Questions from a Artist Alley Newbie

[orangedude210]

Hey all you wonderful Anime Boston people! My friend and I are hoping to get a table at Artist Alley at AB 2015 (giving us plenty of time to build up stock). We've never done anything like this before so I've got a few questions. I'd really appreciate some insight from you tried-and-true Artist Alley veterans!

1) Do you find that small freebies (with your logo / web address) helps increase online sales?

2) What's the best price-range for easy sales (what do you find people are willing to spend without thinking too much about price?)

3) About how much stock do you suggest bringing for the convention?

4) What are some "must brings" in terms of tools or equipment for the convention?

5) What do you wish you'd have known for your first year selling at a convention? Any tips, or bits of advice you think we should know?


I really appreciate any and all information that you Artist Alley Experts are willing to give me! Thank you, and God bless!

[Kogarashi]

For a start, you can check out the Beginner's Guide here: http://www.animeboston.com/artists/arti ... ner_guide/

As for price ranges, I find that things $5 and under are more likely to sell as "impulse purchases" because they're usually low enough for people to justify spending. Make sure it's something worth it, though. Don't undersell yourself.

[KatrinaDraws]

Last year was my first year, but I did well and learned a lot, let me see if I can help you some!

1. N/A - I did have business cards and a lot of people took them, but it seems to have had little effect in traffic

2. I feel like $5 and under might be the magic number. $10 and under is good too. Those ranges work well for trinkets and buttons and key chains…that sort of thing(especially if they are a thing you can make quickly…you don't want to undercharge for something that takes a lot of work!). If you have nice art prints, you probably don't want to be careful about pricing them too low unless they are extremely small!

3. This is tough. People told me a lot before I started that I wouldn't know what my best and worst sellers would be, and they weren't kidding. I actually asked about this last year and got a very good answer. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16253
I would say I sold…around 5 of most of my prints? There were a few really popular ones where I sold 13 or so. Some sold none at all.
With my buttons, I sold around 5-10 of most. Very few sold 1 or 0, and like two really popular ones sold around 30-40(I just kept making more as needed). I know when i was starting last year I was frustrated because I just wanted some actual numbers from people to compare to, so hopefully is this helpful to you!

4. The beginners guide on the Anime Boston website covers this extensively. You should read it multiple times. It was a godsend to me last year.
Other than the things on their list, I think it's important to have extra pens and pencils around because they get lost in the shuffle easily. Extra scissors and tape is good too because it seems everyone will need them at the same time and no one will know where they got put. Aside from small bills to make change from your cash box, it's helpful to have plenty of small bills with you so you can give your friends money to get you some food/water/etc. DO NOT FORGET TRASH BAGS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE AT YOUR TABLE. You will be astounded at how much trash you make and how much you have nowhere to put it.

5. A few things!
+If you are going to do commissions, do some practice ones and time yourself to see how long it takes you. It can get really stressful really quickly if you take on too many, and it makes it hard to do your best job possible on them. Having a solid idea how much handle before hand is extremely valuable. What I really wish I had done was a timed practice in a busy environment with a lot of interruptions. It was tough getting my last few commissions done on time because I didn't account at all for the fact that didn't have the luxury of an environment where I could focus at the con.

+The beginners guide mentions setting a goal of having everything totally done at least two weeks before the convention, but I want to stress that sticking to a goal like this is important. I had multiple con prep mishaps(mostly to the tune of printing issues) and I would have been in trouble if I didn't have that buffer.

+If you can, do take advantage of Thursday night set up. We waited until Friday morning and we felt rushed and tired. Basically, it was a stress that could have been easily avoided!

+With how busy things can get, it's possible to up feeling stressed or overwhelmed. It's important to take a lot of short breaks to clear your mind and do nothing for a few minutes. Surround yourself with friends and assistants who bring positive energy. If you bring someone really tense with you, it'll make everything you have to do more tense than it needs to be. It's most important to relax and have fun!

[orangedude210]

Thank you both so much! I'll be going over the AB Artist Alley FAQ and Beginners Guide some more, and starting my planning!

Thanks again!!!