[milkis13]

I'm going through a sudden Vocaloid obsession, and I have discovered several official Vocaloid CDs being sold on the internet. Some are:
http://www.akunooukoku.com/
http://vocalonexus.com/
http://gumism.com/

THAT'S AWESOME.

I was wondering, what's the chance that I'll see this at ACen? This would be my first time attending ACen, so I don't know what kind of things are being sold here that won't be found at other conventions...

[Ping Pong]

almonst anything you can think of, they sell there. there is a good chance you will see those cds there plus many more.

[milkis13]

*0*

Realllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyy???

Then, what's some of the craziest stuff you've seen in the dealer's room? Something that you totally didn't expect to find there, but did?

[dorkatlarge]

Milkis13, if there are specific things you plan to buy, then you might want to get estimates of what they cost first. You will definitely benefit by knowing what online stores charge, what retail stores charge, etc. And if you want something which is rare or long out of print, prepare to spend quite a bit.

If you purchase a CD or DVD, then you will probably pay more than what you'd pay through iTunes, Japan Files, Funimation Video on Demand, etc.

It's also wise to make sure you think if the item you want can be easily confused, or if it has multiple versions. In terms of DVDs, this can be the difference between individual discs, special editions, and barebones versions. It's rare to see bootlegs at ACen, but keep this in mind in case you see something which looks unusually inexpensive or less-than-legit.

Things I've seen in the dealers hall include...

* Just about every anime DVD made in the last five years, and a few out of print titles
* Some live action videos (martial arts, horror, sci-fi, etc)
* A few videotapes, including some rare ones
* Just about every trade paperback of manga and similar comics made in the last five years, and some rarities
* Some art books, guidebooks, anime/manga related novels, etc
* A few untranslated comics (available through the bookstore in Mitsuwa marketplace)
* Music CDs and DVDs, including a few imports
* Posters
* All kinds of toys and figures
* Fan-related t-shirts
* Jewelry
* Costumes and cosplay accessories
* Card, board, and strategy games
* Fan-made comics (doujinshi)
* Import console games
* Translated visual novels
* Import PC games
* Body pillows
* Discounts on other fan conventions
* ...and plenty of other things, from completely worksafe to very NSFW!

Overall, most of what you'll find in the dealers room can be purchased through physical retail stores. But if you like tracking down rare products such as Vocaloid CDs, then you may only be able to purchase them through fan conventions and online retailers. (I know how that is... most of the visual novels that I actually recommend are only sold through niche sites such as Winter Wolves.)

One final note... the dealer's room is fascinating, but if you ask me, the artist alley is where you will find creative things. I strive to spend only modest amounts in the dealers room, and focus on supporting individual people and what they create.

[milkis13]

Thank you!

I just wanted to mention that I have been to only two conventions before. I went to Colossalcon 9 (approx. 1,000 ppl) and Ohayocon 2011 (approx. 10,000 ppl). Jumping from Colossal to Ohayocon was a big step for me; the convention center was much bigger, and the dealer's room at Ohayocon just blew me away compared to Colossal. Anyway, dorkatlarge, I do have an idea of how things are priced at conventions. I've seen artbooks that would've cost about $20 in Japan that cost $40 at the con. I have also seen a LOT of things in the dealer's room. I guess the question that I should have asked from the beginning was: how does ACen's dealer's room compare to the smaller conventions? I know every con is different, but is there anything in particular that is rare in smaller cons, but may be found at ACen?

Yes, I agree. The artist's alley is amazing. It was kind of a bummer, though, because Ohayocon banned all fanart which put a damper on my experience. I do like original art, but I love fanart even more so... I'm really excited to go to ACen and experience such a huge artist's alley where there is no restrictions on fanart. Well, I know there are restrictions, but they aren't blatantly banning fanart all together.

[Purplegodess]

If you are basing your experience off of Ohayocons Dealer hall from this past year multiply that space by at least 6, to get a feel of the size of our hall. and the Alley here is about twice the size of their dealers hall.

[Voltaire30]

^ Yep. A person can find just about anything in our Exhibit Hall from plush to DVDS to swords, and if an individuals Art Work is what you end up aiming for, we have the largest Artist Alley in the United States. Either way it is a spectacular hall with enough adventure to keep you busy for the entirety of ACen.

[milkis13]

That's awesome!!! Six times the size of Ohayocon!! Wow!! I'm really, really excited to go now.

So give me an example of something specific that you bought there, please? Maybe something in the Artist's Alley that you're sure you wouldn't have found anywhere else? What was your loot the last time you went to ACen?

This post has been edited by milkis13: 08 March 2011 - 04:30 PM

[dorkatlarge]

milkis13, on 08 March 2011 - 04:30 PM, said:

So give me an example of something specific that you bought there, please? Maybe something in the Artist's Alley that you're sure you wouldn't have found anywhere else?

Every now and then, you can find some rare things in the dealers room. I was seriously thinking about purchasing a videotape of Warriors of the Wind (if you're not an old-school fan, look it up). I purchased an out-of-print trade paperback called Maniac Road, and the third volume of Fujoshi Rumi (which has limited distribution). Likewise, I was close to buying the region-free Xbox 360 bullet hell shooter Mushihime-sama Futari. And I bought a fairly rare doujin game called Magical Battle Arena from the Hendane booth, while trying to ignore their infamous "GET YER YAOI HERE" salesman. Since I don't typically look for figures or collectibles, I probably missed some rare things.

In the artist alley, there's plenty of stickers, buttons, and prints, but I've seen some fascinating stuff. I didn't purchase the P-chan piggy bank (which is a reference to the series Ranma 1/2), or the various character-themed room signs... but I did purchase one of the homemade plush riceballs, a one-up mushroom made of clay, and some artbooks with very limited print runs.

Finally, I don't recall if it might be currently available in artist alley or the dealers room, but I purchased an anime-esque board game called Collateral Damage at the old Reactor convention.

[The Fujoshi]

Funny I always go to the yaoi salesman because I found some good and rare doujinshi over there >w<

Just look around and remember to have a good description/code for the cds that you are looking for. I was trying to look for Zektbach / Ristaccia (解析版) and nobody knew what I was talking about ._.

artist alley also has a lot of cool stuff and goodies, such as plush/buttons/bookmarks. I got some rare Naruto ones there and I always get commission for pairings as well.

Good luck!

[ranefea]

I know this topic is kind of old now, but...

Last year I saw Vocaloid CDs at at least two different vendors (and I wanted them, which is why I remember, lol), so there is probably a good chance you'll find some this year. =3

As Dorkatlarge said, you can usually find some rare items. Last year I found one of the original Fushigi Yuugi drama CDs. The same vendor also had TONS of other old and rare items like collectible trading cards (oh, how I wish I had the money....;_, lots of cels and pencil boards, other old drama CDs, etc.

You're also bound to find plushes and such from series that aren't so popular and that you wouldn't find at smaller cons. I have an Alviss plushie from MAR (and there were other MAR plushes) that I got a few years ago that I had only ever been able to find at Otakon, whose dealer's hall dwarfs even ACen's by comparison!