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Death of the swap-meet rant!!

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by LIL.TIMMYUser Name, Feb 8, 2009.

  1. tomslik
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 2,161

    tomslik
    Member

    i sell shit on ebay so i can spend it at swap meets....
    where's that leave me?;)

    although i was HOME by 10 am at tri-state a couple of weeks ago and it was an hrs drive to get there....
    helps when you get vip passes;)

    what did i buy?







    nothing.


    looking for amc stuff and for some reason, there just ain't any....
     
  2. Dynaflash_8
    Joined: Sep 24, 2008
    Posts: 3,038

    Dynaflash_8
    Member
    from Auburn WA

    I went to the earlybirds, and it was ok. Not as much stuff as last year, but i got my american racing 14x6 5 spokes for $35, so im happy.
     
  3. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    You've missed a key point. Let me explain it from a seller's view

    Do you know what those 6 guys are? They're a pack outside your swap meet. They reflect a huge block of intertwined merchandise, they know each other's inventory, they recreate & work on cars as a pack. The reason they swap meet as a pack is to rotate groups and also effectively find what they want as buyers. Sometimes a couple guys have outside commitments for half the weekend, and that merchandise couldn't be there without the pack to watch it. Sometimes the pack goes with a bad forecast, cause pack recreation will compensate for low turnout.

    You want to grow your meet? Bring those packs. You're not leaving $50 on the table cause the majority of those guys ain't coming without their buds, and a couple of those buds ain't coming unless it's a block deal. We rednecks are funny that way.

    good luck with it!
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2009
  4. marks914
    Joined: Feb 20, 2009
    Posts: 330

    marks914
    Alliance Vendor

    There are a few good ones here in detroit, but alot of them are filled with thiose crappy tool and the alumaloy guys. (although alumaly does work) Not too many parts or deals anymore.

    Mark
     
  5. silversink
    Joined: May 3, 2008
    Posts: 916

    silversink
    Member

    We will see what happens in Portland Ore. in April. thats the biggest one arround here. I have a cousin that works at the Expo Center but havent heard if the spaces are selling or not.
     
  6. Weasel
    Joined: Dec 30, 2007
    Posts: 6,698

    Weasel
    Member

    Big3 this weekend in San Diego should be a useful barometer of how the market is changing. It'll be interesting to see if the hoarders are bringing stuff out of the closet due to the economy tanking.
     
  7. roddin-shack
    Joined: Apr 12, 2006
    Posts: 2,512

    roddin-shack
    Member

    THE SWAP MEET will return. Shipping COSTS and the inability of UPS etc.to deliver with out destroying the contents of the package will cause this to happen. :confused:
     
  8. chrisser
    Joined: Mar 20, 2008
    Posts: 132

    chrisser
    Member

    It's rare I go to a swap meet these days.

    Finding deals there, from a buyer's perspective, is getting harder and harder. Part of it is that parts are getting rarer and rarer, but a big part is that everyone thinks their stuff is gold underneath the grease.

    Sure, if you have some pristine rare parts in excellent condition, you should get top dollar. But if you hauled some rusty hulk out of the corner of a field or the corner of a junkyard, the parts are rusted, dented, might not even be useable once all the crud, rust, and spiders are cleaned out, then unless it came off something very rare and very desireable, I just don't see paying a whole lot for it. I look at it as how much time am I going to have to put into this part to make it useable vs what can I get it for in better condition on ebay, repro or rebuilt, or, most importantly, through a reputable company that will back their product if it isn't what they say. These days, I also consider how much work it would be for me to just make it myself.

    If you have a booth at a swap meet, I don't know you from Adam, and it's all buyer beware. There's no guarantee that you're not misrepresenting what you have, and I won't be able to track you down if I get screwed over. So that takes a huge part of the value right off the top. On the flip side, I'm giving you cash. Little risk, and little question of value for the seller.

    What I hate the most though, are the vendors that take their parts over to the local car wash, powerwash the heck out of them, then slap a coat of spraybomb paint and call them "rebuilt", with commensurately higher price. Or sell old body parts with an obvious skim coat of bondo over crappy patches and a lousy primer job, covering up whatever was underneath. Even if it looks good, I'm going to take it all apart (if it's mechanical) or strip it all down (body parts) anyway, cause I don't know the dude or the quality of his work, that's if I even take the risk of buying it. So your "rebuilt" stuff, to me, is worth less than if you'd left it as you pulled it out of wherever you found it 'cause it's actually more work and more risk for me.

    Or the guys who "repair" parts with a bunch of questionable sheet metal and crappy welds and expect the price of an equivalent unmolested piece because it's "good as new".

    Yeah, I expect that some parts are project pieces that got abandoned or the guy found a better replacement, but too many vendors seem to "specialize" in crappy repairs covered by sloppy paint and calling it restoration.

    I'm sure the selling side sucks too. My advice is to look at why you're selling at a swap meet. If you're there to get top dollar for pristine stuff, well, I think you're at the wrong venue. If you want to be in the business of parts rebuilding/reconditioning/restoration, then you're either at the wrong venue, or you'd better be able to demonstrate you know what you're doing and can stand behind your work.

    Just MHO. Buyer's rant off.
     
  9. Kerry67
    Joined: Apr 11, 2005
    Posts: 2,606

    Kerry67
    Member

    You make it sound as if Swap Meets are pointless.
     
  10. Weasel
    Joined: Dec 30, 2007
    Posts: 6,698

    Weasel
    Member

    Are you saying that you DO know internet sellers from Adam?:confused:

    Did you ever get ripped of on misrepresented junk on the internet? Ever try to get your money back AND the cost of shipping the part back to the seller? In my experience, if you actually do manage to get a refund, you always have to pay return shipping out of your own pocket. PayPal will not refund you the return shipping, because they will not claw back more than the amount you originally paid for the item plus shipping to you.

    Life is about choices. If you buy a part that you have doubts about at a swapmeet, you only have yourself to blame. At least you have the chance to inspect it and if your suspicions are raised - don't buy it - it's that simple. On the internet it's a crap shoot - all you have to go by are photos of sometimes dubious quality, some of which are specifically taken from angles which mask the faults, and a description that may not match your expectations of honesty and forthrightness.

    The beauty of swap meets is not only that you can pick up and inspect the part, but that you get to see all sorts of other gems. For me the anticipation of finding the unexpected, and stuff I was not looking for is half the fun. Man is a hunter!
     
  11. mow too much
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 906

    mow too much
    Member

    .

    The beauty of swap meets is not only that you can pick up and inspect the part, but that you get to see all sorts of other gems. For me the anticipation of finding the unexpected, and stuff I was not looking for is half the fun. Man is a hunter![/quote]
    I totaly agree with you. :D
     
  12. phat rat
    Joined: Mar 18, 2001
    Posts: 4,920

    phat rat
    Member


    If your buying know what your buying. You have a responsibility also. Whether I'm buying or selling when money changes hands at a swap meet it's a done deal. You/I bought it it's yours/mine no returns period.
     
  13. impalabuilder
    Joined: Oct 6, 2007
    Posts: 106

    impalabuilder
    Member
    from NJ

    I haven't sold at a swap meet for years because of circumstance. I
    plan on trying it again pretty soon when my life gets back in order.
    Here's a couple thoughts:

    The swap meet will never go the way of the milk man, world and state
    fairs, etc. The only things that go away are the things that become
    obsolete...even then sometimes they don't go away entirely. The swap
    meet will never become obsolete. It will change, but not go
    away...right now we are watching the change. Alot of meets will go away completely, all will get smaller for the time being. The ones that eventually survive are the ones that can afford it. Period. Decisions like this that hurt vendors may be really smart or really stupid. Time will tell.

    People will eventually tire of sitting inside and realize that the
    steals are outside of their computers. That will boost attendance at
    the few swap meets that are left, the vendors will follow, and
    eventually the prices once it's booming again. It will boom but with
    less swap meets than there are now.
    Also, for those of you who prefer to sell on feebay: think about how
    much time it takes to

    1)set up the auction
    2)communicate with the buyer and other dumb questions that are already
    answered in the listing
    3)weed through the dead beat bidders
    4)relist the item
    5)try to figure out if the guy from Kansas who wants a Maine shipping
    company to send you a check from Texas is trying to scam you.
    6)deposit money order in bank (or pay paypal fees)
    7)find a box, shipping materials, and box up your stuff
    8)take box to shipping company of your choice
    9)entertain emails from moron who thought your part would fit his car
    but it doesn't
    10)multiply the time it takes to do all of this by EVERY PART YOU SELL
    11)multiply ebay (and paypal if applicable) fees by EVERY PART YOU SELL
    12)realize that the fees are more than what you would pay for a vendor
    spot

    If you prefer to do that than to
    1)spend a couple hours loading a trailer
    2)unload at the swap meet
    3)hang out at the swap meet
    4)get cash (or not)
    5)load the trailer again
    6)unload at home
    then that's fine...but if you don't like all the time you spend selling
    on feebay then you are working a second job just to get that extra cash
    that you can't get at the swap meet. How much is your time worth?
    Take your hourly pay of your full time job and apply it to ALL THE
    EXTRA TIME that you spend making those feebay transactions. I
    GUARANTEE that you are LOSING MONEY selling on feebay. You're better
    off setting all your stuff in one area and waiting for the swap meet

    Yes I have been there when you spend all weekend and sell nothing...but
    what about the weekends that you take home thousands of dollars? Do
    they still exist? Do you factor them in with the weekends of no
    selling?
     
  14. 59 flamezz
    Joined: Dec 8, 2007
    Posts: 44

    59 flamezz
    Member

    I used to look forward to the winter swap meets here in Illinois, but after last year I decided to do my shopping on the net. You spent hundreds of dallors in fuel getting to the meets, then get ripped of on the fee to get in, then in one hour or less you realise you've been through and seen all the crybaby dolls, cheap china stamped chrome valve covers and hot wheels you can stand to look at. After all that you get to look forward to grabbing a cheap lunch ( usually, dallor menu at micky-d's) cuz you feel bad enough that you spent so much allready, and wasted a good part of your day. Just my opinion, but if the promoters of these swaps would give some sort of insentives to get venders that have vintage parts and not flea market, dallor store crap, I would be glad to pay a buck or two more to get in. Maybe if they would offer discounted swap spaces, or even free spaces to select venders, there overall attendance would probably go up and offset the loss in vender fee's.
    JMO.
     
  15. octane
    Joined: May 8, 2006
    Posts: 339

    octane
    Member
    from Virginia

    I remember going to swap meets as a kid and bought most of the parts for my first car from meets and junk yards. These days there aren't a whole lot of swap meets down my way to begin with, and as mentioned here by some others - it ain't easy to sell at a swap meet. I tried to do a few and was lucky if I managed to cover the cost of my booth and gas to haul my crap out there and back. Its just not worth it when I can host a website with all of my junk on it for six bucks a month. That said, I do miss the atmosphere and excitement of a real good old swap meet.
     
  16. EnglishBob
    Joined: Jan 19, 2008
    Posts: 1,029

    EnglishBob
    Member

    Had our first swap meet of the year in southern alberta a few weeks back and it was bigger than ever with lots more buyers.
    Prices seemed ok on the whole with just a few 'i'm gonna retire on this sale' hopefuls
    Bob
     
  17. saltflatmatt
    Joined: Aug 12, 2001
    Posts: 634

    saltflatmatt
    Alliance Vendor

    Ya can't beat a good swap meet, you gotta' get up early and get there before Titus...

    Like new 32-36 axle- $75
    Really nice 35-6 rear bones- $100
    Guy with a table full of 94's that were clean and complete- $5ea .. Yes $5ea
    Chrome model A axle $60
    My 27 modified body $250 delivered to my front door!
    Jake got a 3.55 banjo for $175 that wasn't junk
    Stefan got a open drive banjo for $200
    Set of new headmen zoomies for a sbc $75

    Yes that are hit or miss and ya gotta leave the politics out of it and have fun!
     
  18. kenagain
    Joined: Dec 15, 2005
    Posts: 820

    kenagain
    Member
    from so cal

    Hey I love swap meets I been screwed more than once on Ebay and didn,t get any money back tru screwpal either. some times ya hafta use them because the swap meets here in San Diego have dried up. going to be selling n buying at the big 3 this weekend look for me at NAA20 space
    Ken
     
  19. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 18,828

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California

    "How much is your time worth?
    Take your hourly pay of your full time job and apply it to ALL THE
    EXTRA TIME that you spend making those feebay transactions. I
    GUARANTEE that you are LOSING MONEY selling on feebay."


    I get 24 hours a day for free. the logic behind the above statement is just plain goofy. how much does it cost you every day to watch TV? nothing, because time is free.
     
  20. chrisser
    Joined: Mar 20, 2008
    Posts: 132

    chrisser
    Member

    Seems like a lot of people have problems on ebay.

    Can't say I ever have, and I've bought a boatload. You guys do know about buyer/seller feedback there? I've had at least a couple of hundred purchase transactions on ebay with all sorts of sellers. Never had a part misrepresented.

    You can ask the seller questions, request more photos, and get more info.

    I like swap meets, but when you buy something off the back of somebody's truck in a parking lot, you don't expect to pay full price. A swap meet is a bunch of guys selling stuff off the backs of their trucks in one convenient place. Not saying that's bad or good, but that's what it is. When the swap meet's over, they're gone and there's a risk inherent in that sort of transaction. The prices should reflect that risk.

    At least on ebay you can gauge seller's reputation from past purchasers (sure, it can be somewhat faked, but it's better than nothing) and you have some recourse if you get ripped off, both in the seller's reputation and through the various agencies involved.

    When I was young, swap meets were great places to find deals without having to trudge through the junkyard. Sorry, but nowadays, the deals aren't there like they used to be, and without good prices, I may as well go on ebay from the comfort of my living room. The time I used to spend on swap meets, I can now spend working on my ride, or better yet, go chase the parts myself from the source.
     
  21. chrisser
    Joined: Mar 20, 2008
    Posts: 132

    chrisser
    Member

    Well then I guess I've communicated well. IMHO, most swap meets today are pointless if your intent in going is to get a better deal or more unusual items than buying from the other sources available.

    If you're going to socialize, spend a lot of money, or just window shop, they're great.
     
  22. Kerry67
    Joined: Apr 11, 2005
    Posts: 2,606

    Kerry67
    Member

    You just don't get it.
     
  23. HEATHEN
    Joined: Nov 22, 2005
    Posts: 8,558

    HEATHEN
    Member
    from SIDNEY, NY

    I'm with you. As I've stated before in a couple of these endless rants, I do both Ebay and swap meets and, like everything else in the world, they each have their advantages and disadvantages. If I were losing money selling on Ebay, you can bet that I'd drop it without tears. If the weather sucks at the swap meet, the crowd is down and you'll probably lose sales, while all sucky weather does to Ebay is send more people inside to get on the computer and look at your items. People place bids on Ebay items at 3:00 a.m. while I'm asleep, and if their questions are too moronic, I've got the option of deleting them. As far as the expense goes, last summer's $4 and change per gallon gas had a lot of people looking at it in a new light. I'm hard core---I'll go to a swap meet in any sort of weather (I've attended Stafford Springs in everything from snowstorms to torrential downpours to windstorms, and occasionally, even sun!), and nothing makes me feel better than attending a meet in nice weather and finding several good pieces at good prices, but it doesn't always play out like that.
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2009
  24. 5window
    Joined: Jan 29, 2005
    Posts: 9,515

    5window
    Member

    Ebay is fine for finding anything,since it's worldwide in scope,but you can't really bargain,you're bidding against the world,you often get skiped and you can't handle the stuff. But,you likely can find it.

    Swap meets are great for the thrill of the hunt, finding stuff you didn't think of looking for(and on Ebay you have to do a more specific search), the exercise the bull-shitting and tech discussions and the hot sausage sandwiches.

    But I'm a buyer,not a seller. But, on the whole, I'd rather spend a day in the rain at a swap meet than get outbid in the last 0.5 seconds on Ebay.
     
  25. The local swap meet in June is my vacation that I,m looking forward to on the drive home from the last one. I get to hang around,drink beer,make money, sell and buy shit I want or don,t want and yes damn it I get to socialize! I sell tons on Ebay but its the swap meets I love!
     
  26. Well, let's put a price on the time just to see how it works out, since most shops charge for labor when they fix your car.


    Takes me 15 minutes tops to list an item including photos. Takes me 15 minutes or so tops to pack it unless it's large or bulky or particularly fragile. Maybe I spend another half hour answering questions, maybe I get none at all. If I take it up to FedEx or to the post office, it's 5 minutes there, 5 back, maybe 10 in the place. So anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half per item.

    So if I sell a $5 radio for $110, to use one example from my own past sales, subtract another $5 for the eBay fees, that's $100 per hour for the time invested.

    Even if I spend twice the time on it and sell it for half the profit, $25 an hour isn't bad.
     
  27. chrisser
    Joined: Mar 20, 2008
    Posts: 132

    chrisser
    Member

    You live in Arizona.

    I live in Ohio.

    We have rust here. Lots of rust. Whole bottom of the car missing rust - and that's a better start for a project here than most people get.


    Cars of the 30s and 40s have been gone from the yards for decades. Some of the 50s and 60s stuff was around when I was a kid, but its all been crushed in one of the many high-metal-price scrap-a-thons over the years.


    Maybe it's better in your part of the country. In mine, I get better stuff at lower prices by buying stuff from where you live and having it shipped to where I live. That's just the reality.
     
  28. Kerry67
    Joined: Apr 11, 2005
    Posts: 2,606

    Kerry67
    Member

    I have lived in Arizona for 6 years. Before that it was Chicago-land so I know what rust is. I also know that the swap meets there are fucking killer compared to what is here. I ALWAYS found what I was looking for at Jefferson etc.....Plus, I got to hold the parts in MY hand, make MY OWN judgement on it's condition, get a price and if I thought it was fair, buy it. I did not have to wait for someone to ship it, risk having it get lost or broken (both have happened to me) during shipping, or having to take someones word on the condition. So, yes I will still use ebay etc, but it does not even come close to a swap meet.
     
  29. bruce hylton
    Joined: Dec 12, 2008
    Posts: 194

    bruce hylton
    Member
    from toledo wa

    A good outdoor farm auction beats both ebay and a swap meet for fun.
     
  30. phat rat
    Joined: Mar 18, 2001
    Posts: 4,920

    phat rat
    Member

    I can't believe the number of comments here about getting ripped off at a swap meet. GET real you've looked at the part, you've held it. How can you blame the seller if you to damm uninformed to know if it's what you want. The mistake is yours learn to deal with it instead of blaming someone else.
     

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