National prices?

[Big Ben]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

At a National -- the show is now basically a 5-6 day event. I do not know the exact costs of the tables/booths so please do not quote that as gospel.

General Expenses at show

2 Booths cost $2500 (May be high; may be low -- but this is a reasonable guesstimate)

Travel to the show -- you either fly (Chicago is a reasonably priced city to go to by air) or you are close enoiugh or crazy enough to drive. With all costs for transsportation the average is probably $400 (Again some higher, some lower)

Hotels -- yes some people stay at the Motel 6's of the world -- but assuming you stay at a mid range National hotel it is probably $125 per night when all is said and done Figure 4-5 nights and that is another $500-600

FOOD -- no matter what you do -- food is going to cost you. Even if you are reasonable (There is or was a Mickey D's not far from the show and last year in Baltimore I found a Subway,,,,now Cleveland is a different subject for that
$20 per day night -- $100 person

Misc Expenses -- and there are always those -- figure $400 for that for the week period

Thus -- you have spent $4K before selling a card.

And no that does not include the prices of any cards you sell.

So, if you hit Sunday Mrning and have taken in; let's say $2K and you realize what your expenses are; you may be the dealer that stays open to try to make Sunday sales. And then if someone has cash, you are more amenable to making sales.

Now everyone is different; but just explaining for the National about the Sunday reasons for getting or giving discounts

Rich

Personally, I hope there are a lot of Sunday discounts as that is the only day that I can attend the National. On the other side of this discussion, if a dealer has not had that many sales in the previous days, I could see the dealer thinking that time is money and decide to go home early.