Are there any legal requirements for selling your comic at cons in the UK?

[AdrenalineShots]

I know that some people get barcodes on their comics? If there is NSFW content do you have to give a warning on the front of the comic? Do you need to register anywhere to be able to charge for your comics at a con? Completely new to this so any advice from those who go to cons would be great!

[joannekwan]

Mm best check with the con itself. I know the ones I table in California only require a seller's permit for the days you're on the floor. As for the content you're selling, as long as it's not porn to minors I think you should be fine.

[AnnaLandin]

I know that some people get barcodes on their comics?

Those barcodes are ISBN-numbers, which are used to identify your books/comics. Where I am (Sweden), they are free to acquire, and the print-shop is required by law to send a certain number of copies to various libraries, to get it all registered properly - but things might be different in the UK. I recommend researching this - though for a small, self-published print-run, you don't have to have ISBNs, at least here.

Again, seller's permits and such is something that varies by region/country. Here, I don't have to have one if I only table once or twice a year; if I do it a more regular basis, I have to.

If there is NSFW content do you have to give a warning on the front of the comic?

I would say that you should have a clearly visible NSFW-label on comics that have such content - some cons require it, but even for the ones that don't, it's just good manners to do it. A lot of visitors to comic cons are minors and children, and they - and their parents - should have fair warning before they pick up an NSFW comic and start flipping through it.

[mariusthered]

when i looked into getting an isbn number for my novel i found out you buy them in blocks of five and they cost around £100 . if you go through an agent to buy these they have the rights to your book so best buy them yourself. however it is not a legal requirement in the UK but as i have found without have an isbn number on a book places like Amazon wont touch them and selling them on line is very hard.

[Houndstooth]

For conventions in the UK, there's no requirement to have an ISBN on your comics. However, I would advise that all your NSFW books are clearly marked with a sticker/icon on the cover - and personally, I'd wrap those individually in clear plastic pouches - although this means people can't look through it, it does prevent children or teens from flipping through content which is really not for them. I've also seen artists have an "ask me about my 18+ book" sign so they only show it to adults who ask for it, or a portfolio for prints which is closed and clearly marked NSFW.

As for registering - if you're a UK citizen you don't need any kind of sellers' permit, though some conventions require you to buy insurance when you rent a table. Also, I believe some cons ask you if you have any 18+ content, but I've only sold SFW stuff there so I'm not sure how that goes.

[Elm]

@elixiadragmire Might be able to shine a bit more light on this!
I've gone to a few cons as a fan not an artist, but I don't think they are any real requirements across the UK. Just individual requirements for that conventions in particular.
As for ISBNs, they are not a requirement. However, if you want your book to be sellable online, in stores or have a place in a library, the system will need a unique ISBN. They are not free in the UK, but you can get 10 for an alright price, and must consider their placement when designing your book for printing.
Another thing you can do is register as self employed, if you're only going to one or two cons I wouldn't do it to be honest. You probably won't make above the personal allowance with comics. But it might be something worth considering if you're going full time with comicking.

[AdrenalineShots]

Thanks everyone!! Has anyone taken out insurance in the uk or anywhere else for cons? How do you do it, is it expensive and is there anyone you would recommend?

[elixiadragmire]

thank @Elm
and no, not really any insurance to get if you get a table in the comic village. if you get a dealers tables i believe you may have to. the prices for those i dont know.