[The Chainmail Guy]

Just wanted to send out a quick message of thanks to everyone that stopped by my booth and give my compliments again to everyone else that was at the convention. I saw some awesome artwork, and I hope everyone did well! I also figured this would be a good opportunity for 'damage assessment', where we can all share some tips on what seemed to work well and what didn't work out.

One that was given to me that I feel would be of great help in the future is obtaining a smartphone app to allow for credit card payments. Getting and running a credit card machine is expensive and a pain, but doing it on a phone would be extremely convenient and would open up business to a great deal of customers, especially those on Sunday when everyone is out of money. I didn't have time to organize it this year, but if I can manage to come back I definitely need to get some height on my displays, even if it's just for signs. I think the table layout for the alley was excellent; the only real complaint is that I wish the area were bigger for more tables, given the huge demand with how quickly everything filled up. All the staff I encountered were awesome and very helpful (and took all the business cards from my wallet before I even got my booth set up ). It was definitely a great experience for me, and I will do my best to make it back next year.

[Sapphy]

The Chainmail Guy, on 29 April 2012 - 08:55 PM, said:

One that was given to me that I feel would be of great help in the future is obtaining a smartphone app to allow for credit card payments. Getting and running a credit card machine is expensive and a pain, but doing it on a phone would be extremely convenient and would open up business to a great deal of customers, especially those on Sunday when everyone is out of money.

I kept meaning to jog by your booth and I never got around to it. T___T Ugu~

As for accepting credit cards, I was going to get set up with Square (they offer a free cardreader dongle for most smartphones and charge minimal fees per transaction) but my phone is just a little too old and incompatible with the reader. Paypal also offers a reader now, which is great. I'm going to be upgrading my phone for next year so I should have a card reader as well.

[Grimby]

The Chainmail Guy, on 29 April 2012 - 08:55 PM, said:

Just wanted to send out a quick message of thanks to everyone that stopped by my booth and give my compliments again to everyone else that was at the convention. I saw some awesome artwork, and I hope everyone did well! I also figured this would be a good opportunity for 'damage assessment', where we can all share some tips on what seemed to work well and what didn't work out.

One that was given to me that I feel would be of great help in the future is obtaining a smartphone app to allow for credit card payments. Getting and running a credit card machine is expensive and a pain, but doing it on a phone would be extremely convenient and would open up business to a great deal of customers, especially those on Sunday when everyone is out of money. I didn't have time to organize it this year, but if I can manage to come back I definitely need to get some height on my displays, even if it's just for signs. I think the table layout for the alley was excellent; the only real complaint is that I wish the area were bigger for more tables, given the huge demand with how quickly everything filled up. All the staff I encountered were awesome and very helpful (and took all the business cards from my wallet before I even got my booth set up ). It was definitely a great experience for me, and I will do my best to make it back next year.

I just have to say thanks again for the bracelet... I loved your display, and I really wish I had more time to stop by again. I hope you did well and had fun this past weekend, your work is really great.

[frzndaqiri]

I have Square and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It is amazing to be able to say "YES" when someone asks if I take CC (and my buttons are $1! - these ppl must put their Taco Bell on CC haha) and how much that has helped. Square has a VERY SMALL fee and they transfer your profits to your checking account nightly. I worry about paypal (personal opinion ahead) because of recent changes to their policies and past actions that have locked up monies from being accessed by people. That makes me nervous. But I've had square for 2 years now and am thrilled with them.

Other than that, had a great time. I learned I need some kind of ledger to take down commissions and keep them (and the timing) straight. I seem to selectively forget how frantic AA can be at ACen and refuse to be unprepared next year.

[Miyuka]

I was surprised at the amount of people asking if I accepted cards. I hear you on the possibility of card payments. I do not have a smartphone, nor do I want to upgrade my phone just for that, hexk a few weeks ago I finally just upgraded to a touch screen phone and internet on it for the first time. /technologically out of date. I looked into the paypal option. Seemed like the perfect opportunity to open that up for me however the $30 a month fee. Eeeeh :/

[cyanineblue]

Square is awesome. It gave us that extra bit of sales on Sunday. The fee is per credit card transaction, which is taken out prior to Square disbursing to your account. ALSO, it can also log your cash transactions as well AND add tax! No math on your part!

[Karmada]

I finally got myself a card reader for just this purpose. I missed out on almost $100 worth of sales on Sunday last year due to not being able to take cards. It helped out IMMENSELY this year.

If you can, I highly recommend something like the square/intuit readers. Rates are reasonable, and it's easy to follow.

[Tokoz]

This was my studio's first year with Square, too. It's pretty nice, though we did get hit in the beginning with their manual entry percentage hike -- their advertised cut, 2.75%, jumps to 3.5% + $0.15 per transaction when you enter the card number by hand. Still low, but something of a surprise for us. One of my studiomates researched the Paypal reader and said it's mostly for high-volume, high-profit sellers. ymmv, though.

Also, thanks to our boothmates! Everyone was so easygoing and friendly on either side of us, especially on our big cosplay day when two out of three people in my studio were managing gigantic hoopskirts and tripping over my Cosplay Emergency Repair Box of Massiveness. You guys are the best!

[rondo]

After getting some medicine, I can breathe again too.

[KnitChick]

Square is awesome, I bought it for if I manage to start doing crafts for sale. And if you don't want a smart phone you can use it with an iPad - I learned that when I paid for some stuff at C2E2 with my card (I didn't plan to buy $30 worth of dice, whoops!)

I'm sad I didn't have enough money or time to shop AA this year. I basically ran in to get my magnets I commissioned pre-con, and to get my annual cosplay photo button & magnets from Disjointed Images. Next year I hope I have money & can sneak away some more.

[Christy]

Tokoz, on 30 April 2012 - 05:58 PM, said:

This was my studio's first year with Square, too. It's pretty nice, though we did get hit in the beginning with their manual entry percentage hike -- their advertised cut, 2.75%, jumps to 3.5% + $0.15 per transaction when you enter the card number by hand. Still low, but something of a surprise for us. One of my studiomates researched the Paypal reader and said it's mostly for high-volume, high-profit sellers. ymmv, though.

When I was researching CC transaction places, I noticed that as well. I decided to go with Intuit. You still get a free reader, no monthly free for the basic package and the percentages are the same as Square, but they don't have the $0.15 surcharge against hand entered CC numbers. Plus, I liked their item feature, where you can pre-load items along with prices and just select the times being purchased right off the list for a total.

[rondo]

Gotta love it when the processors pass along those interchange rates from the card companies such as Visa and Mastercard.

[Manifested Dreams]

So glad to be done with the convention! It was a long(but enjoyable) weekend. Lots of sales, lots of fun conversations. Good times all around

I actually purchased smart phones specifically with the intent of using the Square. I don't trust Paypal and as of right now, I've never had any issues with my Square account. My funds from the weekends are always sitting in my account the following Monday. I've never had poor enough reception, or issues with my reader, that required me to hand process a card, thankfully.

[RogueCreations]

I love conventions but I have to admit that it feels nice to be home after all the craziness! Especially a convention as large as ACEN. In regards to the credit card thing, I used Square for the first time at ACEN and it was great. I got a couple extra sales that I would have missed otherwise. And I love that the money automatically gets deposited into my account. Very handy little thing. And this wasn't what I was expecting, but one of my hotel roommates ended up paying for their share of the room through my Square reader because they forgot to bring extra cash. *

[Gwydion]

Hearing all this talk about accepting credit cards makes me consider the possibility of it for future cons now that my sis has a smart phone. We only had a few people ask as far as I know, but sales are sales, right? Hmm... I'll have to look into it further.

My sis and I had a great time this year - we were so happy to be back and that we could bring a friend with us as well! Being next to the loud music was a bit annoying, but we'd occasionally get serenaded by a wandering ocarina player or the violinist across the way, so that was kind of fun, lol. It was so great seeing so many familiar faces again - hopefully we'll be able to make it back next year as well!

frzndaqiri, on 30 April 2012 - 07:45 AM, said:

I have Square and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It is amazing to be able to say "YES" when someone asks if I take CC (and my buttons are $1! - these ppl must put their Taco Bell on CC haha) and how much that has helped. Square has a VERY SMALL fee and they transfer your profits to your checking account nightly. I worry about paypal (personal opinion ahead) because of recent changes to their policies and past actions that have locked up monies from being accessed by people. That makes me nervous. But I've had square for 2 years now and am thrilled with them. :)Other than that, had a great time. I learned I need some kind of ledger to take down commissions and keep them (and the timing) straight. I seem to selectively forget how frantic AA can be at ACen and refuse to be unprepared next year.

Just wanted to say thanks again for dropping off those buttons! They are PERFECT for my sister's costume, and I'm so sorry I totally spaced on picking them up! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

KnitChick, on 30 April 2012 - 08:43 PM, said:

I'm sad I didn't have enough money or time to shop AA this year. I basically ran in to get my magnets I commissioned pre-con, and to get my annual cosplay photo button & magnets from Disjointed Images. Next year I hope I have money & can sneak away some more.

Admittedly, this makes me feel kind of special. XD

Manifested Dreams, on 01 May 2012 - 11:46 AM, said:

So glad to be done with the convention! It was a long(but enjoyable) weekend. Lots of sales, lots of fun conversations. Good times all around

I'm glad I caught you right before you were all packed up! My little jellyfish - Albert - now happily stares at me from my desk, lol.

[IcyPanther]

As a first time con-goer, i had a great time! I didn't have a ton of big ticket items, so I'm not sure how much a Square app would help me. Still something to look into!

The one thing I might change for next year is the chairs. Did anyone else have the problem of constantly feeling way too short for their table? I know I'm short, but whenever I sat I felt like I could hardly be seen and it was akward talking to people, so I stood the entire convention. My feet still don't like me. I think next year I'm either going to bring a giant mound of pillows to sit on, or maybe even bring a barstool of some sort.

Still, had a lot of fun! Can't wait for next year already!

[The Chainmail Guy]

Gwydion, on 01 May 2012 - 02:00 PM, said:

Being next to the loud music was a bit annoying, but we'd occasionally get serenaded by a wandering ocarina player or the violinist across the way

The violinist was my friend Brendan. He's been playing since he was 3, and was glad to finally have a place to play at the convention where he could accept tips. I'll pass along your compliments .

He's also looking for more songs to learn for next year (provided I can get a spot so I can bring him with), so if anyone has any suggestions let me know!

[Sapphy]

Now that I've had a day to (more or less) recover, I suppose I'll give my own post-con rundown:

To start, I had a BLAST. I learned a lot about what worked well for my table and what didn't work very well. I sold more shadowboxes than I brought (was making some on Saturday and Sunday), which made me absolutely ecstatic. Creating the boxes at my table really helped pull in sales--it got to a point where I was selling and reserving boxes before I could finish them! On the downside, Friday and Saturday my keychains and buttons weren't really selling at all, and together they were my most expensive investment for the convention. That was rather disappointing (though I listed them on Etsy and I'm hoping I can move some through there). We rearranged how they were displayed on Sunday and they sold better, however, so that's one thing I learned for next year. I'm also rethinking the way I'll do my display for next year. I have a few ideas inspired by a mash of the other booths I saw.

I was worried about being able to hear and be heard at the convention, but I think it turned out OK. I have a pretty soft voice and also have a lot of trouble hearing a single person talking when there's any sort of background noise around me. I'm always nervous because of this that I come off as rude, but I hope that's not the case. I tried greeting everyone that came to my table by, at the least, smiling their way, but some people weren't very receptive.

All of the artists I talked to were absolutely fantastic and I only wish I got a chance to visit more of your booths! There was a bunch in particular from the Pimp Your Table thread that I meant to stop by and missed out. I also meant to do a business card run and grab a card from all the tables that caught my eye, but closing time snuck up on me way too quickly.

All in all this year was wonderful, and a blast. I think I even turned a profit! All I know is it was a bit sad to go back to the grind of my regular fulltime job. I would totally do conventions for a living if I could. It's hard work and the hours were long, but it was FANTASTIC.

[AnimeMonster]

I'm also a first timer and i had a fantastic time. Made a lot of new friends . Oh, and the credit thing, i missed out on a couple of sales so I'm going to look into getting it, sounds like a good idea.

[Gwydion]

The Chainmail Guy, on 01 May 2012 - 06:00 PM, said:

The violinist was my friend Brendan. He's been playing since he was 3, and was glad to finally have a place to play at the convention where he could accept tips. I'll pass along your compliments .

Oh yes, please do! I can't remember which song it was, but there was one in particular I enjoyed immensely and would hum along with as he played it, haha.

[The Chainmail Guy]

Gwydion, on 01 May 2012 - 07:32 PM, said:

Oh yes, please do! I can't remember which song it was, but there was one in particular I enjoyed immensely and would hum along with as he played it, haha.

One of the ones he played a lot was Holy Orders 3 ([media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3Jredj3n7k[/media]) from Guilty Gear Overture that he learned at my request. He also did some Legend of Zelda music quite a bit and one of the songs from Firefly/Serenity (can't remember the name of it, but it's the one that played a lot during scene transitions). He also did Still Alive and the Tetris and Super Mario Bros. themes quite a bit. He tends to do a lot of fast paced music, so I want to get him to learn some Dethklok and some rock songs like Cliffs of Dover.

[IcyPanther]

The Chainmail Guy, on 01 May 2012 - 08:35 PM, said:

One of the ones he played a lot was Holy Orders 3 ([media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3Jredj3n7k[/media]) from Guilty Gear Overture that he learned at my request. He also did some Legend of Zelda music quite a bit and one of the songs from Firefly/Serenity (can't remember the name of it, but it's the one that played a lot during scene transitions). He also did Still Alive and the Tetris and Super Mario Bros. themes quite a bit. He tends to do a lot of fast paced music, so I want to get him to learn some Dethklok and some rock songs like Cliffs of Dover.

If he could do memory of Fanalia from Escaflowne I will be the happiest person alive! ♥ I wish I'd heard the Firefly scene, would have made my day!

[frzndaqiri]

My new display board worked amazingly which means I will be selling off my old ones if anyone is interested. They hold the 1.25" buttons - displaying 40 per board. If you're interested, msg me.

I absolutely loved (but my wallet hated) having COPIC at ACen! Did anyone else get into their booth? The glitter pens they carry are very interesting. Not a replacement for my gelly rolls but a definite addition down the road. I also picked up some more colors, some SP liners, and really really want the small light box.

[cyanineblue]

Having Brendan play at your booth was very relaxing and a nice break from the "wub wub wub" of the club music going on.

[Karmada]

frzndaqiri, on 02 May 2012 - 05:02 PM, said:

I absolutely loved (but my wallet hated) having COPIC at ACen! Did anyone else get into their booth?

I loved having them there too! On Sunday after I had decided I made enough to buy myself a treat, I went and bought a bunch of colors I didn't have, and a black pen I needed (I was running out). I want them back every year! So helpful for in case I run out of stuff.

I was also glad because then when people would ask if my markers were for sale, I could point them to a booth.

Speaking of...does anybody else have that problem? The minute I start to work on commissions, all I get is "Oooh what are these? *grabs at pens/markers*" or "Are those markers for sale here?" :P

I'm trying to figure out if I'm just unlucky or what. Hahaha

[The Chainmail Guy]

Karmada, on 02 May 2012 - 07:45 PM, said:

Speaking of...does anybody else have that problem? The minute I start to work on commissions, all I get is "Oooh what are these? *grabs at pens/markers*" or "Are those markers for sale here?"

I'm trying to figure out if I'm just unlucky or what. Hahaha

I put my spare parts box out for people to sort through in case they wanted a custom order, and they kept just wanting to buy the parts, despite the fact that I clearly had a sign marked 'Not for individual resale'. I think people either don't pay attention, or they're just dumb.

[AnimeMonster]

frzndaqiri, on 02 May 2012 - 05:02 PM, said:

My new display board worked amazingly which means I will be selling off my old ones if anyone is interested. They hold the 1.25" buttons - displaying 40 per board. If you're interested, msg me.

I absolutely loved (but my wallet hated) having COPIC at ACen! Did anyone else get into their booth? The glitter pens they carry are very interesting. Not a replacement for my gelly rolls but a definite addition down the road. I also picked up some more colors, some SP liners, and really really want the small light box.

I completely agree, having Copic at Acen was awesome. I got a bunch of stuff from them .

This post has been edited by AnimeMonster: 02 May 2012 - 08:30 PM

[frzndaqiri]

Karmada - I know exactly when autographs start because that's when the "are these for sale" gets asked the most as I have a box of customer use markers on my table. My copics/pens I try to keep behind a display or behind the table next to me now as more than once I've had to deal with grabby hands. 1. I'm just OCD about my stuff (I have sibling syndrome, don't touch my things! lol) and 2. COPICS are not Crayolas and it's hard to explain that you can't just color an entire A4 sheet w/o seeing me heh

I watched a lady and her youngish/pre-teen kids stop in the COPIC booth and ask about them, then asked price and ert! that was the end of that she backpedaled out of there. hah!

[Kikai]

Karmada, on 02 May 2012 - 07:45 PM, said:

Speaking of...does anybody else have that problem? The minute I start to work on commissions, all I get is "Oooh what are these? *grabs at pens/markers*" or "Are those markers for sale here?"

People ask me that all the time! D: I have my big box of copics sitting out while I work on commissions and people constantly pick them up and ask if they are for sale. My biggest problem is people reaching across the table to pick through them. It makes me nervous. Copics are not cheap and I'm kind of a scrooge when it comes to people touching them... >_>

[Manifested Dreams]

We *just* got Copics recently, thanks to a friend of mine selling them for a steal. We kind of went crazy when we got to Copic and picked up a liner pack, a bunch of reds to round out our set and a case for them.

More than a few times we had people go, "Oh my GAWD. COPICS? I want Copics..." and then gave us THE LOOK. You know the look, those big puppy eyes and the wibble lip, like we're going to hand over our 100+ markers if they just stick to it.

We had them safely secured behind our wire rack display and then seemed to help keep grabby hands away D:

I hope Copic comes back next year, it's great to have things in person and have people on hand to ask questions.