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My very first experience with having a table was a few years ago at Otakon, I split a table with one of my friends and my girlfriend who had shared a table the year before. She sold primarily fanart buttons of bleach characters and small prints or original work. Now, her first year she sold enough buttons to cover her table costs as well as the cost to make the buttons, partly because she had arranged for someone else to physically make the buttons for her, she didn't spend the money on her own button machine. It also helped that Bleach was a hit and everyone wanted bleach fanart.

The next year (my first year) we bought our own button machine and that i will say increased our costs greatly, and unfortunatly it was a bust largely due to the fact that the button machine was crap. half the buttons we made we ended up not selling because there was a defect with something, so if you want to buy a button maker, dont buy badge a minit or however its spelled. Its crap and not worth it. The second reason it was a bust was because we didnt do any fanart buttons at all. This was the year that Otakon had laid down the no fanart buttons at all rule and so we complied, and....had very little sales. It was pretty frustrating when we learned that some artists sold fanart buttons anyway and the con didnt seem to care in some cases. Basically it was a bad experience all around and we haven't been back to that con since.

Ive talked with a few friends that have had art tables and they almost all have said you never break even your first couple times, they have tables mostly to promote their business not to make a profit.

This year were going to be at Nekocon and were starting completely fresh. We will be looking into bookmarks and badges ans one our or means to promote our art and so we will be investing in a laminator. We are not expecing to sell so much that the equipment costs will be covered, but our goal is to cover at least the cost of the table. Basically, were going to be doing this slowly, with small print runs, to gauge what might sell well, what there is an interest in etc.

We are also sharing a table with another friend, so that will help keep some of the costs down. basically, were starting small.

Its pretty highly unlikely you'll make much profit your very first time, if you break even then good for you!
My first time was a table with a couple other friends, we all had a bit of stuff we made and our sketchbooks and pencils to do commissions. I can't say I was really well prepared, and I was shy and thought it wouldn't all sell. It was my first time making chokers, and they ended up selling quite well, to the point I was constantly making them and still didn't have enough supplies and time. I don't think I broke even partly because I didn't have enough to sell. That first time was learning what people liked and how to sell. From then I would keep pre-making a larger supply of crafts to bring along, to the point I stopped doing them on the spot unless I wanted something to keep my hands busy.
You just kinda find out what's selling best, get feedback, and clearance off what's not working.

Depending what you're doing, you may have a fairly high starting cost, for instance if you're printing your own stuff or getting a button maker or a laminator. Even decent paper cutters aren't that cheap. Its just something you'll slowly re-make in time.

I honestly find craftsy stuff sells best for me. I definitely like to show my art and promote myself as both an artist and a crafter, but my crafts are what make my reliable amount of money. I think its best to have the greatest variety of stuff as you can at your table.