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[Zelyhon]

I've got a couple of questions that don't seem to have been brought up yet:

I know the rules on this aren't likely to differ from last year, but since I don't see it mentioned anywhere, have there been any changes regarding how we transport our items into swap meet?  I'm assuming hand trucks and the like are not allowed per the usual Union rules, but if I were to have a platform of some variety with wheels or casters on it, would I be able to push my items in on that?  I didn't realize how much stuff I've accumulated and I could really do with the freed up space and cash, but I'm a little concerned with how I'm going to get it all in.  I can probably manhandle it with a couple of trips, but I won't have any friends available to help out and I'd rather work smarter than harder, ya know?

What exactly is the restroom situation like for South Hall?  I remember seeing a sign towards the back of the hall that said RESTROOMS with an arrow to the side, but when I looked over in the direction it was indicating it was pointing to a door that was blocked off by trash cans.  I'm guessing there aren't any restrooms actually in the South Hall since it's basically a big tent.  If we have to step out of Swap Meet for a minute to head over to the actual convention center, is there a quick and easy way we'd be able to get back in?  Is there a way we can identify ourselves as sellers to skip any line of buyers to get back in to our spot?

The rolling platform would still probably run afoul of the restrictions against handcarts and the like, so I don't think that you'll be able to get them into South Hall like that.

However, like last year, there's no restriction on hand carts and rolling platforms up until the door, so you should be able to use them up to that point.

On the second issue, South Hall itself doesn't have restrooms, so we will be using the ones outside again.  It is my plan that there should be a way for sellers to identify themselves for easy return access through those doors, but it's not set in stone yet.

[Zelyhon]

What is the policy on raffles as a method of selling items?

Raffles are not allowed at Swap Meet.  It gets into its own set of legal issues that are much more trouble than they're worth to deal with.

Thanks! Fair enough. What about auction-style sales? I.e. I put a piece of paper in front of some kind of item and people write down bids, with the highest bid winning the item at the end? I figure this might be a bit less dodgy than the raffles since no money exchanges hands until the end.

No, I think auction-type sales might run afoul of the same restrictions.  I'm not 100% sure, but until I've had time to look into it (which will not be before this year's Swap Meet), I'm going to say no for auctions.

[Zelyhon]

I've got a couple of questions that don't seem to have been brought up yet:

I know the rules on this aren't likely to differ from last year, but since I don't see it mentioned anywhere, have there been any changes regarding how we transport our items into swap meet?  I'm assuming hand trucks and the like are not allowed per the usual Union rules, but if I were to have a platform of some variety with wheels or casters on it, would I be able to push my items in on that?  I didn't realize how much stuff I've accumulated and I could really do with the freed up space and cash, but I'm a little concerned with how I'm going to get it all in.  I can probably manhandle it with a couple of trips, but I won't have any friends available to help out and I'd rather work smarter than harder, ya know?

What exactly is the restroom situation like for South Hall?  I remember seeing a sign towards the back of the hall that said RESTROOMS with an arrow to the side, but when I looked over in the direction it was indicating it was pointing to a door that was blocked off by trash cans.  I'm guessing there aren't any restrooms actually in the South Hall since it's basically a big tent.  If we have to step out of Swap Meet for a minute to head over to the actual convention center, is there a quick and easy way we'd be able to get back in?  Is there a way we can identify ourselves as sellers to skip any line of buyers to get back in to our spot?

These are good questions I would like answered too. I have a lot of used books Im hoping to sell (Im moving soon lol), and it says on the Rules that you need to have EVERYTHING with you when you check in, and it sounds like you cant take trips to carry stuff... so are we supposed to somehow be able to carry everything? I planned to try to get a friend to help, but even with a friend... I have three boxes of JUST books. And at least one more box of other stuff I wanted to sell...

And the bathroom thing I had wondered too. The swap meet is for 4.5-5 hours, and we have to get there ahead of time to set up. Do they expect the 'single' sellers to just not drink anything that whole time...? They cant ask the person at the next booth, or text a friend, to just keep an eye on their stuff for 5 minutes?

Honestly, that's one of the issues of selling alone.  The rules basically state that someone has to be in your booth at all times.  If you ask your neighbor to keep an eye on the booth for you while you make a quick restroom run, I don't think that'll be an issue.  Just keep in mind that Swap Meet staff will not be able to mind your booth for you while you run to the restroom.  Also, anyone who is not on your Swap Meet Seller's Application is unable to stay in or make sales at your booth, so even if another seller is watching it, they won't be able to make sales for you, even on items where the price is marked.  This is also why someone who is not on a seller's agreement cannot be in a booth or watch it period. 

[Ruzuki]

I've got a couple of questions that don't seem to have been brought up yet:

I know the rules on this aren't likely to differ from last year, but since I don't see it mentioned anywhere, have there been any changes regarding how we transport our items into swap meet?  I'm assuming hand trucks and the like are not allowed per the usual Union rules, but if I were to have a platform of some variety with wheels or casters on it, would I be able to push my items in on that?  I didn't realize how much stuff I've accumulated and I could really do with the freed up space and cash, but I'm a little concerned with how I'm going to get it all in.  I can probably manhandle it with a couple of trips, but I won't have any friends available to help out and I'd rather work smarter than harder, ya know?

What exactly is the restroom situation like for South Hall?  I remember seeing a sign towards the back of the hall that said RESTROOMS with an arrow to the side, but when I looked over in the direction it was indicating it was pointing to a door that was blocked off by trash cans.  I'm guessing there aren't any restrooms actually in the South Hall since it's basically a big tent.  If we have to step out of Swap Meet for a minute to head over to the actual convention center, is there a quick and easy way we'd be able to get back in?  Is there a way we can identify ourselves as sellers to skip any line of buyers to get back in to our spot?

The rolling platform would still probably run afoul of the restrictions against handcarts and the like, so I don't think that you'll be able to get them into South Hall like that.

However, like last year, there's no restriction on hand carts and rolling platforms up until the door, so you should be able to use them up to that point.

On the second issue, South Hall itself doesn't have restrooms, so we will be using the ones outside again.  It is my plan that there should be a way for sellers to identify themselves for easy return access through those doors, but it's not set in stone yet.

If we can use handcarts up until the doors, can we have a friend stay with the handcar and items at the door while we make trips with our boxes, or do we have to be able to bring all the boxes to our spot when shown there by Swap Meet staff?
It says "You may not be permitted to bring in additional goods after you have been escorted to your space at the Swap Meet"... does that mean additional from check in, or additional from what we can carry WHILE escorted?

[Ruzuki]

I've got a couple of questions that don't seem to have been brought up yet:

I know the rules on this aren't likely to differ from last year, but since I don't see it mentioned anywhere, have there been any changes regarding how we transport our items into swap meet?  I'm assuming hand trucks and the like are not allowed per the usual Union rules, but if I were to have a platform of some variety with wheels or casters on it, would I be able to push my items in on that?  I didn't realize how much stuff I've accumulated and I could really do with the freed up space and cash, but I'm a little concerned with how I'm going to get it all in.  I can probably manhandle it with a couple of trips, but I won't have any friends available to help out and I'd rather work smarter than harder, ya know?

What exactly is the restroom situation like for South Hall?  I remember seeing a sign towards the back of the hall that said RESTROOMS with an arrow to the side, but when I looked over in the direction it was indicating it was pointing to a door that was blocked off by trash cans.  I'm guessing there aren't any restrooms actually in the South Hall since it's basically a big tent.  If we have to step out of Swap Meet for a minute to head over to the actual convention center, is there a quick and easy way we'd be able to get back in?  Is there a way we can identify ourselves as sellers to skip any line of buyers to get back in to our spot?

These are good questions I would like answered too. I have a lot of used books Im hoping to sell (Im moving soon lol), and it says on the Rules that you need to have EVERYTHING with you when you check in, and it sounds like you cant take trips to carry stuff... so are we supposed to somehow be able to carry everything? I planned to try to get a friend to help, but even with a friend... I have three boxes of JUST books. And at least one more box of other stuff I wanted to sell...

And the bathroom thing I had wondered too. The swap meet is for 4.5-5 hours, and we have to get there ahead of time to set up. Do they expect the 'single' sellers to just not drink anything that whole time...? They cant ask the person at the next booth, or text a friend, to just keep an eye on their stuff for 5 minutes?

Honestly, that's one of the issues of selling alone.  The rules basically state that someone has to be in your booth at all times.  If you ask your neighbor to keep an eye on the booth for you while you make a quick restroom run, I don't think that'll be an issue.  Just keep in mind that Swap Meet staff will not be able to mind your booth for you while you run to the restroom.  Also, anyone who is not on your Swap Meet Seller's Application is unable to stay in or make sales at your booth, so even if another seller is watching it, they won't be able to make sales for you, even on items where the price is marked.  This is also why someone who is not on a seller's agreement cannot be in a booth or watch it period.

If its ok for someone to just WATCH, thats fine, I would rather handle any sales myself. That seems a lot more reasonable than 'dont leave the booth at all'.

[Anon]

*deleted cause I just realized I was replying to something already answered*

[Ivycat]

Can I use my suitcase it's a rolling one, it's not really big, to bring into South Hall? And how does Thursday night work this will be my first time doing Thursday night and I don't want to be late because of badge pick-up, I didn't see a time for when that happens?

[rogerfox]

I want to ask about a question on an item we may sell at Swap Meet: Is power cables allowed to be sold? We just have several of them and want to see if that's a sellable item, don't want to get in trouble by trying to bring it in after all.

Requoting my question as I didn't see it answered or may as missed the answer. Can anyone confirm this? We don't want to end up trying to sell a prohibited item.

[Ruzuki]

I emailed the swapmeet@ email two days ago, but dont have a reply yet, and really need one asap. I didnt put a secondary seller on my digital swapmeet application, because I didnt have any friends wanting to sell anything. But then I realized the date I picked, Friday, conflicts with a rehearsal for Cosplay Chess Im supposed to attend. I sent an email asking to either change the date I chose for my Swap Meet space, or if its allowed to add a secondary seller to the physical papers.

Could either a staff reply to the email and switch my spot to Thursday, or someone else let me know if they know if its ok to add another person on the physical papers if they werent on the electronic application, so they could cover the spot while I attend the other thing?
I really need to know asap in case I need to try to arrange something else with the chess rehearsal, because I really dont want to lose my spot, or lose half of the selling time there by arriving after rehearsal.

As I'm sure you can imagine, we got a lot of e-mails on various issues once Swap Meet opened. I've been working through them after work as well as working on compiling the master list of Swap Meet sellers.  I haven't seen this particular e-mail yet, but I should be coming up on it fairly soon.  Either option you mentioned should be doable.  I'll send you an e-mail back once I get to that point in the backlog asking which you prefer and we can go from there.

Thanks for the update, its reassuring to at least know that the delay is just a matter of email volume, rather than the email not being monitored lol. Ill indicate my preference when I see the email reply, rather than on here, so you dont have to try to keep track of who I am XD

Do you have an estimate of when you/someone would get to the emails sent on May 17th? Im worried by the time my email is answered (and by the time they get my response with preference), there wont even be any Thursday spots left.

If there are a ton of emails and Thursday spots are running out... Im wondering if its better to just ask for a refund for my Friday spot and try to book a Thursday spot, or share a spot with someone who already got a Thursday one... would that be faster? I know I want to switch to Thursday, but if I can keep my own spot, I also want to add a secondary seller anyways, as a backup for like, bathroom breaks, and to help me carry stuff...

Also in the Rules it says that if what you sell differs from what you declared 'when applying', you forfeit your spot, but the application wont let me go back and see the exact wording of what I declared. If its written on the paper application, is that ok, or does it HAVE to be on the initial digital one?
(Basically, my memory is awful, I should have saved that part but I kind of thought I would get some confirmation with it printed on it, or I would be able to go back and see... so Im not sure exactly how vague I was about certain declarations.  Because, when I first applied,  I wasnt actually quite sure of what I HAD to sell, I only found out about the swap meet application opening a few hours before it opened, and I was still at work right before, and I kind of made a fast decision to try to get a spot, since Im moving to another state soon and have to get rid of stuff, and didnt have time to go through all my stuff looking for what I was going to sell before I had applied so I just tried to think of stuff I knew I had and could sell and tried to be vague...)

And it says Cosplay items are limited to clothing, weapons, and wigs, with crafted accessory items subject to staff approval... what about cosplay shoes? Like, costume boots, dressy shoes? Like, obviously I wont sell smelly worn stuff, but like, what about shoes worn once for like an hour for a cosplay and never again.
(And on the shoes note, do they have to be like, OBVIOUSLY cosplay? I have a ton of pairs of like, nice dressy heels that I literally never wore once that I could try to get rid of too XD [I have a problem lol])

I resent my email, changed the subject line a bit to reflect that its really urgent I get a reply asap because if I cant change the date, that means I cant go to the cosplay chess rehearsal and I need to let them know that...
I wanted to both change the date and add a seller, because I know Im not going to be able to carry all the stuff on my own...

Any update on how far along in email answering the staff are??? I sent that first email nearly a week ago now. =/


And any advice on the items question? Ive been trying to pack but I cant remember if I wrote half the stuff on the online form or not, and Im not sure if I should bother bringing the stuff if theyre gonna kick me out for not having it on the online form. Isnt there any way of looking? I tried logging into the thing but it wont let me go back steps to see what I put.

[celestial_emperor]

I'm not sure where to put this on the forum - but is Thursday Night Swap Meet still going to be badgeless?

[Zelyhon]

I emailed the swapmeet@ email two days ago, but dont have a reply yet, and really need one asap. I didnt put a secondary seller on my digital swapmeet application, because I didnt have any friends wanting to sell anything. But then I realized the date I picked, Friday, conflicts with a rehearsal for Cosplay Chess Im supposed to attend. I sent an email asking to either change the date I chose for my Swap Meet space, or if its allowed to add a secondary seller to the physical papers.

Could either a staff reply to the email and switch my spot to Thursday, or someone else let me know if they know if its ok to add another person on the physical papers if they werent on the electronic application, so they could cover the spot while I attend the other thing?
I really need to know asap in case I need to try to arrange something else with the chess rehearsal, because I really dont want to lose my spot, or lose half of the selling time there by arriving after rehearsal.

As I'm sure you can imagine, we got a lot of e-mails on various issues once Swap Meet opened. I've been working through them after work as well as working on compiling the master list of Swap Meet sellers.  I haven't seen this particular e-mail yet, but I should be coming up on it fairly soon.  Either option you mentioned should be doable.  I'll send you an e-mail back once I get to that point in the backlog asking which you prefer and we can go from there.

Thanks for the update, its reassuring to at least know that the delay is just a matter of email volume, rather than the email not being monitored lol. Ill indicate my preference when I see the email reply, rather than on here, so you dont have to try to keep track of who I am XD

Do you have an estimate of when you/someone would get to the emails sent on May 17th? Im worried by the time my email is answered (and by the time they get my response with preference), there wont even be any Thursday spots left.

If there are a ton of emails and Thursday spots are running out... Im wondering if its better to just ask for a refund for my Friday spot and try to book a Thursday spot, or share a spot with someone who already got a Thursday one... would that be faster? I know I want to switch to Thursday, but if I can keep my own spot, I also want to add a secondary seller anyways, as a backup for like, bathroom breaks, and to help me carry stuff...

Also in the Rules it says that if what you sell differs from what you declared 'when applying', you forfeit your spot, but the application wont let me go back and see the exact wording of what I declared. If its written on the paper application, is that ok, or does it HAVE to be on the initial digital one?
(Basically, my memory is awful, I should have saved that part but I kind of thought I would get some confirmation with it printed on it, or I would be able to go back and see... so Im not sure exactly how vague I was about certain declarations.  Because, when I first applied,  I wasnt actually quite sure of what I HAD to sell, I only found out about the swap meet application opening a few hours before it opened, and I was still at work right before, and I kind of made a fast decision to try to get a spot, since Im moving to another state soon and have to get rid of stuff, and didnt have time to go through all my stuff looking for what I was going to sell before I had applied so I just tried to think of stuff I knew I had and could sell and tried to be vague...)

And it says Cosplay items are limited to clothing, weapons, and wigs, with crafted accessory items subject to staff approval... what about cosplay shoes? Like, costume boots, dressy shoes? Like, obviously I wont sell smelly worn stuff, but like, what about shoes worn once for like an hour for a cosplay and never again.
(And on the shoes note, do they have to be like, OBVIOUSLY cosplay? I have a ton of pairs of like, nice dressy heels that I literally never wore once that I could try to get rid of too XD [I have a problem lol])

I resent my email, changed the subject line a bit to reflect that its really urgent I get a reply asap because if I cant change the date, that means I cant go to the cosplay chess rehearsal and I need to let them know that...
I wanted to both change the date and add a seller, because I know Im not going to be able to carry all the stuff on my own...

Any update on how far along in email answering the staff are??? I sent that first email nearly a week ago now. =/


And any advice on the items question? Ive been trying to pack but I cant remember if I wrote half the stuff on the online form or not, and Im not sure if I should bother bringing the stuff if theyre gonna kick me out for not having it on the online form. Isnt there any way of looking? I tried logging into the thing but it wont let me go back steps to see what I put.

I did reply a few days ago.  I'd check your spam filters to make sure it didn't get caught there.

If you still don't see it, e-mail benjamin.levy@fanime.com and I'll try to respond again.

[otaku_madness]

It's kinda last minute, but is anyone still looking to share a space on Friday? It would definitely help if anyone can!

Already worked it out with someone.

[Ecchi ja Nai]

I'm not sure where to put this on the forum - but is Thursday Night Swap Meet still going to be badgeless?

Seconding this question, as I'm kinda curious and don't recall seeing anything posted on this one way or another.  For buyers, of course.  I know we'll need our badge to get in to sell.

[Zelyhon]

I'm not sure where to put this on the forum - but is Thursday Night Swap Meet still going to be badgeless?

Seconding this question, as I'm kinda curious and don't recall seeing anything posted on this one way or another.  For buyers, of course.  I know we'll need our badge to get in to sell.

Yes, Swap Meet buyers on Thursday can still be badgeless, as usual.

[WolfyMask]

Can I use my suitcase it's a rolling one, it's not really big, to bring into South Hall? And how does Thursday night work this will be my first time doing Thursday night and I don't want to be late because of badge pick-up, I didn't see a time for when that happens?

I've never been to this before, so I don't know about the suitcase (I really hope it's okay though cause I will have mine, and I have literally no where else to put it except to bring it with me).

To answer your second question, I remember them saying online that if we go to the South Hall beforehand, we can get permission to go to the exceptions line, which I imagine is much shorter? Can someone confirm this?

[Chun]

Yes, Swap Meet buyers on Thursday can still be badgeless, as usual.

I have a couple of friends that want to sell at a space but missed the registration deadline. Is Thursday still First-Come-First-Serve with paperwork as it has been in past Swap Meets?

[Zelyhon]

Can I use my suitcase it's a rolling one, it's not really big, to bring into South Hall? And how does Thursday night work this will be my first time doing Thursday night and I don't want to be late because of badge pick-up, I didn't see a time for when that happens?

I've never been to this before, so I don't know about the suitcase (I really hope it's okay though cause I will have mine, and I have literally no where else to put it except to bring it with me).

To answer your second question, I remember them saying online that if we go to the South Hall beforehand, we can get permission to go to the exceptions line, which I imagine is much shorter? Can someone confirm this?

The pass to the front of the line had been our plan from a few years ago, when the registration line was particularly bad.  Last year, however, registration was much more streamlined and there was no problem with people getting badges prior to Swap Meet.  This, we don't have the vouchers we planned on last year since they proved unnecessary.  The language seems to have been left in by mistake.

[Zelyhon]

Yes, Swap Meet buyers on Thursday can still be badgeless, as usual.

I have a couple of friends that want to sell at a space but missed the registration deadline. Is Thursday still First-Come-First-Serve with paperwork as it has been in past Swap Meets?

That's the plan.  I can't say how many spots there will be, but it is my intent to sell the extras first come first serve after the pre-reg is seated and we give time for stragglers.

[Hey_its_Ame]

Hi Ben, I've sent a couple more replies to your email and hadn't gotten a response. I imagine you have a ton to go through.. My main concern is my refund. Just wanted to know when to expect it. I'm really bummed I wasn't able to work something out... And the lack of communication on the refund from the finance staff concerned me. If I can't get a spot for either days, I'd really love to at least get my refund in a timely manner as to not be out of that $80 this whole con weekend. :/

[Zelyhon]

Hi Ben, I've sent a couple more replies to your email and hadn't gotten a response. I imagine you have a ton to go through.. My main concern is my refund. Just wanted to know when to expect it. I'm really bummed I wasn't able to work something out... And the lack of communication on the refund from the finance staff concerned me. If I can't get a spot for either days, I'd really love to at least get my refund in a timely manner as to not be out of that $80 this whole con weekend. :/

In the Swap Meet rules, it mentions that refunds will be processed within 90 days of the end of the convention, since it's a bit difficult to logistically organize during the convention itself.  That being said, I'll try to talk to some people and see what I can do.

I'm sorry something couldn't be worked out as well.