Official Swapmeet FAQ (Fans Ask Questions)

Started by Decantus, February 26, 2014, 10:49:20 AM

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srossi455

Quote from: bsan89 on May 21, 2014, 01:01:11 PM
I have a few question since I'm taking my chance for Friday Swap meet wait-list.

1.) What is the "Official Wait-list" Mine said, "

Waitlisted

Unfortunately, it appears that our main count is full for this day.
You have been placed on the waitlist. If spaces open up within this week, we will notify you."

2.) Does it matter what my application #? I'm # 811.
I get the feeling I will be wait an hour in line just to be turn away... :(

It sounds like you're on the official wait list. Judging by the earlier comment Decantus made it sounds like you have a good chance to get in. When I made an account it just said "Space unavailable", so my chance seems fair at best, but that won't stop me from trying. If I can't get in, this Fanime trip is ruined.

Zelyhon

Quote from: srossi455 on May 21, 2014, 04:30:49 PM
Quote from: bsan89 on May 21, 2014, 01:01:11 PM
I have a few question since I'm taking my chance for Friday Swap meet wait-list.

1.) What is the "Official Wait-list" Mine said, "

Waitlisted

Unfortunately, it appears that our main count is full for this day.
You have been placed on the waitlist. If spaces open up within this week, we will notify you."

2.) Does it matter what my application #? I'm # 811.
I get the feeling I will be wait an hour in line just to be turn away... :(

It sounds like you're on the official wait list. Judging by the earlier comment Decantus made it sounds like you have a good chance to get in. When I made an account it just said "Space unavailable", so my chance seems fair at best, but that won't stop me from trying. If I can't get in, this Fanime trip is ruined.

I'm not sure where you heard that the "spaces unavailable" was the waitlist, but it appears that was in error.  Essentially, there are four groups of people:
Registered:  These are the people who got spaces.  They are guaranteed to get their spot, assuming they show up and their paperwork is all in order
Wait List:  These are the people who tried to sign up after all the spots were registered and accounted for.  Once we find how many vacant spots there are, they will fill the spots first.
"Spaces Not Available":  These are the people who tried to sign up after all the spots were registered and the spots on the waitlist capped (which wasn't an absurdly high number of people).  After the Wait List people get their spots, if there are any empty spaces left, those who received the "Spaces Not Available" message might be able to get a spot.  As Decantus said above, there is still some hope they might be able to get spaces.
Didn't register, shows up at the door:  These are the people who didn't realize or didn't bother to sign up online.  They will not be receiving spots.  Sorry.


Based on how things in the registration process are shaking down, it looks like many/most/all of those on the formal waitlist for each day will get a spot (But no promises).  After those people get their spots, it will be open to those who tried to sign up after all spaces for the swap meet and the wait list were filled.  Those will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.  However, we will not be able to check you in and give you a number until 8:00, after those who got spots have signed in and been lead to their spots and we've taken care of letting in the public.  After that, we will be able to start processing the waitlist and the Spaces Not Available waitlist before declaring the number of open spots at 8:30 and letting people in to set up.

There is one thing to be aware of.  Those who are on the Spaces Not Available waitlist DO NOT have priority registration.  Registration does not have that list and is not pulling the badges for the priority registration.  Those who are registered for Swap Meet and those who received notice that they were on the waitlist DO have priority registration and should have received instructions on the process.  If you are a seller, regardless of which list you are on, you MUST have your valid Fanime badge, your seller's agreement, your temporary seller's permit, and a valid ID to sign up.  Thus, if you do not have priority registration, be sure to get in line early to pick up your Fanime badge before Swap Meet on whichever day you are trying to get in.

If you have questions relating to which list you are on, please private message me and I will try to let you know.  I'll be checking the forums right up until I head over for set-up tomorrow.
Ben Levy
Swap Meet 2023 Head
Staff

srossi455

Quote from: Zelyhon on May 21, 2014, 06:32:39 PM

I'm not sure where you heard that the "spaces unavailable" was the waitlist, but it appears that was in error.  Essentially, there are four groups of people:

I was told this directly in an email from Patrick when I emailed the department after creating an account. It must have been a mistake or a misunderstanding of the process.

Hachimitsu

City National Civic
135 W San Carlos St
San Jose, CA 95113


so is this right? is this the location?

I like how the main page does not provide information, the main forum says "Location is unknown at this time", and one of the users continue to Ask the same question "what do I add for the location of my sellers permit"

keitoghostie

I just want to say thank you to all swapmeet staff and volunteers! I had a wonderful time selling on Friday and really appreciate all you did to make things work!

PLUMPKIN

I just wanted to thank and commend the Swap Meet Staff for an excellent job this year!  I know that you guys had a lot of hurdles and barriers, but despite everything you all remained patient, courteous, and poised.

I was lucky enough to snag a Friday night spot.  When I reached the registration desk, I was greeted by very friendly staff members.  The entire process was streamlined and efficient, and I was at my spot within 5 minutes of check-in.  While there was that fire alarm scare, staff members resolved the situation quickly and to everyone's satisfaction.  During the actual event, the swap meet head went around to check in with and socialize with everyone, which was a really nice touch.  Overall, I had a great time at swap meet and actually made some decent money!  If I happen to gather enough stuff, I'm hoping to sell again next year!

Thank you again to the Swap Meet Staff!  Well done!

FanFicGuru

As a member of swap meet staff - thank you for your kind words! I know Decantus has been working really hard on being as transparent as possible and making the overall experience the best for everyone involved.

Regarding the line - Unfortunately there are much higher powers (AKA - the fire marshal) that dictated how many people could be in the civic center at any given time. As the staff member who was helping to decide how many people to let in at any given time, let me tell you I was trying to be as lenient as I could without endangering people. With that being said, we did our best to make sure people weren't lounging around inside the civic center too much in order to free up valuable space and get more people in there as soon as possible. All of your patience was appreciated, and I think the attendees really help make the swap meet one of the most popular events at fanime.

Regarding space assignment - I know we got some feedback from people regarding the random assignments and the fact that we didn't honor any of the requests that came through. With spaces getting filled in about 10 minutes, and in order to ensure fairness to everyone involved, we utilized a random number generator to assign sellers their spots. We also did this to help dissuade people from forming "super-spots" that start looking more like a dealers booth, which has definitely happened in previous years.

For the most part, I'd say 90% of sellers came with all of their proper paperwork and weren't in violation of any rules that Decantus set out in the numerous emails he sent to sellers. I understand it can be frustrating when a policy that has seemingly been "overlooked" in previous years is enforced suddenly and strictly (see: not using hand-trucks/dollys), but again, these rules often come from the venue and violation of them could jeopardize our ability to continue using said venue for future events. Of course, once we start enforcing these policies consistency is key in order to avoid any semblance of favoritism, as well as preserving fairness for all involved.

I would hope that with the huge demand for this event and the seemingly obvious mis-match between the size of venue and the size of the audience, we will see a venue change next year that may be able to accommodate more sellers and more buyers...but ultimately that will depend on our available facilities.

I'm sure Decantus will have a few things to say, but on behalf of staff I wanted to thank all of those who came out to sell, and the patient buyers who braved the son of linecon to browse their wares!

See you next year!
Fanime attendee since 2004
Swap meet staff - 2014
Swap meet co-chair - 2015

InsaneDavid

Quote from: FanFicGuru on May 27, 2014, 09:14:22 AM
I would hope that with the huge demand for this event and the seemingly obvious mis-match between the size of venue and the size of the audience, we will see a venue change next year that may be able to accommodate more sellers and more buyers...but ultimately that will depend on our available facilities.

I'm sure Decantus will have a few things to say, but on behalf of staff I wanted to thank all of those who came out to sell, and the patient buyers who braved the son of linecon to browse their wares!

Swapmeet staff and rovers did a great job of keeping the line moving and organized.  I didn't mind the line so much as lining up outside at night and getting swarmed by insects and the downtown San Jose transients.  With all the new facility space it kind of left me scratching my head as why swap was given a raw deal and we were all standing outside but I understand that you had no control over that and did the best that you could - which in all honesty was excellent.

I think South Hall would be a perfect fit for swap meet however I am aware there's a noise ordinance in that area of the convention center.  Maybe it's time for swap to take place earlier?  Maybe all day Friday with two six hour rotational seller sets or something like that?  I don't know but when the only real complaint is there's not enough space, that's about the best complaint you can have.  Great job!
I'm ALWAYS active on the forums!

Retro Cosplay, Easy As XYZ

FanFicGuru

Quote from: InsaneDavid on May 27, 2014, 09:39:20 AM
Quote from: FanFicGuru on May 27, 2014, 09:14:22 AM
I would hope that with the huge demand for this event and the seemingly obvious mis-match between the size of venue and the size of the audience, we will see a venue change next year that may be able to accommodate more sellers and more buyers...but ultimately that will depend on our available facilities.

I'm sure Decantus will have a few things to say, but on behalf of staff I wanted to thank all of those who came out to sell, and the patient buyers who braved the son of linecon to browse their wares!

Swapmeet staff and rovers did a great job of keeping the line moving and organized.  I didn't mind the line so much as lining up outside at night and getting swarmed by insects and the downtown San Jose transients.  With all the new facility space it kind of left me scratching my head as why swap was given a raw deal and we were all standing outside but I understand that you had no control over that and did the best that you could - which in all honesty was excellent.

I think South Hall would be a perfect fit for swap meet however I am aware there's a noise ordinance in that area of the convention center.  Maybe it's time for swap to take place earlier?  Maybe all day Friday with two six hour rotational seller sets or something like that?  I don't know but when the only real complaint is there's not enough space, that's about the best complaint you can have.  Great job!

The problem with holding swap meet any earlier is conflict with Dealers hall hours. I don't know the specifics, but my general understanding is that if dealers Hall is open, swap meet can't be. Thus, it takes place on. Day 0 (dealers hall still closed) and starting at 7:30 PM Friday (once dealers hall is closed).

A Saturday night block might work, we will see where next year takes us!
Fanime attendee since 2004
Swap meet staff - 2014
Swap meet co-chair - 2015

Anon

#289
QuoteThe problem with holding swap meet any earlier is conflict with Dealers hall hours. I don't know the specifics, but my general understanding is that if dealers Hall is open, swap meet can't be. Thus, it takes place on. Day 0 (dealers hall still closed) and starting at 7:30 PM Friday (once dealers hall is closed).

Haha, my assumption as to why the swap meets were held so late was right! My friends had been asking me every year as to why we were setting up and selling so late into the night, and it was honestly the first reason I could think of. In a way it works out fine IMO, because it allows us that sell on Friday night to go to the dealers hall and price match what we could potentially sell things for.

QuoteFor the most part, I'd say 90% of sellers came with all of their proper paperwork and weren't in violation of any rules that Decantus set out in the numerous emails he sent to sellers. I understand it can be frustrating when a policy that has seemingly been "overlooked" in previous years is enforced suddenly and strictly (see: not using hand-trucks/dollys), but again, these rules often come from the venue and violation of them could jeopardize our ability to continue using said venue for future events. Of course, once we start enforcing these policies consistency is key in order to avoid any semblance of favoritism, as well as preserving fairness for all involved.

I think this begs the question, was swap meet kicked out of the convention center and the previous venues because of the hand truck/dolly violations? My friend said it best, if there's one thing that's been consistent over the past 4 years, its the swap meet location always changing, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.



I figured the long delay in letting people in to the swap meet hall was for fire hazard/max occupancy regulations. From a seller's standpoint that made it both good and bad, as it meant keeping prices we had set in place for the duration of the meet, because at around 10pm-11pm in the previous years, we were starting to look at lowering prices to make sales for those who were still debating buying something. This time around we knew we still had a line full of people waiting to just get in, so marking stuff down prematurely would have turned into a loss. Like I said though, its both good and bad, 'cause then you don't get those people who were having those debates with themselves to come back in a few hours to make that purchase and possibly look to see if a markdown had occurred.

Overall though I also would like to say thanks and good job to the staff. I know I'm usually one to decry and yell foul here on the forum for the swap meets on a yearly basis, but I felt you guys did a bang-on job for what you had to work with. I can only hope for next year that we get moved back to the convention center, if the event hasn't been banned from there totally.

As for the future, I don't know if adding a Saturday block would be beneficial. Having it on Thursday means the swap meet sellers get first crack at people's wallets, and Friday is the last we see of people's full wallets. Saturday there's too many other events occurring, people's funds have already been significantly depleted from 2 full days of dealers hall purchases, and I personally am already exhausted after staying up to 2am-3am for two nights in a row. (What can I say, I'm a lightweight when it comes to convention party schedules all the young'uns can pull)


PacificPikachu

I agree that the Swap Meet generally went very well this year! I think a different venue would be better for next year, and I heard some annoyance at the long lines for the buyers (though I know you couldn't do much about that), but working with what you guys were given, as a seller I was quite pleased! Thanks to the staff for working hard to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible! My Japan savings are much closer to my goal now as a result of this successful Swap Meet. :)

KyraEnsui

Beside the long lines to get into the swap meet for buyers; as a seller, checking in and items examination went very smooth! You guys were great with the process.

Hopefully, we can get a different venue to hold swap meet. Sitting on a hard floor was rough.