Swap meet etiquette, would this piss you off??

I really like this----

 

My rule when setting up at swap meets... never sell to the vultures. Nothing on my tables is for sale until the doors open to the public. I'd rather see my stuff go to someone who'll actually use it, even if it means loosing a couple bucks. I price fairly and rarely have to pack much back home at the end of the day.

 

You must have had that NEW Guy smell to you. It happens all the time chances are he took the shit back home and you did not have to. Its all good.

 

There is no etiquette at swap meets.... They're just flea markets for car parts. They get the same types of scumbags. You're lucky there aren't carnies. LOL

 

Shouldn't that be the end of the story?

 

Selling is just that, selling. If you got a price your happy with, and there is still room for him, cool. And the world still goes round.

 

I wasn't there but I have to ask did he say "man I this is all I can afford and these parts will be bitchin' on my ride" ???

I see it all the time and have had it happen to me more than once, if I sell something at whatever price I sold it at that price. I wouldn't have sold it that way if I didn't want to. You help your friends build there rifdes and the rest of it is just business.

I did sell a carb to a friend once at a swap meet , this fella swaps and trades for a living. Anyway I sold it to him cheap because I was in cheap.

20 minutes later he walks up to me while I was looking arond and hands me some cash. I said what is this he smiled and said thsi is half of what i sold the carb for minus what I paid you for it.

Just though I would end on an upnote.

 

That is some funny shit!! Awesome!

 

If he told you it was for his project, then thats a lie. But otherwise it was a straight up deal and you got what you asked for it. It he took it to another swap meet where you couldn't see it, you would never think about it again.

 

Business is business. My buddy always has a space at the swap meet. He walked around and found a '64 Pontiac Gran Prix for sale for $12K. He offered $7K and left his phone number with the seller. 2 hours later, the seller calls and agrees to the $7K. My buddy buys the car but leaves the for sale sign on with his phone number. 2 hours later, he sells the car for $10K.

 

Knowledge is power. How can you expect to successfully buy and sell stuff if you don't know the market price?

You can't complain about somebody being smarter, you can only complain about yourself being less so.

 

Sure, this happens to all of us, no big deal, it is a learning experiance. You sold your parts, did he RESELL your parts or load them up at the end of the day? I always get a major kick out of the guys that have to load up stuff I sold them and lug it around for a few more meets.

 

I've had it happen to me and I've done it myself. I don't care what they does with it once I sell it, if I sold it then I got a price I was happy with.

 

you were there to sell and that you did !!


GREAZY HUBCAPZ CC EAST TENN

 

It's called capitalism my friend.

 

A few years back a notorious bottom feeder dealer whose reputation I have heard about comes over on setup day at the LA Roadster show swap and sees a Halibrand V8 complete with '40 Ford axle housings I just set up on axle stands. he's all over me trying to lowball and waving cash in my face. I told him it's my buddy's, who is out walking the meet and will be back later and I dare not sell it. I told him to come back in an hour or so. He hangs around for ten minutes begging, but I say "sorry I cannot let it go as I have no clue what that old axle is worth and it's not mine to sell - no way, ain't gonna happen - come back later and talk to the owner". He wanders off in a huff and as soon as he is out of sight I mark it 'Sold'.

Sure enough 40 minutes later the bottom feeder shows up and looks pissed when he sees the sold sign. He starts chewing me out and I look at him and tell him my buddy came back ten minutes ago, needs the cash to buy something else he has found for his project and some guy walked up as he was telling me about his new find and bought it from him on the spot. The bottom feeder asks how much he got for it and I told him "I dunno, but my buddy was real happy - I think he got $800 for it". When I said that I thought the bottom feeder was about to have a heart attack. Next year the guy was still moaning about it....

 

Looks like the school of hard knocks is back in session.

 

Happens to me all the time, I took the parts to sell, if I get a price I can live with I don't care what they do with them. I sold a lot of small trim parts to a guy at Pate and he told me he E Bays them back east since they have the rust problems. I made money and hopefully so did he, once you sell them they are theirs to do with as they please.

 

See it all the time .... See something on row 1 and then see it again on row 4.... 20 mins later its on row 7...

Gotta wonder how much stuff ends up in dealer purgatory... never finding a true home, just getting passed from dealer to dealer.

 

If he lied to you shoot the bastard, if not lessen learned. I don't sell anything on setup day because of your experience,I'm there for the fun not the stress.

 

I saw a good one a few years ago, a guy pulls into Canfield with a load of complete junk that looks like it came straight from the scrapyard. However he has one mag Torque Thrust spindle mount poking up through the pile smashed up against his tailgate. I follow him to his spot which happens to be near my own. Trying to get his attention over the noise of the two trucks just doesn't happen. Along the way a local scalper notices the mag, ends up dropping his current arm load on the ground and running the length of the Fairgrounds after him in the end beating me to the owner before I could get out of the truck.
I missed a really nice pair for $250 but I had to give it the guy he earned it. They were "not for sale" while on display in his space but he'd take $1200 for the rest of the meet.

 

We were at the Chickasha OK Swap meet one year and a young man came by several times and bought up a bunch of 54 Buick parts we had. I asked him if he had a 54 Buick and he said no, he 's been paying his way through college buying and selling parts form swap meets. Nice kid, knew the parts, didn't know beans about cars or care.

 

Swap meet etiquette has become like bending over in the Men's shower to pick up a bar of soap....
Only time I get upset is if I give a special deal to a friend, then he does that.....Has happened to me a few times.....now they are Ex Friends...
Cheers,

 

I've got a small problem with folks that will give you some cock & bull story about how it's the last part they need for their build,they're short on cash, and could you.....................
Then you see it at their space for sale for double what they paid you.

BUT, it's not enough to lose sleep over. In the end you agreed to the price and it's one less part you don't have to carry home trip over until the next swap meet.
Larry T

 

I commend the OP for being a good guy and trying to help someone out, but a swap meet is not the place to be all buddy-buddy with people. It's a business out there.

 

this has been going on way before swap meets were invented

 

Less complaining more hotrods.

 

so the next time you go to a swap meet before you unload take a quick walk around and grab up all the deals..lol

 

One year my dad and I went to a vintage motorbike / scooter show and got there a couple of days earlier and camped at the fairgrounds. We seen a scooter for sale in the swap meet area, that scooter changed hands at least 6 times over the course of the three day show.

 

Fair game. MAybe you should have told him you'd take his offer at end on swap if yer stuff didn't move.