Underage artist alley attendee

Koru · October 14, 2012, 10:31:48 PM

I'm planning to get a booth in artist alley next year, and I've just turned 16. I know there's a policy where a parent or legal guardian has to be behind the booth with me while I am selling.

I am planning to share a table or two with a friend, so does that mean their parent has to come as well or is it okay if we just have one adult supervising us? My friend is under 18 as well.

Laggy · November 27, 2012, 02:32:17 AM

Last year, the policy was that one of YOUR legal guardians had to be behind the table with you at all times, which means that your friend would need a parent or legal guardian too. That policy sucks. My sister was a couple days away from turning eighteen last year, but it didn't matter. I actually had to become her temporary legal guardian for the weekend for her to be able to help me. Look into temporary legal guardianship. It involves signing a contract and getting it notarized.

Koru · January 07, 2013, 07:00:06 PM

Oh, that's too bad...

Also in the artist alley FAQ, it says that a parent can't help with selling unless they have a convention badge as well. But they are only there to be an adult presence, and really a convention badge isn't necessary in my opinion? This new policy is too complicated...v ov

M · January 08, 2013, 05:35:07 PM

If it was up to us, we would do away with many of our policies that are considered "not fun". However, we wouldn't also be a convention for that much longer (due to things like "laws").

Be aware, that we do revisit many of our rules and make changes when we can.

Koru · January 08, 2013, 06:43:21 PM

Alright, thank you! But just to clarify, if you keep this rule this year, would my parent have to get a convention badge?

M · January 18, 2013, 08:45:59 AM

Quote from: Koru on January 08, 2013, 06:43:21 PM
Alright, thank you! But just to clarify, if you keep this rule this year, would my parent have to get a convention badge?

Unfortunately, yes. Our Artist Alley department is always looking into possibly changing the rules, though. However, it is almost always safe to assume that the rules will mostly stay similar to the previous years.

Koru · January 25, 2013, 04:49:40 PM

Oops, when I registered for a seller's permit it said that I have to be over 18 years of age. In this case, should I get my parent to register for me? They are coming with me to fanime so I think that's okay?

Alexie828 · February 08, 2013, 05:24:11 PM

Quote from: Koru on January 25, 2013, 04:49:40 PM
Oops, when I registered for a seller's permit it said that I have to be over 18 years of age. In this case, should I get my parent to register for me? They are coming with me to fanime so I think that's okay?

Speaking from a person who was 3 weeks from turning 18 last year, this policy seriously sucked. But I can tell you how everything worked out for me:

To get a seller's permit, you must be 18 years of age. My mother was the one who registered for the permit under her name and legal information. I did not need to be included in the permit's list of owners. When I registered, I enlisted my mother as a "HELPER" with her full legal name. I had to get a badge for her as well (make sure the names match on the registration and the badge).

When I checked in for my table at Artist Alley, my mother presented the permit herself to the Artist Alley staff. They had to verify both of our identities of course, but then I was free to set up.

Seriously, my mother were not happy about the rule, but there wasn't much of a choice. Yes, she had to stay next to me for the duration of the time I sold (which ended up being the entire con), but in the end, it was a blessing. Managing a table, especially since I had commissions, was a real chore since I snatched a table in a busy location last year. My mother was very good at doing business and knew exactly what she was doing, despite not knowing a single thing about anime (other than the existence of Sailor Moon and Pokemon). She really helped me manage my table while I was busy drawing or when I went out to get food. It was a pretty good experience, to be honest. I even taught her how to make buttons, haha! That part was probably not too relevant to you, but what I thought would be embarrassing and irritating turned out to be a complete blessing. I had a friend who also had to have a parent selling and she agreed with me on that fact. I wish you luck on that rule! It's a ton of fun to sell and it's really rewarding, and having a parent there your first time really helps a ton.