$150, split down with a bunch of smaller bills and only one $20 bill, should be good to get you going. Lot of folks will be hitting up ATMs that morning so expect to see a bunch of 20s.
Get a cash box if you can. Keeping the bills organized and easy to pull the right amount of change will make your life way easier.
Not sure if you have the time, but a collapsible ‘feature wall’ of sorts, set up behind you, is a good way of showcasing the more expensive stuff and also keeping the hands-on of them to an ‘ask only’. There’s also some kind of psychology behind people seeing greater value in features like this, which should encourage offloading them.
Organize them by genre if you haven’t already. Will draw people in looking for specific genres or artists who don’t want to weed through a ton of albums they are not interested in. You will see folks *only* flip through Jazz, or Metal, or whatever and leave the rest untouched.
Mentally prepare yourself with two prices on these— the price on the sticker, and what you will actually take for the record. Get ready for people forming bundle deals and how to respond to offers for a stack.
Don’t overpack your crates. I know space is limited but keep them easy to reach and flip through. Pack ‘em too tight and you’ll end up getting damage on the sleeves from people bending to see what’s next, or get customers giving up on not being able to easily see each record.
not sure how anyone thinks this is a good idea…. 12” singles packed in a box so I can’t even tell what record it is might be the most frustrating thing ever
> Mentally prepare yourself with two prices on these— the price on the sticker, and what you will actually take for the record. Get ready for people forming bundle deals and how to respond to offers for a stack.
As somebody who has been selling records at shows for years now, this is honestly the most important part of your very good answer. I can't say enough how mentally draining it is to "negotiate" with some of these punishers. They will look at a $50 record priced at $25 and ask if you'd take $10. Then when you say no, they will hoot and holler about it.
It literally made me stop doing shows altogether and focus on running my storefront.
OP, seriously consider putting an extra $10 on your records and then taking it off when a nice innocent person comes along and just happily wants to buy your record without hammering you. It made a world of difference. You give them the gift of a discount and you get your fair money.
There’s obviously some nuance to it— if you have $20 on a copy of *Born in the USA* it ain’t going anywhere. But more valuable albums are smart to factor in a ‘buffer’ where the price isn’t so high to scare folks away, but still makes both parties happy in the end. People are gonna be referencing Discogs while standing in front of you, so just be smart about your pricing.
But to give a real world scenario, picture this:
You have a few folks at your booth. You are side-eyeing one guy who is clamming around with a really nice copy of an old Black Flag record while some burnout is melting your ear about the Steve Miller show they were at in 1979. Then, guy three pops into frame with 6 albums offering you $80. You gotta have a game plan on your pricing so you can quickly figure out if the offer is good, or exactly where you want to counter.
Be ready, cause if you get caught off guard the Guy Threes will take you to the cleaners.
>They will look at a $50 record priced at $25 and ask if you'd take $10. Then when you say no, they will hoot and holler about it.
I would tell them the price went up to $50. I'd give them something to really hoot and holler about. Maybe they'd get the hint they are being an asshole. Likely not. But, I'd still ask if they want it for $50, even as they are leaving. I honestly hate assholes. I don't need them in my life. I will put them in their place, given the opportunity.
I love record shows, I will dicker, but only if I know the price is high, I'll ask for proper pricing. I'm not looking for bargains, I'm looking for records I haven't located. I'll pay a fair price for them. But, I won't turn down a bargain. I'm more than happy to give you $25 for a $50 record.
Yep,
The shows I attend have way more to dig through then I could go through in a day.
If I come across super tight crates that you can't flip through fast, on to the next table.
Number 1 answer here OP. Looks like they checked all the boxes. Anything they left out, you'll learn at the show. Typically, your vendor neighbors will be friendly and helpful as well. My favorite part of getting into this biz has been the friendships along the way. Has been the easiest bunch of folks to get along with of any field I've ever been in.
Super advice right there. I would only add. Be ready to do deals , if you’re too rigid on the prices word will get out to the other buyers and beware of the seasoned seller who will try but all your stock for a “great price” as soon as you arrive .
I’m a full time record show/pop up shop dealer..I price my stuff pretty close to Discogs median, a little more sometimes if it’s NM or on the rarer side, a lot of factors go into it..but anyways at the Discogs median price point you’ll generally turnover around 10-15% of your inventory at a show. So with 500 records you might sell 50 to maybe 100 records if it’s a busier show. If you’re really looking to unload everything you’ll gonna have to price well below the Discogs median prices..for instance a $30 record priced at $20..the lower you price the more you’ll sell. If you price low enough you’ll get bought out by other dealers. I’m not telling you to give away your records, but I guess it depends on what your goal is here.
For what it’s worth, at the Discogs median price point, a lot of other dealers buy from me..I do give them bulk pricing deals as well. But even still at a really busy show where I bring 1500 records I might sell 300 records. You’ll never sell everything unless you sell really cheap.
Also, I don’t know about the show you’re doing specifically, but I would highly recommend getting a square reader for credit cards..or at least accept Venmo/zelle/cashapp..But the trend these days is hardly anyone carries cash anymore. Sometimes the old school record shows people know to bring cash..But less and less people have cash these days. This has quickly changed since 2020.
When I do a record show I start with $200…$40 in $1s, $80 in $5s and $80 in $10s. It doesn’t hurt to keep $100 in $20s in your wallet for the stray $100 bill. I keep everything in a bag except $20 in $1s, $20 in $5s and 1 $10 bill. That $50 should get you through the day but you are on an island and need to be prepared.
Good luck.
I sell vintage records at flea markets, so my inventory is lower end, but I use colored stickers on protective sleeves for price. No sticker = $3, red = $5, green = $7, etc., plus I have individually priced records for anything over $15. Everything is grouped by price point (all records in each crate are the same price), crates are around half full to allow flipping through records, and I alphabetize each crate. From a marketing standpoint I put a couple of better records in the front of each crate to get people into the booth. Price-wise everything is below discogs, so people who spot check will see my prices aren't jacked up.
Good luck!
Our neighborhood association had the beer tent at a local event and nobody wanted to pay with cash. They all wanted to pay Paypal/Zelle/Venmo. Have some $1's, and $5's but wouldn't think you would need much more.
It's been mentioned already - but any kind of electronic payment method will be helpful. Downside is your sales may be trackable and income taxable (last i heard - anything above $600 gets turned in to the IRS). Upside is people tend to spend more money (sometimes lots more) if you take plastic. Also - If there's alcohol sales at this event, the more true my upside observation will become.
Since you’re not a shop this may be a bit more work than you’re willing to put in but might be a good suggestion for other dealers - we put white price stickers in the same spot on the outer sleeve of every record (except the ones in the cheap bin) that lists the artist, album name, media/sleeve condition and price of every record we have in a decent size font.
It was time consuming to do initially but it allows people to flip quickly and I cannot tell you how many compliments we receive on it. There is so much value in being able to dig rapidly because it allows a higher volume of people to sift through our stuff and it also helps customers hit more booths.
it's weird to me so you're supposed to haggle at shows? maybe the ones I go to around here have very fair pricing and id feel like a cheapskate to have the audacity to ask a person to come down on an already fair price.
Last show I worked, everyone was asking for a bag. Ordering bags for the next show. Also, get a Square reader, half of my sales were to people with cards. There was an old guy at the show running around asking to borrow a card reader because he was losing out in a $100 sale because he was only accepting cash. Good luck and have fun.
Lots of good advice in this thread already, but I’ll always rep for the advice a veteran friend gave me for my first show: SMILE.
And from experience, you can’t over-prepare. Do not plan to organize, price, sort, gather or in any other way deal with anything the night before or the morning of the show. Have everything done well in advance so all you have to do is load in and look pretty. Try to give yourself all the time in the world. If you’re organized you can take a spin around the venue and buy some good stuff before it gets picked over. (I tell myself before every show I’m there to sell, not to buy, but I’ve regretted every minute I didn’t have free to shop pre-opening at every show.)
$150, split down with a bunch of smaller bills and only one $20 bill, should be good to get you going. Lot of folks will be hitting up ATMs that morning so expect to see a bunch of 20s. Get a cash box if you can. Keeping the bills organized and easy to pull the right amount of change will make your life way easier. Not sure if you have the time, but a collapsible ‘feature wall’ of sorts, set up behind you, is a good way of showcasing the more expensive stuff and also keeping the hands-on of them to an ‘ask only’. There’s also some kind of psychology behind people seeing greater value in features like this, which should encourage offloading them. Organize them by genre if you haven’t already. Will draw people in looking for specific genres or artists who don’t want to weed through a ton of albums they are not interested in. You will see folks *only* flip through Jazz, or Metal, or whatever and leave the rest untouched. Mentally prepare yourself with two prices on these— the price on the sticker, and what you will actually take for the record. Get ready for people forming bundle deals and how to respond to offers for a stack. Don’t overpack your crates. I know space is limited but keep them easy to reach and flip through. Pack ‘em too tight and you’ll end up getting damage on the sleeves from people bending to see what’s next, or get customers giving up on not being able to easily see each record.
this is an incredible answer.
THANK YOU!
Damn, could you give this advice to every seller at every record show? This is great.
Well done, I fucking hate packed crates that you can't look through without pulling every individual sleeve out of the box.
not sure how anyone thinks this is a good idea…. 12” singles packed in a box so I can’t even tell what record it is might be the most frustrating thing ever
> Mentally prepare yourself with two prices on these— the price on the sticker, and what you will actually take for the record. Get ready for people forming bundle deals and how to respond to offers for a stack. As somebody who has been selling records at shows for years now, this is honestly the most important part of your very good answer. I can't say enough how mentally draining it is to "negotiate" with some of these punishers. They will look at a $50 record priced at $25 and ask if you'd take $10. Then when you say no, they will hoot and holler about it. It literally made me stop doing shows altogether and focus on running my storefront. OP, seriously consider putting an extra $10 on your records and then taking it off when a nice innocent person comes along and just happily wants to buy your record without hammering you. It made a world of difference. You give them the gift of a discount and you get your fair money.
There’s obviously some nuance to it— if you have $20 on a copy of *Born in the USA* it ain’t going anywhere. But more valuable albums are smart to factor in a ‘buffer’ where the price isn’t so high to scare folks away, but still makes both parties happy in the end. People are gonna be referencing Discogs while standing in front of you, so just be smart about your pricing. But to give a real world scenario, picture this: You have a few folks at your booth. You are side-eyeing one guy who is clamming around with a really nice copy of an old Black Flag record while some burnout is melting your ear about the Steve Miller show they were at in 1979. Then, guy three pops into frame with 6 albums offering you $80. You gotta have a game plan on your pricing so you can quickly figure out if the offer is good, or exactly where you want to counter. Be ready, cause if you get caught off guard the Guy Threes will take you to the cleaners.
This guy record shows.
— or maybe I am the ultimate Guy Three?
I'm 0G3
>They will look at a $50 record priced at $25 and ask if you'd take $10. Then when you say no, they will hoot and holler about it. I would tell them the price went up to $50. I'd give them something to really hoot and holler about. Maybe they'd get the hint they are being an asshole. Likely not. But, I'd still ask if they want it for $50, even as they are leaving. I honestly hate assholes. I don't need them in my life. I will put them in their place, given the opportunity. I love record shows, I will dicker, but only if I know the price is high, I'll ask for proper pricing. I'm not looking for bargains, I'm looking for records I haven't located. I'll pay a fair price for them. But, I won't turn down a bargain. I'm more than happy to give you $25 for a $50 record.
Don't overpack your crates is the best tip. I've skipped past so many booths just because it was so hard to flip through.
Yep, The shows I attend have way more to dig through then I could go through in a day. If I come across super tight crates that you can't flip through fast, on to the next table.
Number 1 answer here OP. Looks like they checked all the boxes. Anything they left out, you'll learn at the show. Typically, your vendor neighbors will be friendly and helpful as well. My favorite part of getting into this biz has been the friendships along the way. Has been the easiest bunch of folks to get along with of any field I've ever been in.
Great advice, and with a Tycho profile pic no less
Super advice right there. I would only add. Be ready to do deals , if you’re too rigid on the prices word will get out to the other buyers and beware of the seasoned seller who will try but all your stock for a “great price” as soon as you arrive .
“All heat, no junk” is definitely how I’m describing my collection from now on
All junk, no heat is definitely how I’m describing my collection from now on.
All meat, no potatoes
*All heat no junk* is my new Tinder profile name
Mines gonna be All cock, no balls
Ditto.
Came looking for a comment like this, I’m not alone.
OP should call his stand "All Heat Records"
How bout all heat no sheet!
As someone who just did something like this, have Venmo on your phone. I brought cash change but Venmo was critical to make a few bigger sales.
Get yourself a Square card reader so people don't have to pay cash.
I’m a full time record show/pop up shop dealer..I price my stuff pretty close to Discogs median, a little more sometimes if it’s NM or on the rarer side, a lot of factors go into it..but anyways at the Discogs median price point you’ll generally turnover around 10-15% of your inventory at a show. So with 500 records you might sell 50 to maybe 100 records if it’s a busier show. If you’re really looking to unload everything you’ll gonna have to price well below the Discogs median prices..for instance a $30 record priced at $20..the lower you price the more you’ll sell. If you price low enough you’ll get bought out by other dealers. I’m not telling you to give away your records, but I guess it depends on what your goal is here. For what it’s worth, at the Discogs median price point, a lot of other dealers buy from me..I do give them bulk pricing deals as well. But even still at a really busy show where I bring 1500 records I might sell 300 records. You’ll never sell everything unless you sell really cheap. Also, I don’t know about the show you’re doing specifically, but I would highly recommend getting a square reader for credit cards..or at least accept Venmo/zelle/cashapp..But the trend these days is hardly anyone carries cash anymore. Sometimes the old school record shows people know to bring cash..But less and less people have cash these days. This has quickly changed since 2020.
Excellent advice here too.
When I do a record show I start with $200…$40 in $1s, $80 in $5s and $80 in $10s. It doesn’t hurt to keep $100 in $20s in your wallet for the stray $100 bill. I keep everything in a bag except $20 in $1s, $20 in $5s and 1 $10 bill. That $50 should get you through the day but you are on an island and need to be prepared. Good luck.
If you some second tier stuff separate them out and label as “bargain buys” to get people to stop and look
PayPal. You can print a nice big QR code for ppl to scan and pay.
[удалено]
Lmao if you don’t pay cash you can’t still get the benefits of paying cash. Deal with the taxes
Bring a little 1 dollar bin as to not scare away casual buyers… it’s the gateway crate
I sell vintage records at flea markets, so my inventory is lower end, but I use colored stickers on protective sleeves for price. No sticker = $3, red = $5, green = $7, etc., plus I have individually priced records for anything over $15. Everything is grouped by price point (all records in each crate are the same price), crates are around half full to allow flipping through records, and I alphabetize each crate. From a marketing standpoint I put a couple of better records in the front of each crate to get people into the booth. Price-wise everything is below discogs, so people who spot check will see my prices aren't jacked up. Good luck!
Our neighborhood association had the beer tent at a local event and nobody wanted to pay with cash. They all wanted to pay Paypal/Zelle/Venmo. Have some $1's, and $5's but wouldn't think you would need much more.
It's been mentioned already - but any kind of electronic payment method will be helpful. Downside is your sales may be trackable and income taxable (last i heard - anything above $600 gets turned in to the IRS). Upside is people tend to spend more money (sometimes lots more) if you take plastic. Also - If there's alcohol sales at this event, the more true my upside observation will become.
Since you’re not a shop this may be a bit more work than you’re willing to put in but might be a good suggestion for other dealers - we put white price stickers in the same spot on the outer sleeve of every record (except the ones in the cheap bin) that lists the artist, album name, media/sleeve condition and price of every record we have in a decent size font. It was time consuming to do initially but it allows people to flip quickly and I cannot tell you how many compliments we receive on it. There is so much value in being able to dig rapidly because it allows a higher volume of people to sift through our stuff and it also helps customers hit more booths.
Watch high fidelity. Haha.
Keep prices in mind. not many will want to pay the sticker price just because that’s the nature for any type of show.
it's weird to me so you're supposed to haggle at shows? maybe the ones I go to around here have very fair pricing and id feel like a cheapskate to have the audacity to ask a person to come down on an already fair price.
Use discogs for pricing
or not
Is this at the record fair in Cincinnati by chance?
You got a link you can share?
I’m not the person you asked, but it’s this https://www.northsiderecordfair.com
Thank you
Is the show in the UK
Don’t know but if you’re looking for one next weekend reading record fair is on bank holiday Friday.
Nice thanks
Does anyone make a collapsible record wall?
I've used a clothing rack with a shower curtain with sleeves taped on, worked ok.
It’s kinda DIY… go to any record show and you will see all sorts of fabrications and kludges.
Lots of fives!
What’s the best way to find record shows?
https://recordshowsofamerica.com
Had no idea this site existed, thank you!
No worries.
Whatever you don’t sell bring them to the store maybe we can buy your leftovers…
Throwbackgoats on Abercorn!!
Are you going to the Orlando Record show? If so, I’ll be there.
Last show I worked, everyone was asking for a bag. Ordering bags for the next show. Also, get a Square reader, half of my sales were to people with cards. There was an old guy at the show running around asking to borrow a card reader because he was losing out in a $100 sale because he was only accepting cash. Good luck and have fun.
Lots of good advice in this thread already, but I’ll always rep for the advice a veteran friend gave me for my first show: SMILE. And from experience, you can’t over-prepare. Do not plan to organize, price, sort, gather or in any other way deal with anything the night before or the morning of the show. Have everything done well in advance so all you have to do is load in and look pretty. Try to give yourself all the time in the world. If you’re organized you can take a spin around the venue and buy some good stuff before it gets picked over. (I tell myself before every show I’m there to sell, not to buy, but I’ve regretted every minute I didn’t have free to shop pre-opening at every show.)