Garage Sale

The Garage Sale is a table manned by Otakuthon staff where we sell your stuff. We charge 15% (minimum of $0.50 per item) if the item is sold. If the item doesn't sell - you get it back when you check-out and we charge nothing.

Each person can sell up to 50 items, and is expected to submit their list of items by email before the Thursday of the convention. We ask that all stuff to be sold be in good working order and clean.

Note: You must be pre-registered to sell items at the Garage Sale.

Merchandise Drop-Off Times

Date	Time	Location
Thursday, August 15th	Noon - 10:00pm	By appointment only.
Friday, August 16th	Noon - 4:30pm	By appointment only.

Drop-off is by appointment only. If the drop-off times do not work for you, email us before the Thursday of the convention and we'll try to work something out.

Drop-Off Procedure

Register for the convention and pick up your badge. Your badge number is used to track the items you have for sale.
Read & agree to the Terms of Service (PDF). You will be asked to sign a Garage Sale Contract when you check in.
Fill out the Garage Sale inventory form electronically (XLS / ODS). We will only accept a maximum of 50 items from each registered attendee.
Email garagesale@otakuthon.com your inventory form and the times you are available to drop-off your goods. We have to get the email of your inventory BEFORE you can drop your stuff off.
You will receive a confirmation email and an appointment will be set for the drop-off. Garage Sale Drop-Off will be in the Registration Area when pre-registration badge pickup starts on Thursday. Please note that drop-off is by appointment only.
Come to the convention Registration Area and get your badge.
Come to your drop-off appointment. We'll go through the inventory you want to sell and confirm it's all there. Each item must be listed in your inventory form and each item must also have a set price.
Go enjoy the convention. We'll handle it from here.
Remember to return at your check-out appointment time to collect the items that have not sold and your money.

Items and/or funds not collected before the closing of the Exhibition Hall (5pm) on the last day of the convention (Sunday) will be considered a donation to Otakuthon. If you can't make it in time - you must come to the table before 5pm -- send a message with a friend or flag down a volunteer for help!

We try to take care of your goods as if they were our own. Still, accidents can happen and we will not be held responsible for any losses.

We reserve the right to refuse to sell any item for any reason.

All sales are final.

If you have any questions - read the FAQ or visit us in the Otakuthon Forums!

FAQ

1. What is allowed to be sold at the table?

You can sell any items you want, so long as it is in good condition, clean and legal.

However, please note:

Bootleg, pirate copies, and knockoffs are not permitted. If someone complains to us that your item is not legitimate, we will take it off the table. If it's off the table, it cannot be sold. (See How can I tell if my stuff is bootleg? Below.)
Food may not be sold.
Pornographic material may not be sold. Pornography is defined as displayed genitals (male or female) or anything defined as 18+. We will sell 16+ (Yaoi), but it will be placed behind the table. Covers will be visible but the books can only be examined upon request.
Blades without sheaths (cardboard sheaths are OK) and weapons that cannot be peace-bonded may not be sold.

The Garage Sale staff reserve the right to refuse any item for any reason.

2. How much do you charge?

We charge 15% of the sale value per item, with a minimum charge of $0.50 per item.

We charge for two reasons:

We don't want to handle many small, cheap items since they are difficult to track and can get lost easily. If you have a lot of small items that you want to sell, you may want to consider selling them as a set (which would be treated as one item). Sets must be grouped together (See: Any advice for packaging/grouping my items?, below).
The Garage Sale itself needs to cover its own costs (including the space it occupies in the Exhibition Hall). Whatever is left over goes towards the next Otakuthon. :)

IMPORTANT: Each sale has a minimum charge of $0.50. Items should not be priced below $0.50, because you will lose money!

3. How do I fill out the garage sale form?

To fill out the garage sale form:

1) Fill in all the non-gray areas at the top of the form.

Vente-débarras d'Otakuthon 2013 Garage Sale
Envoyez ce formulaire à / Email this form to: garagesale@otakuthon.com
Nom / Name:	Your real name		Langue/Language:	Which language should we serve you in? English or French
No de l'insigne / Badge Number:	#####	Client ID	Pseudonyme sur l'insigne/Nickname on badge:
No de téléphone / Phone Number:	Optional. If you put it down, we can call you if we have questions/problems during the garage sale.		Cellulaire / Cellphone:	Y/N - is this phone number cellular, or not.
Courriel / Email:	Your email address		18+:	Y/N - are you over 18?
Drop off appointment:			Check out appointment

2) Sort your items. Do NOT skip a line.

BAD:

Type/Article	Description de l'article / Description of the article	Prix /Price ($)
DVD	DEATH NOTE ISSUE 14 MANGA (ENG), VIZ MEDIA	$5,00

MANGA	FRUITS BASKET ISSUE 4 MANGA (JAP), HAKENSENSHUA	$5,00

GOOD:

Type/Article	Description de l'article / Description of the article	Prix / Price ($)
DVD	TITLE OF DVD, EDITION NUMBER BLUERAY, BOX SET, WITH SLEEVE & BOOK	$10.00
MANGA	MANGA TITLE, ISSUE NUMBER MANGA (JAP/ENG), L2R, OVERSIZED, HARDCOVER	$5.00
TOY	TOY NAME TOY FAMILY, COLORS, GENERAL SHAPE/SIZE	$6.00

Each item must be written on the form on its own line. For example, if you have six items that are the same (like six Death Note manga #14), they must take up six lines. DO NOT write the same description for the six copies.

BAD:

Type/Article	Description de l'article / Description of the article	Prix /Price ($)
MANGA	Death Note Issue 14 Manga (eng), Viz Media	$5.00
MANGA	Death Note Issue 14 Manga (eng), Viz Media	$5.00
MANGA	Death Note Issue 14 Manga (eng), Viz Media	$5.00

GOOD:

Type/Article	Description de l'article / Description of the article	Prix /Price ($)
MANGA	Death Note Issue 14 #1 Manga (eng), Viz Media	$5.00
MANGA	Death Note Issue 14 #2 Manga (eng), Viz Media	$5.00
MANGA	Death Note Issue 14 #3 Manga (eng), Viz Media	$5.00

For each line:

Pick the type from the types drop-down list. Try not to use OTHER unless the item really doesn't otherwise fit. For example XBox, PS2, and Gameboy games along with Nintendo DS and other games for hand-held game devices are all of the type Video games. A DVD, Blu-ray and UMD video are all of the type DVD.
Provide a general description for each item. This helps us quickly find the item when we're doing the paperwork. The description should be short and concise, as it needs to be enough to distinguish it from other similar items; e.g.: the item's name; "type of object", "name of the manga/anime/game", "name of character", "color", "size (Height/Width/Depth)", "number", "language (EN/FR w/subsEN/FR/Multi, etc.)", "way to read (L2R or R2L)", "standard/deluxe/special edition", etc. The name of the item is never enough.

Set a price for each item. Remember that we keep 15% of whatever is sold. Since the minimum charge is $0.50, if you set a price of $3.25, $1.00, or $0.10, we will be taking $0.50.

If your item comes in several parts - they must be marked as part of a set (for example, 1 of 3). They can still take up one line on the form but add the number of pieces to the description.

When the form is complete, send it to us by email at: garagesale@otakuthon.com.

In the email, please include:

A date and a range of times to drop off your goods (between Thursday, August 15 noon - 10:30pm and Friday, August 14 noon - 4pm)*
A range of times to pick up your goods (Sunday from 2:30 - 5:30pm)*

* If these times really don't work with you, contact us by email.

REMINDER: As of Thursday at the convention, we will not be able to check emails with any regularity. Please send in your requests early!

If you sent an email with a question and didn't get a response, please wait a few days before sending us another email. We are all volunteers; and answering multiple emails after regular work hours can be a very slow process.

4. I have a badge number?

I'm pre-registered. Your badge number is a 5-digit number that should be part of your registration email confirmation.
I'm not pre-registered. You must be registered at the convention to sell items at the Garage Sale.
I'm staff / exhibitor / artist... Mention that you are staff / exhibitor / artist in your initial emails to us; we know you'll be at the convention.

5. How do I know if my item is a bootleg?

Over the years, we've gotten lots of advice for identifying bootlegs/pirates/knock-offs.

The easiest thing to look for is trademark and copyright symbols. Most of anything with a brand name from North America, Europe and Japan has a trademark and/or a copyright symbol on it somewhere.

CDs/DVDs: Look for numbers on the inside ring of the CD/DVD. If there are none - it's probably a bootleg.
Posters/Wallscrolls: Look for a signature and a date. If there isn't one - it's probably a bootleg.
Printed goods (books, magazines, etc): There should be a copyright statement and the editor's name in the front matter or at the end of the book, or along the margins of the first few pages.

6. Any advice for packaging/grouping my items?

Lots! Over the years we've seen what sells and what doesn't. Have a question about pricing or how to package your items -- ask. For now here's a bit of advice:

If you want to sell costumes: Let us know if they are in a bag or if they need to be hung. We will have a clothing rack with a limited number of hangers. Space is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Remember to mention the size of the costume on the inventory form. All costumes must be in good condition and clean. Costumes sell best if customers can see them. Providing photos will help in the case when there is no space left to put your costumes on display. Bringing your own hangers is a good idea, but we can manage if you don't.
If you want to sell posters or wall scrolls: Posters do not sell if people cannot see what they contain. To protect your posters: roll each one up tightly and use an elastic to keep it rolled. Tuck a picture of the poster under the elastic so people can see how pretty your poster is. Note that if the poster does not contain a visible copyright statement or mark, it is a bootleg and we cannot sell it at the table. We cannot sell posters that come from magazines unless the magazine is also provided *or* the visible copyright statement is present. Also note: folded posters, posters with tape on the back, and posters that are ripped in any way do not sell well. We do not mount or pin up posters. We do not have the space or equipment to put up posters (and those just stacked on the table tend to get damaged rather than sold).
If you want to sell collectable cards: If you're selling a group of cards for one price, make sure the user can flip through the group of cards. Store them in a zip lock bag, or ideally use a baseball card protector sleeve to display the cards. If you're selling individual cards, we strongly recommend purchasing either baseball card protectors or individual plastic sleeves. That way, the stickers we use for pricing never have to be in contact with the cards. Typically, older collectable cards do not sell well unless they are rare or still very collectable. A binder of cards people can look through takes up a lot of table space. We reserve the right to mix baseball card sleeves together in one binder if space becomes an issue. Remember to tell us if any cards are common, rare, etc. and what set the card comes from (starter set, tournament deck, booster pack, etc.).
If you want to sell one or more small items: Put the items in a zip lock bag (there are lots of different sizes). Use a piece of stiff cardboard to keep them flat, if necessary. Put any sticker on the back - not on its face.
If you want to sell a group of books or disks (games, DVDs, ...): Use one or more elastics to hold them together. People don't usually buy books they can't flip through and are loath to buy disks if they cannot be checked for scratches. Wrapping them in plastic does make them look nice, but such bundles never sell well and we typically have to open them before they're sold (mostly to check for wear-and-tear on the item.
If you want to sell action figures or figurines: These items sell best in their original packaging. If you don't have their original packaging, try providing a stand, or at least make sure (a) they can be clearly seen (don't wrap them in crinkly or dirty plastic) and (b) they are clean. If the toy has multiple parts and is not in its original packaging, we might take it apart and try to assemble it in order to help it sell, assuming we have the time and space on the table.
If people can't see what's in your package they won't buy it. Don't wrap it in stiff plastic. Stiff plastic crinkles and crinkled plastic can look opaque in Exhibition Hall lighting.
Your items must be clean. Wash your plush toys, wipe down your toys, etc. We will refuse to sell items that are visibly dirty.

7. Any advice for pricing my items?

Lots! Over the years, we've seen that prices are not going up at the garage sale. What was a deal 5 years ago is still considered still just a "deal". People shopping the garage sale are looking for bargains. Your items have to be in-demand and in great shape and be found by just the right person in order to get top-dollar.

If you do not know the going price for your item always check a reputable source for second-hand goods (A second-hand store or Amazon are good examples, Ebay is not). Few collectables are still worth what you bought them for. Guide prices are considered the "best price" you can get for the item in the best of all possible worlds. People do not shop at a garage sale looking for the "best price". They are looking for the "cheapest price".
For Manga: 5$ is considered a lot for a second-hand manga in good condition. Marks on the spine, bent pages or covers greatly reduce the overall value.
For DVDs: People shopping second hand DVDs (even blu-rays) are looking for deals. 5$ each is good, 2 for 10$ or 15$ is better.

I have a complaint about...

We'll listen. Please try to be constructive, but we will take your complaints to heart and try to improve. Each year we change things. Sometimes something work, other times they really don't. We don't know until we try. You are our clients, our customers, and a source of inspiration to us.

We are a group of volunteers led by a few loons willing to sacrifice their weekend so you can go have fun. Please be patient with us.

Tell us what you think on the Otakuthon forums!