Artists Alley Information Thread

Selling at Cons is best during the...

Spring	11.5%	[ 117 ]
Summer	29.4%	[ 300 ]
Fall	7.2%	[ 73 ]
Winter	5.5%	[ 56 ]
Any time!	46.5%	[ 474 ]
Total Votes:			[ 1020 ]

[salvagedsword]

Kaxen

Anime Conji went pretty well, but working it was so damn boring because it was pretty empty.

Neck pillows didn't work as well as I thought, but it seems like the crowd at Anime Conji is a bit stingy or low-budget.




Since my brother is not the most helpful table helper, I've been thinking about sharing my table at AX. My brother will be listed as a helper, so I need another artist. I'm willing to give 2x2' of the 6'x2' table. I also have an overhead display for hanging stuff.

So is anyone interested or know someone who might be interested, let me know.

I think the mediocre amount of sales was due to this year's poor organization after the SPJA takeover. When the dealer's hall and AA are hidden away and on the opposite end of the hotel from the panels, people don't spend as much time there, if they even manage to figure out where it is. Plus, we were scattered around in that huge room. When people have to fight the crowds to get to your booth, they are more inclined to buy something when they actually get there. I didn't sell at Conji last year, but I did go as an attendee, and it was very lively and fun and people seemed to be buying a lot.

[starry-egg]

I'm getting a table at Anime North for the first time this year!
I'm making some handmade stickers and I'm thinking of selling them for a dollar each. I'm kind of worried that it's too expensive but i drew each sticker with markers and it takes time and they're all different.

They range from 1x1 to 3x2 inches

-conflicted- ;v;

[LavenderMintRose]

MichySoong

I'm getting a table at Anime North for the first time this year!
I'm making some handmade stickers and I'm thinking of selling them for a dollar each. I'm kind of worried that it's too expensive but i drew each sticker with markers and it takes time and they're all different.

They range from 1x1 to 3x2 inches

-conflicted- ;v;

You're individually drawing each sticker? Sell them for more, then! Though, honestly... I wonder why you don't just draw a few designs and print multiple copies of them?

Anyway, I'll be at Anime North, so I'll say hi ^_^

[starry-egg]

LavenderMintRose

MichySoong

I'm getting a table at Anime North for the first time this year!
I'm making some handmade stickers and I'm thinking of selling them for a dollar each. I'm kind of worried that it's too expensive but i drew each sticker with markers and it takes time and they're all different.

They range from 1x1 to 3x2 inches

-conflicted- ;v;

You're individually drawing each sticker? Sell them for more, then! Though, honestly... I wonder why you don't just draw a few designs and print multiple copies of them?

Anyway, I'll be at Anime North, so I'll say hi ^_^

Yeah I am! I like the handmade feel I guess. Yeah I think ill do some digital stickers too and sell them for cheaper! Ahh yes! Please do visit!!
I didnt get a table in comic market so ill be in the pro plaza!

[LavenderMintRose]

MichySoong

Yeah I am! I like the handmade feel I guess. Yeah I think ill do some digital stickers too and sell them for cheaper! Ahh yes! Please do visit!!
I didnt get a table in comic market so ill be in the pro plaza!

Hmm, sounds cool.

^_^ see you there!

[Kaxen]

Oh my this thread has been a bit inactive.

Since I sell plushies and clothing accessories, I've been thinking about buying bags for customers to carry them in.

I don't have enough merchandise or do enough conventions to warrant a 250 or 500 bag order minimum getting them professionally done, so I've been contemplating getting some blank paper bags and just making a simple stencil to paint on.

Does anyone else give bags for stuff that has been bought? What do you do?

Well, I think like the majority of my customers just stuff the plushies in their backpack or wear their scoodies immediately, but I've gotten questions about bags before, so I was wondering about it.

[Kyousouka]

Kaxen

Does anyone else give bags for stuff that has been bought? What do you do?

I don't sell anything that needs bags (well, clear baggies and envelopes for prints and books, but that's a different story), but I've seen many people just bring grocery store bags with them for those that need bags, nothing special. Smaller businesses often have generic "thank you" bags instead of branded ones, those work perfectly. If you need more than you'd get second-hand, you can get them in some office stores in relatively small, affordable amounts.

I think having something custom would be overkill. I know I personally would likely refuse such a bag because I'd feel bad throwing it out, but I can't keep it xP

[dolphinwing~]

Kaxen

Oh my this thread has been a bit inactive.

Since I sell plushies and clothing accessories, I've been thinking about buying bags for customers to carry them in.

I don't have enough merchandise or do enough conventions to warrant a 250 or 500 bag order minimum getting them professionally done, so I've been contemplating getting some blank paper bags and just making a simple stencil to paint on.

Does anyone else give bags for stuff that has been bought? What do you do?

Well, I think like the majority of my customers just stuff the plushies in their backpack or wear their scoodies immediately, but I've gotten questions about bags before, so I was wondering about it.

I bought these bags in blue and pink: https://www.etsy.com/listing/78319339/blue-plastic-merchandise-bags-9-x12-set?ref=shop_home_active
My plushies are generally about 10" tall so they fit pretty well in those, there's also bigger sizes and they are pretty cheap and you don't need to buy 200 of em either. In fact I have a little less than 100 since my last con, only a few people ask for bags so they will last a long while. These bags are good enough since people can also put smaller things like buttons or your business card in there. I think getting bags professionally done is not necessary since they'd probably just get tossed out anyway.

[Miss Snail]

Im not sure if this has been asked - but other then prints and paper-related items, what else should/could I sell at my booth?

[Kyousouka]

CuTeacup

Im not sure if this has been asked - but other then prints and paper-related items, what else should/could I sell at my booth?

That depends entirely on your skills and interests, doesn't it? I think this question is best posed as "I can make X. Do you guys think it would sell well at cons A, B, and C?" (It's best to specify your planned cons since they have varying policies on certain things; for example, fanart plushies tend to sell while original plushies usually do not, but many cons forbid fanart plushies, and some cons forbid non-"paper" merchandise from the AA entirely.)

[Kaxen]

I still have my 2 foot tall Altair and Desmond to sell.

My dad told me to just hold a raffle where the entering cost is people giving me their e-mail so I can do more newsletters and advertising.

I can't decide how much I want to get rid of them. x_x


And for the first time I finally built myself a stand for my things. Looks so much better than a bunch of plushies flat on a table.

It's just foam board that has been scored along certain spots. I like it better than the grid cages, I always thought those looked a little dark/unfriendly.

[dolphinwing~]

CuTeacup

Im not sure if this has been asked - but other then prints and paper-related items, what else should/could I sell at my booth?

Depends what you can do. I mainly sell plushies, I also make buttons which are great sellers and I have a couple of original t-shirt designs but original art usually doesn't sell. I've also seen people make sprites with beads melted together, paintings on canvas and jewelry. And keep in mind there are those cons that limit the things you sell like Otakon only allows 50% fanart and 50% original art and new york comic con only allows paper goods and nothing else.

[Kyousouka]

Kaxen

It's just foam board that has been scored along certain spots. I like it better than the grid cages, I always thought those looked a little dark/unfriendly.

I wish more people would think about that sort of thing when designing their displays. Wire cubes are great for prints where all the actual wire stuff is hidden by prints, but for things like plushies and other irregularly shaped objects, they're awful because the wires show through and look unwelcoming. If someone has to use cubes for such things, then heavy drapery or something else to block both the sight and texture of the cubes is a must.

The stand looks great, simple and it looks like it does its job. The white is a little boring though. How about adding some decoration in pastel colours, just enough to look interesting and not so clinical, but not saturated or dark enough to clash with the stuff you're displaying?


I don't think the raffle idea is good. Newsletters are good for when your business is something people can keep coming back to frequently and spending more money (like when it's something perishable/one-time, such as food or gifts). For a business that relies more on finding more new customers rather than continuous/regular repeat business, a raffle like that wouldn't be very useful. If you really want to give them away for free, then consider something closer to a referral program/contest.

That said, I think even for free, most people wouldn't want them. They're awesome, but they're just impractically large. Finding that perfect customer who wants a giant plushie based on that specific game series and has space to display it isn't easy. I think your best bet is to use them as display pieces (if hauling them isn't too impractical) since they probably draw attention quite well, and sell them just in case you get lucky and find that perfect customer.

[Kaxen]

Kyousouka

Kaxen

It's just foam board that has been scored along certain spots. I like it better than the grid cages, I always thought those looked a little dark/unfriendly.

I wish more people would think about that sort of thing when designing their displays. Wire cubes are great for prints where all the actual wire stuff is hidden by prints, but for things like plushies and other irregularly shaped objects, they're awful because the wires show through and look unwelcoming. If someone has to use cubes for such things, then heavy drapery or something else to block both the sight and texture of the cubes is a must.

The stand looks great, simple and it looks like it does its job. The white is a little boring though. How about adding some decoration in pastel colours, just enough to look interesting and not so clinical, but not saturated or dark enough to clash with the stuff you're displaying?


I don't think the raffle idea is good. Newsletters are good for when your business is something people can keep coming back to frequently and spending more money (like when it's something perishable/one-time, such as food or gifts). For a business that relies more on finding more new customers rather than continuous/regular repeat business, a raffle like that wouldn't be very useful. If you really want to give them away for free, then consider something closer to a referral program/contest.

That said, I think even for free, most people wouldn't want them. They're awesome, but they're just impractically large. Finding that perfect customer who wants a giant plushie based on that specific game series and has space to display it isn't easy. I think your best bet is to use them as display pieces (if hauling them isn't too impractical) since they probably draw attention quite well, and sell them just in case you get lucky and find that perfect customer.

Yeah. I've been thinking about decorating it somehow. I originally wanted to get colored foam board, but most of them are white foam on the inside which might look weird at the cuts and the black foamboard with black foam wouldn't work for me because I make a lot of dark-colored plushies. And for some crazy reason white foam board is $1 or $2 while all other foam board is like $5 or $6.

I might drape some fabric or add some ribbon or something.

I might just use giant Altair and Desmond for display. They are good attention-grabbers.

[Niamh the Fae]

There's a new My Little Pony con in Colorado this fall, and they just started putting out information about the artist alley. They're allowing any type of art, and the cost looks pretty low for the amount of space you get ($100 for 6x8 (I assume this is partly floor space) and one con badge).

I'm friends with one of the organizers, and he's looking for feedback on how the rules are explained, and the site in general. (There's a contact form in the about section for submitting feedback.) It'd also be great if you could post some examples of good artist alley rules (the rules themselves, how they're presented, or both) - he and I got into a bit of a debate about how much detail is required, and I need ammo! smile

They're also open for registration already - both the artist alley and regular con badges.