What do YOU think the dealers could do better?

szalkerous · Post by **szalkerous** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:34 pm

As a dealer myself, I'm always curious about feedback for the storefronts and the layouts in the dealer's room. Does anyone have any feedback on what they liked? disliked? Do you like a helpful dealer or do you prefer to browse in peace?

Let us know!

BlueEyedAlchemist · Post by **BlueEyedAlchemist** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:39 pm

I like it when things are hangin all around the booth, like behind the table on the curtains because that's what normally catches my eye first.
variety is also big

Jezzy · Post by **Jezzy** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:50 pm

Please...PLEASE know the MA sales tax! This goes for every dealer that doesn't have tax included. Someone tried to charge me 10% tax (which I suppose is what it is in CA), and I almost refused to buy something from that stall because of it.
Also, dealers should know that having a "minimum purchase" requirement in order to use a credit card is a violation of the terms of service for Mastercard, Viza, and AMEX. Stop scamming the people who don't know better.

Anyway, I personally like to be left alone until I actually need help. I don't like attention being paid to me because it makes me feel like I'm being suspected of something.

ErinErin · Post by **ErinErin** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:08 pm

Post prices clearly. I'm not sure how your booth was set up, but a lot of the booths had a ton of merch stacked and displayed behind the table with no indication of a price. At one place I had to wait 15-20 mins to get the dealer's attention to ask the price of an item. I'm the kind of person who likes to shop around before deciding on what I'm going to purchase in the dealers' room.
Also, I prefer to browse in peace until I need to ask a question/make my purchase.

Staren · Post by **Staren** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:32 pm

Please, if you plan to have Sunday sales plan accordingly. There were a few vendors (I'm thinking about one of the big DVD / Manga booths mainly) who were yelling out "20% off everything!" every two minutes. That's annoying, especially if there are no prices on anything to begin with. You don't have to tag everything individually, but please have a sign per shelf or per section, something so we know what we know the prices. Some of us do buy enough from the online stores to know generally what the common stuff should cost, but not everyone does.

Having a policy of helping customers individually is nice, when there are 50 people crowed around a booth, sometimes if there is a rarer item someone wants, we need to be able to find what we want, have money ready, hand it over and go.

Aurabolt · Post by **Aurabolt** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:34 pm

[quote=Jezzy]Please...PLEASE know the MA sales tax! This goes for every dealer that doesn't have tax included. Someone tried to charge me 10% tax (which I suppose is what it is in CA), and I almost refused to buy something from that stall because of it.

Also, dealers should know that having a "minimum purchase" requirement in order to use a credit card is a violation of the terms of service for Mastercard, Visa, Discover and AMEX. Stop scamming the people who don't know better.
[/quote]

THIS. PLEASE.

I know the booth you're referring to in regards to a minimum. I would have bought from them if not for their "20.00 Minimum for Cards" requirement. I don't like to pay with cash unless I have to (from what I saw almost everyone accepted plastic and in some cases checks).

It's actually ILLEGAL to do this in Massachusetts and our resident watchdog Martha Coakley eats violators for breakfast (figuratively but you get the idea).

I understand the reason many businesses want to enforce a (usually) $10+ minimum for card holders but not everyone with plastic that says Master Card/Visa/etc. is actually using a credit card. My bank issues Debt Cards with the Master Card Logo on it for example.

Also for the unaware dealers Massachusetts is anal about making sure anything sold in the state is taxed. If you don't include the sales tax you'll hear from 'em XD

These major concerns aside, yeah planning for Sunday would be greatly advised for next year. If I had to guess the majority of the attendees leave Saturday night/early Sunday morning. If you want to leave the Con with less stuff to pack and more $$$$ to take home (and if you really don't mind doing this, it's up to you) just stack sales of stuff.

For example: If you offer 10% off 2 Manga volumes of the same series (for example Bleach) double it to 20% of 4 Manga. The booth I bought from Sunday morning did this and they got alot of attention.

Another example is the classic "Buy one, get 1 or two free". How about for Sunday modifying it to "Buy one half off, get 2-3 of the same volume free". Stuff like that would get you cleaned out in a hurry--more so if you have alot of stock of a series that hasn't been selling well.

A major turn off for me was the booth that offered Mangas for $1 that had dot stickers on the spines. The problem was they mixed said Manga with other stuff. If you're going to make the effort to do this do your customers a favor and have them separate from regular price. Please?

Finally, I prefer browsing in peace. I'll ask if I have a question about something but otherwise I like browsing on my own. I feel like the vendor is trying to coerce me into buying from them if they ask questions. 9 out of 10 times I know exactly what I want from a store when I leave my house so...yeah XD

meerkat · Post by **meerkat** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:23 pm

It actually is not against the law anymore, but is IS still against TOS and you have every right to complain if a dealer attempts this.

Hamzilla · Post by **Hamzilla** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:28 pm

my only problem - which wasn't one, was having to ask the price of everything beforehand. nobody really clearly marks the merchandise, but it would be helpful. i feel like i'm being annoying by asking the price for this and that.

Estarose · Post by **Estarose** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 5:54 pm

Do NOT charge more to use credit cards. My friends and I were going to buy T-shirts at a stand but they charged three dollars more if you used a card. I'm positive this is against the merchant agreement.

Same with minimum purchase on buying something. I believe the law is now that the minimum purchase must be $10 or less but a $20 minimum is not okay.

Jezzy · Post by **Jezzy** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:27 pm

[quote=Estarose]Do NOT charge more to use credit cards. My friends and I were going to buy T-shirts at a stand but they charged three dollars more if you used a card. I'm positive this is against the merchant agreement.

Same with minimum purchase on buying something. I believe the law is now that the minimum purchase must be $10 or less but a $20 minimum is not okay.[/quote]
They can't have a minimum purchase. Period. If you point this out, many recant (I confronted a dealer about it a couple years ago, and was able to go through my transaction).

Remember, dealers want sales. If you tell them their unethical taxing/fees will lose them a sale, there's a chance they'll surrender.

Also, I think AB should put this - what the state tax is, no minimum purchase fudgery - in their contract with the dealers. It may curtail such things in the future.

DuckTapeBunny · Post by **DuckTapeBunny** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:46 pm

One is I wish all dealers would include the sales tax in their prices, the second was I noticed there were less clothing dealers this year and I really wanted to get my J-Fashion on. I felt like there was less variety this year than in past years. [That might be in part due to other con's because I think Sakura con may have been the same weekend this year again, correct me if I'm wrong.]

Tony-San · Post by **Tony-San** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:09 am

Less bootleg stuff. I know dam well the toki doki stuff some of those guys were selling were not the real thing.

Estarose · Post by **Estarose** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 2:27 am

[quote=Jezzy][quote=Estarose]Do NOT charge more to use credit cards. My friends and I were going to buy T-shirts at a stand but they charged three dollars more if you used a card. I'm positive this is against the merchant agreement.

Same with minimum purchase on buying something. I believe the law is now that the minimum purchase must be $10 or less but a $20 minimum is not okay.[/quote]
They can't have a minimum purchase. Period. If you point this out, many recant (I confronted a dealer about it a couple years ago, and was able to go through my transaction).

Remember, dealers want sales. If you tell them their unethical taxing/fees will lose them a sale, there's a chance they'll surrender.

Also, I think AB should put this - what the state tax is, no minimum purchase fudgery - in their contract with the dealers. It may curtail such things in the future.[/quote]

Well, I think very recently the law was changed that the minimum can be $10 or less. There doesn't have to be a minimum, but if there is then it must be $10 or less. Might not have actually happened yet but I believe it has.

bigfluffypillow · Post by **bigfluffypillow** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 3:45 am

I bought 1 cospa and 2 regular t-shirts from YES Anime and they tried to charge me sales tax. You bet I told them there is no sales tax on clothing!

Also I was overcharged $10 on my CC by Anime Pavilion but I didn't realize it until hours later. I guess I will cough it up to a loss.

On a final note, I thought that the big Sunday bargains were much better last year than this year. No B1G1F manga. I was sad.

MerchMaven · Post by **MerchMaven** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 9:13 am

[quote=bigfluffypillow]Also I was overcharged $10 on my CC by Anime Pavilion but I didn't realize it until hours later. I guess I will cough it up to a loss.

[/quote]

Never do this.

First, contact the vendor. Anime Pavilion is a dealer of long standing, and everyone makes mistakes. They deserve a chance to correct their mistake. Contact them through their website, or by calling them, their phone number should be on the receipt, or you can get it off their website.

Either in writing or on the phone, explain the situation clearly and politely. Do not be beligerant, and don't assume anyone was trying to rip you off. They may ask for a copy of the receipt, or an accounting of what you bought and a copy of your credit card statement. It is acceptable to black out all info on the statement except what applies to identifying you and your card, and that one purchase.

Note down who you talked to, when, and what their proposed resolution was, and give them a chance to follow through. If they do not, contact them again, and I don't mean six hours later. Give them a few days, it's only polite, and they have many cons on their schedule.

If they do not give you a proper resolution, contact your card issuer or bank, and ask for their dispute procedures. In the case of being overcharged, they should be able to assist you, but it is dependant on the card issuer's policy. In most cases, a dispute requires proof that you attempted to work things out with the merchant before contacting your bank, that's why you must keep notes of what you did to correct the situation, and who you spoke to about it.

Never accept a loss unless you've tried to fix things! And if the merchant does correct things, please post here so that everyone can know how your problem worked out. It's only fair to the dealer if they made things right! 8)

Onipuck · Post by **Onipuck** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 10:01 am

Personally, I'd liked it if the dealers stocked more Sailor moon merchandise, or at least, Sailor Mars stuff.
It's a pain in the arse to hunt that stuff down, I'm just lucky I found a guy with a storage bin full of Sailor Moon plushies.

stardust462 · Post by **stardust462** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 10:22 am

[quote=Aurabolt]I understand the reason many businesses want to enforce a (usually) $10+ minimum for card holders but not everyone with plastic that says Master Card/Visa/etc. is actually using a credit card. My bank issues Debt Cards with the Master Card Logo on it for example.[/quote]
I'm pretty sure the company is still charged by MasterCard or Visa for using their services if it's a debit card. It just has the money deducted from a bank account instead of a credit card account.

I would have liked to see more bento boxes and supplies. Wizzywig and Happy Japan weren't there and they usually have a lot.

Aurabolt · Post by **Aurabolt** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:08 pm

[quote=Estarose][quote=Jezzy][quote=Estarose]Do NOT charge more to use credit cards. My friends and I were going to buy T-shirts at a stand but they charged three dollars more if you used a card. I'm positive this is against the merchant agreement.

Same with minimum purchase on buying something. I believe the law is now that the minimum purchase must be $10 or less but a $20 minimum is not okay.[/quote]
They can't have a minimum purchase. Period. If you point this out, many recant (I confronted a dealer about it a couple years ago, and was able to go through my transaction).

Remember, dealers want sales. If you tell them their unethical taxing/fees will lose them a sale, there's a chance they'll surrender.

Also, I think AB should put this - what the state tax is, no minimum purchase fudgery - in their contract with the dealers. It may curtail such things in the future.[/quote]

Well, I think very recently the law was changed that the minimum can be $10 or less. There doesn't have to be a minimum, but if there is then it must be $10 or less. Might not have actually happened yet but I believe it has.
[/quote]

Nope. I live in Boston and I do watch this area of business VERY closely. I'd know if this kind of thing changed.

Seriously all you had to do is walk into any store or restaurant in the PRU and as the cashier/owner. They'd tell you without blinking.

And as someone mentioned this should be included in the agreement for dealers if they want more customers next year. No one should feel they have to spend $20 or even $10 just for one item that costs far less.

...As for the issue of bootlegging: I went with a friend who is an expert in spotting bootlegs in the Dealer's Room. There were none. Trust me the dealers aren't dumb enough to try to sell bootlegs KNOWING there are a combination of Boston Police and other dealers walking around.

Yammark · Post by **Yammark** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:14 pm

I didnt have much to spend, although the dealers room was still kinda cool this year, last year was when things were pumpin' in the house(room)!
I dunno if it was the selection or what... errmm... I thought it was awesome that last years room had so much music and new video games u could play...

ErinErin · Post by **ErinErin** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:53 pm

[quote=Aurabolt][quote=Estarose]

Well, I think very recently the law was changed that the minimum can be $10 or less. There doesn't have to be a minimum, but if there is then it must be $10 or less. Might not have actually happened yet but I believe it has.
[/quote]

Nope. I live in Boston and I do watch this area of business VERY closely. I'd know if this kind of thing changed.

Seriously all you had to do is walk into any store or restaurant in the PRU and as the cashier/owner. They'd tell you without blinking.

And as someone mentioned this should be included in the agreement for dealers if they want more customers next year. No one should feel they have to spend $20 or even $10 just for one item that costs far less.

...As for the issue of bootlegging: I went with a friend who is an expert in spotting bootlegs in the Dealer's Room. There were none. Trust me the dealers aren't dumb enough to try to sell bootlegs KNOWING there are a combination of Boston Police and other dealers walking around.

[/quote]

You're example of asking mall retailers doesn't really apply since the majority of those stores are chains owned by large companies that can afford to eat the credit card processing fees. You really only see the min. purchase requirement in small businesses that may not do many credit card sales. I know my company is a pretty big corporation but we still lose money on all of our credit card transactions. It'd be good to know exactly what the law is though, I'm going to try and research it today.

As for the dealers knowing the tax/credit card rules, most likely they were informed. A lot of the dealers are at multiple events like AB each year, all in different locations. I can say from experience, the retail and sales tax laws vary greatly from state to state. It's possible that a dealer (or one of their employees) wasn't familiar enough with MA rules or just forgot. Usually a cash register/computer system would take care of these rules for the seller, but at an event like AB's dealers' room, its not always feasable to setup a sytem like that.

Jezzy · Post by **Jezzy** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 1:30 pm

[quote=Aurabolt]
...As for the issue of bootlegging: I went with a friend who is an expert in spotting bootlegs in the Dealer's Room. There were none. Trust me the dealers aren't dumb enough to try to sell bootlegs KNOWING there are a combination of Boston Police and other dealers walking around.
[/quote]
Are you sure? There was a dealer on the outer rim of the first room that had GIGANTIC plushies with the same head shape and same-looking material as bootlegs.

I've caught dealers selling bootlegs before, and even when I brought it to the attention of the staff, they gave my friend her money back, but they didn't even tell the dealer to remove the product or shut down. Given the fact that right in Boston we have a store that, last I was there about 2 years ago, unabashedly sells bootleg plushies and CDs, and we had QQ Toys in the SSP, simply having police around does squat. The only time they'd care is if they were told about how toxic the materials are.

Also: http://www.bbb.org/boston/business-revi ... cards--28/
http://boston.bbb.org/article/bbb-warns ... tract-8290

dstnyskr · Post by **dstnyskr** » Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:19 pm

well I know in one booth I stumbled upon there was some really over priced items.I had walked into one Japanese/Chinese type booth with alot of "traditional" type outfits and I saw this lacey corset dress.........as I remember it was priced at $85! :/ you could get the same one for $15 on ebay

DangerousDreams · Post by **DangerousDreams** » Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:40 pm

One thing I didn't like is a lot of attention being paid to me until I'm actually sure I want to buy something. If you start talking about the item or something, or get into a conversation about the item with me, it makes me feel uncomfortable if I'm not going to purchase it.
Also, it's great when prices are posted CLEARLY because there's nothing worse than having to ask a dealer how much something costs, then having to walk away because you don't want to pay that much. It makes me feel really guilty and uncomfortable, and leaves both the customer and dealer feeling a bit awkward, I think.
Also, the taxes. Some booths already had it added onto the price, some didn't. Some were using a different tax percent than MA. It was really confusing, and if there was some way to make it uniform, that'd be great.
Other than that, everything was handled really well in the Dealers' Room this year.

Sayoria · Post by **Sayoria** » Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:46 pm

There was a booth that wanted $20+ purchases for cards. If I didn't actually have the cash on me for the plushie I wanted, I wouldn't have bought it. A sale is a sale.

Also, yes, make sure everything is properly labeled. Too many things this year weren't even labeled with a price tag. I remember my friend getting a 5 dollar keychain. He eventually lost it, and when he went back for another, they jacked the price up to 8 dollars, and claimed it was always an 8 dollar keychain. Yeah, that wasn't good.

DrakaDark · Post by **DrakaDark** » Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:48 pm

[quote=dstnyskr]well I know in one booth I stumbled upon there was some really over priced items.I had walked into one Japanese/Chinese type booth with alot of "traditional" type outfits and I saw this lacey corset dress.........as I remember it was priced at $85! :/ you could get the same one for $15 on ebay [/quote]
If there were Kimonos $85 is actually the right price for it.
I do think there where lots of items over priced and on Sunday a few items I'd ask amount on Friday and Saturday had jumped up in price by $10-15.
A few items where over priced that originally on the dealers site was cheaper, that I didn't like.
A few cosplay items were completely over priced like the Jounin vest from naruto. Its was between $55-60 when u could get it for $20 less online.

fuyuzora · Post by **fuyuzora** » Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:26 am

I would love to see some soundtrack CDs next year! I noticed that some of the dealers' websites listed OSTs, but I didn't find any when I looked at their booths. I don't know if there are rules against importing CDs, but it's frustrating having to pay a lot of money online, plus shipping and handling...

Aurabolt · Post by **Aurabolt** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 1:22 pm

Really?

I bought the Soundtrack CD for Death Note, Noein and Bleach at the Anime Warehouse Booth (That's the name of the banner I saw anyways).

They said there were 2 others booths selling Anime OSTs but I didn't look around after I bought thoser three.