I don't like to make too many buying lists for conventions. While it's nice to score some books that will help me complete runs, I've found that if I obsess too much over trying to track down certain books, I ignore a lot of other good deals or other offerings at the convention. I prefer the serendipity of flipping through boxes whenever a dealer display catches my eye, and if there's something that looks good I'll get it, but I don't want to get too bogged down.

I wonder if those Daredevil issues will be more expensive now, what with the TV show and all.  

I used to do this until I caught a few dealers trying to eye my numbers while I was browsing. Now I prioritize by level of desire and keep the numbers in my head.



I now do my list on my smartphone. Way easier than trying to find a writing surface at a crowded convention.



Once ever, I bought so much I had to carry it all around in a shortbox. As annoying as this was, it was a serious motivator to the sellers I approached. They were way more friendly and way more generous with their prices, assuming they'd get a major sale out of me.

Even though a lot of this will be repeats of other people's thoughts, I'll chime in:

1. Good walking/athletic shoes. I've made the mistake of trying to do a smaller con (Pittsburgh Comicon) in both sandals as well as Chuck Taylors on separate occasions, and I paid for it the rest of the week.
2. Bottled water and snacks. I always pack a couple of bottles, wrapped in a blue grocery bag, in my backpack (separate pouch from the books) as well as a granola bar or two, just to tide me over.
3. Backpack. For hauling my acquisitions.
4. Shortbox. Leave it in the car, take new acquisitions to it once the backpack gets too heavy or if I acquire high-end stuff I don't want to be carting around the rest of the day.
5. Up-to-date list/pen. Like Santa Claus, I check it twice the night before to make sure I don't pick up duplicates. Not a problem if I'm buying a $1 copy of West Coast Avengers #8, more problematic when I drop $15 on a Daredevil #132 (I've actually done both).
6. Signing books. Make sure they are separate from things I just bought, or keep them in the car until I'm done shopping and ready to mingle.
7. A plan. I usually head into the show and look for the highest-end/hardest-to-find book on my list at all of the dealers, as that will set the schedule for the rest of the day, as it usually takes up a big chunk of my budget. If I can't find it, I know I have money to spend picking up a lot of the less-expensive things on my list; I'd hate to buy a bunch of $3 books only to find the $50 book two hours later but not really have the funds to get it without causing, as mrp put it, "financial hardship or crisis".

I'd love to drop off stuff at my car during the day, but the cons I've been to are usually in cities with garage parking that is at least a couple of blocks away from the convention hall. Just getting out of a large, crowded convention hall can take 10 minutes of walking, followed by another 10-15 minute walk to the garage and finding the right floor for my car. A round trip could take almost an hour, and that's valuable time spent on the floor.

Conversely, most of the shows I've gone to are smaller shows at places that have large onsite parking lots, so walking in and out of the building to unload is not a problem.

Grapes, coffee, Tommy by the Who on vinyl
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Never mind, you're way ahead of me.