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i'd love to see 100 yen store items. you know, the cheap fun little stuff?

affordable bento items. i hate seeing cute stuff at 20-30+ bucks.

casual (everyday) yukata. not costume, not "vintage" (aka more money)

everyday geta! last pair i bought (only ones i could find) were made of a soft wood that is falling apart due to little rocks getting embedded in them

educational stuff(think the japanese study section of j-list)

pretty much, affordable cool stuff. it doesn't just have to be anime related.

What you're looking for is all Made In China. And really, you get what you pay for.

Yukata are never cheap unless they are machine made in China, and even then they are quite expensive, even in Japan. Vintage ones are usually hand sewn and last forever, so worth the money. Japanese-made cotton is vastly superior to most Chinese cottons. Sometimes if you're lucky you can find a cheap yukata on ebay, but watch for shipping costs. There are some bargains to be had if you're diligent!

Geta are often made of paulownia or other soft wood and meant for one season's wear, so yeah, they do fall apart. I go through at least a pair a year, just doing shows.

I WISH I could sell the items you want for cheap, but the fact is nearly half my cost is just shipping stuff out of Japan to the US. It is VERY expensive to import these things, even if they start out cheap in Japan.

My merchant processor charges me a fee plus a percentage of the total sale, which is why most vendors don't want to deal with smaller purchases. If you buy a $5 item and use your card, I'm out at least 10-15% of that sale. It's not really worth it. For a big purchase, say $300, it's ridiculous for me NOT to take a credit card. However, it's a lot slower as I have to process the payment over the phone, and I'm more likely to haggle when cash is involved.

As for sales tax, I believe the rate is around 9.5% in San Jose? To save time and hassling with loose change, I typically add the local sales tax in to my prices at the show so I don't have to calculate it later. As a business I have to pay my pound of flesh to the state later in the year, and I calculate that from my sales receipts.

I bought a Japanese DVD online through Amazon... and it was a *bleeping* bootleg. The quality is poor, it won't last through too many viewings, and I've supported a parasite. But I couldn't tell online and I was anxious to grab a copy of the film when I could. At a show you can handle the case and look close enough to tell if the image on the cover is a copy or looks original.

I wish Kinokuniya would set up shop at the Fanime Dealers Room.

That would be really awesome, especially for those of us who don't live in the area and don't know where they are.

No kidding. I DO know where they are and I'd still like to see them there.

Hey Moony!  :D

So... do you want to see a kimono booth at Fanime this year? Let me know.

PLEASE!!!  I missed you last year. 

Ha! Yeah, I missed you all, too.  ;)

Hey Camilla, keep an eye out for my booth application! Save me a good spot if you can.  ;D

As a potential dealer, I'd prefer to do panels when the dealer's room is NOT open. If that means late at night or early in the morning, I'm all for it. Heck, I'm going to be on my feet all day anyway...

I had a kimono booth at the '08 show and nearly sold out of a LOT of things, including tabi and yukata. This year I'm stocking up for Sakura-Con in April, but considering doing Fanime as well since it's local (I'm in the East Bay Area).

So... do you want to see a kimono booth at Fanime this year? Let me know.