Melbourne Pen Show 2016

[The Pensmith]

Melbourne Pen Show was to have been held on 6 November 2016. The Melbourne Pen Show will now be held on 27 November 2016 at the larger Malvern Town Hall, Main Hall. Google Melbourne Pen Show for further details.

 

The larger venue given increased pen trade support will give a greater public profile to the Show itself and encourage greater public awareness and appreciation of all things writing.

[Newjelan]

Thanks for the info The Pensmith. I hope I'll be able to travel down from the "Goldfields".

[Ceelo]

Thanks for the update. Finally going to get myself down from Sydney this year for it.

[redripple]

Looking forward to this years show to be bigger and better than previous shows

Friends and pen enthusiasts world wide, come along and support this fantastic event.

See the Melbourne Pen Show website and our facebook page

[tamiya]

just found a emailout in my inbox

 

good to hear it'll be in bigger premises; pushing it 3wks later puts it dangerously close to usual Xmas/yearend frivolity though... hope there'll be no clashes

 

http://www.melbpenshow.com.au/

[katanankes]

Hi! Can a foreign private seller register? Do you have any idea if under Australian law is it legal for a visitor on a business visa to sell things in such a show?

[The Pensmith]

There is no reason why an overseas seller cannot take a table at the Melbourne Pen Show. There are many examples worldwide of sellers attending and selling at overseas shows. It has been quite common at the Melbourne Pen Show over its decades of operation.

[tamiya]

More the merrier!

 

Do you have any idea if under Australian law is it legal for a visitor on a business visa to sell things in such a show?

Depends how much you're a stickler for Tax Rules?

 

Can we assume you're already residing in Australia with business visa in a profession unrelated to pens...?

 

If so then ATO gives allowance for "hobby" ventures, common test of which is making $50,000 (profit? Vs turnover?)... so if it's safely within a plausible "hobby", no need to declare.

 

Plus depends on how your understanding of GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practices) & Cash Accounting is... well, my experience with pen shows suggest it's usually a Cashflow NEGATIVE affair. Buy more than you sell, right? heh!

 

(I'm no accountant though, so please do make your own inquiries.)

[katanankes]

I do not reside in Australia. I might have found an answer

 

Your eVisitor lets you:

• enter Australia for up to three months during each visit during the 12 months from the date the eVisitor is granted
• have a holiday or visit family and friends in Australia
• study in Australia for up to three months in some circumstances
• engage in business visitor activities while in Australia provided you:
  • do not work for or provide services to, a business or organisation
  • do not sell goods or services to the public.

Business visitor activities include:

• making general business or employment enquiries
• investigating, negotiating, signing or reviewing a business contract
• activities carried out as part of an official government-to-government visit
• participating in conferences, trade fairs or seminars, as long as you are not being paid by the organisers for you participation.

So selling to the public would be a big no no and I would risk deportation. Bummer.

[katanankes]

Unless a pen show may be considered a °private event° I guess... any lawyer around?

[tamiya]

Well it it's a private ticketed event, not quite anyone setting up a hawker's stall on pavement roadside.

 

Ah, so you're not already working here?

 

Whereabouts are you normally anyway?

 

So selling to the public would be a big no no and I would risk deportation. Bummer.

 

Irony, considering White Australia began in 1788 as a convict colony.

 

Well... here's a simple workaround - just hire a local to man your desk for you.

You're allowed to 1) sign a business contract & 2) personally courier over & deliver your goods,

setup your stall, talk to fair attendees etc etc. except just get your minion to collect the $$$

 

Alternately, how about PreSelling them online (classifieds, fleaBay etc) then offer "free collection in person at Pen Show"

 

What volumes of pens are you thinking about anyway... 50? 100? 1000?

 

Have acquaintance with many commercial dealers of, umm, "small luxury trinkets easily portable & of decent value" and they happily fly to&fro SEAsia for years on tourist visas afaik. Ain't illegal to take your trading stock with you on holiday, for safekeeping I'd guess...

 

Meh if we're going strictly by the book there's also some paperwork regarding registry of sellers of secondhand goods but London to a brick I've never seen any reseller on fleaBay/Craigslist/Gumtree/etc have one to show me when I go pickup my purchases.

[katanankes]

I work in South East Asia... and sometimes I pop up in Melbourne.

 

But you are quite right about using a local proxy! That seems a very nice solution. You must be a 500usd per hour lawyer. Thanks for your advise. It might not be this year, but I have an oversized collection and sooner or later I would like to participate to a pen show for both selling and buying.

 

Cheers

[tamiya]

heh, "oversized" seems to be a common affliction amongst these parts darned, I seem to have bought another pen today... Sigh!

 

At the very least, block out your calendar & try to be in Melbourne for November 2016!

 

You must be a 500usd per hour lawyer.

hahahaha "I wish" and that's about the most complementary I'll ever get re lawyers hehehe

 

And I'd only be wishing about the earning in USD rather than AUD bit... AUD now so dismally low, it's definitely not as worthwhile bringing stock from abroad to sell in AUD$

 

-----

 

There's a fair bit of work preparing for swapmeets, firstly you need to pricetag every item.

 

If you play with vintage pens, it'll be best to get them cleaned and confirmed working before sale.

 

Then there's the issue of how you display your goods, think the organisers supply bare trestle tables so ideally you want to have big trays to show the pens on (velvet lined would be nice) but still easy to acquire & transport... I dunno, pizza boxes?

[tamiya]

Just got around to peeking at MPS website.

 

For 2016 they're offering private/smallscale traders to sell on Community Share tables, you can get a Third of a table (100x70cm) for $50; sounds like a great idea!

 

Full table seems to be $165... hmm yeah, it's 3am now & my math has gone to sleep

[jho51e]

Oh I've never been to one! Might have to make the trip down from Sydney

[Shangas]

The Pen Show this year is at a MUCH LARGER venue (having visited it personally, I can attest that it will be at least twice the size of the original venue). So any and all tableholders are gonna be welcome to flog or show off their wares and collections.

[winterwings]

SO

 

Just got around to peeking at MPS website.

For 2016 they're offering private/smallscale traders to sell on Community Share tables, you can get a Third of a table (100x70cm) for $50; sounds like a great idea!

Full table seems to be $165... hmm yeah, it's 3am now & my math has gone to sleep

 

So no 'sell up to five pens using this form' option this year?

[tamiya]

Bump for the Melbourne Pen Show - ITS IN A FORTNIGHT!!!

 

 

SO

 

So no 'sell up to five pens using this form' option this year?

Dunno no idea can't help you there, I'm just Billie Public I ain't involved in its organising.

[Shangas]

I'll be there with bells on

[The Pensmith]

Is there a pre-Show dinner this year? If so, someone provide the details to me so we can advertise it on the Melbourne Pen Show website.

 

In previous years, the Show did have a Market Table where a number of different vendors could sell pens on a table supervised by a Show committee member. Given its lack of popularity, that idea was abandoned and the Community Table concept introduced this year.

 

This year patrons can hire Community Tables (a third of a three metre table) to sell one or 20 pens. The cost is $50 per Community Table. So far, the concept has proved very popular.

 

Any questions regarding this year's Show can be addressed to melbourne.pen.show@westnet.com.au