What makes a great show?

[buymycards]

1. location - I live in the boonies, so the nearest show is 60 miles away, and most of the shows that I attend are 70 to 180 miles away.

2. parking

3. space - I have gone to shows where it is impossible to get to the dealers tables. The aisles are about 4' wide and if a couple of customers are at the tables, the aisles and the tables are blocked. I have tried to get to a dealers table 6-8 times and I couldn't get close enough to see any cards.

4. The attitude of the dealers.

5. A variety of dealers. There is one local show that is mostly newer stuff, and another that seems to mainly have 50's and 60's cards.

6. Door prizes for the customers are nice, but they can be counter productive. The customers hand around for a long time hoping to get a prize, but they don't buy anything.

7. Free pizza or donuts for the dealers is nice.

8. As a customer, any time I can add a card to my personal collection, it is a good show. As a dealer, as long as I can sell enough to pay my expenses and maybe pick up a couple of cards for my PC, then I am happy. If I make a profit, then that is even better. I have set up at local shows where I didn't make enough money to cover a $35 table fee.