Does anyone sell at sports card or other hobby shows? I’m curious if it’s worth my time. Besides your sought after cards I was considering things like 4 card play sets, the extras that come in ebb’s, pins and other random Pokemon stuff. In addition I was thinking something like $1 or $2 Ex, Gx, Vmax boxes(my LGS sells these for $2) , $0.5 holo or reverse holo, maybe 20 for a $1 bulk box. I have about 5-6 sports shows a year near me and was wondering if it’s be worth the trouble of further developing a plan and trying it out. If you have experiences to share it would be appreciated. Thanks.
Would selling $1 cards be enough for you to pay for the price of the table at the show?
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Im not one whose ever done this myself, as I dont have nearly enough items id like to sell to do such a thing, but theres a bunch of people here who could probably chime in better than myself. However i can say that if you can rent the floor space for a decent price and make the time worth that money put into being there, then it might be a fun idea for you.
One thing I would like to add is from the perspective of someone who might be going to a show such as this, id be most interested at adding cards into my collection that are id say are bigger as opposed to bulk things I could get from an LGS or places like troll and toad or tcg player online. I feel that events such as this are usually filled with sellers that have a ton of sealed items to buy, graded cards, and then some fun odds and ends of course too with the first two aspects being the main attraction to ones store front. If just going with tons of bulk items, im not sure if thatd really be something to entice anyone to come over to make enough worth your time, but then again you never know.
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Give it a shot. It’s pretty cheap. Then you’ll have a better idea if it’s worth it to give it another go.
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Thanks for the input, I see what your saying about the $1 cards and bulk stuff, there’s probably a lot of it. I’m guessing to cover gas and a table I’d probably need to sell $100 to break even.
I think your right though, I probably need more variety than some popular singles and a bunch of cheaper cards. I think my goal would be to have 100 or more raw singles, 25 to 50 graded for a small display case. I’d like to have at least 500 in the $1 to $2 range, a 2 row box of $0.25 to $0.50, or a 2 row box of each, and a 5 row box of bulk. I’ll also have about 25 various items.
I know it’s not much but from what I understand it’s a small show.Hoping to check it out this week to see what it’s all about.
For those that purchase cheaper bulk cards at shows. Do you find it easier to find what your looking for if they are sorted by set, or you really don’t care?
First Off, In-Person Events are a BLAST!!! Putting the sales and purchases aside for a moment, it’s just fun to connect with other collectors and talk about the hobby with different people who you wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to meet and/or talk too. I’ve met (and kept in-touch with) a lot of people that I’ve met at these types of events. Plus, if you have an online presence (Business, YT Channel, IG Account…), these types of events are GREAT for gaining further exposure and more followers across whichever platform(s)!
Now, from a business perspective, this is going to depend upon the type of event that you’re attending… Obviously, from a cost perspective, local events are going to be a lot cheaper to attend than events that are far away (flights, hotels, shipping inventory…). If you’re thinking of a smaller, local event; I would definitely take a drive to check it out before committing to anything - check-out what kind of turnout they’re getting as well as what the majority of vendors have available / are selling (don’t be afraid to start conversations and ask how Pokemon Sales are). Being a vendor myself at a few events, this is a very common question that people ask!
Personally, I’ve never been to a local event; so, I don’t have any experience in that regard. I’ve only been to Collect-A-Con and Collector’s Con. Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast and a kind of mini-vacation; but, Collector’s Con was an absolute waste of time from a business perspective! However, it was a mainly Sports Cards Show and Pokemon Sales were VERY SLOW for everyone that I talked too. Collect-A-Con on the other hand… Now, that’s the event you want to attend as a Pokemon Seller (and I am in no way connected or affiliated with them)!
From an inventory perspective, I had to fly and stay in a hotel for all of these events; so, my initial cost-basis was fairly high! And, in-order to make the trip worthwhile, I needed to maximize sales as well as table space - you only have a very limited amount of space at these events and tables fill-up a lot quicker than you probably think (that was the case for me at-least)! So, I brought Graded Cards, Sealed Product, and a few Single Cards ($5-$25 Range). I do think that it’s important to have a wide variety of inventory available for all budgets; however, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend having majority of low-end single-cards outside of a local show where you’re really only having to pay for the tables. Majority of my sales at these events have been Graded Cards and Sealed Product with the occasional $5-$10 Sale.
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Different shows have different audiences. So you are best off trying out different things and finding what matches your niche. I have vended live shows for about 5 years now and here are my best pieces of advice:
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Don’t blow your budget on fancy food and accommodations. Too many people splurge on the hotel, the food, the flight, etc. and then complain that they didn’t make enough money. You did, you just spent it.
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Bring what people want to BUY not what you want to SELL. Filling your table with your inventory that hasn’t sold on eBay is a horrific strategy and it backfires on newb sellers at shows a lot. If you’re not bringing anything unique, why would you be rewarded in a room with a high concentration of people in the same niche?
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Experienced vendors make their show money buying, not selling. Come loaded with cash. There are some dealers that literally do not sell at shows. Only buy. It’s your chance to actually talk someone into selling you something. A strong cash offer in person is a rare opportunity in Pokemon. Shows make it real.
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B2B is a honey hole. Make sure you’re looking at what everyone else is selling. I’ve bought thousands of singles to grade at shows. I’ve purchased entire vendors (Someone didn’t seem excited to be there, I chatted with them for 30 minutes, then offered to cash them out of 100% of their inventory right there for 50% and they took it). And the connections help you continue to harvest immaterial gains over time.
Overall, I think shows, when done right, are a complex but effective piece of a total selling strategy. The cost of attending and what you sell is an oversimplification of the math that should be done. But I think it’s telling that a lot of the most influential, high-revenue, legacy dealers in the TCG world attend several shows a year.
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@funmonkey54, @oldskoolpokemon,
Thanks for the advice.
I defiantly want to attend the local show’s once or twice to get a feel for things. From what I’ve read it sounds like a smaller show and has a lot of the same venders. I think they host it quarterly.
I’d like one day attend some of the bigger shows, but that would be in a buyer capacity only most likely. I think it would be a great chance to network, but more importantly a chance to make some new friends.
While I don’t currently don’t have a social media presence when it comes to Pokemon. I have built a presence for my other hobby (Lego). I’ve just collected Pokemon up until this point. I’ve considered getting into selling several times over the last few years, I just haven’t yet. At some point I’ll probably start at Facebook, FB, IG and Youtube, it’s just a lot of work
Thanks again for the suggestions, they are greatly appreciated.
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You can also bring your items and not buy a table and just offer it to other people walking around or with a table. nothing to lose but time.
I would gladly sell at shows, if we had any. 
Just a heads up that backpack vending will get you kicked out of a lot of shows. Shows are very, very expensive to put together and a part of that cost is covered by vendors who pay to attend and do business. In return, many shows will enforce their vendors right to sell at the show to the public. I’ve known a half dozen people at least that were removed from Pokemon Regional/State events for backpack vending.
Definitely do business with the people at the tables! Lots of ways to work the room still.
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@funmonkey54, my b wasn’t aware. This is good to know.
I’m looking to try having a table at my town local summer flea market and I’m excited at the prospect of it. Hopefully I’m free that day though lol
I have yet to vend at a TCG event but I’ve vended at local swap meet/flea markets for several years just selling odds and ends from storage unit buys.
My biggest tip would be to make people feel welcome at your booth. Whether that’s just asking how someone’s day has been or even just a friendly smile, it breaks the awkwardness.
Additionally post prices on your items! No one wants to ask how much everything is.
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What are good shows in the New England area? Most of the shows that I’ve seen are down in TX, FL and some in CA. Are there any that are within driving distance of MA?