I might be the mild or 'semi' contrarian here....lol.
This is probably and simply a result of supply and demand. Its similar or identical to people buying up discounted real estate the reselling the property which a lot of people think is a great idea....not the buyer usually tho'.
Its not always necessarily easy, because these guys have to do a lot of footwork finding this stuff...booth to booth, then take the risk of buying it in hopes of resell.
If their prices are too high, then they take it home with them for perhaps...a year? unless they spend the time marketing it, cleaning it, posting it, etc.
Everyone wants to find a tach dash for $15 or a buddy bucket set for $75...but its better to be a realist than an optimist, lol.
Remember always ask yourself what you are willing to sell your (valuable?) collectible trucks parts for...and use yourself as a barometer. Some guys are pretty sure everyone else's prices are ridiculous and theirs are simply fair.
That said, I enjoy buying and selling and often take a booth at the swap meet locally. I do that primarily to support the event rather than to profit much...its a great social event for me.
As for pricing, I'm pretty fair and I let a lot of stuff go for a good deal if I can...I'm mostly interested in the hobby connections, than this being a specific source of income.
So that said, that might be the thing here....if this is the only thing you do for a living to put 'food on the table' or pay your mortgage, I suppose you have to make it pay.
We don't think twice about asking for a raise or personally grumbling if we don't get one...we are pretty sure we earned it and we are worth it.
I'm not sure what kind of pricing you guys have been hit with tho'?....any examples of this cost escalation out there ? what items vs. the pricing?
...that would add a little perspective because often expensive is in the eye of the beholder I suppose.
All good
Coley
