Vending questions

I'm getting more and more into this hobby and I know someday I will probably be vending at a local expo. Here's my million questions:

Where do you get nice acrylic display boxes?
If you use deli cups, where do you get the nice big ones?
Which do you prefer, both as a vendor and/or customer: acrylic boxes or deli cups?
How do you tote all your supplies and snakes to the show? And I mean once you get there, not "In a car" :)
For those that sell online, do you have more success there or in person?
When you vend at a show, what should your table/booth come with? Just electricity and a table?

More to come I'm sure. TIA!

Can I tag on? What paperwork is required to vend? Anyone vend in NYS? Would you need different paperwork for each state, for instance, PA, NJ, OHIO?

i will tell you what worked for me for 15 years or so. you will need to figure out what works for you.

there is a guy on faunaclassifieds in the cages and and supply section that sells some nice acrylic displays. i got mine many moons ago at the dayton expo ...no clue who the vendor was

i used deli cups, over time i found that customers could get more hands on and were more likely to purchase. it also helped me gauge the customers interest when they picked up a deli cup i knew they werent just browsing and it gave me and idea of what they may be looking to purchase.
now the potential problem with that is theft. that is why acrylics are nice, especially for high end stuff. imho a blend of the 2 is nice and acrylics will sort of highlight the nicer stuff

i would pack up the critters into deli cups the night before and put them in a large tote and in the morning put them in the car for the hour and 15 minute drive. keep the car as close to a reasonable temp as possible

i did some selling online but 90% of my business was done at shows. i sold alot of affordable items so how could you justify $50 in shipping on a $50 gecko

yes electricity and a table . the rest is up to you ....lights, banner, table cloth are all a part of your presentation. some vend bare bones and some go all out just make sure it looks nice

good luck Kirk

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Originally Posted by moonlightgdess

I'm getting more and more into this hobby and I know someday I will probably be vending at a local expo. Here's my million questions:

Where do you get nice acrylic display boxes?
If you use deli cups, where do you get the nice big ones?
Which do you prefer, both as a vendor and/or customer: acrylic boxes or deli cups?
How do you tote all your supplies and snakes to the show? And I mean once you get there, not "In a car" :)
For those that sell online, do you have more success there or in person?
When you vend at a show, what should your table/booth come with? Just electricity and a table?

More to come I'm sure. TIA!

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If you scroll down a little in this section, there's a thread I created on my opinions on lots of things from a customer point of view.

I don't sell reptiles, but I typically would see an uptick in on-line sales after a show - but I don't have a big on-line sale presence, so most of my sales have been in person. From a herp-specific perspective I'm more likely to buy from someone at a show that I've seen on-line, and vice-versa.

Odds are that what your space comes with varies from show to show. Make sure you know what size tables you'll be working with! Both 6' and 8' banquet tables are common, and planning for one and getting another can be a real pain (I've been looking in charge of a vendor room at an SF convention and had the hotel give us 8' tables instead of the requested 6' ones, totally hosing our room layout plan).

Don't assume anything is included, especially with power (not all venues have power drops in the middle of the room) - you may have to request it, and there may be an additional charge.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by DLena

Can I tag on? What paperwork is required to vend? Anyone vend in NYS? Would you need different paperwork for each state, for instance, PA, NJ, OHIO?

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to vend at white plains ny you need a tax id.

althoughbruce i needed one and i got one he never asked for it

some states allow a show to show permit/tax id

Thank you for the ideas and help. Much appreciated.

A couple here in Texas require tax ID

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Where do you get nice acrylic display boxes?

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http://www.arscaging.com/arsacrylics.html - http://www.thereptileemporium.com/co...show-displays/

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If you use deli cups, where do you get the nice big ones?

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https://www.shipyourreptiles.com/shop/deli_cups/product - http://www.reptilesexpress.com/Depar...-and-Lids.aspx -
http://www.reptiles2you.com/Deli-Cups-Lids-C9.aspx - https://superiorshippingsupplies.com...tic-cups-lids/

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Which do you prefer, both as a vendor and/or customer: acrylic boxes or deli cups?

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For small hatchling colubrid deli cups. Hatchling BP and Juvy display cases.

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How do you tote all your supplies and snakes to the show? And I mean once you get there, not "In a car" :)

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Hand truck cart is the smart way to do it https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_1_5_...797&sr=8-5-acs

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For those that sell online, do you have more success there or in person?

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Shows can be hit and miss depending on the show, the competition, time of the year etc, sometime you make money, sometime you break even, sometime you even loose money. Shows depending on which one can be costly.

As far as selling online it might be more difficult if you don't have any reputation and no one knows who you are or has ever seen your name before.

Whether you sell online of at shows you must know your market, something sell online and not at show and vice versa.

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When you vend at a show, what should your table/booth come with? Just electricity and a table?

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Table and electricity