Event Coverage Swapmeets turning into yard sales

Yes, Rhinebeck and every other swap meet has gone down hill, but it is still one of the best in the area. I go to buy stuff I need, or underpriced stuff to flip and fund my builds. Not one Model A Ford door on the field of any body style tells me the supply is gone or more RR's are under construction. I'll be back next year buying. Bob

 

Where the hell do you have to go for quality these days. I am glad the powers that be try hard to keep Hershey as good as they can. My local ones are fair but still the same stuff and sellers all the time. A local one is today and is $1 to set up. i would have been better off staying home from R and doing this one

 

Well, quality is something I never go looking for at a swap meet, if it shows up fine, but I'm looking for stuff I can buy. I didn't go with a lot of money but did buy everything I wanted, and all of it will get relisted here or on "that auction site". Seeing old friends it a big part of swap meets, that it truly priceless. Bob

 

I agree with Bob I went four hours one way to Rhinebeck yesterday and I wasn’t looking for anything
However I did come home with an English wheel mainly because I’m a sucker for old tools. I don’t really care if I got a good deal or not just a Great Day with old friends on a road trip the stories have been told a hundred times and are always looked forward to! Hobo Jim

 

When I lived in Nevada and California, I found antique spurs at the swap meets. Most were just old common working spurs. They thought I was nuts to even want them. The most I paid was $5.00. Took them to gun show and the least got for a pair was $150.00. Singles would bring $50.00 plus. They were usually with stuff that looked like it was just dragged out of a barn. I guess they were barn finds.

 

went to a local swap meet at the des moines iowa state fair grounds as a vendor only stuff i sold, was NOS chevy truck parts & it still was not worth selling & time wasted there . the stuff i sold would of sold on craigs list ,or on some truck sites & i would not of wasted time sitting in my booth!!!!!!! it is a free walk in swap WHICH makes the place a free place for people to wonder around & be in everybodys way ! i have never minded spending money to go to as a buyer! at least get a can of food donated for the needy ??think if you spend -entry fee to get in -you tend to be a serious buyer attendee?? anyway i think my small garage & rummage swap meets are a no-more attend for me???

 

I have to say that I live 3 miles away from Rhinebeck and have been set up there for 30 years. I have also been involved with the organization of clubs that put the show and swap meet on, in-fact last Saturday I set up the blue field with my crew. But I have noticed empty vendor spaces this year more than I did in previous years. And the foot traffic that came by never looked in a single box or crate that I had there. I gave stuff away and I had to badger the people to take it. Now you might say I had shit that nobody wanted, you would be wrong. Unless the stuff was right in front of the people and at eye level, glass beaded and painted, they did not look. I will be there as long as it is held because it's my social event for the year. A lot of my friends and acquaintances stop by. Maybe if I set up a kiosk with an app that has the part number of the part the buyer is looking for and ship it by drone thru Amazon I will sell some stuff.

Pat

 

I've been going to car shows and swap meets since 1961, it stands to reason that all the parts sold over the years aren't coming back, some people actually built cars and trucks out of them. Not that parts haven't outlived their old owners, those parts have some great stories. Bob

How close is the 50th Annual Rhinebeck Meet? I missed the very first one but haven't missed one after that.

 

Went to Rhinebeck Sat. I love that show and seems to me one of the better events within 150 miles of home. A variety for sure. Looked pretty busy to me and plenty of foot traffic. Found a few things I could use and felt like I got a few decent deals. Interesting comments noted above and from a from a "customer" perspective, interesting to look at some stuff and be told that it is something it's not. Had that a few times yesterday--no bad feelings, just sayin.........
BTW--Mrs. Avater liked the handbags

 

Several 4 door sedan doors up top but they sold quick. Priced at $50 each and in good shape. Them and a couple of 32 firewalls were the only items I would have bought, but I'm trying not to buy anymore right now. Personally my sales were down, worst Saturday & Sunday ever. My 2 and 1/2 cents worth.

 

To me seeing and hearing the Cheetah drive in was a highlight of the meet, I think it was the only 200MPH+ car on the field. Bob

 

My dog used to go with me quite a bit. I bought him many a bottle of water that he would drink right out of the bottle. he knew the difference between the good stuff and the cheap stuff too.
Back to the original topic of the thread, I took a run own to the Tri Cities (Washington state) swap meet on Saturday and while there was a reasonable amount of car stuff only booths there were more "yard sale stuff" vendors than before. My shopping list was real short and I didn't find anything on it but spent 5.00 on a pair of old nerf bar style steps for a truck that I am going to cut down for the dualie. It doesn't matter if they are a bit ugly on that truck as it works for it's keep.

 

I noticed this trend in the early 90's at GG's in Pleasanton...many spaces full of peddle cars, old bikes, etc...neat stuff as I look back on it now...but not why I went to the swapmeet.

Thing is, many bring the family...she doesn't need an ignition switch for a '47 Olds, but she comes for "the other stuff". Our youngsters don't know the difference between that elusive intake you're looking for...or an empty paint can...but...man does he/she go nuts when they see those little cars and stickers on display!

I don't walk through those areas...but will stand and take a break while the rest of my group does.

 

I still go to all the car swap meets that I have for years, my wife goes along two. I hit the back row first and work my to the exit gate, she has her own search method. I'm always amazed at all the stuff she finds for the house and Grandkids, I never saw it on the field, I was busy looking at the good stuff.


Bob

 

I once bought a nice guitar in a case for cheap at the Early Wheels Swap Meet in Greenfield, Iowa. There is still more car parts than anything else.

 

Last year I drove 3 hours to a larger swap meet and got better automotive items at yards sales along the way home than I did at the actual swap meet. I'm starting to see a trend in the past few years as parts are getting harder to find. I tend to see guys not parting with items due to fact it's harder to get them and they want to keep them in their garages instead of selling them. I am guilty of this too as I would rather have a cool 56 ford pickup grille "wall hanger" or a deuce grille on my wall than the money. I used to find great things on ebay but I'm finding less there as well.

 

As a single curmudgeon who is now an old curmudgeon, I personally wish you guys would leave the wife and kids at home because they are usually just standing in the way when you are trying to see something. They look lost and act like they don't really want to be there.
There, now I said it....go ahead and slime me for it.

 

crashfarmer did you go to greenfield last fall? there were way more flea market junk than car parts

 

I guess I'll have to take a sliming right along with as I agree. I also am not a fan of seeing half a million dogs at a swap meet. Don't get me wrong as I love dogs in fact I often bring a dish to put water in by my booth as many people don't seem to be concerned about how hot it gets out in the sun for some of these poor dogs. Over the past few years I have seen at least one dog fight or almost a fight at about every meet I've been to.

 

My better half has no interest in going to auto parts swap meets. She says: "Why would I want to walk around looking at a bunch of greasy car parts? We've got a garage full of that here."...LOL !!

 

I like yard sales.

 

I like yard sales and I love Automotive Swap Meets, just not at the same place. JW

 

A lot of vendors today only bring the items that won't sell or are too big to ship easily for online auctions.

 

Last week end there were 3 swap meets in Iowa alone. The Des Moines swap seems to have gone down hill but I haven't been there since the Torquefest is the same week-end. We did good at TF with Early Friday and late Saturday the busiest. Didn't stop in Monticello on the way home.
Bent

 

I'm totally with you. couple of years ago I had a young guy set up next to our booth. He brought what seemed almost an entire mid 70s Camaro body in parts and laid them on the grass. He didn't bring a chair or any kind of shade and it was hot. We finally invited him under our shade canopy for the day and gave him something to drink. I didn't want to sound preachy to him but told him it's probably better to take and post pictures of your larger items at your booth than to haul it all out there where unless you want to deliver it most people don't have the means to get it home from there. I told him believe me, if they want it they will come to you from a few good pictures. He didn't end up selling a thing but we enjoyed talking to him and he didn't end up going home with heat stroke.

 

Always thought that car shows like "TORQUE FEST" would be smart if they let vendors set up for free.....just charge them regular spectator admission. With all the "things" going on there, the swap meet is probably my favorite thing.....and as it is now, it's not quite big enough!

 

Funny because I just went to an antique sale and they had more car parts than alot of swap meets. People selling hubcaps and 2 barrel carbs as decorations has become popular lately

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That's what happened at one of our local county meets that have been going bi annually for almost 40 years. They have two car shows and swap meets twice a year that is well attended. Someone else took over the planning of the show and decided to charge a fee instead being free to vendors. The vendor participation dropped to more than half and the rest of us let it be known we wouldn't be back the next meet. They changed it back to free to vendors and almost doubled their attendance and let it be known it would be free to vendors from then on.

 

I used to love the old Michigan state fairground swap meets. We used to get great stuff there back in the day. I recalled seeing many old famous rods and customs for sale in their car corrals there as well.

 

The $40 ($10 more than general admission) charge isn't too much for 2 days and also if you can swing it see some very good entertainment. We try to break away in shifts to enjoy the weekend . What's more it goes to a good cause, Helping Hannah's Heart.
Bent