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Great well thanks for the follow up! Guess we'll have to keep an eye out for that... >_<

What I did last year when I offered recyclable paper bags to buyers is explain that I'm legally required to charge a dime for the bag... but I'll discount one of the items by 10-cents.

Skirting the ordinance?  Dunno, maybe.  I did specify I was charging for the bag, though, and the people buying from me genuinely seemed to appreciate the "discount" I was giving them.

I work across two Bay Area counties that have different minimum charges for those fees and I am the one responsible for making sure our system rings them up at the correct amount.  To my knowledge, no city has made the effort to check if we're actually charging customers or not.

Quick!  Everyone - knock on something wood right now!

I don't think it applies to occasional sellers like the swap meet. Most plastic bags that are brought to swap meet are being recycled by the sellers, and so I don't believe they are subject to the same fee. It's mainly imposed on larger chains as a means of reducing the amount of new plastic bags going out into the environment.

Just checked directly with the city of San Jose and got a response from the Watershed Protection Division.  Their reply:

The City's Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance does apply to flea markets, swap meets, farmers' markets, conventions, etc.  The only exceptions are public eating establishments (90% revenue from sale of prepared food) and non-profit charitable reusers.

The ordinance bans single-use plastic bags and requires recycled paper bags be sold for a minimum charge of 10 cents (there are additional labeling requirements for paper bags).  Reusable bags (with handles) from:
1.      Cloth or other machine washable fabric; OR
2.      Durable plastic at least 2.25 mil thick, specifically designed and manufactured for multiple reuse are allowed by the ordinance and there is no required minimum charge (the minimum charge only applies to paper bags).

Protective bags (paper or plastic) that do not have handles and are used for the following purposes:
(1) to transport produce, prepared food, bulk food or meat from a produce, deli, bulk food or meat department within a store to the point of sale;
(2) to hold prescription medication dispensed from a pharmacy; or
(3) to segregate food or merchandise that could damage or contaminate other food or merchandise when placed together in a Reusable Bag or Recycled Paper Bag
are also allowed by the ordinance.

If any staff needs to see the email in its entirety, please PM me and I can forward it to you.
Not trying to make things more difficult for staff or sellers - believe me, I wound up bringing in a ton of plastic bags to be recycled that I was intending to give out at swap meet back in 2012.  Nowhere in my initial email did I mention Fanime; I kept it vague and generic.

I'm not actually expecting San Jose's Weights and Measures to come in and check for this at swap meet.  Claiming ignorance won't always work in getting you out of paying a fine, and I think staff should be aware of all pertinent city laws and ordinances, not just noise restrictions or maximum occupancies.

[Buy a small sign for basic and small items amounts, so that you don't have to label everything!]

Buy a small sign for basic and small items amounts, so that you don't have to label everything!

I basically did this last year, and although I printed signs on heavy paper rather than use a chalk board, I had the prices sitting literally on top of the manga.  That still didn't stop people from asking how much they were.  Having worked in retail, that didn't really surprise me, though.

Seconding (or third'ing?) both the post-it notes for individual prices and the use of either PayPal or Square card readers.  I've been pricing my stuff with small post-its for years, and it's been working out very well.  Most people, manga buyers aside, can easily see about how much I'm expecting for each item without asking, and I can keep track myself of what I think everything is worth without having to memorize all the prices or refer to a printed spreadsheet.  And for PayPal and Square, keep in mind you'll have to rely on your data plan, as they don't usually offer access to any wifi at the con.  And while you might have to pay $15 or $9.99 respectively if you pick up the device at a store, they've been offering a credit for the same amount to your account once you activate the device.  That may not be true forever (though I doubt they'll end that promotion any time soon,) so keep that in mind.

And finally, remember that San Jose participates in the plastic bag ban/minimum 10-cent reusable bag ordinance.  The last two years, that's applied to swap meet as well.

I know tables are not allowed, but there's nothing about being able to bring or use chairs.

As always, wait for an official response from swap meet staff and keep in mind that rules and allowances can change from year-to-year, but I have personally brought in and used a folding camping chair at previous meets.  I didn't get to use it much except for lulls in the action, as I'm usually standing up to make sales or answer questions.  I have also seen other people use them on more than one occasion, so I don't think it'll be an issue.  Usually the big no-no's are no tables/shelves/tall displays and no tape.

Phew, swap meet registration is all set.  One less thing to worry about.  Didn't have any issues with my badge number, for what it's worth.

I did notice under the section for the seller's permits, occasional sellers are required to contact staff in order to claim exempt status.  They had that last year, but when I emailed I got a response saying it wasn't necessary.  Is that something we're required to do, or is claiming EXEMPT status and having a completed BOE-410-D form sufficient?

[not]

I'd like to request that we be allowed to pick spots once we enter according to our order in
line. I want to be next to my friend so that we can guard each other's spots when we go on
bathrooms breaks or take a few minutes to browse and shop ourselves.

Seconded! For the exact same reasons mentioned above.

My friend and I have been fortunate to get a spot for as many swap meets back as I can remember.  Even when we had the 10'x10' spots, what seems like ages ago, we've managed to have enough stuff to make getting two separate spots worth it, which is why we don't opt to share a space.  Last year, we somehow still managed to wind up with spots more or less within view of each other on both Thursday and Friday, so we were somewhat able to keep an eye on the others' items during a bathroom break or shopping lap.  Being able to request (and understandably not guaranteeing) neighboring spots would allow us that small piece of mind that we don't have to remain there for the entire duration should the need arise for us to step away for a minute, lest we risk leaving a bunch of anime goodies unattended.  We have some pretty great folks that attend Fanime, so while theft is always a possibility, what I noticed last year were people walking away upset if there wasn't someone there to answer questions or even take their money for something they wanted to purchase.

Besides having too much stuff to squeeze into a single space, it's also usually just the two of us who attend Fanime.  We could mark each other down as a secondary seller for the other space, but we don't have anyone else to help out   Having more than two people per space hasn't been an issue, as we can't even get that second person to begin with.

We are definitely not considering combining our powers to form one massive, all-mighty swap meet singularity.  The concern of vendors using swap meet rather than the dealer's hall or other sellers otherwise monopolizing space is definitely a valid concern, but I think this can be mostly addressed through clear communication of the rules and the consequences of breaking them before hand, followed up by monitoring by staff.  For the vast majority of us sellers asking to be allowed neighboring spots, if not where specifically on the floor our spots are, is a reasonable request that shouldn't be overly difficult or disruptive to grant.

Assuming we don't use that random-number method from last year again.  Please don't do that to us.

[AND]

I think this may very well be the single most exciting post on the entire forum.  Using the South Hall AND being allowed to stay until 12/1am?  Uh, yes please.

That $40 per spot is rather painful, though.  I guess if the plan is to make each space larger than last year, hopefully back to the 10'x10' we were getting a few years back, we wind up paying the same amount per square foot.

Man, if only swap meet reg was open, and I was able to confirm a spot for myself, and we could request our location in the hall, AND it cost less than $40... well, I think that would just about be the best thing ever.

What's everyone's account IDs? Mine is 745. I have a friend who's 773.

Dang, I was hoping numbers started at 790...  ;)

But your assumption is the same as mine.  At least I haven't seen anything that says I'm waitlisted.

I think once you put in your Fanime registration info, that's when you'll be sent another verification email that will take you to step 6 (and beyond!).  Just going by memory of previous years.  Don't know when those emails are expected to go out, though.

[before]

Did anyone get a reg number before 700?

Are you talking about 2014 or 2015?

As an aside, I'm really curious about what's going in the three main halls this year. Artist's Alley is in the new space, Dealer's Hall and gaming will probably be in 2 & 3 as per usual, so that leaves Hall 1.

I was talking about 2015.  I'm already resigned to the new location for this year.  Plus, with barely more than a week before Day 0, there really isn't the time to make other arrangements.  If nothing else, I'm assuming we can't be in any of the primary halls because they're already designated for other uses.  I didn't realize AA is being held in the new ballroom.  I thought they'd be back in Hall 1, which is why I was wondering what the newly expanded space would be used for.  Since that's not the case, now I'm wondering what Hall 1 is going to be used for.  Maybe Dealer's Hall is going to be larger this year?  Regardless, like you point out, there's a full hall that isn't being used for the same purpose as what we're used to from previous years.

And re: Hachimitsu-ink, I'm sorry, but I gotta say I have a hard time following many of your messages.  I don't mean to be a jerk by pointing it out or anything, but dang.  It's like I can figure out what you're saying, but I gotta think about it for a bit.

Having swap meet start on Thursday, Day 0, isn't anything new.  I can't recall when Fanime first started holding a swap meet, but it's been held over two nights for as far back as I can remember going to them.  And again, assuming you're not planning on selling at multiple events - like other swap meets, flea markets, pop-up shops or the like - or making an obscene amount of money from your sales, you don't need to submit a permit application with the Board of Equalization, AKA: the state tax dudes.  The location won't really matter because the form that Fanime requires/provides to you only needs your own personal information.  For the few people who might actually require a state-issued sellers permit, 1)I'd think you'd already be familiar with the process and 2) you can contact Decantus directly with a private message.  I believe he also made an email address available.  Since he's the department head for this year's swap meet, he'd be the best person to contact for clarification on any unusual circumstances, and I'm sure he'd cross-post any pertinent information here.

Another thing is, we don't even have access to register for a sellers space yet.  Nobody here knows for sure if they're going to be able to sell or not; everyone seems to be jumping the gun a bit on some of the prep work.  Never mind the fact that I've had basically all of my stuff packed up and priced for the last couple of weeks now.  Because, you know...

Gotta admit, when I was thinking about the space available in the Civic Center, I was strictly thinking of it from a seller's point of view.  If we get anywhere near the crowds swap meet has been pulling the in last few years...

It's got a maximum seating capacity of 3036 people.  That number sounds like a lot, but the rooms wound up being crowded as all get out for a couple hours.  Plus when you factor in that the space that's going to be taped off for the sellers, just guesstimating, that would that bring it down to only about 1000 people walking around at a time?

This is going to be way early, but I'd like to put in my request for swap meet to be moved back into the actual convention center.  There's got to be space to accommodate everyone in there now.  Gaming doesn't seem to take up the entire far hall; I say move gaming to one of the new ballrooms.  Most people are sitting or standing still, so there shouldn't be much foot traffic.  Arcade cabinets and other machines could be put on to some type of surface that won't damage the carpet, I'm sure.  Let swap meet, plus some other function, take over the large hall on the Hilton side.

I don't always check out Artists Alley, and never participate there as a seller since I can't do the artz, but I actually really liked it at the South Hall last year.  I don't know if there were other issue that came up internally regarding that spot, or if the artists had problems with the location, but I thought there was plenty of room to walk from table to table, there were tons of people who were able to represent their craft, and it was very easy to walk from the convention center and back.  No need to cross any streets if you're already at the con.  All in all, I liked how it worked out last year, but if AA needs to be in the big hall at the convention center, find some way to get swap meet into one of the other main halls.

I'm currently trying to apply for a (temporary) seller's permit, and I can't complete it without some information.

Assuming you're only selling at Fanime's swap meet, and not on other occasions/run a retail store, there's a form that's provided by Fanime which will be posted on their website when everything is ready.  You do not need to go through the Board of Equalization's site unless you sell more than once a year.  They tend to have the required forms posted in the forums as well, either in this thread or on another official swap meet thread.  In the past it's been a simple one-page form with a second page of instructions/information in pdf format that you print out.  You won't need anything else besides some basic personal info - your name, address, con badge number and the like - and then a brief rundown of what you're planning on selling.  Then the official signature and date at the bottom will seal the deal on your end.

If, however, you do need an actual temporary permit from the BoE, your best bet would be to contact Decantus directly for whatever specifics he can provide.

I do recall from an earlier response that Decantus mentioned it's $30 (per space) per day.  He's still being coy regarding the size of the spaces, though.

[this]

I know it's going to seem like there's just no pleasing some people, or at least no pleasing this guy, but I'm kinda disappointed with the location.  First and foremost, did anyone not find lugging stuff across the street and over the light rail tracks bothersome?  I remember two years ago when swap meet was at the Fairmont, there was a mass of people crossing the street with stuff both before and after, so I would think it's a fair assumption that the majority of sellers are either staying at one of the attached hotels or at least park in the convention center lot.  Even without boxes and luggage and the like, there's always a herd of people crossing at that intersection anyway; why would you have the event at a removed location, strictly from a safety standpoint?

And given that the expansion work on the convention center was just completed, is any of that new space being put to use during the con?  Or perhaps the carpets in the new ballrooms are still too nice to let people trample all over it.

Speaking of the Fairmont, I'm trying to recall the relative size of space that was available there.  Even without that second room open on Friday, I think there was still more floor space there than what the civic center offers.  It's hard to judge, though, because even though I wind up there every year for MusicFest, the floor's already full of chairs, mixing equipment and people.  Can't find any definitive dimensions to compare, especially since I'm hashing this out at work, but I could be wrong on this one.

Obviously not everyone is able to book a room at one of the attached hotels, nor will everyone be able to find parking in the garage, but I still think it's a mistake to have swap meet anywhere else but in the convention center itself, or the south hall were it possible.  The less need for people to cross San Carlos street, the better, and I'm sure cross traffic would appreciate it as well.

Hope this clears up a few things.

Absolutely.  To be honest I was a bit surprised to find out that the wheels vs. carpet situation was an actual issue with the convention center.  I've been to other conventions and trade shows, both specifically in San Jose and in other states, and especially in business settings you see rolling carriers and luggage everywhere.  I'm just glad this is no longer an issue.

And actually, I was just bringing up issues from previous years as examples for my previous post, but I am very excited and incredibly interested to see how the check in line and reg badges will work out this year.  I'm definitely hoping that at the end of the con, or at least after swap meet Friday, I'll be making a comment: "Huge success!"

Now if we could only get the actual swap meet reg online...  ;)

The mention of not allowing rolling luggage is very disappointing, to say the least.  I can completely understand and am in total agreement against people using furniture dollies or hand trucks to bring their stuff in, but there's got to be some way of making this work.  I've amassed more stuff that I was hoping to sell this year than I have previously, and while it may not have been easy, I've always found some way of getting everything to my spot on my own, without the use of dollies, in a single trip.  If rolling luggage is expressly forbidden this year, I think I may as well not even attend.  Con-attendee stereotypes aside, have you see the average seller at the last few swap meets?  I can't see most people being able to handle much more than a single short comic box worth of stuff if everyone has to actually hand carry everything to their spot.

Next I assume there's going to be an announcement that the prices to sell are going to go up again and that the space allotted will be further reduced from what we've had before.

I'm trying to nail down what is and isn't allowed. Swap Meet is probably one of the best run events at Fanime and it's only gotten better in the couple of years I've been going.

I have to question that latter statement.  I mean, have you sold at previous swap meets?  Sure everything seems to run fine once all the sellers have been checked in, but there have been serious headaches the last couple of years just getting people lined up at the door.  I think the least hassle I've encountered was the year before they tried handing out con badges as sellers were checking in.  By no means am I implying that organizing swap meet is an easy undertaking, and it's certainly been one of the major things I've been looking forward to each year, but calling it the best run event and constantly improving - at least from a seller's point of view - leave me questioning what kind of experiences you've been having these last few years.  That, or you've got extremely low expectations for the rest of the con.

I will agree with you that I would like details to be released as soon as possible.  Saying that using rolling luggage is "sketchy" and should be "avoided," doesn't really cut it if I've got a bunch of manga to sell.  That stuff's heavy, and if I'm going to be turned away at the door because I've got wheels on the bottom of my bag, I may as well not lug them around to begin with.

Technically, it's good for 5 days including Day 0.

The convention itself runs from (all day) Friday through Monday over the Memorial Day weekend, which this year is May 23-26.  Assuming this year follows the format of previous years, and so far everything looks to be pointed in that direction even though there haven't been any official announcements, there is also a Day 0 held on the Thursday prior to the convention proper.  It's an "Un-Badged" day, which is mostly used for people who have registered early (such as yourself) to pick up their badge before the convention actually starts.  They also have Stage Zero running with some content, and most importantly in my opinion is the first of two nights of the swap meet.

Apparently there is a Sony booth in the Dealer's Hall that will be selling CDs and t-shirts for both ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D and 7!!.  I didn't notice them when I made two laps this afternoon, so I'll be heading back tomorrow to specifically look for them.  I would assume that they would also be available during an autograph sessions that they have had/will be holding, but I'm not positive there.

Wasn't there a vendor map for the Dealer's Hall?

Finally, it's here!  See you all in a few hours!

And i haven't received a email saying my spot number. I checked Fanime.com and it says i do have a number spot and that i'm all set.

I'm sure StillMyWords will reach out to you at some point, but I might as well keep this thread going.  Per his email, if you've been confirmed as a seller but don't see your space number, you can email him and he'll let you know where you're stationed.  Also, Swap Meet staff will have that info for you when you go to get checked in, so it's not super imperative that you have it before hand.  The important thing is that you got confirmation as a seller.

Again, don't forget your I.D. and paperwork!