eBay is a big part of the problem. Unfortunately, if you have bought an old car part on eBay, you are part of that problem. I love swap meets and am obsessed with going to them, but as a seller I'm not going to off a grille for $100 at a swap when I can get $800 for it on eBay.
I think that this stuff is becoming more popular. Now everybody who was into billet wants old speed parts. Supply & demand. Ebay is the other reason. Where are you more likely to sell an odd part ebay for 7 days to the whole world or a weekend swap meet to whoever walks by and sees it?
The other problem here in Minnesota, is the state wants its share from the swapers and the paperwork hassle gets rid of the small guys cleaning up there shop. So what is left is toy vendors and antique dealers.
Yeah, that's how I view swap meets anymore, as vacation. I'll take the day of and be chowing down on a corndog and root beer before 8 AM.
Sounds like its an epidemic! As Docwatson said the Aussie Swap meets are dying a slow painful death.The last few I've been too have been reduced in size by over half! As for the quality of parts and variety, lame.....My last project was pieced together by trading parts with mates. e-Bay is where the money is at, but geeez some people will pay a ridiculous price just to have whatever it is!
So that 401 nailhead you bought from me on the internet wasn't an easier way to shop than driving around to all the swap meets hunting for one?...............Just messing with you!
Yeah, unfortunately I've run into a few of the "dealers" who try to beat you down to your bottom price....only to carry it to their own vendor spot and mark it with a top dollar price. That's bad enough, but then some of them lie to you about what you are selling, just to get it off of you cheap. I had a gear & transmission "vendor" do that a couple of times to me. First he bought a 3.73 posi rearend from me cheap at $150...whining the whole time that his buddy wasn't sure if it would fit in his car, etc....then an hour later it's in his spot for $600. Same guy another time, spots a Chevy 3.36 gear set I had just bought from a different seller. He asks me about it and I tell him it's not for sale and I had just bought it. He says " you realize that it's a Pontiac gear and won't work in a Chevy"...I reveal that I don't know the difference, but if it won't work he can have it for the $40 I paid for it. He accepts and an hour later it's in his spot labeled "rare Chevy 3.36 ring & pinion $175". I gave him a peice of my mind but what are you going to do? Some people are real creeps!
okay i'll play along... The price for settin up at swaps is higher.. Most guys don't have to much extra stuff to sell off..dump cheap!! They make ya collect sales taxes .. here any way.. 70's and 80's cars are old cars now to some sellers.. Most guys are not as strapped for cash/BEER MONEY ... Most sellers are wise to real value... cmon think about it and yes guys have found other outlets for thier pileostuff that .. cuts down on the work/time and face to face dealings so now where do ya find good deals .. thru friends here on the this site garage sales (early/late) estate sales (early/late) auctions .. not online go ahead bid high and it will average out! oddball paper want ads read and study them and get em early..make a list and call the swaps/flea markets that cater to other markets ... scooters.. tractors... tools..antiques...especially on weekdays or odd times so the crowd is not showin up.. ya hafta go to places where the value is not realized on the items not in thier expertise good luck
Most swap meets suck these days, but I've been going to them since 1961, most of the good stuff was picked up and built years ago. You can find good stuff now and then, I can make more money buying at swaps than selling. eBay has changed everything, and I think that is good, there is a world wide market for stuff you can buy at a local swap, or local garage clean out. I only setup to sell at Hershey to dump the stuff that didn't move on eBay.
There are two things I think that need to be addressed here: 1) Without old people taking the time to bring out their old rare parts to swap meets in the first place, there wouldn't be a swap meet. A lot of these old guys are done, worn out and are happy to pass their surplus parts collections along. Whatever the price may be at the swap meet, it's imprtant to say "THANK YOU" and show some appreciation to the seller who took the time to drag it out, pay the gas, swap space price and sit in the sun/rain just so you could find the part you need. A lot of rare old parts end up in dumpsters when the old timer dies off if they never took the time to drag them out to swap meets. I always thank and tell them I appreciate it, otherewise there would be no swap meet and my time being there wouldn't be any fun. **What I do hate, is when I see some asshole talk some old timer into selling their unblemished original '32 grill shell and insert down in price to $200 when they know damn well that its worth $1200....then I see it next week on eBay....that's messed up!! 2) The other thing to remember, is that hardly anyone is making any super great profits on eBay (read on for explanation). Sure, there are some high priced rare parts, but most stuff is selling for what it is worth these days. Again, someone took the time to take pictures and post it on eBay. I've sold on eBay for seven years, and I've done it as a fun thing to help out others (its really time consuming). After finding a box, driving around, paying shipping (I never charge for boxing, packaging, I recycle) paying all the damn eBay and Paypal fees and gas money...I'm not making a damn thing...I'm really just helping out someone who has been looking for that part. And they didn't even have to get out of the chair or house ot go find it. SO..eBay sucks....but it also helps you, find that part easier that you need, and again, you should thank the seller for taking the time to offer it up. You can't make a living on eBay. I'll step down now...... just something to think about....... HHR
Well, I went to the same swap meet as Barz51 (Route 66 Rodders in Albuquerque last weekend) and I guess I don't completely agree -- it must depend on what you're expecting to find. I went looking for Harley stuff, which is usually all over that meet, and there was none. But there was flathead stuff in abundance, including a complete, rebuilt 8BA (for $3k, tho). There was a guy with NOS 8BA bearings, aluminum timing gears, every imaginable internal part and even a couple sets of factory sleeves, all at about 1/2 of internet prices. Another guy had '50 Ford parts, and OD solenoids. There were a lot of decent project cars, some real nice completed cars at reasonable prices. There was also a lot of just plain crap, stuff I'd be embarassed to display to the world as something I'd let take up space in my garage..... I'm not giving up yet...
I only hit a couple last year; the one was okay but the other was pretty dead. Both had some good stuff to get; just smaller than they used to be. Yeah, bandwith that supports internet ads with big pics that download fast in every neighborhood don't help. I suppose if they hadn't come out with overhead engines, we'd all be able to buy flathead parts at the Checker/Shucks/Kragen, too. WTF can ya' do about it? -bill
I think eBay and similar sites have just opened the "market" for swap-meet style parts to a lot more people. Sure, some of those people never would have gotten off their lazy duffs and attended a swap meet to search for the parts they need....but now with a simple typing of some key words they can search the planet. Also the market is now open to people who live in remote areas where it is not feasible to attend swap meets. Now they can shop, buy and enjoy home delivery....at a price. Simple "supply and demand" dictates that if there are more buyers available, the prices will increase. That is what we're seeing. You can't really fault the owners of the stuff for wanting to get as much as they can out of it, but the prices and lack of quality parts at traditional swap meets has taken some of the FUN out of the hobby. I've found that recently, the best deals are on little items that are in boxes/crates/buckets and you need to pick through them to find stuff you can use. Once you find something, it's usually cheap enough.
The best swapmeet,by far,here in SoCal,is the one at the LA Roadster show. As far as cool stuff for sale. The prices are another thing. I get tired of the stainless steel,shitty,toolboxes,Tiawan tools,Hawaiin shirts,caps,Raiders stuff,etc.. When the flyer says CAR RELATED only,why don't they monitor it! If I want to look for Antique stuff,i'll go to an Antique show at Pasadena. I guess it's all about selling out the spaces.
We sell our insulation on E-bay and our website but really look forward to going to the swaps to sell. The www is so impersonal and we need to get out and see some faces and shake some hands once in a while. We get a lot of business by just handing out cards and flyers and spending some time with people who "aren't quite to the point of needing to buy insulation". Well when they are we want to be the first ones they think about.
I HAVE BEEN SELLING AT SWAP MEETS FOR OVER 40 YEARS. the stuff has changed but when the good stuff comes out you have to be there first. if you go on sunday afternoon...all the good stuff is already sold. i was just at Rhinebeck...a guy came up to me at 3:00 on Sunday , and ask " why are you packing?" I just got here..there's no good parts at the swaps anymore... ebay bla bla bla....well if you were at the swap friday morning...I bought a load of great stuff...and i already have buildings full of N.O.S. parts, YOU HAVE TO BE THE EARLY BIRD TO GET THE 32 GRILL SHELL ......CADILLAC DAVE
I've been going to swaps for a long time, and the used older parts seem to be drying up at the larger meets like Pomona. Find out where and when your local Model A or T club, or other prewar car club holds its yearly get together/ car show/ swap meet. Those old-timers bring all the stuff they have had for years. Good stuff. I also enjoy talking to them. It makes for a nice weekend versus the "commercial" atmosphere at Pomona. They are way smaller but have probably more prewar parts than a big meet like Pomona.
I went to the Charlotte Autofair yesterday and I was wondering the same thing about these swap meets. They ain't what they use to be. It was unbelievable the amount of stuff that was there that is not car related. I saw light fixtures for sale and even saw a guy carrying a kitchen sink! As many of you have mentioned some of the stuff is pure crap! Some of the guys that I spoke to about a part or two thought they were gold plated. I don't mind paying a little extra but I ain't going to beg a person for it and then pay him. Yesterday a guy had a set of valve covers that were nasty to say the least, he and I were $5 bucks off on the price and I was going to buy them until he started giving me a lecture, I politely told him thanks and moved on. I read the rules before I went to the swap meet and it is unbelievable the amount of people that do not follow the rules. People just don't have the respect for others like they use too. There's nothing wrong with asking a person if that is their best price but if they are firm and you want it, buy it, don't keep badgering the person. When I found my steering column yesterday I asked the guy if that was his best price and he said "yes". I took a few more measurements, gave him the money and both parties were happy. Just my 2 cents worth...
I've had a swap space at Iola Wi. and on Thurs., the first day, sold most of my stuff and saw it later at someone else's swap space for twice the price. I really didn't need the parts I sold and I thought I was doing the guy a favor by letting him talk me down in price.
Well when I lived in Canada I also used to think the same about how the swap meets were nowadays. The I moved here and I can't get any old cars or parts at all. I can't wait to move to Nor Cal I will pay extra because atleast I can have it. You guys should try living in a country like this. the you would apreciat being able to find old stuff.
A couple times a year, I vend at local swap meets. There is always a bunch of people trying to nickel and dime you down no matter what your price is. And I always manage to find stuff I need as well. The search ios the fun of it. You can't get everything off the internet, but there are things you will find there you cannot find at the swaps either. At the very least, I always find people to talk to and the swaps become a social event.
You gotta really look at what some of those crappy stands. The other year at Carlisle at a stand with womens stuff seen a Mallory box with a new Mallory dist. cap to fit my caddy, got it for 5 bucks. She was glad to get rid of it.
No it's not just you. There is a serious drought in the Southeast USA as well. Zephyrhills swap meet & Moultrie Ga. were a bust, very commercial and very few private sellers. very little early stuff. Sometime I think vendors just come out to show "Guess what I got" A Nice 32 Grill shell should not be listed at $2400 and a Repop, Edlebrock SU359 3x2 set up with Holley 59's should not be $1400
HHRdave, man, you are right. eBay is a blessing and a curse, depending on the specific situation. AND, you are right: By the time you put in all the time to photograph & describe your item, post it, drive all 'round to get weight, postage, dig for recycled box & stuffing, gas for running 'round, YOU DON'T COME OUT much ahead at all. Yeah, you sure couldn't make a living at it, regardless of what the guy on TV says.
I quit doing the swapmeet bullshit several years ago. I've had stuff ripped off from me several times. Last time I went to Chickasha was in '05 to look for parts, and the selection of stuff was downright dismal. The February Wichita meet last year wasn't a whole lot better, either. I pretty much get what I need from HAMB members or word-of-mouth locally, anymore. Quit the egay shit a couple of years ago, buying AND selling. Far as '70s and '80s vehicles go - look, they are 20-30 year old vehicles now! I remember going to swaps in the early '80s and people were bitching about "all the damn '50s and '60s shit" for sale then. Time marches on, gang. The '80s cars ARE old now! There are plenty of people that hot rod, race, and even restore them. Deal with it. Time cares not a whit about what you or I think of things. I find what I need, one way or another. The old-fashioned swap meet is no longer one of those ways for me. Nor is egay.
The Jalopy Journal
