Dealers, how were your sales this year?

[Todd P.]

I considered going to the fest as a dealer this year but have been running so far behind in my molding/casting work for others that I knew I couldn't work it out. Given that tables are apparently pretty close to sold out in the main room next year, I probably won't make it then either, but I'm not giving up on the idea just yet.

So I thought it was worth asking whether you folks who did dedicate the funds and the time to going to be part of the WonderFest dealers' room (which to me is the main attraction of the festival), how did it work out for you? Did you sell what you took, or did you end up carrying it all back home?

Thanks.

[Stormheart]

Must of been pretty good, from what I've read here on the Clubhouse, the Dealer's Room for next year is nearly sold out already.

[tay666]

This is all 2nd hand information, so take it as such.

The handful of vendors I talked to were pleased with results.
Most had a common refrain. Down a little from last year, but last year was amazing, so it wasn't unexpected.

[Buc Wheat]

every year I often wonder how the vendors, overall, feel about these
seminar events/classes that take place either the day before or on
Saturday.

Do the cost of these classes automatically mean there's less to spend
in the dealers room? And does that bother the vendors somewhat?

[Stormheart]

First, aren't the people conducting the classes vendors? They are just doing what they can to show a profit after the show. Second, I think you have to play the long game. Yes, the classes may somewhat limit the participants money for the Dealer's Room for one year. But, the idea (I think) is to attract new, novice, modelers that will continue to attend WF, and spend even larger amounts of money with vendors in years to come. So, all of the vendors win out in the long run. Third, my guess is that the demo's introduce attendees (especially newcomers) to a variety of products which would, in turn, benefit anyone at the show that happens to be selling those products. That's my opinion anyway...

[motherhen]

every year I often wonder how the vendors, overall, feel about these
seminar events/classes that take place either the day before or on
Saturday.

Do the cost of these classes automatically mean there's less to spend
in the dealers room? And does that bother the vendors somewhat?

As a guy that went to his first Wonderfest ever, maybe in the future this will change but..... I attended the boot camp on Friday and a class on airbrush technique on Saturday up to that point I had not purchased any kits.

Something about the boot camp experience and having the basics of an airbrush now explained to me. After the 3:00 airbrush class, I bought three kits just because I finally felt I “could do it”. Both of those classes combined gave me a kick I needed to buy stuff. For next year, I am already thinking about what’s in store. Yes, I went waaay over budget with absolutely no regrets.

So in my case, my purchases were a direct result of the classes.

[tay666]

Also. Only the Friday classes cost extra money.
All the Saturday and Sunday demos are free and part of Wonderfest itself.

Friday classes are organized and paid for by whichever vendor is sponsoring each class. Including the use of the rooms at the hotel.
Show demos are organized by WF staff and are given by people volunteering their time to show fellow hobbyists new or different techniques.

[Buc Wheat]

good feedback. Thanks.

[Todd P.]

Thanks for the feedback, folks. Wish some of the sellers would speak up for themselves, but I'll ask them directly here and there.

[brandonlowe2]

I am an vendor at wonderfest. This is my opinion only.... but it is going to come down to what you are selling. We primarily sell plastic kits of which are readily available pretty much anywhere, so, we don’t have the “rare kit” advantage. Early bird for us we are pretty much sitting there watching other vendors have lines of customers out the door.

Having said that as soon as customers buy that exclusive kit they have been looking forward to, the tables turn and then we are swamped.

We have been a vendor for 5 years now.... 3 years ago was the best year for us out of the 5. We did a crazy amount. Last year was slightly less, and this year was slightly less again. After analyzing it, we strongly believe it is the product selection we take and The availability. For us, 3 years ago there were only a few places you could get Bandai Star Wars kits. We sold them like candy. Last year was the first wonderfest after the Disney license opened up fin the USA for Bandai... so we figured we would sell less and that held true. This year we only sold a hand full of the Bandai kits because the market is saturated with them.

So, I say all that to say each year is different and if you are selling something that is easy to get, like we are, it’s a roll of the dice. Make sure to have the latest greatest and ty to have the best price.

If you are selling something exclusive, like garage kits or collections of somebody’s old, rare, kits. You will only be competing against the desire of customers to have your product.

I say grab a table and give it a shot, it’s a great time!

[scuzzfink85]

The Term Quantities Will Be Limited..
Limited Stock On Hand Etc.
Just like Black Friday.. You get what you see
no more no less.

[ShaneM]

For the first time in 14 years I was able to pay for the table next year thanks to the sales over the weekend.

[modelprisoner]

Last year was our best sales in 20 years attending. This year was actually a little better. We brought more than usual of certain kits and less of others .We sold over half of what we brought. I agree with Brandon, it's all in the product. That being said, you need to know the market. If you build it doesn't necessarily mean they will come.

[qtan]

I wish you'd been there this year, Todd. It was the first time in 7 years that I was able to attend. I had your Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in the contest...it might have helped you sell a few.

[Jesse321]

At first glance, I thought we were about 5 to 10% down from last year, and as Trevor said last year was a banner year for us. BUT, after crunching the numbers we actually ended up from last year by almost 10% ... so you'll get no complaints from me, especially considering that this is going to be the only major show that we'll be able to attend this year.

We're already planning a class for next year, as well as several premier kits for each of our different series.

Looking forward to our 14th year and the shows 30th anniversary.

[Todd P.]

Thanks again, guys. Looks like more vendors have good things to say than bad, which is good.

I wish you'd been there this year, Todd. It was the first time in 7 years that I was able to attend. I had your Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in the contest...it might have helped you sell a few.

That would have been great! I haven't been back to the fest since my one visit in 2005.

[FilmMkr]

This was our best year ever!

We usually sell out during Early Bird, so this year we made a decision to invest heavily in three all-new kits - one full 1/5 scale kit (Laguna) and two less expensive but high-value 1/5 scale busts (Charge! and Freya) and reveal them at the show. We also became a certified dealer for Gerstner tool chests, and had several versions available.

We had forty full-sized kits, including 25 copies of Laguna, 12 Pearl kits, a few Freyas, and one Pebbles. We took 90 busts as well.

Our first customer got in line at 5:20 Saturday morning for Early Bird. By 7:45 the line was past the Contest Room and almost to the lobby. At 8;00 the doors opened and by 8:01 there were more than 50 people lined up at our booth. The first four sales were all north of $600. We sold out of Laguna, Freya, and Pebbles in 32 minutes. Probably would have been faster, but I like to chat with our customers while I personalize their COAs.

By the time the doors opened to the public at 10:00 am, we had already sold 34 kits, 40 busts, and two Gerstner chests, and took payment for 12 more Lagunas, so we sold 86 kits and two tool chests in two hours. It was quite a busy morning.

There is NO WAY I could have done this without the help of Randy Van Dyke and his son, Bob, my loyal helpers for four years running. Thank you both SO much.

One difference in this years show is that most of the people who came to buy purchased Early Bird tickets, hence the crazy=long line. After 10:00 am, sales fell of drastically for nearly every vendor in the room, particularly in the afternoon lull from 2:00 - 4:00 pm.

Here are a few fotos of the madness of the first half hur during Early Bird.

[Heavy Metal Spike]

Love reading all this positive feedback.

Thanks for the photos too Marc.

Great to hear that things seemed to go so well for the majority.

For those where it wasn't so hot - hopefully it will be better next time.


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