Event Coverage overheard things at the swap meet

One I overheard a few years ago.


How much for the 56 Chevy steering wheel?

Asking $275 completely restored ready to go, just make me an offer worst I can do is say no.

You take Twelve Dollars for it?

What the fuck man are you literally fucking retarded?, get the fuck out of here before I hit you upside the head with it.

 

went with the family to the Niagara's swap meet, saw the sign below (pic from eBay)
I thought it was cool, asked for the price and he said something like $80.00
I then said that's too much, very nice sign etc. but didn't want to spend that.
He then gave me the history of the sign, made of wood.. stuff like that, I then said it was probably worth what he wanted but I wasn't going to pay that...dude followed me down four to five spots...ended up with it for $25 which was a good price


Swap meet

 

My favorite swap meet experience was about 10 years ago I was building a replica of a (locally) famous Chevelle aspalt race car. I needed a rear bumper for it and found one right off the bat at a huge annual meet here in Springfield, MO. It was not perfect but I figured all the better since it was going on a vintage race car. It had an old school STP decal on it that was pretty sun faded. So I bought it for the $25 asking price. About an hour later, still trying to get the bumper out to the truck I find another one. He wants $100 for it but it is absolutely perfect.

I stop to look at it and we get to talking. I tell him all about the Coca Cola Chevelle I am recreating etc. He said he remembered seeing the original race etc. So he says how about this, give $75 and the bumper you already bought there and take this perfect one. I take him up on it.

A couple of days later I have a friend call to say he is on the way over and he has something I really need. When he gets there he starts telling me that he was at the swap meet and heard a vender with a Chevelle bumper saying it came off of a Coca Cola race car that used to run in the area. He said isn't that awesome, this is the actual bumper from the original car! He opens the bed cover and there sits the bumper with a faded STP decal. I said what did you pay for this thing. He said $50. LMAO!

 

That is a great one. I love when I sell old hot rod books and every guy thinks he's a laugh riot by trying to give you the original cover price on the book like their the first guy to ever do that.

 

I usually get a few double takes when I put this sign over my vendor tables...

 

That sums it up for me perfectly, and when the swap meets decline in number of buyers, we will know who to blame.

However, I've found that the majority of swap sellers are pretty honest, willing to set things aside, and will listen to offers, even if they don't always accept them.

I have a really rusty chunk of a '32 Ford grille bottom (that rear splash piece) that isn't real recognizable but I used to put it out in front of my swap spot with a sign saying it's an original '32 grille for some huge price, like $1000 or something, as a joke. I'd say a good 75% or more of the people who saw it would laugh and comment, but some would read it and scoff and get really pissed off because they took it seriously.

It was a perfectly functioning asshole filter.

 

About a year ago I went to a swap meet with the goal of unloading everything, which I did . I took just about any offer. The cheapskates that wanted to wait me out were a little upset. I am,or was a good scrounger, so I made a profit. The weird thing was the unending interest in my 59 elcamino,which was not for sale. I threw a high number out to run people off, and kept jacking it up, and the more it went up,the more people wanted it.

 

I have a friend who used to sell at every swap meet that he could get to. seemed like he had the same pile of nothing at every meet. he had a 32 Desoto or some other 32 for sale, and put a for sale sign on the bumper of his 32 Ford for reasons only he can explain. I came by his booth in the afternoon and he was all pissed off about people thinking he was selling his 32 Ford for $2500.00. really pissed, like someone keyed his car or something.... uh, why not just put the sign somewhere else? I asked, then he was pissed off at me.

spent much of his life being pissed over nothing. probably what killed him.

 

I had a 66 chevelle for sale at Jefferson few years ago, it was a pretty nice 2dr hardtop, 6 cyl, 3 on the tree. I had a bunch of guys on it as soon as I rolled in the gate. I had just sold it when overheard a pair of guys, guy one says wow is he over priced and guy 2 says no s**t. My friend was standing there and says to them "well he just sold it so I guess it really wasn't that over priced was it?" They just shook their heads and wandered off. The car was a pretty original 52,000 mile one family car that was only rusty part was in the trunk where it leaked around the rear window and the floor mat kept it wet.

 

I happened to be at the show at the Garlit's museum a few years ago when I walked by a 63 Nova convertible that a guy had done a very nice job putting a 327 4 speed in. He was selling it as a factory built car.
He had a guy convinced it was factory stock and was going to pay big bucks for the car. it bugged me to see him so obviously lying to this poor guy. I looked the car over and said nice clone.
the guy selling the car got irate that someone would stick their nose into his business, but I could not let the buyer get ripped off.
He asked me how I thought I knew so much about Nova's and so I pulled my membership card from the national nostalgic Nova club out of my wallet and I happened to be the south GA. rep at that time.
The buyer thanked me for not letting him get taken and the seller called me every name he could think of. I simply told him if he would sell the car as a nicely restored car with a V-8 4 speed ,it would sell, but don't try and pass it off as an original car.

 

As we're leaving at about 11 a.m., people walking in and saying "there's nothing here...what a lousy swap meet".
If stuff is still there at 11 a.m., it will be back at the next swap meet.

 

Don't blame you at all. Life is way too short to suffer assholes.

 

I was selling at a swap meet in Morris Il when a guy stopped about a pair of 56 Olds headlight trim rings, he said how much I said 20 he said how about 10 I said ok how many you want he said both I said ok that will be 20. He paid and left. Not sure where his head was at..........

 

You hit the nail right on the head joe cool. These guys who stand there blocking your table with their bench racing stories drives me nuts. What's even worse as since the appearance of cell phones I have these clowns who block your table and seemed to think they have to yell into their cell phones to be heard. Believe me, nothing makes people pass by your tables faster than some bozo standing in from of them hollering into a cell phone.

 

At the Goodguys swap meet in Scottsdale a couple of years ago, I came accross a a promo modele of a '59 Chevy Station Wagon on a table in one spot. I picked it up and found the price of $25 taped to the bottom (good price). It's a swap meet, so I offer the seller $20, but I'm absolutely willing to pay the asking price if he says no to my offer. It turns out that the seller is a deaf mute who reads lips. He gets very annoyed, and kind of grunts something that was un-inteligible. I point to the price and say "Ok, $25 then". He is now even more annoyed, he holds up 5 fingers and again grunts something that I can barely make out to be "fifty". I say "So $50 then?" He angrily nods his head "yes". I again point to the $25 marked price and say "So double your marked price. Forget it." I put the model down and walked away. Deaf mute or not, a jerk is a jerk.

 

What kind of car is this? "Oh it's a 1929 Nern with a Cross country carburetor ."

 

I'm going to a swap meet tomorrow, and I'll remember that advice and just walk away from any assholes I find behind the sellers tables

 

Or... you could just mess with them and watch while they destroy all of their property and walk away laughing.

 

Ralphies dad ain't got nothing on you. Great story. Snowman

 

It is good to know I wasn't the only guy with stories like these vending at a swap meet. I was vending last year at a meet and a guy approached asking about a car he purchased that was featured in some older mags. He began thumbing through four of my big boxes of mags every page of every book I had and asking me every 5 minutes if I had any 34 ford parts. After an hour of dealing with "rainman" he then asked me if I had more books. I told him I did but they weren't for sale as they were in my collection at home. He then wanted to know my address so he could come over and go through all these books as well. By this point I stopped short of telling this guy I would rather pack my rectum with m80s and squat over a flaming hibachi than tell him where I lived. Before I could say anything he wondered away saying nothing and not buying a thing and left me to put all books away he had scattered all over my tables.

 

Selling @ Turlock Swap some years ago and we had cleaned out a garage and had many aftermarket intake manifolds. Got down to one left guy came by and spent a LOT of time looking at it. Finally made offer of 1/2 what we had marked, we dickered for a while and finally settled on price. Guys last statement was "I'm sure glad to get a big block Chevrolet manifold in such good shape so cheap!!"

Partner came back a few minutes later and said:"Finally found someone to buy that MOPAR manifold, huh??"

Time to load up and head home----

 

Been going to swaps for more years than I can remember. Sold stuff at a few too. Never expected to make much $$$, much of what I had came as result of trades, cleaning out shops etc. I have noticed that some people take this stuff way too serious. I buy stuff I don't need until I see it & can afford it. I've seen crusty grumpy old codgers thinking their stuff is pure gold that are more willing argue than haggle. As a vendor, I agree with some of y'all about those who talk about ". . .back in the 40s. . . " right in front of my tables! I have asked 'em to move away and some get pissed.

I guess I need to turn into a grumpy, crotchety old geezers when dealing with those talkative tire kickers!

Best 'find' I got was early 2017 at a farm swap meet. One fella had a small table with a few car parts mixed in with some ag/tractor pieces. I spotted three 4bbl carbs that looked dusty but complete. 2 Holleys, one quadrajunk. I thought to myself - yeah - I need more wall art. . . So I looked at 'em closer and saw one of the Holleys had a list # that I recognized. I asked "How much?" - for that carb. Guy sez, "Take all 3 for $35" - I couldn't get the $$$ out fast enough. Got home, double checked the # on one and sure enough - '68 Shelby - S8MS stamped on it. . .

I love farm swap meets.

 

Heh, Heh...
Maybe the next time you run into a guy who is proud to break something rather than sell it, you can do something I would do.

Just grin and say " Thats Cool!
I'll give you 6$ for that windshield! 8 dollars for that glass tail light!. How about 2$ for that carburetor!?..."
Don't feel bad about the guy.
He'll have a great time bragging in front of his buddies about that insane shopper that made him bust up all his inventory.
He'll be so proud of teaching you a lesson !
(take pictures of a really cool, proud, and very smart vendor in action)

It'll be entertaining.

WHY BE ORDINARY ?

 

I been a Jefferson vendor for 25 years and have seen and heard many funny and dumb ass remarks and actions. But one that comes to mine was a couple years ago. I know everybody likes to haggle and even though I try to price my stuff at reasonable prices they are usually marked up about 20 % so I have room to deal. Well I had a pretty clean 53 chevy car hood and I put a 100 on it Friday morning to see what kind of reaction I would get. A guy stops and starts looking it over real good, mean while another guy was looking at it from behind him and seemed interested too. Well the first guy turns and walks onto the next stall never saying a word and the second guy says will you take 80 for it? I go yeah why not. The first guy hears this and hollers if I knew that you would take 80 I would have bought it! Smiling as I took the second guys money , I said you should have asked. The reaction on his face was priceless!! Hell I did not have a dime in it so anything over nothing would be profit. Larry

 

I didn't overhear anything exceptionally odd today at the Red Deer Swap meet and I didn't run into any parts breaking asshole vendors either
I did encounter a rather rude and uptight fellow swap meet buyer who had picked up and purchased a tubing bender.
He had asked the guy what it was priced at and was told $20.
He purchased it and when I commented that he had made a good buy he snapped at me " I know what these are worth"
I said good for you and walked on.
Sometimes being friendly isn't even enough.

One thing I did notice was the number of vendors who literally have been dragging the same old crap to the same swap meet year after year and they're always in the same spot.

One guy commented on a Deuce Tudor body that was sold and said too bad it was chopped. The chop was mild , barely even 3" and it looked like a reasonably nice body that had been fitted with well done patch panels.

After that I motored home and did some more work on the RPU.

 

I'm with you on these guys who drag the same stuff out year after year and are in the same spot they were the year before. I usually pass by their tables as they don't price mark anything but become offended when someone throws a price at them. I go to one every year where the guy has everything under chicken wire and is over priced and he never seems to sell a thing and doesn't seem to care. I get the impression these guys only go there to display their collections like a travelling museum. I'll only bring things so many times before I drop the price and it doesn't come back home with me. I have to admit I've never dealt with parts breaking vendors probably because if the price is fair I have no problem paying it or at least make reasonable offer to the guy.

 

Guy left empty handed after driving 20 miles to event and offered $5.00 for a high quality flaring kit with vacuum bleeder kit. Vendor had it listed at $20.

 

Point #1 - As a vendor, I welcome any offers to get the ball rolling. An offer tells me what the tire kicker is interested in buying so I don't have to ramble on about stuff he's not looking for. I have to "buy" before I can "sell" so I try to only buy right (And try to mentally recall what I paid so I can sell "right".) In short, I have a number in mind.
Point #2 - I expect some full price buyers, some so/so offers and also some ridiculous low balls (that won't be entertained). For every item I set a mental average, make or break price of where I'll shake on a deal. Offers that are ridiculously below the line, I reject and tell 'em why. "I've got more than that in it. I can't go backwards." Then I counter offer. "I'll take $XX if you hand it to me right now. If you walk away, the price goes back to the start." I'm in total control of the price; the buyer is in control of coughing up the cash or walking. If the two concepts can't meet at the same place in time and space, I've got no regrets.
Point #3 - If I'm selling more negotiated deals above my "average expectation" than I'm losing, I must be doing okay. My mindset is if buyer A wouldn't meet my price, buyer B is still out there looking for what I've got. I don't break my shit just to make a point. It's not my job to "educate" low ball buyers. They are dead to me. My job is to sell to other buyers who want what I have to sell. Just like real life, and unlike current culture would have it, everybody doesn't get a trophy.
Point #4 - A swap meet is just a big casino. Just set your rules in favor of the house and leave out any emotional aspects.

 

All good points IMHO. Snowman

 

At Pate I had a LB rumble seat set for a 32 coupe or roadster. A very old couple looked and looked at it. The lady was so stiff she would not sit in the offered chair. They finally gave me the money as started off, leaving the set for the parts hauler. 20 feet down the isle, I hear the guy wondering how the rumble side panels would fit his doors. They thought they were buying an interior set. I gave them their money back.