's and 5's) from your bill.  If your curious how much broken change you need i kinda recommend to have at a quantity of 20 $1 dollar bills and 8 quantities of $5 dollar bills! for a start!

Finally since this is your first time, Alot of people will be looking for an item that ranges from .50 - $20.00 range max!
Anything above higher is going to be hard to grab attention! (unless its worthwhile ^ ^!)

[yotsuba]

Ah, all of these really clear up a lot so far, thank you!    :D

Definitely going to get some bills broken up.
Will also definitely be bringing a tarp...
And will find a little cart of some sort.
Or something along those lines... D:


.50 to $20, eh?
Hmm... That really gets me thinking.

...Does anyone tips on how some people grab attention at the swap meet  ;D?

I heard someone gives a box of Pocky with each purchase...

Are we allowed to have signs and stuff of that sort?
We just can't bring in a table and whatnot, right?  ???

[Kyra_Maverick]

No tables allowed, but small signs are ok. Make sure you have everything clearly priced, because most people won't want to ask how much something is.

[Eurobeat King]

Be nice and smile at the Fanime attendees who stop by at your spot.  Even if they're just looking, be courteous. :)

Bring some drinks & snacks with you or have friends bring you food & drink since you'll be there for a while (when you pack-up is up to you)

Keep an eye on your stuff.  Theft can happen even at the Swap Meet so watch your merchandise, not to mention the $$ you make from the sales.

Bring post-it notes or colored garage-sale stickers, pens, sharpies, and tape.   

That's all that I can think of for now.  ;)

[Hachimitsu]

Ah, all of these really clear up a lot so far, thank you!    :D

Definitely going to get some bills broken up.
Will also definitely be bringing a tarp...
And will find a little cart of some sort.
Or something along those lines... D:


.50 to $20, eh?
Hmm... That really gets me thinking.

...Does anyone tips on how some people grab attention at the swap meet  ;D?

I heard someone gives a box of Pocky with each purchase...

Are we allowed to have signs and stuff of that sort?
We just can't bring in a table and whatnot, right?  ???

I can't recall if you can attract them by giving food (was that allowed?) but if they feel sad and broke you can offer them something they can eat so they can be happy^ ^! everyone loves happy treats ^ ^!.

My suggestion is erh, maybe have a partner involve, to watch over your things because I know you want to go check what everyone else has!  or compare your prices to them so you can match it even or go lower (but only if you want to ^ ^!).

I have a question but i don't know if anyone noticed: Has anyone check the end of swapmeet? if so, was there any leftover mangas in the garbage can? the only thing I found was magazines from Newtype, a broken cellphone, and a magazine that has shugochara in it O_o!? (but this was like 2 years ago)

[LordKefka]

...Does anyone tips on how some people grab attention at the swap meet  ;D?

Yes.... by having really rare and awesome things. People will naturally come you know... like salmons swimming up the same river to make it back to their motherland to give birth... >_>;

Like I can spot a stash of Megami magazines from a mile away and slowly drift over and towards them =D

[yotsuba]

Thank you, to everyone who's been replying. ^-^
I didn't think this thread was even going to get any hits.
All your tips are definitely giving me a heads up. :D

No tables allowed, but small signs are ok. Make sure you have everything clearly priced, because most people won't want to ask how much something is.

Ah, gotcha, definitely will have clearly marked prices. :D
And possibly a small sign at least.
I'll admit, I'm not the type to ask for prices either... lol
Especially when there's so many things around.

Be nice and smile at the Fanime attendees who stop by at your spot.  Even if they're just looking, be courteous. :)
Bring some drinks & snacks with you or have friends bring you food & drink since you'll be there for a while (when you pack-up is up to you)
Keep an eye on your stuff.  Theft can happen even at the Swap Meet so watch your merchandise, not to mention the $$ you make from the sales.
Bring post-it notes or colored garage-sale stickers, pens, sharpies, and tape.   
That's all that I can think of for now.  ;)

Will definitely greet everyone with a smile too. :D
Hm, what would or could the tape be used for?
I'm not gonna lie, I'm drawing a blank. lol >_<

I can't recall if you can attract them by giving food (was that allowed?) but if they feel sad and broke you can offer them something they can eat so they can be happy^ ^! everyone loves happy treats ^ ^!.
My suggestion is erh, maybe have a partner involve, to watch over your things because I know you want to go check what everyone else has!  or compare your prices to them so you can match it even or go lower (but only if you want to ^ ^!).

Giving food sounds interesting... But kinda pricy too... But hm.
And I've been asking around for a friend to help... ^_^;
I have a lot of stuff I want to sell...............

Yes.... by having really rare and awesome things. People will naturally come you know... like salmons swimming up the same river to make it back to their motherland to give birth... >_>;
Like I can spot a stash of Megami magazines from a mile away and slowly drift over and towards them =D

lol I love that salmon comparison.
I feel pretty confident what I'm gonna sell is pretty rare and awesome...
But hm, never know. D:
I could be the space everyone looks at for like 5 seconds then walks away...



-------------------------Hmmm.--------------------
How's Thursday compared to Friday anyways?
I'm assuming that Friday has many, many more people...
But, what about Thursday?
Is there a decent crowd that shows up too?  ???

[FanFicGuru]

A lot of people come Thursday. Since the Swap Meet's the only big thing going on there are a lot of people who walk around multiple times checking out what people have to sell. I'd just re-iterate making sure you have change, bringing post-its for pricing your stuff, a blanket or something comfy to sit on or in, and be sure to price your stuff intelligently. People are coming to the swap meet for two reasons: 1) Cheap swag or 2) Rare swag. If it's rare, you should know it and price it accordingly. Otherwise don't expect to get away with pricing DVDs and box sets at the same price as the dealers hall, even if its new. If people want to pay too much for DVDs they'll do that during the day.

Personally I made a little over $400 last year in the course of about 4-5 hours. This year I have a lot more merchandise and better things to sell so I'm hoping for ~$600. We'll see!

[Ecchi ja Nai]

It looks like pretty much everything has been addressed by now, but I figured I may as well pitch in my one-cent (pay anything more for my opinion and you're overpaying!):

Having two swap meets under my belt as a seller and an additional one solely as a buyer, I've found people wind up talking a lot - questions about items, prices, commenting on various series, etc.  Those couple of hours might seem like a short period of time, but you'll be much better off with a bottle of water or soda or something, just to keep you hydrated.  I was surprised how parched I got from the whole thing.

Having a partner is not only strongly recommended, it's practically required, in my opinion.  Sure, you want to have some backup to help watch over your merchandise and cash, but don't you think you'd probably want to check out some of the other swag?  Taking shifts in your spot makes it easy so you don't have to worry about missing out on some great deals, unless you're sure you're going to sell everything you're bringing in an hour or two.  Plus, it's just fun having a buddy with you for the times when things quiet down for a bit.  Being able to take potty breaks is also nice.

I haven't seen the swap meet/Fanime staff make a huge deal about it this year, but they've all but gone ballistic previous years making sure that nobody tapes anything to the floor or the walls.  We're making use of a building that isn't ours, and it wouldn't be nice to leave behind a bunch of sticky residue from tape all over the place.  However, it can be handy to have none the less.  If you're like me and planning on bringing stuff in on cardboard boxes, the last thing you want to have happen is you try to lift a box up only to have the bottom split open and watch all of the contents spill onto the floor.  Not that I've ever actually seen that happen at swap meet, but reinforcing those flimsy boxes is something that shouldn't be overlooked.  And you can always tape signs to the side of your boxes, or yourself, because, you know... some people are into that.

I wouldn't worry about having giveaways.  There are so few available spots at swap meet, people are going to be looking at anything and everything you've got.  If you happen to have an open box of Pocky and come across someone who looks like they're about to pass out, offer them a stick or two!  But as it's been mentioned above, I don't know if giving away food is even allowed.  And I'd stay away from trying to sell anything like that either, unless it's an anime figure that comes with candy inside the box or something.

And finally, after this long post, I cannot agree more with this: YES - bring small bills!  Look at how you're pricing your items.  Are they all $5?  Then bring plenty of fives, since people may pick up $5 or $15 worth of stuff and then hand you a $20 bill.  I'd advise against pricing items at anything other than whole dollar amounts.  $x.95, $x.75, and $x.25 items make it difficult to give totals on the fly and nobody's going to want to walk around with a pocket full of quarts or pennies.  Plenty of ones, a good number of fives, and maybe a ten or twenty if you're going to have some expensive items.  Remember you'll be getting more bills as people buy from you, so I recommend keeping them neatly on your person (if you're wearing jeans, you can keep the various bills folded up in different pockets,) or in a pouch or lock box that you're aware of at all times.  I haven't heard of any money thefts at swap meet, but you should ALWAYS be cautious when it comes to cash.  A fanny pack can be handy, but that's so '80s.  A backpack can be a safe place to keep your bills if you don't want to keep it on you - just make sure you or someone else keeps an eye on it and you have it away from where people can just reach for it.

One last piece of advice: do think about how you want to price items.  Common items like DVDs or manga should be at very fair prices, based on what series they're from and what their condition is.  Same with video games.  Use your best guess for collectible items.  People will still pay good money for a figurine that's hard to find.  And just remember, your prices don't have to be set in stone.  You can try to get as much as possible for something, but if people think the price is too high, you can always negotiate a lower price.

[krispy_kream]

I'm going to second the comment above about pricing. The year I did the swap meet, my booth was swamped all the time, while the other booths had plenty of free time on their hands. The reason: My stuff was dirt cheap. You may want a decent amount back for your stuff, but what you really want is to not lug it back home with you. I had manga for $5 (discounts for buying whole series) doujinshi for $2 and little figures for a couple bucks as well. If you have a lot of stuff to sell, even selling it for super cheap will get you a decent amount of money.

Also, telling complete strangers that you'll lower a price just for them is a really nice feeling. (I shaved five bucks off an already cheap, really nice Sailor Moon statue for a really nice Sailor Moon cosplayer so she could buy it without hesitation. It seemed to make her day!)

[yotsuba]

A lot of people come Thursday. Since the Swap Meet's the only big thing going on there are a lot of people who walk around multiple times checking out what people have to sell. I'd just re-iterate making sure you have change, bringing post-its for pricing your stuff, a blanket or something comfy to sit on or in, and be sure to price your stuff intelligently. People are coming to the swap meet for two reasons: 1) Cheap swag or 2) Rare swag. If it's rare, you should know it and price it accordingly. Otherwise don't expect to get away with pricing DVDs and box sets at the same price as the dealers hall, even if its new. If people want to pay too much for DVDs they'll do that during the day.
Personally I made a little over $400 last year in the course of about 4-5 hours. This year I have a lot more merchandise and better things to sell so I'm hoping for ~$600. We'll see!

Cheap swag or rare swag... Hm, I'll definitely keep that in mind, I'll have both. :D
I completely agree with the pricing of the DVDs and box sets.
$400 sounds pretty good, what are some examples of what you sold anyways? =O
I'm just curious. lol :D

It looks like pretty much everything has been addressed by now, but I figured I may as well pitch in my one-cent (pay anything more for my opinion and you're overpaying!):

Having two swap meets under my belt as a seller and an additional one solely as a buyer, I've found people wind up talking a lot - questions about items, prices, commenting on various series, etc.  Those couple of hours might seem like a short period of time, but you'll be much better off with a bottle of water or soda or something, just to keep you hydrated.  I was surprised how parched I got from the whole thing.

Having a partner is not only strongly recommended, it's practically required, in my opinion.  Sure, you want to have some backup to help watch over your merchandise and cash, but don't you think you'd probably want to check out some of the other swag?  Taking shifts in your spot makes it easy so you don't have to worry about missing out on some great deals, unless you're sure you're going to sell everything you're bringing in an hour or two.  Plus, it's just fun having a buddy with you for the times when things quiet down for a bit.  Being able to take potty breaks is also nice.

I haven't seen the swap meet/Fanime staff make a huge deal about it this year, but they've all but gone ballistic previous years making sure that nobody tapes anything to the floor or the walls.  We're making use of a building that isn't ours, and it wouldn't be nice to leave behind a bunch of sticky residue from tape all over the place.  However, it can be handy to have none the less.  If you're like me and planning on bringing stuff in on cardboard boxes, the last thing you want to have happen is you try to lift a box up only to have the bottom split open and watch all of the contents spill onto the floor.  Not that I've ever actually seen that happen at swap meet, but reinforcing those flimsy boxes is something that shouldn't be overlooked.  And you can always tape signs to the side of your boxes, or yourself, because, you know... some people are into that.

I wouldn't worry about having giveaways.  There are so few available spots at swap meet, people are going to be looking at anything and everything you've got.  If you happen to have an open box of Pocky and come across someone who looks like they're about to pass out, offer them a stick or two!  But as it's been mentioned above, I don't know if giving away food is even allowed.  And I'd stay away from trying to sell anything like that either, unless it's an anime figure that comes with candy inside the box or something.

And finally, after this long post, I cannot agree more with this: YES - bring small bills!  Look at how you're pricing your items.  Are they all $5?  Then bring plenty of fives, since people may pick up $5 or $15 worth of stuff and then hand you a $20 bill.  I'd advise against pricing items at anything other than whole dollar amounts.  $x.95, $x.75, and $x.25 items make it difficult to give totals on the fly and nobody's going to want to walk around with a pocket full of quarts or pennies.  Plenty of ones, a good number of fives, and maybe a ten or twenty if you're going to have some expensive items.  Remember you'll be getting more bills as people buy from you, so I recommend keeping them neatly on your person (if you're wearing jeans, you can keep the various bills folded up in different pockets,) or in a pouch or lock box that you're aware of at all times.  I haven't heard of any money thefts at swap meet, but you should ALWAYS be cautious when it comes to cash.  A fanny pack can be handy, but that's so '80s.  A backpack can be a safe place to keep your bills if you don't want to keep it on you - just make sure you or someone else keeps an eye on it and you have it away from where people can just reach for it.

One last piece of advice: do think about how you want to price items.  Common items like DVDs or manga should be at very fair prices, based on what series they're from and what their condition is.  Same with video games.  Use your best guess for collectible items.  People will still pay good money for a figurine that's hard to find.  And just remember, your prices don't have to be set in stone.  You can try to get as much as possible for something, but if people think the price is too high, you can always negotiate a lower price.

Whoa, that's a huge post! Thanks! :D
It really helped a lot.
Been doing pricing for all the item's I'm gonna sell.
Hm, how do you usually transport your boxes?
Do you use a cart of some sort? Or just carry em by hand?
I'm still a little wary of the ways I could transport my goods safely. >.<
Without having to go back and forth more than once. lol  ;D
And I'll have to agree with the food...
I'll skip that. lol

I'm going to second the comment above about pricing. The year I did the swap meet, my booth was swamped all the time, while the other booths had plenty of free time on their hands. The reason: My stuff was dirt cheap. You may want a decent amount back for your stuff, but what you really want is to not lug it back home with you. I had manga for $5 (discounts for buying whole series) doujinshi for $2 and little figures for a couple bucks as well. If you have a lot of stuff to sell, even selling it for super cheap will get you a decent amount of money.

Also, telling complete strangers that you'll lower a price just for them is a really nice feeling. (I shaved five bucks off an already cheap, really nice Sailor Moon statue for a really nice Sailor Moon cosplayer so she could buy it without hesitation. It seemed to make her day!)

Hm, you must have REALLY sold a lot. =O
You got me thinking, maybe I'll have a little designated spot in my space...
For really cheap stuff, like... a $5 bin or something. lol



Oh man, thank you, to everyone that posted. :D
All of this really helps, I'm so glad I got on the forums.

Hm, I know Eurobeat King touched on this a bit,
But, has theft ever really been a problem in the past years?
Or has things been pretty smooth for the most part?
Anything to watch out for in general?  :-\

[Persona]

I'm quite concerned about theft, too. I have a few friends who have agreed to keep an eye on things, but I'm fairly sure I'm going to get an "island" spot away from the walls due to my position on the list (~60 something) and I have a lot of stuff, most of it expensive, so I really don't want to deal with theft on top of helping customers =<

[FanFicGuru]

I had a number of complete box sets, brand new and factory sealed that I sold including Ghost in the Shell: SAC seasons 1 and 2, Slayers thinpaks, Evangelion thinpaks, etc. This year most of my box sets are going for $35-50, except for Fullmetal Alchemist, which I'm selling for 100-125 for both seasons bundled together. It's harder to fetch decent prices for thinpaks, but if you have the art boxes and the individual DVDs with inserts, etc. it's usually a bit easier to get the prices a wee bit higher than average while still being a way better deal than the dealers hall. :-)

[yotsuba]

I'm quite concerned about theft, too. I have a few friends who have agreed to keep an eye on things, but I'm fairly sure I'm going to get an "island" spot away from the walls due to my position on the list (~60 something) and I have a lot of stuff, most of it expensive, so I really don't want to deal with theft on top of helping customers =<

D: Hm.
Now I gotta think of anti-theft ways to display things...
Without it getting in the way of helping customers... >.<
How do you know which numbers usually get the walls?

I had a number of complete box sets, brand new and factory sealed that I sold including Ghost in the Shell: SAC seasons 1 and 2, Slayers thinpaks, Evangelion thinpaks, etc. This year most of my box sets are going for $35-50, except for Fullmetal Alchemist, which I'm selling for 100-125 for both seasons bundled together. It's harder to fetch decent prices for thinpaks, but if you have the art boxes and the individual DVDs with inserts, etc. it's usually a bit easier to get the prices a wee bit higher than average while still being a way better deal than the dealers hall. :-)

That's pretty awesome! :D
Never really thought box sets could go for much after being used...
But, I guess it just depends, huh?

[Persona]

Mostly just assuming since they're going in order of pre-reg this year, instead of pre-assigning spots. Wall spots are usually better for many reasons, and since I'm very far down the list I won't have much pick of where I get to set up. All I can suggest is to get some friends to help you watch your stuff while you're helping people so that at least you don't have to worry about people sneaking off with anything.

[yotsuba]

Ah, gotcha... >.<
lol It's tempting to get one of those big plastic sheets to put over everything,
That some of the dealers in the dealers room do for their dvds...
So that people can't just grab stuff.
But, that'd be such a hassle... >.<
Just not practical...

[Kyra_Maverick]

I've never heard of anyone having real issues with theft. Yeah, your spot will be crowded with people, but most people are pretty honest. Customers at your spot notice with other customers are holding/looking at and most will say something if they see someone try to walk off with something they haven't paid for.

Try to keep your stuff in neat, categorized piles. That will make keeping an eye on everything easier.

[arcadiapandora]

Wanted to throw in my lot as well:

The one year I did the Swap Meet, I sold about 95% of the stuff I brought with me, which was a good 100-200 volumes of manga and various video games, comics, doujins, and other miscellaneous stuff.

My number one piece of advice? Don't be shy. I was really into the whole salesman thing because I wanted to get rid of my accumulated stuff, and anytime someone walked by I called out to them. Most people you scream at will stop for a few minutes to check out your stuff even if they're not particularily interested at first glance. I made several sales with reluctant buyers simply by engaging them before they could dismiss my lot. :) I also sold most of my stuff pretty cheap -- 50% off or so of the original retail price or more for every item. As far as re-selling your stuff goes, it's pretty rare to get more than that back, and my biggest goal was not having to take any of my stuff home again. I gave discounts often and frequently, and definitely dropped prices where bulk-purchasing was concerned.

And DEFINITELY get about 100$ worth of change in 10$, 5$, and 1$ bills. The bill I received most often was a 20$ bill, and I even helped other swap-meet sellers make change a few times. It really helps to be prepared. :)