The Real Cost Of Baggage Fees Over A Con Season

It Adds Up Faster Than You Think

We did some rough maths on what a vendor doing six interstate or international events a year spends on checked baggage alone. The number was uncomfortable.

Domestic checked bag fees in Australia run $15 to $40 per bag per flight. International is worse: $30 to $80 depending on the airline. Most vendors check two to three bags each way for their display and stock. That's four to six bag fees per event.

The Numbers Over A Season

Say you fly to six events a year. Two checked bags each way at $30 average per bag. That's $360 in baggage fees alone. Bump it to three bags and you're looking at $540. Add the oversize fee that most rigid display cases attract (usually $50 to $100 per flight) and you could be spending $700 or more a season on literally just MOVING your stuff from one airport to another.

That's a table fee at a decent market. Gone. On baggage.

What You Can Do About It

The fix isn't "do fewer events." The fix is packing smaller. A display that fits in a 56x36x23cm case is carry-on size. Zero checked bag fees. Zero oversize surcharges. The modular display kit does this because the panels pack flat and the connectors nest into the gaps.

Your stock is the other lever. Ship it ahead via a courier flat rate instead of checking it at the airport. A $20 flat-rate box that arrives at your accommodation two days early beats a $50 oversize airline charge that arrives at baggage claim twenty minutes late.

Over a six-event season, switching from three checked bags to one carry-on display plus one shipped box can save $300 to $500. That's money you keep. Check the full kit range to find a kit that pays for itself in saved baggage fees within a few events.