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Need some advice: Vendoring at an event...


tsunrisebey

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This question is open to anyone with words of wisdom but preferably some knowledge. I hope this is ok to post here, I suppose if it isn't I'll soon find out. I know there are others who would like some insight into the following questions also:

 

If I or another person for that matter had planned on vending at, let's say; GCF08 and wanted to sell TRACKABLE coins. I am curious about the amount of TRACKABLE coins a person should bring to sell?

 

For instance; if hypothetically I had designed 3 coins for a geocoin event and I always minted pretty much a standard amount (like 500), is it smart to lug all 1500 coins (3 designs @ 500 a design)?

 

Is this kind of the same idea as trading, bring what ya got?

 

Any thoughts/comments from geocoin vendors about what to bring to set up? Display cases, banners, business cards, etc? I'm hoping a couple of you vendors will step up to the plate and give some advise to the little guys/girls who are considering selling at events but just not sure what to do (kinda thing).

 

For those who are hard core into the buying/observing/selling at the coin portion of big events, I'm all ears and eyes as are some lurkers ( you know who you are, lol).

 

Thanks in advance for any insight!

 

I apologize if this topic ends up being a no-no.

 

tsun B)

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Who much does 1500 coins weigh? Would it set off alarms at airports or trip you up with regard to baggage weight allowances?

As for all the other stuff I'm going back to lurking (which I'm not very good at).

 

Well Droo.... at least there is some sort of response, lol. Beats me how much 1500 coins weigh, kinda depends on size eh? I'd probably have to mail them to one of the event people if i were to do something like that.

 

Well, no one has anything to say other than Droo huh? B)

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Yes, it weighs a lot! It cost us hundreds to ship our product to GWVI and the stuff we personally took was creatively divided between a few suitcases and our hand baggage - the limit is 50lbs per bag and were allowed two each. If we went over 50lbs we had to pay $50 per bag that was overweight. The top limit is 70lbs I think and after that they won't even take it. We were allowed to shuffle weight at the check in to make sure we brought them all to 50lbs or less. We had one bag at 48lbs and the rest were 50 or 51lbs which they allowed through. Hand baggage isn't weighed so we managed to get those through and they could have been over 50lbs for all we know. We had to open our bags at the security to let them see the coins because they probably looked funny on the x-ray. They were more interested in the leftover water in my bag's reservoir than anything though B) - they x-rayed it twice and questioned me about it's contents! I was escorted out of security to dump out a few ounces of water and then I was taken back through the whole security screening again - shoes off, etc. My small backpack was x-rayed 3 times in all and when we got to the gate we were rooting in the bottom of it for a chapstick and found our exacto knife and a roll of packing tape from taping up boxes that morning! We decided that rather than go back to security and hand over the knife they'd missed ;) we'd throw it in the bottom of the garbage (trash) can nearby. Our instincts were that we'd be questioned about the knife getting through security and may end up missing our flight due to them being more concerned about water ;) .

 

Ok, back to the real question... this was our first big event and we asked a few seasoned and friendly colleagues for advice on what to bring and what sort of qty. We took 50 different products - way more than just coins but that's because we have a diverse product line. We launched 3 new TRACKABLE coins and one new 'product' - those were certainly the best sellers, but a close second were two of our geocaching related items that are not coins in any way shape or form.

 

Folks really wanted our Event Only editions and then our Limited Editions. If it was a new coin then this was an opportunity to buy it without shipping so anything new that wasn't LE or Event Only also sold well.

 

For us, being able to run the booth efficiently meant having 3 people in it at all times. We never got a proper break to walk around and didn't really see what else was going on. That was a little disappointing.

 

We had giveaways all day for all sorts of reasons - I'm surprised we managed to fit that in too; we kept looking at nametags looking for Canadians :) .

 

I think 1500 would be too many to bring if you were only bringing 3 coins but I'd be very happy for you if you could prove me wrong on that one!

 

We shipped most of our newly produced product straight from the mint to Roseville, CA to save on shipping and to avoid bringing it into the US from Canada.

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Who much does 1500 coins weigh? Would it set off alarms at airports or trip you up with regard to baggage weight allowances?

As for all the other stuff I'm going back to lurking (which I'm not very good at).

 

Well Droo.... at least there is some sort of response, lol. Beats me how much 1500 coins weigh, kinda depends on size eh? I'd probably have to mail them to one of the event people if i were to do something like that.

 

Well, no one has anything to say other than Droo huh? B)

 

Well, I can say that having helped the CinemaBoxers lug their coins around (at least 1500 of them), they can get heavy quick... they had about 6-7 cases for all the coins and it's not light...I''d bet every bit of at least 150-200 lbs.

 

Plan on making multiple trips, using help or getting a dolley.

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Not because I know anything about selling coins but I do think of myself as a good sales person. Nothing is worse than running out of a product. So bring as much as you can carry. Its always better to have too much than not enough.

 

Also as a buyer...I may not buy today or tommorrow but a month down the road when I run across a business card I might be able to buy then. I picked up a business card at the area fair in October for a Pachinko/Game room business. I cant buy a pachinko machine today but you know when I do win that powerball I have the card and a place to call. ;)

 

Just my $0.02. Good luck with all your ventures, you'll do wonderful. B)

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Hi Steph - will step up here as a consumer. Didn't make it to GW6 but did to GW5. Have some thoughts which I will share here.

 

If you don't want to sell til the day of the event - don't bring out your product. If you are ok to sell at a pre-event meet and greet - bring 'er out and go for it.

 

As a business person myself - Landsharkz has passed on some valuable advice. If you are a vendor - you will miss most of the event and need a couple of people to help (until you sell out of course). Also, drop shipping helps so you don't have to lug everything - but what you miss is a chance to inspect your produce before you get to the event.

 

As a consumer - what do I look for? Unique items, cleanly displayed and easily accessible. Prices available/visable so I can make a choice quickly and not wait for someone to answer. I will hang out if I want it but can move on if I don't. I am a trackable person so that is what I am usually looking for. Coin or ???? those new signal figurenes are real cute. Knowing how many of an item have been made/minted is nice as well. Although if I like it - it won't matter.

 

I think in the US - a lot of the rules on baggage are changing too. I hope some of the events will offer vendors an opportunity for a drop ship location to help you all bring trackable, new, coins to the events.

 

Hope this helps in some small way. Oh yes, GW5 what did I buy - Cinema Boxers new coins, a few others and grab bags - those were fun. I think I spent $80 on coins. None of the ones I bought were non-trackable and there were plenty there.

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As a consumer - what do I look for? Unique items, cleanly displayed and easily accessible. Prices available/visable so I can make a choice quickly and not wait for someone to answer. I will hang out if I want it but can move on if I don't. I am a trackable person so that is what I am usually looking for. Coin or ???? those new signal figurenes are real cute. Knowing how many of an item have been made/minted is nice as well. Although if I like it - it won't matter.

 

Thanks hollora, this brought up some more memories from last month.

 

Chris designed and made two standing displays with closed clear fronts to show the coins that were for sale. We used the same type of material we use to make signs but this was still a new application/design. We had two of each coin in the display so we could show off the front and back. Next time we would put pricing on these too.

We had all the coin boxes behind us or at the back of table for security. We didn't want folks to be able to reach and help themselves to coins (that meant we were in control of restocking too).

 

We designed and donated all the GW banners so we designed two banners of the products we had for sale on the remnants of their banners ;) . They were BIG! We hung these at the front of our booth so folks could see them as soon as they got within sight of vendor row. They clearly displayed the product image and the price. We were going to throw them out, but Tethys C requested the one with his coins on it as a memento :o . The other went in the trash at the hotel.

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A thought about shipping since it is probably your most logical. I think when I ship the Poker chips (80 lbs.) to events, its a flat rate about $75. so, you could check your shipping rates with various companies (UPS, Airborne, DHL, USPS), and see how many pounds of coins can go for a reasonable price. A little simple math might be just the ticket to find out the proper qty. to mint.

 

TMA

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Hi tsun,

Although I am not a coin vendor, I am a vendor at events. I have never been to a geoevent as a vendor, but I've been to just about any other event you can think of. You have gotten some very good advise thus far.

.....For us, being able to run the booth efficiently meant having 3 people in it at all times. We never got a proper break to walk around and didn't really see what else was going on. That was a little disappointing.

 

This is a very true statement! It is not something you want to try yourself, as you will be overwelmed, and not be able to do little things like eat and take a restroom break when needed. Not to mention chat with old friends or answer questions about your product. Even if just volunteer help, take a few folks up on it. Maybe offer to buy dinner or even a few coins in your case for a couple hours of help.

 

.....Nothing is worse than running out of a product. So bring as much as you can carry. Its always better to have too much than not enough.

 

Also as a buyer...I may not buy today or tommorrow but a month down the road when I run across a business card I might be able to buy then. I picked up a business card at the area fair in October for a Pachinko/Game room business. I cant buy a pachinko machine today but you know when I do win that powerball I have the card and a place to call. ;)

 

More great advice! I did a 3 day show one time and I ran out of product by day 2! costing me a couple thousand dollars! I will never make that mistake again! I would rather bring too much and have to pack it back up than I would ever want to run out again. I worked 14 hrs at another show, drove 3 hrs, packed my truck, slept 1 1/2 hours, drove back 3 hrs and worked another 14 hrs the last time I even came close to running out.

 

.....As a consumer - what do I look for? Unique items, cleanly displayed and easily accessible. Prices available/visable so I can make a choice quickly and not wait for someone to answer. I will hang out if I want it but can move on if I don't. I am a trackable person so that is what I am usually looking for. Coin or ???? those new signal figurenes are real cute. Knowing how many of an item have been made/minted is nice as well. Although if I like it - it won't matter.

 

More great advice... Most consumers know what they like when they see it, and from what I can tell, you have a unique design in your coins that everyone identifies with and would probably buy from you regardless if you threw a few coins on a cardboard box and sold them like that, but you want to keep a professional image for yourself and to the folks that may not be familiar with your products. It will pay for it's self to purchase or have made a banner or two, business cards and such. Anything that helps you get identified and makes you stand out a bit. Use the additional advice from LandSharkz about the display for security purposes(although most folks are honest, there is always one in the crowd that will take it if they think they can!) I keep many things in table top jewelry display cases.

 

 

One last thought... you had asked about 1500 coins being too many or not? Well, thats a judgement call... for an event with 300 folks attending.... yes, probably so! For an event with 1200 attending... probably not, as many will be buying them in sets.

 

Hope this helps you a bit. ;):o

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Thanks LS!

 

Now how to divide me into 3 people? Lots to consider, appreciate the post :o

If your thinking of GW7, I'd be happy to help you for awhile. I don't exactly vend so to speak, though our Cool Ties did great at GW5!!! The hubby will likely be out caching and we're planning on my mom coming from STL to babysit some, so I'll have some "free" time. I grew up doing craft shows so I know that sitting in the booth the whole time is no fun.

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Thanks LS!

 

Now how to divide me into 3 people? Lots to consider, appreciate the post ;)

If your thinking of GW7, I'd be happy to help you for awhile. I don't exactly vend so to speak, though our Cool Ties did great at GW5!!! The hubby will likely be out caching and we're planning on my mom coming from STL to babysit some, so I'll have some "free" time. I grew up doing craft shows so I know that sitting in the booth the whole time is no fun.

 

Thanks for the offer, not sure if I'll be doing GW7 or not but if I do, I'll drop you an email :o Let me see if I can survive CGF08 first (making decision by end of week). Kinda nervous.....

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Thanks LS!

 

Now how to divide me into 3 people? Lots to consider, appreciate the post ;)

If your thinking of GW7, I'd be happy to help you for awhile. I don't exactly vend so to speak, though our Cool Ties did great at GW5!!! The hubby will likely be out caching and we're planning on my mom coming from STL to babysit some, so I'll have some "free" time. I grew up doing craft shows so I know that sitting in the booth the whole time is no fun.

 

Thanks for the offer, not sure if I'll be doing GW7 or not but if I do, I'll drop you an email :o Let me see if I can survive CGF08 first (making decision by end of week). Kinda nervous.....

 

Go for it - you'll be fine. If I was going to be there I would offer to give you a hand. I know you've got heaps of friends in here how would happily offer to lend a hand.

 

Depending on how far you are willing to travel by road to get there... I think travelling by camper again would solve any issues with numbers/weights of coins. ;)

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Having 100-200 pieces of each product you plan to sell would probably be fine for Coinfest. For vendors that have a lot of different products 30-50 of each of those items (to have a selection) and more quantity of exclusive event stuff is probably the way to go. It's definitely better to ship it ahead of time to your hotel or to a person you trust who is driving to the event.

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Ok, I am out of town and didn't see this until now. Otherwise I would have responded earlier. I am a small vendor, believe I do less business than you but in the same ballpark.

 

My experiance at GW:

I got scheduled late to the event due to personal cicumstances "unemployment". Therefore I just had existing inventory and nothing new for the event. I put what I was taking in a carry on and put my normal (even my computer) in the checked luggage. That way the wieght issue was not an issue other than gettting the bag in the overhead.

 

I did get a few breaks thanks to the staff at the event. They were not able to help much but were able to sit there while I got lunch and breaks. I didn't get to "attend" the event. Meaning the oppertunity to walk around and see what activities there were or other vendors. I did get to talk to a number of customers buying and otherwise that I have done business with in the past. They were able to direct people my way also since I was not on the move.

 

Sell things for $5, 10 or 15 makes the money thing so much less complicated! I was not looking to sell alot a product and make a bunch of money at GW. I was looking to pay for the trip and meet a bunch of people. Mission accomplished. I think that is best and a good idea so you can enjoy yourself no matter what happens.

 

Things I will do differently for GCF:[/b]

Chris Rake had a laminated sheet with coin details and pricing right on it. I thought that was a good idea and will use it at future events. I will look to parnet with other small vendors to do a table/booth together. This would help both is be able to go and and attend part of the event.

 

I am looking to do a coin released at the event as others have mentioned. Working on it already. I think that will help sell that coin as well as other inventory I might have. Will have a book of trades at the event, people asked at the last and would like to accomidate instead of saying later.

 

 

My 2cents!

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:( FREEBIES!!! B) We love em!!! Us cheapaz suckabustas! B)

 

I know you are the queen of giving in the first place, but at GCF 07 (the first one) They had a ton of freebies!!! I went home with buttons, stickers, pathtags, lanyards, pens, bags and even a set of Timezone coins!!! But I spent a bunch of loot too :huh:

 

It all costs money and you could definatley do without, but I remember really diggin the freebies! :huh:

 

I know, that didnt help much, but I aint much of a sellsman either! B) I do know if ya throw some buttons on the table for me... ill be right there to talk to ya! :D

I didnt see many freebies at GW6 this year, maybe cause I wasnt shoppin much either! ;)

 

Just put a sign on your booth "Free Earth Turtle (then in small writing "button") when you buy one" There...Thats vacuum sellsmanlike-eh? :lol: ...Id buy one just fer the button! :lol:

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:D FREEBIES!!! :huh: We love em!!! Us cheapaz suckabustas! B)

 

I know you are the queen of giving in the first place, but at GCF 07 (the first one) They had a ton of freebies!!! I went home with buttons, stickers, pathtags, lanyards, pens, bags and even a set of Timezone coins!!! But I spent a bunch of loot too :(

 

It all costs money and you could definatley do without, but I remember really diggin the freebies! :huh:

 

I know, that didnt help much, but I aint much of a sellsman either! B) I do know if ya throw some buttons on the table for me... ill be right there to talk to ya! ;)

I didnt see many freebies at GW6 this year, maybe cause I wasnt shoppin much either! :P

 

Just put a sign on your booth "Free Earth Turtle (then in small writing "button") when you buy one" There...Thats vacuum sellsmanlike-eh? :lol: ...Id buy one just fer the button! :lol:

 

But then, with your charming smile, how can anybody resist B) ?

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Well, This is difficult. I would say that more is better. At GW5 last year we were so not ready for the mad rush. We brought 2 coin designs and about 500 of each. Sold out of almost every metal and coin. In fact we had to do reorders for the event version.

 

We went to MWGB last year also, and had a different result. Mad rush at vending time and did not do anywhere near as much, but got to see more of the event.

 

So big toss up there, getting to see so many people we had only e-mailed or chatted through forums was awesome at both events.

 

This year we will have a coin released at both MWGB and GCF. Looking for help with booths as stated by another. I don't divide so well into three either and not having my"normal" help will be hard(more ways then one). For sure find an extra body or two even if only for a few hours.

 

Not sure if that helped, can't wait to see you there.

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At what point did events go commercial to where this question needs to be asked?

 

I'm sorry, I missed the part of your comment that answered my questions. feel free to start another thread about commercial events and what you don't like about them though :D

Edited by tsunrisebey
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At what point did events go commercial to where this question needs to be asked?

About the same moment that geocaching in general became commercial.

 

While you may not collect coins, use TBs, or buy anything else caching related, there are hundreds if not thousands who choose to do this. I assume you got your non commercial GPSr free from some non profit group and use only natural handmade containers for cache containers.

 

Having never been to a MEGA event (based on your stats page) I will just chalk your statement to nothing more than a naive flip comment. Actually it appeared to me as a shot at someone who you don't agree with, but that is my take on it. Once you attend one and see the number of vendors out there with various products, most which have a very large group of customers, you will maybe start to understand and then can make an educated comment about it.

 

I guess you could always go for the larger fish and complain to Groundspeak about turning the game itself commercial by charging tracking fees, promoting competition by not allowing us to hide our stats and such, and charging for premium memberships. I doubt you will get any of that changed, but please let us know. I would be all for free tracking numbers, just to keep things non commercial of course. :D

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Tsun and all that have posted:

 

Thanks for starting this thread. Geocoinfest will be the first event USA Geocoins will be attending and this thread has been extremly helpful in letting me know how to prepare.

 

There have been several things brought up here I would have never thought of!

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At what point did events go commercial to where this question needs to be asked?

 

I'm sorry, I missed the part of your comment that answered my questions. feel free to start another thread about commercial events and what you don't like about them though :D

 

I think he's thinkin more of the lines of the commonplace events that take place and not quite realizing you may be refering to the larger events where commercial sales are common such as in Geocoinfest, MWGB and the GW's... all the big ones people travel long and far to with anticipation of gettin the chance to see firsthand all the great swag they buy online, but without shipping, waiting or paypal.

 

Id say events will stay the same and she's just tryin to get some hindsite from the other vendors that attend the larger events with booths and tables to see how she may need to prepare for such a thing:)

Edited by 007BigD
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All very good points people have made.... if you can do buttons or something you can give away, that is an awesome idea! (even pencils, lol) I got a butterfly from someone and was tickled pink at GW5, I love picking up cards to check out websites and keep for future use and look people later down the road. the prices to see is an excellent idea as I HATE waiting while the vendor is getting chatted up and you can't get in to see the price. Also if there is a way to streamline your area so that people can SEE the items while you are getting talked to, that is a plus... nothing worse than trying to see something and not being able to. Now, realistically, that can't always be the case as space is limited, but if keep that in mind if it can be worked in 'somehow'.

 

I too can probably give you a hand for a bit one day if you need help. I just have to figure out which day we're hitting the avaiary.... other than that I'm clear. AE has things to trade so he could probably wander around w/out me for a while, LOL!

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At what point did events go commercial to where this question needs to be asked?

 

I'm sorry, I missed the part of your comment that answered my questions. feel free to start another thread about commercial events and what you don't like about them though :D

 

I'm sorry, I missed the part of your comment that answered my question. Though truth be told if you could actually answer my question, you would have the ability to answer your own. If you are going to rely on others to do your own homework you are stuck dealing with their means and methods. I was being smarmy, and serious, but there is an answer to be found, but only if you actually care to find it.

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...Having never been to a MEGA event (based on your stats page) I will just chalk your statement to nothing more than a naive flip comment. Actually it appeared to me as a shot at someone who you don't agree with, but that is my take on it....

 

tsun just happened to the post a question (that others were thinking about) on how to best gauge product demand. That was my most recent observation in the chain of commercialization. The one that connected the dots with other observations.

 

If you really want to follow my thought process, it ended with wondering if the time has come to have Commercial and Non Commercial variations of events. Then I sidetracked myself wondering how to pose that question in another thread and moved on to other threads.

 

However the question is serious, smarmy, flippant, and the answers would illistrate a lot of things. Some of which tsun asked about, and some of which I'm wondering about myself.

 

Link to further derailments.

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=196282

Edited by Renegade Knight
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To answer the question it’s nothing more than math over time.

 

The first few times you have to take your best educated guess. Then you start to correlate the number of people at the event with your sales. In time you will know that on average you will sell X coins per Y people. With more time you will be able to gauge the effects of other people like you doing the same thing. X coins per Y people is the size oft the “Pie”. More vendors split out the pie in more pieces and dilute the share you have access too. When you get that advanced you can then track Y people, X potential coin sales, with 3 Vendors selling Z coins of which your proportional share becomes x from X when you once had the whole market. (Those days are gone so it'a already more complex)

 

When you figure out all of that, then the marketing really starts. Your share of X can be bigger if you can gain the most attention by either having a more desirable coin, a booth that stands out, a golden personality where your customers like buying from you, or the best prices. Best of course is all of the above but that’s more than most can manage so pick the focus that best fits. Keep records. Then in time you can maximize your return. Even if you in it for the smiles and not the money you need to break even while maximizing the smiles.

 

More than a few coins were sold at GW. A simple poll would give you an estimate at how many. You can combine that with an educated attendance estimate and get a start on the original X & Y. It the words of those annoying math professors now a workable solution has been shown solving the problem is left for others.

 

Oh and when people complain about the geocoin market being saturated, that’s because their share of the pie is a much smaller share than they would like to see. Not because the Pie is smaller. More coins are sold than ever, but there are yet more venders so the slice per vendor is smaller. Business is a game. It’s a fun game. Unfortunately it costs money to play.

 

Now the business I want to be in on isn’t the coins. It’s the For Profit Geo Woodstalk Inc who will sell you and the other vendors space at the booths and a permit to sell. Vendors come and go, but the promoter taking a cut from it all…that’s another thing. Even promoters go bankrupt but selling tickets to everyone attending would sure help stave that off.

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At what point did events go commercial to where this question needs to be asked?

 

I'm sorry, I missed the part of your comment that answered my questions. feel free to start another thread about commercial events and what you don't like about them though :D

 

I think he's thinkin more of the lines of the commonplace events that take place and not quite realizing you may be refering to the larger events where commercial sales are common such as in Geocoinfest, MWGB and the GW's... all the big ones people travel long and far to with anticipation of gettin the chance to see firsthand all the great swag they buy online, but without shipping, waiting or paypal.

 

Id say events will stay the same and she's just tryin to get some hindsite from the other vendors that attend the larger events with booths and tables to see how she may need to prepare for such a thing:)

 

These sales also help fund these larger events.

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@tsunrisebey Are you still making geocoins? I realize this is a pretty old post, but I clicked your link and was looking at some of the products on your site. It looks like you have really high quality merchandise. I was especially drawn to the the April Fools and Hummingbird ones. All the same, I wish you well.

 

Best Regards,

 

2DVS4U

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