Swap meet poachers

[YBNORML]

I know that alot of members on here have attended swapmeets as vendors. So we all know that there is a significant amount of sales that take place between vendors before the swap even opens up.

To me this is normal. What I have been seeing a lot of is guys buying up all the good stuff during setup and then charging a premium to the general public the next day. I understand that everyone wants to make a buck but it's getting ridiculous.

Last year I travelled an extremely long distance to go to a well known and very popular swap meet and although I had an awesome time there was next to no c10 parts to be found except for one vendor. Turns out he does what I mentioned above and guys up everything for resale. Kinda sucked. Definitely left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I get thats its a free country and all that, but it was basically a waste of time at least as far as used parts went.

[special-K]

A lot of those guys beat the other vendors up to increase their own profit on a part they will sell in 1 day when the original vendor may have held on to that part for years to get a profit. Then there are those who do that to sell on Ebay or places like here, setting the next new high price mark. If it was truly a free world we could shoot all these predatory types so the good people could enjoy a better life

[68bowtie]

I totally understand the first post. I think we all have those frustrating experiences. Best thing to do is change your expectations and adapt.

[Andy4639]

I found out a long time ago swap meets meant the vendors swap and the customers pay for it all.
I go to look and to find out about parts and stuff (info) then look locally at yards for the parts I really want. New stuff you sometimes save a little but most times I just order it.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by YBNORML

I know that alot of members on here have attended swapmeets as vendors. So we all know that there is a significant amount of sales that take place between vendors before the swap even opens up.

To me this is normal. What I have been seeing a lot of is guys buying up all the good stuff during setup and then charging a premium to the general public the next day. I understand that everyone wants to make a buck but it's getting ridiculous.

Last year I travelled an extremely long distance to go to a well known and very popular swap meet and although I had an awesome time there was next to no c10 parts to be found except for one vendor. Turns out he does what I mentioned above and guys up everything for resale. Kinda sucked. Definitely left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I get thats its a free country and all that, but it was basically a waste of time at least as far as used parts went.

Pomona?

It’s a total joke and waste of time. You hit the nail on the head.

[YBNORML]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

Pomona?

It’s a total joke and waste of time. You hit the nail on the head.

You betcha!!!
As far as OEM parts goes it was a complete waste of time. I bought a few repro parts.

That being said, the opportunity to see the car culture was awesome. Cars that are trailer queens up here are daily drivers there and that was great to see. All the individual car clubs hanging out was awesome.

[Coley]

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

[Canuckvetter]

Now that the general public sees these trucks a cool the prices go up. Some bottom feeders seize the opportunity to make a buck. As an enthusiast I don't adopt that kind of thinking. I will but parts if I need them for a build or if one of my friends needs parts for a build. I feel best place to buy or sell parts is by building a network of like minded guys who know your not out to fleece them. Most fellas on this forum fall into that category. Up here in Alberta there are a lot of the 67-72 trucks squirreled away in open fields. And lots of fellas looking for them. The swap meet poaching has gone on for as long as I have been going to the swap meets since the late 70's. I have registered as a vendor just to get the opportunity to buy parts at a reasonable price. But I could not stand sitting in the same place for a weekend or a week waiting to sell a part. For me the fun is in the hunt not the sale. That said when you factor in the money spent traveling to the swap meets, productive time lost, accommodation, fuel, food, drinks, etc even getting the parts for free your still in the ditch when you get home. The best place to buy rare or needed parts is right here on the forum. Click and pay and they are shipped to your door. I still will travel the distance to rummage through junk to find the holy grail at a rock bottom price just for the bragging rights. Also the friends I have made through this hobby over the years have been wide spread and lasting. YB the opportunists will always be out there.
I live by a saying that I heard in the early 80's. It goes like this. " Someone you know, knows someone who can get you what you want. You just have to ask and be patient."

[YBNORML]

Originally Posted by Coley

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

This is not a result of supply and demand. This is greed jumping the line. If he was to walk the aisles in the morning like the rest of us and then re-sell what he scores, then fine. But theres no chance as everything is gone before the swap even opens up to the general public.

I used to wonder why some guys would get a table and then put barely anything on it for sale. Maybe this is why.

As far as pricing goes, I have no issues paying fair market value for quality items as i ask them for the items I sell.

[Andy4639]

Correct sir this isn't about what is a fare price, it's about vendors getting all the good buys before the swap even starts. This is why as I said before I go to see what is out there and try to find things on my own and so far I've done well finding stuff. Yes it's getting harder to find but I like the challenge it takes to though. I'm not building truck every year either so I don't need a bunch of parts.
I kept a stock dash setup I found for $45.00 that I pulled out of the truck with a tach and air gauge back in 84. I added the clock and speed warning I had out of another dash and used it up until I went with my LS motor swap. I kept it for over a year then sold it! Wished I hadn't because I bought the ramp truck right after that and needed it.

Going to Charlotte every year is like going to summit and buying retail for it in my opinion. Some stuff though can't be found at a store so your stuck going to swap meets to a point.
Oh well it's fun to go and walk though and see old friends.

[Getter-Done]

I am one of those guys that gets a table and barely
has anything. It didn't take me long to catch on.
I have been going for years. I notice the same people
doing the same thing each year.
First off it a vacation for me. I walk around look
at all the treasures, talk to the people
I have met over the years. If I see something
I (NEED)
I buy it to take home.
I also price my parts to Deal with those People.
My good items Go on the table when the
Doors are open to the Public.

[68bowtie]

This is new info to me about the early trading. Hypothetically if I get a booth and start doing this am I “greedy”, a ”predator”, “beating up other vendors”? Will people assume I have no appreciation for classic trucks? If I buy something I don’t “need” to sell that I plan to make a few bucks will I be labeled a “FLIPPER”?

[72c20customcamper]

This is not something new. I have been doing swap meets since 1976. Started with studebaker parts. Now I do SS Chevelle and Nova parts.



But really who is to blame here the guy who knows a part is underpriced and buys it to resell or the guy who sells it to him.

If I see something and the guy shoots me a low price what should I walk away?

Like the NOS sill plate molding I bought for 5 bucks for my truck. I asked he gave me a price I bought it. I could have sold it that day in Carlisle but it went on my truck.

[CG]

At our swap meet we can set up the Friday night before the weekend. Ive never set up early or gone early. And by the time I get done goofing around with the Saturday morning set up all the people from the night before and the early vendor birds have long sifted through stuff. I don't even usually walk around till later in the day. Cant say as Ive ever gotten any sort of sweet deal.

[dirtyjim]

it's even worse at gunshows

[old Rusty C10]

so are you guys objecting to capitalism? I will sell anything I can make a buck on and I don't sell stuff I cannot make money on. As long as stuff is acquired legally who is stupider the guy who gets the better deal and makes money or the guy who pays top dollar? I think the whole sour grapes thing is just out of hand.. If you don't like the price someone is asking and they wont deal to your price then let them keep their stuff.. sooner or later they will get tired of lugging it and sell for perhaps what you ask or its more valuable to someone other than you..

[special-K]

So people who buy from these guys are stupid? And it's greed that people object to. Not all capitalism is done fair & square. There's what's legal and there's what's right. Too many laws as it because of people not just doing what's right.

[morepwr]

I have sold at Pomona 3 times over the years and there are vultures shining a flashlight in the truck bed as you pull up. I did indeed sell a fair amount of my stuff overnight but I got what I wanted for the parts and what the guy does with them is his own business. I do often go to Pomona just to look around and I have scored some great deals over the years but I dont expect to find what I need and really just enjoy the walk and checking out stuff. You never know what you might find and I have scored some crazy good deals on parts for some of the less mainstream cars I have built like Oldsmobiles or Buick.

[Greg58]

I had a guy looking over an El Camino dash pad I had for sale once. He spent a lot of time examining every square inch, then he pushed his thumb through the speaker cover. He quickly put it down and took off in a trot, I hollered "hey you just bought that" and he picked up the pace and disappeared.

[YBNORML]

This is getting off track of my
Original intention.

I’m taking about the guys who buy absolutely everything for a particular vehicle before the place even opens. And then corner the market for that particular meet. If a guy spends all his free
Time tracking down and buying parts to flip, and then brings those items to the swap then good for him.

I also don’t care what people do when the place is open to the general public.

All I’m talking about is a vendor using the setup time to buy up everything.

It makes it pointless for a regular guy even going. That’s my point.

This has nothing to do with being against capitalism or anything stupid like that. It’s cutting to the front of the line. Period.

[Coley]

There is one guy that me and my buddy have spotted constantly at the Portland and Monroe swap meets that we call 'The Possum'....due to his odd hair style, lol.

Regardless, this guy has a massive amount of great older GM car stuff (not much truck stuff)...but it is all priced about 3 times more than what you would even pay on Ebay I think.
Seriously, he will have a '67 woodgrain steering wheel (or whatever) for a 66, 67 or 68 Chevelle....and he will want $1000 or more for it or something like that, lol.
I think everything in his booth starts at $100....what the?

Clearly I have no business to do with this guy...but he is a great source of comedy to my buddy and I and we seek him out just for the entertainment value of watching him.

What is funny is that at the end of the weekend....it looks like his booth is still completely full, as if he hasn't sold anything....which wouldn't surprise me.
Regardless...there he is and I assume he must have sold something in history to compel him to keep doing this.

All good
Coley

[68bowtie]

Originally Posted by YBNORML

This is getting off track of my
Original intention.

I’m taking about the guys who buy absolutely everything for a particular vehicle before the place even opens. And then corner the market for that particular meet. If a guy spends all his free
Time tracking down and buying parts to flip, and then brings those items to the swap then good for him.

I also don’t care what people do when the place is open to the general public.

All I’m talking about is a vendor using the setup time to buy up everything.

It makes it pointless for a regular guy even going. That’s my point.

This has nothing to do with being against capitalism or anything stupid like that. It’s cutting to the front of the line. Period.

I have some more thoughts on these “side topics”, but I will save that for a new thread.

I agree that sounds very frustrating. I went to an estate sale recently that had a shop full of tools and parts. Got there early and camped out in line in the cold. They kept everyone in a single file line the whole time until the main gate opened and they let everyone rush in all at once as opposed to letting in small groups five minutes apart. It was basically a stampede. People will do anything up to the boundaries set before them. As far as the swat meets go, they probably need to have some better rules, although I don’t know how they would go about that.

[The Rocknrod]

I don't know guys - If I go to sell some 'stuff' at a swap meet and someone buys it before the meet opens to the public - Win for me.
I don't get the whining about this.

[too much stuff]

Originally Posted by The Rocknrod

I don't know guys - If I go to sell some 'stuff' at a swap meet and someone buys it before the meet opens to the public - Win for me.
I don't get the whining about this.

I agree with this. No one says you can't be a vendor and do the same as them.
Around my area I hear a lot of vendors saying they are close to the end and just want to sell what they have and be done. Very seldom is there a new vendor anymore.
I have been a buyer and a seller at ALOT of meets over the years. Never once forced someone to sell to me and have sold some parts very cheap just to move on from them. If the new owner can make money on that, more power to them...

[YBNORML]

Originally Posted by The Rocknrod

I don't know guys - If I go to sell some 'stuff' at a swap meet and someone buys it before the meet opens to the public - Win for me.
I don't get the whining about this.

Look at it this way.

You drive 4 hours to highly publicized auction. You get there nice and early before it starts. Only to find out that the auction staff had bought up all the good vehicles before you had even left the house. I’m sure you’d be “whining”