ok, I gathered all of this information last year from a lot of different people... due to the place of origin being an anonymous board I cant site anyone... anywho lets get this show on the road!
click this for the original doc i put together theres also accompanying pictures and such https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AfzyBLT3eZVpZGRwcHp6a2ZfMGR4c3IydGRi&hl=en&authkey=CJmd6twG
❃Vocaloid, Kingdom Hearts, Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, TTGL, are also quite poplar items that seem to be everywhere in Artist's Alley. You might wanna throw in Mario, Zelda, or some Street Fighter to appeal to some of the gamers there, I know I go crazy for that stuff.
❃Merch related to memes seem to sell well to the right crowd too, but it seems like a high risk, high reward thing to do, because it really depends on the atmosphere of the con.
❃Build up!
display your work on some kind of structure that can be seen from across the room. If you don't have that much work, make a couple of small stands and display all of your work on them.
I'm not a seller, but I am a buyer and I almost always gravitate to the artist that have all the available work on display as opposed to someone that keeps things in a binder.
❃Final Fantasy will also bring a big crowd. Don't forget Axis Power Hetalia has tons of fags buying up art. I tried to get a Germany pic for a friend and it sold out so fast.
Also, I love things that are art but not just pics. Laminate keychain art, ID badges, and buttons (fucking love buttons), ect.
❃ Don't forget about Final Fantasy and/or Hetalia. Not a fan of Hetalia myself, but OHMYGOD how the fans go ga-ga for it. FF7 will be your best bet in the FF series, but Squall, Zidane, and some of the other heroes from Dissidia may be a good idea too.
❃As for TYPE of things to sell, don't forget about little postcard sized prints. If you sell them for $1-2, they'll fly off the table like HOTCAKES. A lot of cosplayers don't have money for big $40 prints, but $2? No problem! I know a seller who tried selling $1 prints as an experiment, and she was stunned-- she made more money off those than she ever did selling them at her usual prices.
Also, have you considered stickers? I don't know much about sticker-paper, but I don't see stickers very often at cons, and I LOVE stickers...
❃Like mentioned before, small things sell the best. Postcard-sized prints ($1~4), Buttons, stickers, bookmarks, cell-phone charms, and keychains ($1~3), and maybe badge-sized commissions (pricing depends on your skill level) tend to be very popular items.
❃The trick here is to find the most cost-efficient way to make all this merchandise based on the resources you have. For keychains and charms, scour ebay or amazon for the best prices on findings (keyrings, charm straps, jumper hoops, etc.). If you have a decent printer at home, try printing small prints on photo paper or printing graphics for merchandise and get them laminated at an office supply store or something.
❃For the most part, office supply stores are also good places to print. The one in my area has prices that are competitive to independent print shops and often with equal or better quality. There are also a lot of great places online to get prints done. Work with what you've got. Experiment first with different things and see how well they sell.
10 KB
Vertical displays obviously catch a lot of attention and give you more space to work on. Try to prop up small things like keychains or charms on a small display board on the table. It's easier to see at eye-level and saves space on the table itself.
I'm sure you've seen a lot of vertical stands made of PVC piping and stuff to hang prints off of. It took me a while to figure out how to set up a fairly portable but sturdy display, but a friend of mine suggested some quick-grip clamps. You can usually get a pack of 2 at hardware supply stores for a very reasonable price. Small clamps work fine. Just make sure it's got something that you can actually attach or mount the PVC pipes onto (pic related. just slip the PVC pipes over the black stands). Bring some duct tape along, just in case. For the most part, they'll hold unless you're displaying really heavy stuff onto them
❃PUT YOUR ART ON NICE PAPER.
My girlfriend and I walked by four or five tables with stuff we would have bought in a second, but these people were doing their prints on paper that was hardly better than standard printer paper. It was just larger. Why
the hell would I spend money on something I could print out myself? If I buy a print, it's because I want to put it somewhere I can look at it, and if it's just cheap paper it's going to look stupid on my wall.
❃This is just overall basic stuff from doing this many many times.
1. Bring enough snack food and drinks to hold you over a couple meals in case a runner/ friend can't get you food on time.
2. Keep items chained up, under glass or cellophane... anything to keep someone walking by from snatching.
3. Keep a cash bag on you attached unless you are working with more than one person to guard a box.
4. Bring a nice table cover, most cons don't include any. Think about how to make use of that front table drape, some people just do a banner.
5. Think about how you will be teleporting your setup. You may want to invest in a mini hand truck and some rubbermaid boxes.
6. Post your prices clear, and shop around the ally to adjust your prices.
7. Underneath your table put some tall rubbermade boxes or something so people can't snatch any bags or stuff ya stow under there.
Mod edit: title staff note
click this for the original doc i put together theres also accompanying pictures and such https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AfzyBLT3eZVpZGRwcHp6a2ZfMGR4c3IydGRi&hl=en&authkey=CJmd6twG
❃Vocaloid, Kingdom Hearts, Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, TTGL, are also quite poplar items that seem to be everywhere in Artist's Alley. You might wanna throw in Mario, Zelda, or some Street Fighter to appeal to some of the gamers there, I know I go crazy for that stuff.
❃Merch related to memes seem to sell well to the right crowd too, but it seems like a high risk, high reward thing to do, because it really depends on the atmosphere of the con.
❃Build up!
display your work on some kind of structure that can be seen from across the room. If you don't have that much work, make a couple of small stands and display all of your work on them.
I'm not a seller, but I am a buyer and I almost always gravitate to the artist that have all the available work on display as opposed to someone that keeps things in a binder.
❃Final Fantasy will also bring a big crowd. Don't forget Axis Power Hetalia has tons of fags buying up art. I tried to get a Germany pic for a friend and it sold out so fast.
Also, I love things that are art but not just pics. Laminate keychain art, ID badges, and buttons (fucking love buttons), ect.
❃ Don't forget about Final Fantasy and/or Hetalia. Not a fan of Hetalia myself, but OHMYGOD how the fans go ga-ga for it. FF7 will be your best bet in the FF series, but Squall, Zidane, and some of the other heroes from Dissidia may be a good idea too.
❃As for TYPE of things to sell, don't forget about little postcard sized prints. If you sell them for $1-2, they'll fly off the table like HOTCAKES. A lot of cosplayers don't have money for big $40 prints, but $2? No problem! I know a seller who tried selling $1 prints as an experiment, and she was stunned-- she made more money off those than she ever did selling them at her usual prices.
Also, have you considered stickers? I don't know much about sticker-paper, but I don't see stickers very often at cons, and I LOVE stickers...
❃Like mentioned before, small things sell the best. Postcard-sized prints ($1~4), Buttons, stickers, bookmarks, cell-phone charms, and keychains ($1~3), and maybe badge-sized commissions (pricing depends on your skill level) tend to be very popular items.
❃The trick here is to find the most cost-efficient way to make all this merchandise based on the resources you have. For keychains and charms, scour ebay or amazon for the best prices on findings (keyrings, charm straps, jumper hoops, etc.). If you have a decent printer at home, try printing small prints on photo paper or printing graphics for merchandise and get them laminated at an office supply store or something.
❃For the most part, office supply stores are also good places to print. The one in my area has prices that are competitive to independent print shops and often with equal or better quality. There are also a lot of great places online to get prints done. Work with what you've got. Experiment first with different things and see how well they sell.
10 KB
Vertical displays obviously catch a lot of attention and give you more space to work on. Try to prop up small things like keychains or charms on a small display board on the table. It's easier to see at eye-level and saves space on the table itself.
I'm sure you've seen a lot of vertical stands made of PVC piping and stuff to hang prints off of. It took me a while to figure out how to set up a fairly portable but sturdy display, but a friend of mine suggested some quick-grip clamps. You can usually get a pack of 2 at hardware supply stores for a very reasonable price. Small clamps work fine. Just make sure it's got something that you can actually attach or mount the PVC pipes onto (pic related. just slip the PVC pipes over the black stands). Bring some duct tape along, just in case. For the most part, they'll hold unless you're displaying really heavy stuff onto them
❃PUT YOUR ART ON NICE PAPER.
My girlfriend and I walked by four or five tables with stuff we would have bought in a second, but these people were doing their prints on paper that was hardly better than standard printer paper. It was just larger. Why
the hell would I spend money on something I could print out myself? If I buy a print, it's because I want to put it somewhere I can look at it, and if it's just cheap paper it's going to look stupid on my wall.
❃This is just overall basic stuff from doing this many many times.
1. Bring enough snack food and drinks to hold you over a couple meals in case a runner/ friend can't get you food on time.
2. Keep items chained up, under glass or cellophane... anything to keep someone walking by from snatching.
3. Keep a cash bag on you attached unless you are working with more than one person to guard a box.
4. Bring a nice table cover, most cons don't include any. Think about how to make use of that front table drape, some people just do a banner.
5. Think about how you will be teleporting your setup. You may want to invest in a mini hand truck and some rubbermaid boxes.
6. Post your prices clear, and shop around the ally to adjust your prices.
7. Underneath your table put some tall rubbermade boxes or something so people can't snatch any bags or stuff ya stow under there.
Mod edit: title staff note
