>>7399360Faggots like
>>7399216 that think retail price is wobbewy really grind my gears.
A table can cost anywhere from $50 to $5000.
At the low end are local cons run by comics shop that go 4 hours in a fire hall or school gym. No guests, no panels, and no advertisement besides telling the regulars. Last of those I went to, I did ~$250 in sales because there was very little competition for toys.
Most shows I see here are $100-$250 for 2 days. For me, this is more towards Philadelphia. Close enough to drive out at 4AM Saturday morning but far enough I need a hotel room for the night. A tank of gas is half the cost of a room but wear/tear is not free.
NJCC goes from $140 to $250. ZoloCon, where the asses make you set up on Friday and incur another day of hotel, goes from $250 to $470. Both are tiny sub-100 table shows, too small for anybody to come both days. Also assuming you load your own truck. If you rent it or a trailer, there's still more costs.
Bigger shows like Steel City Con are 3 days and have retarded day-early setup. I bailed years ago, but when I did go I stayed with my brother to save costs. If I went now, it'd cost me $600-700. ToyCon in NJ starts at $300 too. Costs escalate very quickly! Multi-day shows are a plague...they never deliver double the sales but always double and triple costs.
I won't do a con that costs me more than ~$200 between the table and hotel. Here's why:
ZoloCon, I sold $100. NJCC, between $250 and $400. Steel City, between $300 and $1100. On toys I had a 10% margin at best. None of those shows ever allowed me to pay for my table. Can't lower prices fast enough to increase velocity.
A good Retro show I shoot for $700-$900. I've walked out of there with enough profit to buy a pizza. I like that show and the people that run it. But it's not really a cash cow.
Don't even get me started about branded ComicCons and Otakon where a table is 4 figures. Otakon has traffic. Baltimore CC, not so much.
