Swap Meets... remember when...

[Crazyduck]

I always talk down the high priced sellers. Most of them are willing to work with you.

[teeitup]

I still sell alot at swap meets, I like the one and only one I set up at. But after its over I'm done for a week or so. 30 hours from when I leave till I get home, wore out. Loading up, driving there, setting up, pricing, selling, sleeping in truck, selling, then load up, then drive home

[MARKDTN]

I agree to some degree, but when I go as a vendor once a year (Nashville AACA) everybody wants my good stuff for so cheap it hurts. Also, it's all older people. The young ones seem to only buy lights and flea market stuff. I try to bring bigger stuff that is hard to ship on Ebay and rarer stuff that is harder to describe on there. There are times I sell stuff cheap so I don't have to lug it home, but I can sell it for scrap value with way less hassle, so try to at least make a reasonable offer. Just a few examples: Had a 427 steel crank, std/std-the good stuff. Lugged it around for several years and finally sold it for $75. Had a '74 pickup 454 complete except rods, apart, would have cleaned up at .010 over. All I could get was $200. Had a set of 461X small block heads. Nice looking clean, been off a car since the '80s-all I could get was $80-and he wanted a free set of cheap valve covers thrown in. Had a box of HEI distributors(5-6 in there), guy offers $20 for the box-no thanks! I guess what I am trying to say is that when you go to buy you have to realize that I spent $100 or so to be there so the first parts I sell just pay booth space. Plus I had to lug all that stuff out and display it. Be reasonable. I don't want to hit a home run on every sale, but I don't want to strike out on every one either.

[67 cst swb]

Originally Posted by MARKDTN

Just a few examples: Had a 427 steel crank, std/std-the good stuff. Lugged it around for several years and finally sold it for $75. Had a '74 pickup 454 complete except rods, apart, would have cleaned up at .010 over. All I could get was $200. Had a set of 461X small block heads. Nice looking clean, been off a car since the '80s-all I could get was $80-and he wanted a free set of cheap valve covers thrown in. Had a box of HEI distributors(5-6 in there), guy offers $20 for the box-no thanks!

First let me say... I am headed to your area for my next swap meet. Wow! that is some good stuff.
Second... as an example. There were a pair of 461 heads (not 461X) that a guy had in Pomona and again in Bakersfield at the March Meet. They had no valves, uncleaned, just bare heads... $400
same guy had HEI distributors for $60 w/o cap/rotor, $75 with cap/rotor

I didn't notice anything sold or gone from his stuff from when I first saw him in Pomona to when I saw him at the March Meet.

I still kinda like the Denver Swap Meet in February (its indoors). I bought a PERFECT Pass Side 68 front fender for $40.00 and that is what he wanted for it, I didn't even negotiate... I just said SOLD.
The only issue with that Swap Meet is sometimes the 400 mile trip can get sketchy from SD to Denver in February. It still has a lot of trinket stuff, but the size and quality make up for it, oh and indoors in Feb.