Every year, myriad vendors of anime related goods flock to Fanime Convention in order to pawn their stock of collectibles and other doodads to attendees. But what about the little guys? What about our fellow attendees who want to share their own collections with the rest of us - at a reasonably low price?

The Fanime Swap Meet is similar to Fanime Con’s own Dealer’s Hall, just on a smaller scale and for regular attendees who want to sell wares from their private collections. Basically, it is an assemblage of people gathered in a large hall hoping to sell stuff, kind of like a flea market. This year, Swap Meet was held in the E-gaming hall, a large convention room that plays host to arcade, console, and table top gaming. For the last couple years, the powers that be at Fanime Con made an odd decision in making Swap Meet and E-gaming bed fellows, arranging the Meet around the outskirts of the room, with the “dealers” setting up shop along the walls or whatever space E-gaming didn't occupy. This made browsing, shopping, or just overall getting around the swap meet a bit difficult because you had to weave in and out of crowds of gamers and fellow treasure hunters. Since each merchant is relegated to a small section approximately 10 feet by 10 feet with neighboring sellers to their sides and a wall at their backs, it can get fairly crowded. There is a list of rules and regulations for sellers to follow, and you can see them HERE. For example: no bootlegs; adult oriented material cannot be left in the open for all to see; have to be considerate of the younger attendees, you know? Alright, enough with the particulars, let’s get to the treasure!

Just by looking around, one could find a smattering of good stuff...and a lot of crap. Rare finds run the gamut from manga, dvds, and figures to games, cards, plushies, and maybe even some newer stuff from the Dealer’s Hall. Though I couldn’t look at everything, second hand accounts from a few friends and among them a few members of the dedicated T-ONO staff informed me that they managed to acquire some cool stuff for reasonable prices. Staff writer Brian Do managed to finagle his way into snagging two arms full of gashapon, keychains, and plushies while I, your humble writer, had less success but still picked up a nice Yoshi plushie for $10 (not bad considering these go for $15 in Dealer's room). If you see something you like, feel free to haggle and barter with the sellers - most of them welcome it in hopes of getting rid of stuff. This year a friend of mine managed to walk away with an a couple dozen plushies and gashapon, some for as low as a buck! While T-ONO webmaster and resident slave driver The-O didn't find anything he wanted this year, the previous Swap Meet saw him  snag a couple Fate Stay Night figures at a pretty nifty price.

So the next time you’re at Fanime and you feel the urge to splurge, stop by the Swap Meet. Chances are that you may find something that strikes your fancy while still staying within your budget. If you’re a self-pronounced anime fanatic hoping to find that one rare gem, be it a vintage collectible or a hard to find trinket, know that there’s always a fellow fanatic willing to hand it over to you at a fair price.