According to a screenshot of the aforementioned Twitter survey (which the author says he has deleted from his account for privacy reasons), a total of 42,696 votes were received and 56.4% of the respondents chose the option in which they stated that they don't buy doujinshi by mail due to high costs. “Director D” pointed out that this is a strange reason, considering the already high price of entering the Comiket (if it had been carried out), which includes meals, accommodation and travel, something that far exceeds the cost of a package delivery. However, 28% of users who responded or retweeted the survey agreed that they are not motivated to buy doujinshi if there is no related event, which “Director D” believes is the underlying reason which caused that, although the possibility of buying the same volumes that would have been available in the physical event was offered, sales were so low.
"In fact, there are times when people go to buy things simply by buying," said the user. “In those moments, people spend their money not for the object, but for the experience of being a customer, it is fun especially in events of that type. Wake up early, get excited, dress well. Whether it's friends or artists, it's fun to meet people you wouldn't normally know unless there is an event. You can also enjoy eating at off-site establishments, if you feel like it, and in those cases, even though they are vastly higher than parcel delivery, travel and accommodation costs really are worth it. ”
The user also cited the lack of centralized information on new releases as another reason for low sales. He suggested that artists should follow a template and organize through social media hashtags to make their works easier to find and discover for potential buyers.
Furthermore, the Comiket 98 event, which was scheduled to take place between May 2 and 5 this year, was canceled to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The event had been planned for May instead of the usual month of August, due to the Olympic Games, which were also postponed. Additionally, the planning committee announced in July that they are aiming to move this winter's planned Comiket 99 (the winter Comic Market) to the dates of “Golden Week” in 2021 (that is, between April and May 2021). .
However, the absence of a Comiket event this year has brought catastrophic effects on artists and printers. In May, the paper-making company Kitamura Kamiten filed for bankruptcy. According to J-Cast reports, the printing company Eikou made between 20 and 505 of revenue in the past six months, compared to last year.
Source: Director D's note via Heidi Kemps
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