A friend and I are hackers who want to learn how to sell better. We live in NYC, and we thought a good way to learn would be to sell stuff in Times Square. So far our list includes: 1) Buy a cheap costume, and then charge people to take pictures with us, 2) Sell I <3 NYC t-shirts in different languages, 3) Sell roses.
Any suggestions on what we could sell or thoughts about our project?
I was once having a very good day in NYC and an art-student-looking guy outside Cooper Union tried to sell me one of his hand-drawn "life maps" - he was holding a basket of little paper scrolls tied with shiny ribbons, with colorful lines drawn inside the paper scrolls - for a couple dollars, and it actually worked on me (well, I'd stopped and asked about them because I thought they were free, but he still convinced me to pay for one). People like pretty handmade things with some sort of emotional resonance (note also that I'm a girl socialized to like pretty things). It was a good hustle.<p>There are also people who go to farmer's markets and sell poems written on the spot on typewriters - <a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=poem%20store" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=poem%20store</a> - similarly whimsical, handmade, and suitable for impulse purchases for people out on dates or whatever. You could multivariate-test the sign.<p>Also check out the licensing requirements for street vendors if you haven't yet: <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dca/html/licenses/094.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://www.nyc.gov/html/dca/html/licenses/094.shtml</a> (to help make sure you know what you're getting into, and also because it has exceptions for artwork and written matter).
It doesn't matter <i>what</i> you sell. What matters is <i>how</i> you sell it.<p>Case in point, Joe Ades with his vegetable peelers: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCUct4NlxE0" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCUct4NlxE0</a>
Sell experiences.<p>I'm not sure if you've heard of Joe Ades. He used to sell potato peelers in NY and has been mentioned on HN a few times:<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Ades" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Ades</a><p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/nyregion/03ades.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/nyregion/03ades.html</a><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCUct4NlxE0" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCUct4NlxE0</a><p>I don't think it really matters what you sell, especially in this case where you just want to improve your sales technique. The main thing is that you sell an experience, not a product.
This reminds me of stories of kids setting up lemonade stands in Times Square, and even making a lot of money before getting shut down by the cops.<p>I can't find the exact news article, but this one is close ($200 profit/half day!):<p><a href="http://www.dnainfo.com/20110628/midtown/kids-set-up-lemonade-stand-midtown" rel="nofollow">http://www.dnainfo.com/20110628/midtown/kids-set-up-lemonade...</a>
I think that you could get a lot of mileage by selling unique trinkets. Imagine taking a Escher style moebius ring and creating an actual ring or a necklace out of it (imagine doing it with flat links to form the necklace, and they all have connections to one another at a varying gradient, so that you can create that moebius strip) [ interesting link to set you up <a href="http://www.cs.technion.ac.il/~gershon/EscherForReal/" rel="nofollow">http://www.cs.technion.ac.il/~gershon/EscherForReal/</a> ]<p>If you think about it then there are tons of amazing geometrical shapes out there that would make amazing trinkets, and why limit yourself to pure mathematics? Imagine creating a trinket that represents plasma captured in a magnetic bottle. That would be beautiful if you can get it just right.<p>This will be challenging, artistically, to pull it off (perhaps you can use a 3D printer), but if you do I want one. (yes, I have weakness for such trinkets)
I'm starting a clothing company/website called <a href="http://beerfarmer.com" rel="nofollow">http://beerfarmer.com</a> and could send you some socks. I'm in montana and selling these primarily to mountain bikers and active lifestyles but would love to get some feedback from Times Square. Still working on product shots but...<p><a href="https://beerfarmer.3dcartstores.com/Adventure-Socks-_p_13.html" rel="nofollow">https://beerfarmer.3dcartstores.com/Adventure-Socks-_p_13.ht...</a>
contact me through the site if your interested.
Last year I was in NY doing some accounting and spent some time walking about.. One good con I fell for was some guys passing out demo CDs of thie mixtapes - sure I'll grab one as a souvinier! The guy offers to sign it and add your name - haha ok sounds fun. Turns out his fee for signing is $5! An it has your name on it too now. turned out a better souvinier than I expected. (just an anecdote, not a suggestion you learn how to street hustle)
Turn it into a competition with your friend. And don't be afraid to embarrass yourselves (remember it's a game/competition) in terms of advertising a little louder than normal. What helps also: Ask your potential customers about the pitch afterwards (what they thought about it, whether they liked it) - nice side effect: you get to meet awesome people who'd like to help you.
Theres a guy here in Tokyo who does dramatic readings of manga for people... He's amazing and has been doing it for years but I imagine it would work just as well with older cheesy marvel / dc / Archie comics. The key is he gives it 100% and then some.. You could probably get the comic books for dirt cheap
I understand that experience is experience, but wouldn't you say that there are better places and alternatives to spending time trying to sell things in a 'tourist' environment?
well, its still warm in the sun, while at the same time heading towards winter. So maybe chestnut flavored ice-cream?
Food vendor license may be too much trouble compared to hand made tourist kitsch.