tired, celebrities

[davemerrill]

The SF/Anime Flea Market went well yesterday. The weather was perfect, the construction around the library has finished so parking is a lot easier, the crowds were in a buyin' mood, I sold a bunch of stuff that's no longer taking up space in our place, and a good time was had by all.

What I enjoy about selling stuff at these things is the people-on-people interaction. Namely how somebody will agonize over a $1 purchase way more than is necessary. Come on fella, they're 2 for $1 comics, just get 'em and go!

I was selling a pretty neat toy for $20. It's mint in box, retail is more than $70, I figure $20 is a reasonable price. One guy looks at it. Walks around the room. Comes back and looks at it, takes it out of the box, looks at the accessories. Puts it back in the box, walks around the room again. Comes back and asks if I'll go $10. I say no, I'll do $15 but that's as low as I go. He looks at it some more, walks around the room again. Comes back. Will I do $12? No, $15 is the firm price. He looks at it some more, walks around the room again. Spends half an hour talking to the table next to me. On his way out the door asks if I'll be willing to sell it for $10. WHAT PART OF $15 DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND. I felt like I was talking to Chris Rock in the film "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka".

I usually complain about dealers who won't come down on their prices, but right now I understand their frustration with customers.

Anyway TIFF is in town and so far my celebrity sighting has been seeing what may have been Tom Green trying to get a cab on Queen West. I would have given him a ride, but there was a hand truck and a bunch of boxes in the back of the car. Anyway it would have just led to a lot of awkward questions about Drew Barrymore.

Speaking of tires there's a new STUPID COMICS today and it's all about America, football, capitalism, teamwork - and tires!



Actually it's been up since Friday but I've been really busy since then with things and stuff so I haven't been able to announce it here. I hope to have a Zero Fighter strip tonight as well, and I have a bunch of video editing to complete also. We'll see what gets done!

Comments

[sobieniak.livejournal.com]

Geez, when I usually go to these places, I would be doing the same thing, but not ask for a lower price, some people just don't listen.

Glad to hear the weather was good for you, it rained where I am, so my dad didn't drive his '68 Charger to the drive-in theater last night as I hoped we were going to go to.

Too bad Akron, Ohio doesn't have a future in rubber anymore. Wouldn't surprise me if a similar comic was made for the Champion Spark Plug Co. involving a similar Johnson Family in Toledo, but that's just me. :-)

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

It's been raining on and off but we dodged a lot of it. We went back out around 11pm Saturday night and it was raining cats and dogs.

[tochiro998.livejournal.com]

So I have to ask, what was the toy? Was it something I'm going to anguish over?

And, ya know, maybe the dude only had $10, or $10 and some extra for parking or a hot dog or something. At least he didn't try to steal it!

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

I think the guy was just cheap. I don't blame him, I'm cheap myself, and good for him for having a price and not going higher. I've done that myself, said "well, it's worth $X to me and not a penny more" and walked away from buying stuff I couldn't bargain down. I honestly think the piece was worth $20, though. I think $20 was a little cheap actually. No big deal, it's not taking up that much space. I got rid of a BUNCH of bulky hard to store junk, I sold a whole box of unwanted 45 singles for $2 and my old turntable with the shorted out left channel, it's gone (yeah, I fully informed the customers that the left channel was gone), and all the Look & Learns are gone. A bunch of books got sold and some went to Goodwill. We hit BMV on Sunday and got rid of even more junk, paid for my lunch that way.

When there was ten minutes left I took some of the better junk off the table and said OKAY EVERYTHING ON THIS TABLE IS TWENTY FIVE CENTS EACH and sold about a buck-fifty worth of stuff. Then we packed up.

[tochiro998.livejournal.com]

If only more dealers at cons would take that approach, I bet they'd have a lot less to haul home. You know, those plastic tubs filled with stuff that are so old you can't see thru them anymore from the scratches and aging. Bring it out, take it back, bring it out, take it back.

Man, I get depressed just thinking of that nonsense. :)

And I agree on the 'what it's worth to me' price thing. I've walked away from many a Japanese book in the past because even when I HAD the money, no way I was paying $100 for a damn $5 TBP. $25, yeah, but not a hundred bones. Call me crazy.

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

Every time I do a table I can see why dealers are crazy, customers are nuts. They do the nuttiest things. Stand around, stare at something for hours, FINALLY decide to buy it... I sold that "Beyond The Stars" book for $4 to a guy who must have picked it up TEN TIMES. JUST BUY THE DAMN THING ALREADY, IT'S ONLY FOUR DOLLARS.

Generally I find the more they talk, the less they spend. Frustrating!