I was there with the bulk of Dylan's comic book collection, which I had rather painstakingly organized in my nonprofessional way. I borrowed a car and got everything there in two trips. The location was the Eagles Lodge at SE Hawthorne & 50th, so I didn't have far to go. I made it for the early bird hour and we were really off and running.
I did really well but was surprised that the overall volume of stuff I had to take back did not decrease by much. I took most of the boxes back with me at 6pm, but left some things for the next thing on the schedule: Comix Thing. That went from 9pm until midnight. I had my own stuff and I was also selling work published by Sparkplug Books.
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| Comix Thing |
Here are some important things I learned about my years working at swap meets:
- Use the space under the table(s) if you can. Don't limit yourself to the tabletop.
- Get an extra table or set of shelves if you have the room and put more stuff on it.
- Box lids are really great for holding things together. Use them like trays!
- I try to bring a variety of things to swap meets. Even at comics swaps I have art and dvds. I don't just want to see a sea of comics.
- Labels, even crappy ones, really help people find things and help you organize the table.
- Be ready to negotiate, because it's better to get a little less than the marked price if you can shift the thing you're selling. You get paid and someone else gets something they like, and the comic (or whatever) isn't hiding in a box in your garage. Everyone's happy!
- ...But don't be afraid to stand your ground or ask for more if necessary. A guy offered me a price for a bulk deal and I told him I needed 2 1/2 times more, and I got it. The worst anyone can say is no.
- Customers at these things can be messy. Let them drag things around but stay on top of the disorder.
