Old one is auto-saging: >>9141530 >Resources (brok

>>9153766
You forgot to name the thread, Corky.

From the previous thread

Is there a reputable alibaba vendor for washi tape? I was going to pick whatever vendor with no minimum order qty but would like to know if there is a vendor that most people uses like vograce.

>>9153788
ugh, I did. I blame Monday mornings.

Do you have to set up your lanyard files in a certain way to make sure the pattern is not upside down? Can someone please help me? I asked an alibaba vendor but they're not understanding my question.

>>9153866
Hey, could you add double sided clear charms to your Vograce Charm Types google doc? I'm worried that if the designs for both sides aren't the same, the different colors/lines will be visible through the white layer.

>>9154067
I didn't get a sample of their double-sided clear. I can add that they offer it though if that's what you want?

>>9154071
Yea that would be great!

Looks like it's my turn to be the annoying anon asking a hundred shitty questions about baby's first AA.

I'm planning on doing a small con and only offering buttons, stickers, and charms. I sew bjd clothing, but I doubt I'd get any sales for them at a small event.

> How do you feel about artists who don't offer any prints?

> If you bring expensive items like button machines, display bjds/monitors/gashapons, computers/POS electronics, how do you prevent theft?

> Do you worry about theft when your booth includes bins full of your products for customers to dig around in? Do you prefer to keep your product behind your booth and get items yourself for your customers?

> Do you like to invest in your own machines to create your products (sticker printers, button machines, printmaking supplies, sewing machines), or do you like to outsource? How do you feel your choice affects your bottom line?

> How much cash do you keep on hand and in what denominations? Is your booth cash/card/check only?

> What are your personal pet peeves about interactions with the other AA artists? How do you wish artists would behave?

> How do you like to package your products?

>>9154108
> How do you feel about artists who don't offer any prints?
Less competition for me, more variety for the customer.
Cons with too many print artists tend to intimidate attendees with giant poster walls, and the tables begin to all blur together.

>If you bring expensive items [...], how do you prevent theft?
Bigger items? Just stay attentative and keep things in your line of sight. I can't imagine anyone trying to walk off with a monitor or a gachapon machine, from a small 6ft long table. Smaller and more obscure items, consider a display case if you're really concerned.

>Do you worry about theft when your booth includes bins full of your products for customers to dig around in?
Bins will always be the risky choice. Riskier in the dealer's hall, but the danger still exists. I would always prefer to have stock behind the table.

> Do you like to invest in your own machines to create your products [...], or do you like to outsource?
Things that would take longer to outsource, but I am able to do with my resources, I will do in house.
The only times I outsource are when they're something I can't feasibly make myself (cosmetic bags, mouse pads), or when they have an extremely quick turnover (I get prints from a local store, which has a 24hr turnover at no extra charge.)
I like it because it gives me extra control over my stock. I also get a lot of resources through my university, so I don't feel like it really impacts my costs.

> How much cash do you keep on hand and in what denominations? Is your booth cash/card/check only?
Please never take check; that's an incredibly easy way to get ripped off, since they'll be long gone before you can verify it's valid.
Usually $100 in cash, $50 in ones and $50 in fives.

>How do you like to package your products?
I'm pretty plain, and generally just use normal clear bags, but I'm going to be trying out a new milk carton shaped lucky bag at San Japan!

How much should I charge for international shipping? First class international package (NOT envelop because I heard it's only for letters and documents) roughly varies from 7-16. Is 14 usd flat rate reasonable?

>>9154082
will do when I get home from work. I have a friend that did some double-sided clear, I can ask them if they're cool with me using their keychain as an example photo.

>>9154108
I'll bite. I'm bored at work waiting for some reviews.

>> How do you feel about artists who don't offer any prints?

Doesn't matter to me but make sure to have enough stock to fill the table. What bothers me the most is someone who has a table but only 3-4 items on a 6ft table.

>> If you bring expensive items like button machines, display bjds/monitors/gashapons, computers/POS electronics, how do you prevent theft?

I would take things like that back with me to the hotel room/home every night. Better safe than sorry.
For stock items on the table I just place an extra tablecloth over the table and keep extra stock in the luggage under the table.

>> Do you worry about theft when your booth includes bins full of your products for customers to dig around in? Do you prefer to keep your product behind your booth and get items yourself for your customers?

I would, but I've seen friends burned too many times by theft. I see button people with the dividers just on the table for customers to rummage around in which seems way too easy to pocket one. I've made displays of my buttons and keychains so if a customer wants something I'll grab it from behind the table.

>>9154108
continued:

>> Do you like to invest in your own machines to create your products (sticker printers, button machines, printmaking supplies, sewing machines), or do you like to outsource? How do you feel your choice affects your bottom line?

I bought a button maker because I hated having to do a set amount and this way I can make as many or as few as I want. I outsource when I'm trying a new product or I just can't afford the machine.

>> How much cash do you keep on hand and in what denominations? Is your booth cash/card/check only?

My booth is cash/credit only. How much float depends on the size of the con. Large con I take $200 float, smaller con $75-100.

>> What are your personal pet peeves about interactions with the other AA artists? How do you wish artists would behave?

Not a huge fan of neighbour artists that talk shit about other artists and won't stop talking when I'm dealing with customers. Try not to borrow too many things. A pen is fine, but asking for all of my snacks is a bother. And don't walk away from your booth a lot and ask your neighbours to take care of your booth. It's not their responsibility.

>> How do you like to package your products?

Depends on the product.
For buttons, stickers, and charms you can see about selling packs with cardboard backing, sell them loose in a small bag you can get from dollarstores, or just hand them to the customer.

>>9154108

>> How do you feel about artists who don't offer any prints?
It's a breath of air between print wall after print wall. Just make sure you fill up your table space or do something to make it stand out. I've seen congoers totally ignore tables that just have their products placed on the tabletop.

>> If you bring expensive items how do you prevent theft?
Depends on the con, some I trust more with their security. I usually try to be one of the last to leave, but I haven't had any thefts as far. I lock up everything in a suitcase with a combination lock.

>> Do you worry about theft when your booth includes bins full of your products for customers to dig around in?
I used to have bins but I switched to keeping stock behind the table mostly because it was easier to keep track of how many buttons I have left. I feel like it's easier to get what they want that way if you have a lot of designs.

>> Do you like to invest in your own machines to create your products or do you like to outsource?
I've invested in a button machine, no need for ordering a set number of designs and I can control how much I stock I have. I used to print my own stickers but I found the quality and longevity are a lot nicer if you get them done at a company. Same with charms.

>>9154168

>> How much cash do you keep on hand and in what denominations? Is your booth cash/card/check only?
$50 in 5's and 1's is usually enough as long as someone doesn't try to pay with a $100 bill the first few hours. I do take card, I feel like it helps get the extra sales. Don't bother with checks.

>> What are your personal pet peeves about interactions with the other AA artists?
Haven't had anything too bad since most of the time I table next to friends. But I've had neighbors that were extremely messy where their stuff would be strewn about under and behind their table like a trash heap. Another thing is that if you are playing music be considerate of the people around you, not everyone will like to enjoy the same songs for hours.

>> How do you like to package your products?
Charms I just have in a small plastic bag that they came in. I also carry small zip bags if people are buying a lot of buttons, and sleeves for prints.

Is pmx really as bad as people say?

>>9154211
Last year was particularly bad because they changed the venue, changed the date, and completely shut out any ghosters. Previous years were better, but PMX has always been mainly a lolita con.

>>9154217
I wasn't aware of that. I don't think I have any merch that would appeal to lolitas...

How do you guys feel about trying to get rid of older prints, but your art has improved since then so they would look older than your newer work? Anatomy's not an issue for me, but my overall digital technique and handling has improved.

>>9154108
>What are your personal pet peeves about interactions with the other AA artists? How do you wish artists would behave?
Basic consideration and etiquette. Last con I went to, the table behind me (the artists and their helpers) kept taking up the whole aisle space to the point they would push their chairs back against my and another artist's table. They were literally sitting next to me with their chairs facing the opposite way.

Another pet peeve is that I understand that facing extra prints the opposite direction of your table direction helps attract more customers, but it's terribly rude to the artists behind you.

>>9154231
Older or imperfect merch = grab bags.

>>9154241
Even for 11x17 prints? What if buyers aren't interested in the series?

>>9154231
I'd put them at a discount

>>9154108
>How do you feel about artists who don't offer any prints?
Since I don't offer any prints, I don't really care. I try to have an interesting display to make up for having smaller items though.

>If you bring expensive items like button machines, display bjds/monitors/gashapons, computers/POS electronics, how do you prevent theft?
I don't have any yet but there's a gacha machine on the way and I'm just going to keep an eye on it.


> Do you worry about theft when your booth includes bins full of your products for customers to dig around in? Do you prefer to keep your product behind your booth and get items yourself for your customers?
I am a paranoid bitch so everything is behind the table. Even the display buttons are glued down. So far I haven't had any theft and I hope it stays that way. I also pack up my display each night- since it's easy to dismantle and set up it only takes me some 15 minutes, and I feel a lot safer since the AAs are very lax about security.


> How much cash do you keep on hand and in what denominations? Is your booth cash/card/check only?
I take 10 fives, 10 tens and about 50 ones. I accept cash and cards, nothing else (someone once legit tried to pay me in ratty Pokemon cards once, it took a long time for them to understand that it wasn't going to happen, and I've had really irritating weebs try to get free pity/birthday/'hugs as payment' stuff...).

> What are your personal pet peeves about interactions with the other AA artists? How do you wish artists would behave?
No loud music, for fucks' sake. No screeching or moe flailing or ear-shattering moe shrieks or, God forbid, calling friends over to crowd around your table- and therefore mine- and talk for hours.
Also, don't ask to borrow things a million times.

> How do you like to package your products?
Plushes just go in a bag. Lucky bags are paper bags or little cake boxes if they have fragile items. Everything else goes in a paper bag with handles.

Anyone tabled at MCM London or any other UK cons and can tell their experience? I'm thinking of tabling and would like to know generally what to expect

Since a couple people mentioned print walls being intimidating or boring, what helps to mitigate that, especially for people who only have 2D art? Is it mainly an issue of poor, uninspired table layout? Are displays of small accessories (stickers, charms, pins, etc) effective in breaking up the monotony, or are larger items (bags, apparel, gacha machines?) necessary to do that?

>>9154310
I honestly think its better to have a smaller display of select prints and then folders for people to flip through, rather than being like OMG I HAVE TO DISPLAY ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING I HAVE. You just need to catch people's eye enough for them to walk over. Small accessories are enough if you do that.

>>9154251
make sure you advertise that it's random what you receive (or do grabbags that are themed to a series, if you have enough merch for that?) ? Just make sure to list that you don't do refunds/exchanges on grab bags.

>>9153766
can you fix the resources link

That you anon for the tip on Paypals secret shipping. I've gotten so many more sales from international buyers and somehow my packages are taking half the time to ship even though it's still USPS.

>>9154443
If you don't mind sharing, what's the tip? I'd like to know too.

>>9154464
Make sure you're already logged into PayPal and go here

https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_ship-now

I think it's first class international and large enveloce that will give you super cheap shipping if your item is only 1 or 2 oz. At fiat I was worried because I pack some pins in small jewellery boxes and they aren't flat. But it seems as long as it's in a padded envelope and in the weight limit it will ship

>>9154477
Thanks! I also found it in the archive and I'm glad to see that bubble mailers work with this method.

>>9154108
I'm still fairly new to AA (as an artist/seller) so take this with a grain of salt. (1/2)
>> How do you feel about artists who don't offer any prints?
Depends on the type of art you're making. Obviously, crafters aren't going to need prints. I think prints are good to have but what's really going to help boost sales is variety. Customers like to have options.

>> If you bring expensive items like button machines, display bjds/monitors/gashapons, computers/POS electronics, how do you prevent theft?
I don't have any super expensive things (well, now I have a Square reader so that'll be for the next con) but it's common sense. Lock up expensive items or take them with you, honestly. Most AA's lock up once the Alley is closed but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

>> Do you worry about theft when your booth includes bins full of your products for customers to dig around in? Do you prefer to keep your product behind your booth and get items yourself for your customers?
I've never been a fan of bins like that just because I think it's tacky but that's only my opinion. I don't think anybody is going to steal anything while you're there and you shouldn't leave your booth unattended while the Alley is open (if you can help it). I wouldn't worry too much there.

>>9154108
(2/2)
>> Do you like to invest in your own machines to create your products (sticker printers, button machines, printmaking supplies, sewing machines), or do you like to outsource? How do you feel your choice affects your bottom line?
I make my own stickers and eventually I want to get a high enough quality printer to make my own prints. It's not always necessary but I feel I invested with my Cameo and that now I can recoup that money faster. I order my prints and buttons because I don't make many of them so it's not super expensive. There are some things that you have to get made by a third party (patches, charms, metal pins, etc).

>> How much cash do you keep on hand and in what denominations? Is your booth cash/card/check only?
$150 at my last con. Mostly 1's and 5's and a few tens. Like I mentioned earlier, I have a Square reader now to accept cards. I missed out on a sale at my first con because the girl didn't have any more cash and wanted to use her card so I decided to just get a card reader.

>> What are your personal pet peeves about interactions with the other AA artists? How do you wish artists would behave?
I honestly haven't had any bad experiences selling but shopping I've had people be standoffish or pay more attention to their friends behind the booth than the people browsing their products. It's rude. At least acknowledge that someone is there and smile.

>> How do you like to package your products?
I've been thinking about custom packaging for my stickers and buttons. I have no idea where to get anything made though (if anyone knows, I'm all for suggestions!). I'm making magnets now too so it would be nice to have those packaged as well.

>>9154355
Have you actually done both? I can tell you for a fact that if you're print oriented "small display with portfolio" is the worst advice ever. But go ahead and create less competition for me.

>>9154477
If you want to do flat-rate, would $8 be more than enough to cover any international shipping?

>>9154653
Right? A lot of people don't flip through the portfolios at all. And if you're at a big con with high traffic, they don't have the ability to stop and browse at your table without causing traffic congestion. Most congoers I've seen make impulse buys based on what they can see. If they're interested in a certain series or character after seeing something on display, they MAY ask me if I have any other characters from the same series.

So I've been tabling for a couple of years now and for the first year or so I know I definitely saw a steady increase in how much I made thru cons, as figured out what did and didn't work. My art has also increased in quality, so I'm not worried there, but I'm hitting a problem that I don't know what to do with: I'll have an item which will sell wildly at one con, and then not at all at the next. But then a con or two down the line, it's selling again like hotcakes. This seems to be happening more or less across the board with my inventory. I realize Every Con Is Different, but I'm not sure what to do, and it's become difficult to assess what is and isn't working with regards to my stock.

Has anyone else encountered something like this? What's everyone's method, in general, with regards to predicting sales?

>>9154684
Another anon adding in that a lot of congoers are socially awkward or have some form of social anxiety, so the idea of flipping through a portfolio while the artist is watching them is going to make them uncomfortable (especially if they end up not interested in any print inside the portfolio) enough that some maybe dissuaded enough from even approaching the portfolio.

>>9154689
Can you narrow it down to what the common factor is when the print sells well? Maybe some of your prints are doing well at small cons versus large cons, or maybe at cons in certain geographic regions?

>>9154718
I was thinking it could also be related to panel/video room content at particular cons as well.

>>9154689
If you've been doing it a few years now have you plugged all your data into a spreadsheet so you can graph by both con and fandom?

>>9154653
I have and I'm mostly a prints artist (some small merch and other 2d stuff, like artbooks, zines, bookmarks etc) I did huge print walls for my first four years of cons and I switched to portfolios for the past three and it's either helped sales or had a neutral effect (while taking up a lot less space and being less of a hassle to set up). I do tend to sell at more art-focused/indie/comic conventions and marketplaces than anime cons, though, so it could be different there.
But go ahead and be salty about someone having a different advertising manner than you....?

How much would you charge for 3inch clear double sided keychains from vograce?

For anons who've used stickeryou before, is there a way to have your uploaded images scale to size when you're organizing them on the pages? I resized my stickers to be 2" in Photoshop, but uploading it on stickeryou makes it 6" by default. All my sticker designs use the same line width so I want to keep it consistent and it's a pain trying to resize everything manually. Am I just doing something wrong?

>>9154947
Disclaimer, I haven't ordered through StickerYou myself, but I've researched it a lot as the place I would like to use.

If you set your files to 96 dpi instead of 300, they'll be sized correctly on the stickeryou creator. This random ass number is weird as fuck considering they need your files to be at least 150dpi to print clearly.

If you want your files to be exactly perfect, you can always set them up manually yourself instead of using the sticker sheet wizard to do it for you. It appears that if you manually set up your own files, you can even have full bleed printing with your stickers. Which is cool. Details:
> http://www.stickeryou.com/2/about-stickeryou/setting-up-custom-files

>>9154653
>>9154845
>no one is allowed to have different displays than what I personally prefer!

>>9154901
your manufacturer doesn't really matter unless you're really set on doing the whole 3x cost of manufacture....? market value for 2inch + charms rn is around $15-20.

>>9154968
not the anon you're replying to but this is super useful info, thank you!

>>9154845
>>9155002
Didn't say that no one was allowed to. In fact i believe i said go ahead and stick to portfolios. Just wanted anon to have another point of view instead of that weird "omg walls are awful" thing crafters like to push on AANI lol.

>>9154425
not sure who made it, so I'm still listing it in hopes the anon will find this and fix it for us.

>>9155100
I made a copy of it, but I'm not sure how to share a link of the copy. Should I figure it out and share?

>>9155105
if you post the link, I can either use yours in posts from now on or I can make a copy and have it in my drive

What is the proper search term for the card wallet offered by Jimi and Getmeds? I've tried every variation of "card wallet" on alibaba but all I'm getting is actual bi-fold or long wallets.

>>9154968
Thank you, anon! This is very helpful. I was hoping I could get their website to deal with die-cuts for me. You'd think they would have a feature to select multiple stickers at once and scale them together. Or even at least have an undo button.
>Printing at 96 dpi ever

How fast does AA sell out? I'm having trouble getting a table even a day after registration opens.

>>9155430
Depends on the convention. Smaller ones at take days~months to sell out. Larger ones such as A-Kon sell out in 15 seconds.

>>9155432
Thanks for the information, anon. I'm having trouble finding spots at small cons and I was beginning to stress about it.

>>9155435
what's your region?

Sorry if this gets asked a lot but I was wondering how much the average vendor profits

>how much on average do you make at big cons/smaller cons?

>Does the resell figures/manga/shirt shops sell more than the art shops and vice versa?

>Have you ever sold at a con you never went to before or do you make sure to visit the cons first before you start selling?

>Do you openly share and ask other vendors at cons how they are doing in sales and their numbers?

>>9155463
I'm based in the casserole curtain, Utah. But I'm willing to do anywhere left coast or Midwest.

>>9155430
Maybe they just don't like your stuff? Or is it purely first come first serve? Only cons I know of that are like that are normally small cons that take time to fill. Who knows.

>>9155470
As a craft artist:
>how much on average do you make at big cons/smaller cons?
At a con with ~5,000 people, I can easily make $1,500. I'd make a lot more if I actually had the inventory. Actually almost completely sold out when I made the $1,500. At a small one day con I make between $500 and $1,000
>Does the resell figures/manga/shirt shops sell more than the art shops and vice versa?
I mean, on average, I guess? art shops are going to vary much more since skill matters a lot on how much you sell, but with merchandise, its more of an easier sale/larger audience I guess. People go to anime cons to buy stuff they can't normally find though, so stuff you can easily find online won't sell too great.
>Have you ever sold at a con you never went to before or do you make sure to visit the cons first before you start selling?
I sell at several cons I've never been to before. Its definitely a much bigger risk, but, eh. As long as you do research and make sure the con has the right audience for your merchandise, you'll be good.
>Do you openly share and ask other vendors at cons how they are doing in sales and their numbers?
Yes, I have no problem talking about how much I make, I like being open about it. Though, if someone says they did "ok" at the con, it means they did terrible, and probably shouldn't ask them exactly how much they made.

>>9155590
I dunno, I always tell people I did "OK" with my sales just to be nice, but I'm usually making around 2.5k when I sell out because I have low stock.

For a high stocked con I can be making 3-3.5k total.

How long does it take for a new etsy or storenvy store to start getting sales? Mine has been open for a little more than a year now but I haven't sold a single thing. I think having no reviews also doesn't help. But it's impossible to get reviews without selling anything... Will it pick up or do I pretty much have no chance now?

>>9155654
It depends how many items you have in your shop, how you have it tagged, how good your photos look, etc. Link?

do you think its worth the extra cost to get a table in the dealer's room?
the artist's alley tables at my local con sold out but they have like a $200 table in the dealers room that hasn't sold out yet
pls help

>>9155764
How big is the con and how much do the artist alley tables cost? Because if it's a larger con that sells well, $200 wouldn't be that bad. Especially since I've seen AA tables running for about that much.

>>9155772
the wiki page says 7,000 but im skeptical maybe 3,000? the usual rate for an artist alley table is $110

>>9154718
I haven't been able to figure out what the common factor is, but I think I'm going to start taking more detailed sales reports so that I can do as >>9154769 suggests and try plugging my info into a graph and see what that yields... I'm looking at the information that I have right now and it looks like the notes I've got right now from past cons isn't really enough to go off of- but I think I have some ideas now of how I can start taking better reports, so thank you both!

Anybody interested in buying a table for MidoriCon2016?
My partner bailed on me and I can't go without them (hotel prices)
The Table comes with 2 badges, was $140. I'll take 100 or even 75 for it

>>9155654
Wow, a whole year? It takes most people around 1 to 3 months to start getting sales. Link us your shop!

>>9155764
Go for the dealer's table if its only $200. You can sell what ever you want too, so if you have any old manga or games or whatever you can sell that. Its what I do if a dealer's table is cheap.

How difficult is it to get accepted into fanime? Iirc some people were complaining that complete newbies were accepted.

>>9156163
i was put off because they rejected me in 2015, then offered me a table out of the blue when a bunch of other artists backed out because they released the tables too late

i did really, really well while i was there, but i have no idea why they didn't accept me the first time around. i don't know what i did wrong or what i can improve on to have a better chance in the future, which is a turn off. i had a good mix of fanart and original art, plus a variety of non-print items that i was already selling successfully on etsy. it felt really random, if not somewhat biased

also, i prefer doing AA with friends at neighboring tables, and since their jury system seems more like a lotto, i can't realistically make plans with my friends.

>>9156163
Pretty arbitrary. Their quality generally went up from last year, but there were still some inconsistencies in terms of style/quality. Also, if you're a crafter you're pretty much sol. Fanime is very print-heavy.

>>9156163
Fanime is a complete toss up from year to year. They used to have a first come first serve and people complained they weren't available to get in the registration rush. So then they changed it to judged applications but then left the window open for several weeks so they got more than 1000 applicants. By the time they got through all those several of the artists they accepted had already been accepted at other cons that weekend because Memorial Day is a serious con weekend. Who knows what the approach will be this year. The hope is that they can eventually do a mixed first-come-first serve with some judging to weed out the shovel face pencil art

tldr; depends on how much the Fanime staff want to get their shit together

>>9156279
I think the Fanime judges aim for people who have a huge variety of products and fandoms. Even if it's the exact same fandoms and the exact same products.

>>9156163
I was able to get tables when it used to be first come first serve. I've been accepted twice and rejected last year since the new jury process. Those years I did table I did really well.

It's just difficult to gauge what they're looking for, and I've seen some really questionable art get in. Overall quality did rise but dealing with the wait and the table picking is a pain in the ass, especially if you want to sit with friends.

What bothered me a bit was how last year there were at least 20 tables in the back of the hall unfilled. One of my friends was the only table in their row. If it was a fire hazard thing, they should have removed them rather than having people come in and see so many empty tables.

>>9155654
I don't have an Etsy shop but I've done a lot of research about it since I am interested in starting one. This video might help you out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SHiWYgyeT0

>>9155654
You need to have a lot of items with a lot of variety and really really really good photos. Search for your item on etsy/storenvy and check out your competition and ask yourself if you'd buy YOUR item over others. If not, fix that. Make tacky SEO listing titles and use all your tags of you haven't already. There's also a chance that your stuff isn't good or there isn't a market, Anon.

>>9155654
link?

>>9155654
It honestly took me about a year to get my first sale on Storenvy. But I was still toying around with design and most of my products were preorder.

I ended up making my first sale right after tabling at my first AA so I related it to selling there and handing out a lot of business cards. I've updated my webstore since then and have just started adding more products.

My problem is that I don't really promote it as much as I should. I'm sure if I made more posts about my shop and shared it more often, I'd get more traffic.

Storenvy did just add a fee for customers now and I don't think that's helping. I've been thinking about switching over to Etsy but I don't really want to get all new business cards made up.

I didn't realize I'd be paying tax on all my transactions to the convention center in addition to my card reader fees. Anons, do you price up your products to buffer against this or do you tell the customer that you're tacking on a fee when they use card?

>>9156635
Different anon wondering about SEO. What would be a tacky but good SEO title? For example, if I have one piece sticker sets, do I put "one piece stickers one piece sticker set" all in the title? Or is "one piece sticker set" enough when a person googles "one piece stickers"?

>>9156788
You'll get better exposure in Etsy though

>>9156635
And for tags, are you supposed to put just "one piece" or "one piece stickers"? I'm not sure how tags work on google.

>>9157062
Square has an option to set tax percentages so I always turn that option on and let all my customers know that there will be tax charged on card sales. No one has had a problem with it.

>>9157199
The tags are whatever you want and you get 13. It's really more for setting possible search parameters

>>9157179
>>9157199

I'm not an SEO expert but I've seen people on here complain about eBay and Etsy titles that have too many words that seem vaguely related- that's what you're aiming for. I won't give you any titles but think of the eBay sellers from China and their wordy listing titles and you're on the right track. It's a fine line between China eBay seller and well optimized classy Etsy shop.

Also break up your keywords. "One Piece Stickers" is kind of narrow, but if you have "One Piece" and "Stickers, you'll cover people searching "One Piece Stickers" as well as people generally searching "One Piece" and "Stickers"

>>9156788
Create second store on Etsy, but leave Storenvy open until you current stock of business cards run out.

>>9157186
>>9157266
I'll probably open up an Etsy store once the new year rolls around.

Do you guys feel like you sell a lot of prints or is it typically smaller items? I know people usually buy crafts and I'm selling prints, stickers, buttons, and magnets.

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Whats a reccomendable site for small custom sticker orders/any reccomendable aliexpress sites for stickers? I'm in a relatively low budget as I want to try out some ideas before trying a bulk purchuse; quality wise what should I expect from a custom printed sticker?

>>9157317
Also is there a new spreadsheet I may refer to? I'm only asking in the thread for site reccomendations as the current one is broken seemingly.

looking to make plushies, is there any companies other then shinedownproductions?

How do you guys feel about applying for cons that are juried rather than first come, first serve? Do you often get feedback about why you didn't get in, or is it just "lol nope soz"?

>>9157367
I don't think they usually tell you why. I guess you could always ask but I think it really just comes down to content. If there are five artists with similar content and they've already approved two of them, they probably aren't going to accept the other three. On the flip side, some cons are very print heavy. I think it all depends on who's doing the judging really. It's probably pretty subjective.

>>9157179
>>9157199
"Small 5 inch anime One Piece sticker set with luffy and nami"

Basically, for the title, put every single relevant thing you can. Do not repeat words, and make sure the title is perfectly readable and not confusing.

With tags, you want to repeat words. "One" "piece" "One Piece", "One Piece anime" "Anime" "Luffy" "Luffy and Nami"

>>9157478
Bad advice for Etsy tags because you only have 13. What I was saying earlier is that if you put "one" and "piece" and "nami" you should have "one piece nami" searches covered. And I wouldn't even break up "one piece" in that manner, because those two words are extremely broad and you won't be targeting your listing for the customers you're looking for.

For Etsy you have to play middle ground because they aim to prevent it from becoming eBay and try to maintain some air of high quality to their platform. That doesn't necessarily apply for other platforms though.

>>9155141
Here's the link to the copy I made of the resources link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fkn3yvpW0JYu9NghVfRTNuDF67V0cwtao8hjulU58YU/edit?usp=sharing

Apologies for not posting earlier! Let me know if it doesn't work.

>>9158151
You're amazing, thanks for keeping a copy!!

Low-quality discussion questions:

> Are there any products you look down on (screencaps sold as art, buttons that only have text, questionable/illegal content, etc.)?

> Are there any actions you to take to dissuade table leeches or to encourage big spenders?

> Are there any small things you do to make your alley hours more comfortable (sweater, floor pad, pillow, etc.)?

> You arrive at the con and find out you have two times more table space than you planned for. Are you happy or stressed? Why?

> Give us your best AA story.

>>9158233
>meme buttons definitely
the " we can do it " posters

I really like garbage cans being provided under artist alley tables and just water being accessible to artists

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>>9158233
> Are there any products you look down on?
Laminated paper charms, I don't understand why anyone buys them.

>>9158233
I don't mind if the buttons only have text, if there's some semblance of art in them, like the artist drew out the letters or added a design.

>>9158326
Do people really sell these? I've seen shrinky dinks before but not this

>>9158332
They used to be popular but you rarely see them since there's so many options like companies that will print them and shrink film. Hell, you can even just do layers of resin for charms these days.

There really isn't a reason to do those these days unless you're absolutely broke.

>>9158332
The old days of Artist Alley

If anyone does it now, it's just kinda sad.

>>9158332
only a couple years ago this was the defacto standard for charms. even when we had one sided printing from zap / printess those charms were not a big thing. It wasn't until i think inkit started with the double sided clear ones that it caught on (then zap /chilly pig copied them, then people found vograce etc.) and shrinky dinks/laminated charms were phased out because they are just so inferior and take so much time.

>>9158332
>Do people really sell these?
Furries still do but that's because the whole bread and butter of their AAs are on spot OC commissions.

>>9158332
I still have three of these hanging on my wall, from my very first anime convention. They're memorabilia to me, but it's definitely something from days past. Now that acrylic charms are an option there's no reason to turn back.

>>9158332
I saw them being sold at several AnimeNorth booths back in 2014 which wasn't THAT long ago. I actually had a difficult time finding acrylic charms at that AA.

>>9158233
I've started bringing slippers to wear when I'm sitting behind the table and it's a small thing but it's so, so nice.

Has anyone sold designs on Redbubble? What were your experiences? It seems really convenient to have as a side profit even though there's a cut in how much you earn.

>>9158636
I have a Redbubble and a Teepublic. I sell on Redbubble pretty consistently but you're not going to make much of a profit. I sell mostly t-shirts and stickers on there. It's a bit of extra cash which is nice but not a lot.

>>9158645
I had my overwatch shirt pulled from teepublic after activision sent them a C&D. Have you ever had that happen (and if you have, do you just reupload it a week or two later)?

>>9158329

I actually sell buttons that just have text but I like to think I did a decent design job and didn't just slap a crazy font on there. They're not as creative as say, someone who draws a chibi for a button, but it's not really lazy like screenshots or official logos are. I don't see the text-only buttons like I used to at AAs though.

>>9158332

I sold these at my first AA two years ago because I had access to a laminator at work and acrylic charms hadn't caught on in my state yet. Outsourcing acrylic charms is what really made the switch easy for people. It's so much cheaper and easier to order from Vograce than to have to cut the paper, laminate and cut the plastic.

>>9158654
Yep. Had a Tina Belcher design that I got a C&D for. Changed the font and reuploaded it to both Teepublic and Redbubble. A few months later, got ANOTHER C&D on Teepublic so I just deleted it from there. Had the same thing happen with a One Punch Man design which I also deleted.

I make like 2 sales every few months on there so I don't care too much. I'll probably delete my account soon anyway. I just don't get as much traffic there as Redbubble.

>>9158233
Definitely pins or magnets that someone just put magazine art or printouts of official art in them. Photocopies of drawings done on copy paper. Big canvases of marijuana leaves and badly drawn women (I sat near a guy with those, he packed up before the last day since noone gave his 3 paintings laid out on the table a second glance).

I like to have a big soft hoodie that I can fold up for a pillow or use as a blanket. And birks on my feet.

>>9158654
Oh, actually just checked, I deleted them both from Redbubble too just to be safe.

Also, got a C&D (Teepublic) on a fan art I did in Bob's Burgers style of a character that's from another series so that one really pissed me off. This was before I knew about how strict FOX is; I was just getting into selling my work online.

>>9158672
I was getting most of my sales from teepublic ($250 in one month) compared to redbubble ($200), I'm just scared they're gonna delete my account or something if i reupload. I guess I'll just put it back up and hope for the best, thanks!

Were you promoting your shirt anywhere else? I posted to my tumblr and the subreddit community which helped a lot.

>>9158677
I'm incredibly biased so I promote my Redbubble much more (well, I used to, now I'm focused on my Storenvy/Etsy). I've shared it on tumblr, Facebook, and this other fandom forum that I use.

I don't do a lot of fan art so I haven't updated in a few months. I'm trying to do more but it's difficult because I'm not into a lot of newer shows. I'll probably try to work on some new art for Stranger Things since I did enjoy that show

I've got a con next weekend and I'm almost done with everything but since it's 4 days long I was considering doing a raffle for something. Probably a commission.

> have you ever held a con raffle?
> how did your tickets work (eg 1 per sale, 1 per day)
> could people buy tickets seperately?

I want this to be effective and I'm not sure I should allow multiple tickets per person, etc., thanks in advance for opinions

>>9158752
Many conventions have rules against raffles due to state laws so make absolute sure there's nothing against it in their TOS.

New to AA still building up prints / merch. Do you guys typically get different sizes of the same print? I have a couple post card sized prints and 11x17s, is it worth it getting any of my 11x17s in post card/mini print size? Would it hinder sales on the big ones if people can just buy the small ones?

>>9158326
>>9158363
Yea, furries do, but they typically have custom made one. When I use to table with my artist friend, we made a few custom furry badges for people.

>>9158804
I just have one size of a certain print design (but multiple size prints of different designs). I could probably get smaller sizes printed if people asked for it and would be okay with it being possibly mailed to them, but typically, having just one size greatly reduces how much I have to lug around and also, like you said, most people will get the small one if there is a small one available.

>>9158233
> Are there any products you look down on (screencaps sold as art, buttons that only have text, questionable/illegal content, etc.)?
Tracing over/reusing official art (stuff like redrawing the undertale pixel sprites with a pen tool), 'suggestive' loli/shota art, any crafts thing made out of generic licensed fabric.

> Are there any small things you do to make your alley hours more comfortable (sweater, floor pad, pillow, etc.)?
I dress comfortably and I sometimes bring a pillow (if i know the seats will be uncomfortable).

> You arrive at the con and find out you have two times more table space than you planned for. Are you happy or stressed? Why?
Well, it depends. if it was 6 feet into 12 feet I would be stressed but 3 feet (half table) into a full table would be fine. I would just more neatly display my merch with better spacing, haha. Maybe use a couple duplicate prints if it was looking sparse.

> Give us your best AA story.
I don't have any good AA stuff but I saw my art stolen and put on a phone case in the dealers room, lol. (while i was tabling at the event)

>>9158770
I've bought into a raffle at this con for the last 3-4 years :)

>>9158625
Blame it on Anime North's stupid 'Paper-based products only" rule.

I'm talking to someone from Vograce and they said the minimum order for a rubber keychain is 1000 pieces is that right?

Has anyone ordered a small amount of rubber keychains from them?

If you already sell stickers on storenvy, is it worth it to sell them kn Redbubble as well? The designs will be the same but the material and quality will be different, so I'm kind of hesitant.

>>9158233
> Are there any products you look down on (screencaps sold as art, buttons that only have text, questionable/illegal content, etc.)?
Obviously traced items, items made from print-outs of anime characters (I.E. buttons that aren't original art, alongside original art, it's like a cheap trick), people using pre-made plush patterns they got off the internet, furry tails, perler bead art, etc

Is it okay to lose money for the first three years of doing aa? I have been losing money but I want to keep trying for 5 years to see if it picks up for me knstead of giving up now. Is this a stupid idea?

>>9159240
I'd say no. You're not going to make much on stickers. As far as quality though, Redbubble has great quality control. Everything I've ordered from them has been high quality.

>>9159382
Maybe we can help you, anon.
How much are you losing? What type of stuff are you selling? Any examples of your table display, your art, and your prices?

>>9159382
I have tabled once with shitty products and I still broke even. I think you have something missing on your things and they are unappealing. It has already been 3 years, I don't know why you are still trying. Either make something people like or just give up

>>9159398
>>9159404
For the past three years, I've sold at 6 cons. Each year, I lost about 1500 because I could only get into out of state cons.

I get repeat customers and people who buy from me leave my table so excited and tell me my stuff is amazing, so even if they are being nice, I think my skills are shitty-but-pretty-good to average.

What I have noticed is most people overlook my table no matter what con I am at. I use PVC pipes. And most of my items are under 5 usd but I can't justify spending more money on more merchandise. Any help is helpful. Maybe it's time for me to give up but thank you for your messages.

>>9159416
Can you post an example of your art or your table display? It may be related to that. How much is your cost of item vs profit? If you're not making about 3x the cost back then you're undercharging.

>>9159416
You never know, anon. Do you have pictures of your display and your artwork? It could be something about your art abilities or your setup. It's easier for us to figure it out with pics rather than vague descriptions.

>>9159416
I'm fairly new to AA but this is based on advice that I've gotten from seasoned artists IRL. I didn't break even on my first table BUT my work garnered a lot of interest. I was at a really small con that catered to teens and was heavily focused on certain fandoms so I didn't expect to. It was my first time tabling and I wanted to get a feel for it before I decided if it was something that I was serious about doing.

I'd say look at your products and figure out who your target market is. Then, figure out if your products themselves are lacking or if you're just attending the wrong events. Get feedback from other artists and from potential buyers (people that aren't going to sugarcoat anything). I'd also say that you started off wrong by spending more than you could possibly make back. All that money going to hotel, travel costs, food, etc. You have to realistically think about what your profit is going to be and determine if it's a risk you still want to take. Sounds like poor planning.

It can be really hard when something isn't working but, if you're serious about it, you can improve.

>>9159420
>>9159427
>>9159431
I do charge about 3x. I'm on my work computer so I don't have any pictures. I'll post pictures after I get off work.

But to give you an idea, I use PVC pipes and hang everything I have. I barely have anything on my table but I should note that I don't have a wall of prints that draws people in. I've noticed also that people tend to be drawn to things on the tables unless you have an eye catching poster. Should I try to make more merchandise to put on my table or make more big prints?

And I agree that it's very poor planning. But I really wanted to table and only could get into out of state cons. For next year, if I only get into out of state cons again, should I just not table at all next year?

I've tried to write off these expenses as vacation expenses because I genuinely enjoy going to cons and don't take vacation. So about 200-400 is the loss from making merchandise and about 1100-1300 is the travel expenses. But I want to stop making this excuse and make more money or at least break even. Thank you for listening to my problems.

>>9159475
If you can post not only pictues of your work, but pictures of your table set up we can give you better advice. If you can't get a picture of your table set up, a sketch of what it looks like might help us critique it, too.

>>9159509
I don't have any display pictures but it basically looks like the OP picture from the previous thread. But with PVC pipes and far less prints. I have about 20 small prints and stickers sheets hanging down. My table is bare compared to the OP's picture. I have my business cards and a cork board for 10 charms and a small coin purse.

>>9159525
Pictures of your products? Like other anons said, can't help much without seeing what it is that you're selling

>>9159525
It's probably not the display that's the problem, but either product quality or pricing, or depending on obscure things.

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>>9159525
Going off description, I'd suggest making some bigger prints (even 11x17) and choosing your more popular small prints for PVC display. Then having the rest of the small prints on the table. The sticker sheets can be on the table too, but I'd suggest giving it a more "pretty/special" display treatment like your charm corkboard to make them stand out as stickers. The coin purses could be stacked in a small display basket- not too big that you can't see what's inside. Decorative signs that can be viewed from the middle of the walking aisle is helpful.

Another small thing that I feel like a lot of people miss is keeping spacing between prints consistent and making sure prints line up. It gets overlooked a lot, but can go a long way in making your table look much cleaner. Arranging prints by palette and series could help too.

>>9159544
Whoops - accidentally dropped an image, sorry about that.

Does anybody print at office depot? I'm looking for new places to print my prints and someone recommended office depot. But on their website, their poster sizes don't have the 8x10 and 11x17 options and they are $12.99! Do they have more sizes when you go into the store? Do you have to bring your own paper?

>>9159637
I print at office depot. For 11x17 they have various paper weights and costs, but they've never been more than $2 a sheet including printing. I always go into the store so I don't know about their website, but if the print person doesn't know the paper by 11x17 they should know it by Tabloid. I think they only have 8.5x11 as well and yes you can bring your own paper too if you want.

>>9158804
I used to sell all my prints in a small, medium, and large. (4x6", 8.5x11", and 11x17" respectively.)
I cut out 4x6" a few years back, and saw a slight increase in profit. I then cut out 8.5x11" last year, and have seen a significant increase in profit.

>>9159653
What's the next show you'll be at?

>>9159647
Oh ok, it must be the website that doesn't list all the options. That's great to know, thank you! Is it $2 no matter how many copies you print and what kind of paper you choose? I'm thinking about moving to something that's heavier than my thin poster paper but if it costs more, I'll just stick with thin paper lol

>>9159637
Is there a reason why you are still using chain printers and not a real company like catprint / fireball / etc.? $2 a print is a huge rip off.

>>9159382
No that's not okay. I haven't been in the red since i started and I can't imagine being in the red for 3 years straight.

>>9159678
The heavier paper weights cost a little more but they're still decently cheap. Just go in and ask to look at the different paper types they have for 11x17, and the cost.

>>9159745
I'm assuming you mean to reply to me? I still use them because; I usually get my shit done last second (blah blah get your shit done on time, I know), I always have a coupon, the people at my local shop sometimes give me huge discounts if they're in a good mood on top of my coupon. So at the moment for me it's better to get stuff printed locally.

>>9159751
I meant the right person, because they were saying they wanted a new place but weren't looking into actual printers. If you're paying more than .50-80 cents a print i feel like you're being super ripped off unless you are using special archival paper/inks.

>>9159762
A different anon. But iirc, all those companies have a minimum. Sometimes I just need to restock 5-10 prints.

Since we're talking about 11x17 prints, I have a question about selling them online. If you use cardstock that's at least 100 (mine might be heavier because they're pretty thick), how do you ship them? It feels like rolling them would crease the prints and mailing them flat sounds like a nightmare.

>>9159788
Padded envelopes, possible with cardboard in them?

>>9159788
Flat, get 13x19 no bend envelopes. They only cost a smidge more than tubes, and about $3-4 in postage. I personally also put cardboard/chipboard backing too, most scrap cardboard i have.

>>9159790
>>9159803
Thank you! I never knew that there were no bend envelopes.

>>9159544
>tapir
>sloth bear
>hedgie
S-source please?

>>9159840
https://minne.com/29topia
try reverse img search next time!

>>9158654
yeah i had a really simple OW design get taken off (it was pretty much a ripoff Helvetica shirt i wanted for myself) taken off within like 12 hours. While i didnt care and didnt want to fight it cuz activison's legal team is fast and savage, it does bother me that there's still a shit ton of OW rips of in-game sprays/chibis like all over Redbubble

i'm looking at ohayocon's portfolio submission guidelines and it says 0 fanart. do they disallow fanart in the AA as well? first time i'm applying and i've never been.

>>9159874
Damn that's so fast, you might've gotten unlucky with them doing their rounds. My design was up for a month and a half before the C&D tag wipe.

Now the teepublic overwatch tag is just full of shit stolen directly from the game. Feels kind of shitty.

>>9159946
Ohayoucon is a 100% original alley. Sounds super not fun desu

>>9160041
Why? I like seeing people's original work

>>9160067
when you force everyone to be original art *only*, generally the only things that sell are cute things or super generic things, so the whole alley ends up being generic cute stuff or local indie comics. no one interesting is going to fly back out to a con where they don't make much money.

>>9160041
I've been and it's true. It's very unhype and of they haven't changed the layout the AA is in a big mezzanine area that overlooks the bustling dealers room. Honestly the whole thing is rather cruel.

>>9159416
how did you lose 1500 ??? what are you spending on?

>>9160080
this 10000%

I've never really seen a good 100% alley and the 50/50 alley's original prints are all rushed and shitty compared to their fan art prints

>>9160067
i love original work and it's probably 80% of what i buy at alleys, but AA's are a deadzone without fanart. Just generic cute animals and :3 food clay charms and old fashioned fairy art and shit like that, its just so repetitive (even more so than fanart alleys)

An up coming con is going to be my last AA for a while since im leaving the states and I need to get rid of as much stock as possible. My only feasible option is to mark down everything that has been paid for, so charms $8->$5, and the like, unless there are other options? I want to get rid as much as I can, because any left over I am 99% positive my mom is going to toss once I leave, and might as well make some money....

Can anyone expand on what kind of paper would be good for prints?I want a heavier kind, but I'm still new to artist alley and want some more info

Also any other recommendations where to make prints besides Office Depot?

>>9160232
Eh, marking down won't help much. Honestly, many people don't care about prices when at a con. Would be easier to do "buy 2, get 1 free" or something like that.

Also, what all do you have? Any pictures? I could possibly buy and re-sell some of your stuff if I like.

>>9160263
There are some suggestions in the doc which >>9158151 kindly reuploaded. I see a lot of people suggest Catprint especially, but you could also try searching Yelp to see if there are any good local independently owned print shops too.

>>9158636
I uploaded some fandom designs to redbubble a couple years ago on a whim, and I still occasionally make money from them. Not a lot, like maybe $20 every couple months. If I had more interesting designs or tried to advertise more then I'd probably make more, but that's not bad for literally no work.

>>9160232
yah marking down doesn't really help. just do buy 2 get 2 free

>>9160271
I see. Altho im kinda iffy about resellers, my storenvy has most of my stock up:
sakiika.storenvy.com

Speaking of C&Ds, which fandoms tend to get them?

I know Disney is pretty strict with their main properties, but is Star Wars going to run a similar risk? I saw some, but not much at the last con I went to. I'm interested in making art for it, but I don't want to sink in tons of work only to get a C&D.

>>9160514
You are MUCH less likely to get a C&D at a con (it does happen, but quite rarely. Usually if there are reps roaming around; Funimation is notorious for this). The risk with C&D's is primarily with online sales. If you keep it small then you are probably going to be okay. Worse case scenario for (most) cons is that they ask you to take it down.

>>9160080
Oh boring. I personally tend to go for people that have a really unique style. I always go back to the same artists because they usually have new original work that I want to see but I can see how people wouldn't be into that.

I guess I've been working backwards. I'm trying to introduce more fan art since most of my work is all original designs. And people like it but I know I'd sell more if I had some popular fan art prints. I'm just not into a lot of newer shows.

>>9160538
I'm a newbie but based on what I've read, it's not necessarily a bad thing to have stuff from older franchises, since you can attract the customers who still like that old show and aren't being served by all the other tables who hopped on the bandwagon and only have (insert popular show of the season here) fanart.

>>9160538
If you can come up with a whole new kind of product with the old things you like that are still popular, you could do really well even though you're not chasing the flavors of the month.

>>9160695
I would get really excited to see some of my favorite older shows get some love. Magic Knight Rayearth, Fruits Basket, Zoids...I can never find those three anywhere except every once in a while I'll spot a Kyo plush or dvds in the dealers hall or something.

>>9160718
Been thinking about doing some rayearth stuff soon. Good to hear people are still into it

>>9160538
I mean i'm not saying how you should run your table, just that if we want to be honest: a lot of us love original art and we love drawing original art too but usually it just doesn't sell as well if it's a non generic idea. A lot of people do fanart so they can make enough money to allow them to draw more original art too. It's not bad or anything to do that, drawing some fanart you enjoy to allow you to show your original art is a good goal too.

But when an alley says you must be 100% original art and you don't enjoy making generic :3 shit then there's no way to make back the cost with fanart even if you genuinely love showing your original art.

>>9154211
I only sell there still because people remember me from PMX. But I barely break even anyway.

>>9160538
>>9160716
I have some Rick and Morty stuff that people love so I'll probably add some more designs from that, My Daria prints sell which is cool, and I'm working on a Stranger Things print right now that I hope people will like (I really enjoyed the show so I don't feel like I'm just jumping on the bandwagon). I was thinking about revamping some of my super old Metalocalypse and ATHF stuff for fun. And I know I'll end up doing some stickers or something small from Silent Hill.

I really need to find better cons though where people would be interested in more Western cartoons/series.

>Tabling at a con
>See elderly Asian couple (probably grandparents) walking down the aisle and looking at booths passively without stopping
>I can hear the husband as he points to my booth and says to his wife in Mandarin: "That one draws well"
>Man points to next table: "That one's not very good"
>tfw feel flattered from the compliment yet also somewhat weird at his brutal honesty because he knows he's speaking a foreign language
Anyone else have had weird moments like this?

>>9161253
ya haha this couple was walking around the artist alley critiquing everyone's art in mandarin. My friend on the other side of the hall noticed them too. In the end they bought one of my posters but were kind of dick-ish about it? kept on asking for discounts cause they choose to buy my posters. shrugs

>>9161263
Guess they built themselves a reputation hahaha. They're probably used to haggling from street markets which is understandable considering how artist alley is set up. Congrats on gaining their approval, anon!

>>9161253
Happens to me a lot with Spanish and Mandarin. I'm white so no one suspects, but it's always positive things so I don't try and put them on the spot.

>>9159187
No. I'm getting pvc keychains for 3 different designs at 50 pcs each. It's about $1.90 each with a $38 mold fee for each design (which they keep so if you need to reorder that design they won't charge again for it)

>>9161149
Oh dude Silent Hill would be slick. The only Silent Hill artist I see at AAs right now is waaaaaay not my style. If your stuff looks different from hers I think you'd get a decent chunk of buyers.

>>9161149
comic cons are your best bet honestly. People there tend to like more western things and they drop money pretty easily if you have good to mediocre work if they like the subject. They also tend to not be saturated with the same like vograce merch like big anime cons are

Never ever ever do a Wizard World though. They are shit to artists and charge so much for admission, people dont spend anything on art or merch plus table prices are too high for what they are

How do you anons find time to socialize with other artists during cons, especially big cons? I find myself too busy managing the table during open hours and then too busy prepping/cleaning up during set-up/clean up time. I see some artists going around and doing trades or socializing so I assume their table partner or helper is watching their booth. But even if I did that, I wouldn't want to distract another artist while they're trying to work either.

>>9159475

So, your first step is to yes, take a year off from out of state cons. You should try your best to get into local ones as you rebuild your portfolio and build a fanbase. Without any pictures of art, again, it's hard to say. Certainly reducing your costs will help make it easier to break even. Maybe talk to some local artists and try to make a friend you can split a table with? Start small but it's ridiculous to be spending that much on travel expenses if you haven't been making money. If a show is a loss, strike it from your list.

>>9162516
I'm thinking of doing more comic cons. My first con this year was a really small anime con just to get a feel for AA. And I didn't expect to sell anything but I was plesantly surprised (didn't breakeven but I didn't expect that to happen either).

Next year, I'll apply to more in the area (just checked the table for one and it's $200, sheesh)

>>9162852
200$ is pretty average for a comic-con. I know ECCC was about $345 for me this year and it went up slightly for next year but it is high attendance and included two badges as well as getting you exhibitor rates on stuff like hotel. If you can afford it you should take a chance on it especially since you do sell a lot of western stuff

>>9162932
>>9162932
It was a con that I really enjoyed going to this year and they've expanded from one day to two so maybe it'll be an even bigger turnout. I'm applying for it anyway. It's not until March so I'll see.

Is it typical for them to want you to pay upon sending in your application? I selected the 'pay later' option since I'm not too sure yet but does that mean they accept everyone that sends in an application? That would explain the awful sharpie drawings that I saw one guy making last year.

Does anyone have that photo of the bed that looks like a normal bed until you move the sheets and it's just storage boxes for like AA?

My brother moved across county and my dad was joking about making a man cave out of the extra room so I wanted to show him the photo (since my mom and I sew, he's outnumbered).

I thought I saw it on AANI, but I'm looking for 'bed' 'storage' etc everywhere and can't find it.

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>>9162983
Like this? It's called a "Space Up" bed from Parisot, you should be able to find more if you use that to search!

>>9163037
Not quite, but thank you! This one is really cool!

The other was covering up that the actual bed was just boxes with a blanket and pillows over it. I went through Pintrest and found ones like these, but not the one with the blanket covering all the storage.

>>9163048
Damn, I've never seen that one before, sorry. Good luck, I hope you can get that sewing/art room!

>>9159658
I'm gonna be at San Japan next weekend.

>>9159768
Catprint doesn't have a minimum.

>>9160514
There's a damn good comprehensive list compiled by AANI here.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1696MDhNPhrZ0ySZhXkoJnGxb7l1OjW4JsVhu1wKvaWE/edit

>>9163101
>Takedown List
>Vocaloid/Hatsune Miku
Of all things, why is Vocaloid merch getting takedowns? It's whole shtick is built on self-created content that you're allowed to use for commercial purposes.

>>9163123
Right? The only thing I can think of is if its a design from a song by a producer signed under a record label like U/M/A/A or Exit Tunes or something, but even then thats a pretty far reach...

>>9153766
what happened to the links?

>>9163678
Read the thread

So I know that we're big on prints in the states. But can you survive in the aa just with trinkets like charms and stationary products? My prints mever did well so I retired all of them but now it feels like my table isn't noticeable when it's sandwiched between print artists with huge print walls. Any thoughts? I love making trinkets and would like to stick to it but would it be better to invest some time into making bunch of prints?

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>>9163768
I imagine a good banner and vertical display space will help. If you can create something higher that's eye catching, it should help.

What's the best way to display my pricing so that I won't have to keep asking pricing questions all day?

>>9163793
Big and near your face.

This has probably been asked before but do any of you cosplay at your tables? I haven't (and I don't know if I ever will just because of comfort) but I was wondering if it seems to help or hurt sales? I've thought about tossing on a simple cosplay for shorter events to see if it really makes a difference.

>>9163793
Literally there is no way to prevent people asking for pricing. Literally nothing you will do will stop it. Trust me. Learn to just recite your prices or point to one of your signs if you have anxiety, there is absolutely NO WAY you can have attendees actually read before they speak.

>>9163799
Yeah, working in retail has prepared me for this. I'm already so used to giving prices on items that are clearly labeled. People just can't be bothered to read.

>>9163797
Whatever you wear, looking cute or just well-groomed in general does help. It's certainly better than looking disheveled. So unless it's a freaky or intimidating looking cosplay, it should actually help.

>>9163789
I'm not a crafter so my items are truly little trinkets. The pic related is awesome. Thank you for that. I'll try to come up with an eye catching display

>>9163804
I always go out of my way to look nice (any excuse I get to wear the clothes that I can't wear to work) so that's no problem. Part of me gets kind of worried about any potential creeps since I've seemed to be attracting an influx of them the past year or so but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

>>9163797
Sex sells, anon.

I've found the sexier or skimpy cosplay that I wear increased my sales quite a bit. I know guys are trying to look down my top but this is a business and I don't take it personally.

Cosplaying in general even increased my sales before, just not as much as now. If you aren't comfortable with the more creepy guys then pick a modest cosplay, especially if it's related to the fandoms you're selling.

>>9163822
Yeah, you will attract some creeps but you can act busy and just ignore them. Don't let them deter you from wearing cute clothes. It's always exciting to see cosplaying artists so good for you, anon!

>>9163842
How...how skimpy, anon? I will do anything to boost my sales haha. On the other hand, have you noticed how female artists cosplaying male characters tend to scare away some male customers? It could be my imagination, but looking masculine seems to negatively affect my sales, and no increase in female customers.

>>9163797
Yeah I think this was asked a few threads ago, but still interesting to discuss.

Most people said yes, yes it does help. If your cosplaying and not even in a sexual way, people have something to discuss with you. Or people come over out of interest to see your costume.

I'm not a cosplayer, I wear lolita. I try my best to dress up in lolita when I go to cons. Its like a beacon to others in the fashion (i sell accessories). And normies always compliment me on my cute outfit. This last con I had a lot of people who knew of the fashion and liked it, but didnt wear it approach me.

Basically if you can lure a customer to your table for longer than a second, they have more time to spot something they may be interested in buying.

>>9163850
I do the beach trip versions of cosplays now, just watch any of the fanservice episodes when they have all the characters go to the beach in summer.

>>9163850
I've been mulling over this for awhile now and i'm glad i'm not the only one looking into this tactic.

This year was my first a-kon and I'm confused about paying taxes on my sales. Do you report your total earnings when you file your quarterly taxes? And iirc, there's a box for the number of trnasactions, but I didn't keep a detailed note, so I have no idea how many transactions were made. Am I screwed?

>>9163874
At the next major con, there will be an increase in skimpy cosplays haha. I'm definitely interested because I will do anything for more sales.

While on topic, what do you think about artists that stand in front of or next to their table to talk to people walking by? Does it help get more customers? Or does it actually block their table from view?

What has people's experiences with Vograce been? I'm just about ready to order my first batch of charms, how long do they usually take to ship? Do they let you order samples of more than one design? How much did you pay for shipping?

>>9163891
I'd say that would drive sales off, honestly. People hate pushy sellers and that's what that would come off as.

>>9163906
This. It makes me nervous and it looks pushy. Sometimes it works though, it depends on your charisma, but you might end up scaring off more customers than you attract. Anime con goers tend to have anxiety and social problems and will actively avoid things like that.

>>9163891
I'm a big spender in AA and go out of my way to avoid the entire section where those types are hanging out. Nothing worse than pushy salesmen.

>>9163891
Please don't stand in front of your table it doesn't help.

If you want to do something, make yourself more visible in the center of your table without your wares covering you up. This allows people to easily identify that it's your table and talk to you from the edges of your table also.

>>9163891
My ideal purchasing scenerio is there's literally no one there until i'm ready to purchase. Obviously this is not possible and unrealistic, so I actually prefer the artist to speak to me as little as possible as i browse/

Seeing someone stand in front of their table is just going to make me groan because that's the absolute last thing i want. Let me evaluate the art alone, without your expectations or interruptions. If I have a question, I will ask.

When printing posters where do you prefer to print from(company wise)? What sizes do you print in? paper material?

>>9163803
I've tried big signs with the prices, signs on the product, signs clearly labeled and pointing at the product, and people still ask how much a button is with the price a centimeter away from it. NOTHING WORKS.

>>9163958
Read the thread, friendo

>>9163918
What if the person is standing behind their booth instead of sitting? I do that mostly because sitting so much is painful for me. I don't want to accidentally push people away.

>>9163958
check >>9158151

>>9163973
Standing behind the table is totally fine. Chasing/yelling/hovering/pushing/guilting is shitty and doing it from in front of the table is ten times worse.

>>9163842
None of my cosplays are particularly skimpy but one is pretty popular at cons so I'm thinking about wearing it one day at whatever con I sell at next.

>>9163850

Does crossplaying really drive people off? I was really excited to do a haikyuu cosplay at the con I'm tabling at soon but now I'm having second thoughts.

>>9164098
I think if you're selling mainly HQ!! things, crossplaying won't drive anyone off. If your fanbase is more male based (like idols or something), then crossplaying a dude might drive them off.

>>9164098
You should be ok if the majority of the characters are guys and the fanbase is primarily female. I was mainly talking about shows where there are like 3 main characters, 1 girl 2 guys. If you cosplay one of the guys, male customers kind of seem to be turned off lol

>>9164107
>>9164146

Oh okay! I should be fine then. Most of the stuff I'm selling is catered towards more female fanbases anyway.

>tfw want to do cute packaging
>tfw also concerned environmentally about all that wasted plastic that will mostly get thrown away anyway

>>9164271
>tfw i keep all of my cute packaging, esp handmade/AA stuff, like some weird hoarder
please, do it

>>9164271
Maybe hunt around for companies that make biodegradable packaging?

>>9164271
You can try making a design that can be 100% paper-based, along with a cute message saying 'please recycle this!' or something like that.

>>Make awesome painting.
>>It's from a book
>>Nobody knows what it's from
>>I'M SO SAD

Anyone know any places where I can make various mini prints with magnet backings? Or should I just use adhesive magnetic sheets, cut it manually, and then use some kind of sealant?

>>9164524
>Expecting your average congoers to read anything that isn't manga or anime subs
I'm kidding

Not entirely an AA question but between Etsy, Storenvy and TicTail which do you guys generally think is the best option? I'm only ever able to do a few cons each con season and this year I ended up having some extra stock left over. I figure if I have it, I may as well make some money off it so I can have more funds to make new things.

>>9164524

>That rare chance I read that same book and I see your fanart and then I'm like OMG I thought I was only one!
>Looks at my A Darker Shade of Magic print.
>Yesssssss.

>>9164542
I've been with Storenvy a while and they keep tacking on fees, having weird bugs, or just straight up crashing. I'm trying out Etsy, and so far they seem easier to use and have a more active marketplace.

>>9164542
Going to agree with >>9164611 Storenvy was just meh for me and their most recent policy update made me move. They added on weird fees and some convoluted fee that the customer had to pay
Changed to Etsy and while they've gotten a bit better with your store fronts aesthetic, I'm still not in love with the lack of customization. But I've heard that the market place is much better, people find you easier if you tag your stuff right.

>>9164280

This is literally me. Its bad. I kept a lot of too faced packaging and cute tags from various brands. I keep all the Pusheen tags I get from merch. Plz send help

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Anyone know where to get those star beads people put on their charms?

>>9164542
Storenvy has gone to shit, I'm in the process of jumping ship for shopify right now. If you prefer storenvy's sort of model over etsy I'd say go to tictail. Their model is exactly the same as storenvy, only without the bullshit.

>>9164654
every damn thread.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Mixed-Color-Transparent-Acrylic-Star-Charm-Beads-15mm-/370936760944?hash=item565d8dca70:g:LX4AAMXQdGJR050f

>>9164631
I can't help, I have all of mine stashed for packaging "inspiration". You should use that excuse to make yourself feel better too.

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Someone please tell me they'll have Stranger Things stuff. I'm so deep in the rabbit hole I may as well be in the Upside Down.

Postin a WIP

>>9164689
My friend is working on a print for our AAs in the spring. I was thinking about doing an El charm.

I really hope to see some st merch at the fall cons though.

>>9164542 here. Thanks for the info! I'd heard that Storenvy was really popular, but it sounds pretty bad. I'll probably end up going to Etsy, then.


>>9164657
I hadn't even considered shopify! Are there any particular benefits to it over the others?

>>9164689
Me! Working on a print and I might make some stickers of all of the characters (or maybe just the kids)

>>9164631
Are you flattening the boxes and putting everything in a scrapbook? Like, it doesn't have to be fancy, but then you can look through it and it won't take up so much space.

>>9164542
Used storenvy for forever (since 2012) but i'm in the process of moving to etsy. I've used tictail too. Tictail is like storenvy when storenvy was an infant website. Meaning it's similar but it has way less features so shipping and creating more than like 5 listings is a huge pain in the ass. I've gotten accustomed to the convenience of integrated shipping and copying listings so etsy is much better fit. Since SE is charging customers $1 on all purchases, i'd rather eat the cost at etsy with their listing/selling fee than forcing customers to pay a random fee. It just looks SO tacky.

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Every time I see a post like this, I automatically assume it's her. I don't get why she hasn't been banned since she never shares anything that's actually aa relevant.

>>9164728
Shopify is a more robust platform for more serious shops (it starts at $30/mo for an actual shop)

It doesn't have a marketplace for people to find you so you have to do all self promotion. Off the top of my head, black milk and tesla use shopify as their platform. There are a million apps that work with shopify (including a few redbubble clone type companies so you can add extra items with your art on it and not have to worry about inventory while keeping all your shop in one place)

There is a promo code out there for 60 days free, and they have 24/7 phone/chat support that is really helpful. If you can move enough product online to justify $30/mo, I'd say try it. At this point, storenvy was charging me about $25-$35/mo in marketplace commissions, so I figured I'd try doing all my own promo and going to shopify. If it doesn't work out I might settle on tictail. I just can't stand storenvys shitty communication and support.

>>9164659
Except they aren't? You link has holes that go top to bottom instead of through a tip and are a different shape.

>>9164654
Here you go

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-OF-200-Transparent-Star-Beads-Acrylic-/152213974554?hash=item2370a8ee1a:g:mcUAAOSw-itXsic7

>>9165045
Anon was probably just mad that there's literally someone in every thread asking where to get them and picked the first thing they saw. It really isn't that hard to find though so I also don't understand why people keep asking. Maybe for the same reason people ask for print prices when they're already in your face.

Does Ghibli stuff still sell decently? I went on a watching binge and wanted to make some charms.

>>9165325
Oh yeah, Ghibli's sorta like Pokemon in how it'll always be a staple at cons. Normalfags even recognize Spirited Away, at the very least.

>>9165325
honestly, not as well as before. it's over saturated and people kind of already have a lot of ghibli merch. unless your products are amazing, i would pick something else to make

>>9165325
I think so. There are plenty of diehard Ghibli fans that love cute merch. If you've got a really cute style or your style is unique enough to stand out from the rest, you'll do well.

I bought a Ghibli print for a friend that I thought was a cool idea: the artist combined elements from all of the movies so it was one cohesive print instead of making a lot of different prints for each movie

>>9162952
Ive always paid up front, ive never been to a con where i had the option to pay later

>>9164534
Catprint has magnet options. My friend used it for her wedding save the dates. You can also get like magnet inkjet printer paper too at Staples

>>9165417
I guess I'm used to juried cons. I haven't had to pay until I've been accepted. I forgot that some cons are 'first come, first serve'

>>9165454
Is there a good way to increase my chances at jury cons?

>>9166013
git gud?
But nah, it depends on the con and the AA coordinators so it's hard to give you anything other than general advice like making sure your portfolio of work is well organized and varied.

>>9166013
I'm not an expert. I just link to a few sites (Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, my shop) so they can see my full range of work and I guess that helps?

>>9166043
This. There's really no way to guarantee acceptance. It all depends on who's judging the work and what that con is looking for. I like a juried system because, like I mentioned earlier, prevents people like Sharpie Guy from buying a table to sell his really awful drawings. (I know there can be kinda bad artwork in all AAs but how bad, to me, depends on this)

>>9166043
For the portfolio, some cons let you link your store. For cons that ask you to sumbit 5 pictures of your work, how do you go about doing this? Do you take 5 product pictures, or cram your drawings in general together in photoshop on 5 blank sheets? I'm not sure if it's better to show them what I will be selling or show them my drawings that are not necessarily my print designs.

How do you deal with stuff like this in your online store?

Get a bunch of messages about one item on Etsy all along the lines of

>Is the thick like the badge on the show
>So its pretty good piece to get because I'm a big bleach fan
>So is it an inch big
>Is it an inch thick
>Ok thank u you ll be herding forum me soon
>so does it look like the one u posted on ur shop and if i what a shain with i t u could do that


And today I start getting messages about the same item from another user who I'm pretty sure is the same guy

>hi so im pruchasing one of these unique pieces thank u
>an like u said in th descriptio this piece will come as shown or at least durrable
>im a blech fan am looking for a soul reaper badge would like to is this be something to get

Needless to say nothing has been purchased yet. I'm answering everything as simply and politely as I can but I'm concerned this is going to turn into a weird spam situation.

Does anyone have comparison pics or reviews of ink it's wood charms vs zap's wood charms? I'm thinking of going with ink it's for their known printing quality, but zap's price is very tempting.

>>9166490
Seems harmless enough so far. Sounds like the person could be autistic or socially awkward or English isn't their first language.

>>9166490
>>9166490
Just keep repeating the same information with your customer service voice.
> Yes, the item is the same as the picture. It is made out of [materials] and should be [level of durability]. Thank you for your interest.

If you're worried about the customer, just be polite & detached and don't spend a lot of time on it.

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>>9166536
These are quite old but to my knowledge still accurate re: the difference in how they do wood.

>>9166690
Thank you so much! Looks like I'll go with Ink-It then. How big is the difference between gloss and nongloss? I've looked around but online images don't seem to show that big of a difference.

>>9166700
Basically no gloss shows that texture you see in the isabelle charm, where as candy gloss makes it almost completely smooth where the print is (like a glossy acrylic charm actually). It's really just a preference as to what mood you want for the charm? Like if you wanted a more rustic feel or a more polished feel? shimmer is somewhere in between, not as much wood texture but still a bit matte and with a finer texture.

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>>9166704
my bad the isabelle is shimmer, i just found a better comparison charm tho, no gloss on left, gloss on right

>>9166704
>>9166711
I prefer nongloss/shimmer but I feel like buyers would like candy gloss. Didn't see shimmer option last time I went on ink-it. It seems like nongloss isn't too bad, but con lighting will probably make it look really washed out. The gloss isn't bad but I feel like if I wanted something that crisp, it's better to go with clear acrylic instead rather than waste the wood texture. This is really helpful, thanks! I've seen your blog review but these direct comparisons are really nice. May your next AA table be swarmed with eager rich weebs.

>>9166730
i think if you like no gloss you should go with that, the effect is a big exaggerated because i tried to get the light to reflect a lot to show the texture difference. Otherwise i'd say they were just the same vibrancy. They might have stopped offering shimmer on wood because it's so close to no-gloss (that i even mistook it).

In small details like this, i've learned buyers don't seem to notice, we spend way too much time torturing ourselves over small details they never care about heh. TY

For fanart charms and buttons, it seems like chibi characters are the most common subject matter, but is there a market for non-character/subtle/"low-power weeaboo" accessories? Using NGE as an example, stuff like the angels, or Shinji's walkman.

Trying to figure out if it's worth it to invest time/money into this type of merch or if it's better to stick with characters, since ita bags are pretty popular lately.

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>>9167084

I have a set of NGE angels as charms, and Ramiel, by far, sells the best. I guess it's pretty low key weeb. Funny enough, the 2nd best seller is Lilith, which for the uninitiated is super bizarre and creepy. Shinji's walkman would be really neat to see, anon.

>>9167084
to be honest, if someone can incorporate fandom/character motifs in a subtle way, i'm way more likely to buy it. as an artist i find the chibi stuff a bit limiting, and enjoy seeing more creative charm designs.
re:itabags, i've also seen some people use motifs related to the character to space out the rest of their stuff. it's worth trying.

>>9167084
Adding to the other anons, if you don't want to risk the money for charms, you could always make them into sticker sets. I prefer buying subtle merch over sparkly character charms, especially how saturated they are in artist alleys. The only difficult thing I think you would face is that subtle/non-character stuff is harder to "get" right away since Shinji's walkman is as in your face as say a sparkly chibi Asuka charm. This is more for artist alley than an online store.

Off topic, but has anyone made double-sided Eva charms with pilot on one side and Eva on the other? I feel like mecha series have a lot of potential with this.

>>9167116
>since Shinji's walkman is as in your face as say
isn't as*
My English is failing me in this post. Time to get off the internet.

Anyone at any of the major cons this weekend?

I sware that San Japan had a rule against the photography stand type of displays, but now I can't seem to find it? Did they negate it for this year or am I just blind?

Does anyone have experience offering commissions at cons? Obviously results depend on the skill. I'm just wondering if people actually eat up cheap chibis or does it seem like teens/congoers generally don't care for the wait time.

>>9167459
I pay $5 to each artist and am fine waiting till the end of con to so pickup, not sure about other people though. Even a sketch is fine, so of course chibis are great.

>>9167459
I've offered your standard serious commissions before, but I found that I didn't really enjoy doing them. Though at the last Fanime I did, I had a pad of paper and would offer a stupid marker drawing for two bucks. That actually netted me a lot of money over the weekend, and people would buy multiples since I would do them on the spot and it took around a minute or two.

>>9167459
Like >>9167502 , I used to offer full inked and colored commissions, but I've since cut back to just sketch commissions at $10 apiece, sized at 4"x6". The fully finished ones took too long to do while I was sitting at my table and the time spent inking+coloring was not worth the additional amount I could charge. This may just be me but- I can do a neat pencil sketch pretty quickly, but if I try to rush inks it comes out a mess.

I have a few display examples out and let the customer know that what they're buying is a sketch, so this is the level of completion to expect, and so I've never had any issues there. Occasionally I've had folks ask about finished pieces and I let them know that for that I'd be willing to finish it after the con and mail it to them (which I do sometimes get takers on, but most people want their commission at the con). I usually end up selling my display pieces as well by the end of the con. Added bonus for the display pieces is that I don't feel too guilty drawing whatever obscure fandom I'm into at the moment because it's not like I'm making a whole print out of it.

Anyhow it varies from con to con but yes- if you can draw quickly, then there are tons of folks who are into buying at-con commissions.

>>9167459
I don't do commissions because i don't believe in working at the hotel, but I have many friends who are always booked full of commissions for $75-100+, some to be delivered during the con at some point or mailed later.

>>9167502
What kind of stuff do you draw for these "stupid marker drawings"? I was thinking about doing this but my sketches/drawings are so bad because I'm so used to doing digital and being able to erase easily. Will people pay 2 bucks for shitty sketches?

I don't have a degree in fine arts, but I'm hoping to get an art job by using my con experience and merch as portfolio. Is this even possible to do? I'm not too happy about showing my weeb merch haha and don't want an employer to say that my con side job is a clash of interest, but my con merch is the only portfolio I really have and it shows my skills. I'm not even sure what I'm asking is clear, but any advices please anons?

>>9167722
"Art job" is pretty vague. What exactly are you trying to do? Put your work in galleries? The fine art world is very different from the con art world and a lot of fine artists look down on fan artists.

>>9167725
Ah sorry for not being clear enough. I was looking into some kind of design jobs since that's what making merch is kind of like. Or graphic design. Right, I'm not even looking into becoming an artist who paints for galleries haha

Where do you guys get ur buttons/badges done? I've seen people doing last-minute buttons and I dont know how they get them done so fastly. Also, is it worth it to get your prints done at a local store or is it better to order them online? Since the resources link is broken i thought I would be better off asking directly.

Another question, how much do you make from your online store monthly? Just on average or something.

>>9167739
Most people who do last minute buttons own a button machine.
As for local or online, it depends on the prices in your area. Generally local is going to be more expensive, but with faster turnaround times. My local printer will do 24 hour pick up for no extra charge, so it's great if I need to restock or need prints on short notice, but it's definately more expensive than ordering a month in advance from say, Catprint.

>>9167722
You don't want to hear this, but you need to build a professional portfolio if you want to apply for professional positions. No one cares about a degree, but they DO care about your portfolio. You can use your branding materials such as your personal logo and signage, but I wouldn't put any fan art in your portfolio. Build up your portfolio with actual graphic design work, stuff you make for free for practice, or if you feel like it "contest" entries like 99designs. (I abhor these contests on principal for how they devalue the market, but if you need to make some free work anyways, a slim chance of pay is sometimes better than no chance of pay)

What you CAN do with your artist alley experience is put it on your resume. 5 years of alley experience translates to 5 years of working with print materials for production, as well as social marketing and sales experience. You can list it as freelance illustration or something similar.

>>9167733
Hm, I don't know. I'm in school for graphic design right now and what they really look for is a strong portfolio of past design work that you've done/what companies you've worked for previously/some kind of design experience. There's a lot of emphasis placed on web design and print media. If you have some strong design work (packaging, comics, business cards) or you've designed work for other people (commission based work) they might consider hiring you but it probably won't be that easy.

>>9167764
>>9167767
Thank you anons! It's very helpful. If you have original charm and jewelry designs, do you think these will count towards a professional portfolio? I would love ti make merch for companies but I don't know if there is even a job title for something like this. Besides original charms, I do have a lot of original prints and business card designs. I'll work on more professional stuff. Thanks again!

>>9167802
Or I guess I could git gud like omocat and make my own brand haha I've been following her for only 1 year. Does anybody know how she got so popular? Obviously, her art is amazing but a lot of amazing artists aren't as popular as omocat.

>>9167802
You'd probably have to find a company that is specifically looking for someone to make merchandise designs for them. Someone that already specializes in jewelry and the like. I don't know of anyone off the bat that's looking for something like that but I'd research and see what specific companies are looking for right now. Ask people that have made portfolios before to look yours over and give you tips and pointers. Just like with any job, it's not going to be easy but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

Like the other anon said, I'd stay away from prints unless they were made specifically for something (movie poster, logo design, magazine cover, etc). Have you done work for any sort of contest? Had your work featured in any sort of publication or used publicly (like a flyer)? Again, think professional. Companies want to know that you can take their idea/message and turn it into media that represents their brand and reaches an audience. They're not really in it for the artistic part so much (it's a factor but not the main one) unless you find a company that caters to that demographic.

>>9167804
Omocat has worked for some big companies (Coca-cola, Namco, Amazon). Sometimes, it's just about connections or sometimes people get lucky. I'm a firm believer that anybody can be successful as long as they're willing to constantly improve and work hard.

>>9167804
>omocat
I actually visited her booth the year she started in AX and I still get confused by how she got popular overnight
>visit new booth (omocat)
>wow this person has a loose and cool style
>friends and I buy some prints
>hope to seem them again next year, can't wait to see how the artist grows
And then she suddenly shot off into vendor booth. I'm guessing her work got popular really quickly after that (she started posting more consistently online). But that's just the online aspect of it under her omocat name- she graduated from Art Center so I'm sure that played a part in taking on internships and jobs separate from "omocat" (that she probably later used to build up credentials/resume when she decided to brand herself as omocat). Even things like her Omori project started off as a small sideblog she made where Omori boy was a tumblr blogger who updated once a day (which later became a book and an in-progress game). Her popularity online also kicked off around the same time tumblr was shifting from its hipster roots to what it is today so I think a lot of it was being at the right place at the right time. Personally, I don't follow her anymore, but I'm always interested in trying to understand how she rose so quickly.

>tfw the omocat prints me and my friends got for $7-$20 now go for 2-3x the price

>>9167821
I love her stuff but I always wonder how she got so popular overnight too. Because I know some people who are just as good but completely unknown. Sometimes I wonder if luck plays a big part.

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>>9167707
Actually I went and checked the photos I posted awhile ago, and it was actually $5 instead of $2... Proves even more that sometimes people will throw money at ridiculous things sometimes. Anyway here's some examples, they're truly terrible but somehow people ate it up.

>>9167824
Another thing that makes it more mysterious is that she's seems pretty socially awkward/reclusive and very stiff so it benefits her that her art can speak for itself. But when it comes to her experiences in working in bigger companies, I always wonder how she networked since most people with that type of personality don't network as successfully as those charismatic, loud artists.

>>9167836
When I met her at a con one time, she was so awkward and disinterested that it was really awkward and made me feel embarrassed for being so excited. So I'm really curious how she networked. Perhaps everybody flocked to her because her work speaks for itself.

>>9167804
Timing, she was just the first to capitalize on that weird simple line art / glitch art stuff in the US. Now everyone else after her doing it is seen as a copy. Even if she's not as skilled, she had the right timing even if that timing was luck.

>>9167733
I Work as an artist in a Game Studio and they don't care that me or any of my coworkers do conventions. Good employers typically encourage you to have projects outside of work which make your art skills better. :)

>>9168589
You're so lucky. Some companies don't allow you or doesn't like it when you do because they think you're somehow stealing their know-hows and ideas.

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Question, I want to start being more recognized as an artist online as I'm in need for commissions from people, any tips? I'm going to start drawing a lot of the "flavor of the month" series but idk how else I can get recognized fast, thanks

>>9169185
draw every day, post every day. tag everything. there's no short cut.

So what is "con season" because isn't there few cons every month? And what cons are considered major cons?

>>9169337
Depends on your country. In the US more happen in the late spring, summer and early fall than the rest of the year. Usually between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

>>9169018
I can see that, i've worked at some startups that had that mentality.. I think you'd have to approach your lead or employer and tell them it's fanart or personal projects, and doesn't directly involve the buisness.

For instance i couldn't work on any games without written consent from my boss and an exception made in my contact due to an NDA. Illustration or design for any other field is typically fine. Most of my coworkers have their own webcomics or published graphic novels they work on.

>>9169185
It's not easy, and very much could just be luck or the right art takes off.

Fanart is typically the easiest way to be seen.

>>9169436
At my last job I had to sign a form saying I wouldn't do any graphic design work for another project or person, but illustration or web or coding was all fine. My current job is a tiny six person company and my boss just doesn't give a crap.

I think it definitely depends on the employer, but I wouldn't want to work anywhere that would get upset about my pre-existing webcomic as a conflict of interest.

How long does it take to process sales permits? I got offered a table space by a friend but not sure if I can get all my stuff printed and sales permit on time..

>>9171898
depends on the state. usually pretty fast, like california is 1 business day or less, texas is instant, etc.

new thread >>9172152