My comic book swap meet totally flopped last Saturday

I organized a small comic book swap meet at a local library in Portland last weekend and only 12 people showed up. I spent like 3 hours setting up tables with my extra issues from the 90s and nobody was really trading. One guy offered me a beat-up copy of X-Men #1 for my entire stack of Spider-Man comics. I think I put too much effort into the display and not enough into finding the right crowd. Did I miss something obvious about how to get collectors to actually show? Any tips on what works for making these events not feel like a ghost town?

3 comments

3 Comments

maxl9315h ago

You're putting way too much blame on the setup. 12 people for a first time comic swap in Portland actually sounds pretty decent honestly. The real problem is you showed up with mostly 90s extras and expected serious trades. Nobody wants your extra copies of X-Force #1 or whatever, that stuff is practically worthless. You gotta think about what collectors actually want to trade for, which is key issues or at least something with resale value. Next time try posting on local comic shop bulletin boards and Facebook groups a week before, and maybe bring some higher value stuff even if it hurts to part with it.

rodriguez.mia12h agoMost Upvoted

Wait did this actually happen to someone you know or was that like a random example? Lol reminds me of my buddy who brought a short box of 90s Image stuff to a swap and one guy literally laughed at him, total waste of a Saturday. @hannah_west39 nailed it about the quarter bin stuff.

hannah_west3915h agoProlific Poster

Honestly though, twelve people isn't bad for a first try at something like this in Portland. I've seen way smaller turnouts at bigger events. But you're right that bringing a bunch of 90s filler stuff just makes you look like you don't get the comic trading game. Nobody wants your five copies of X-Force #1 that are sitting in quarter bins everywhere. Next time just bring one or two decent keys even if it stings to trade them.

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