Last weekend I sold parts at a very large swap meet in Texas (no names). I had a double hernia operation recently plus other health issues and have decided to exit the hobby, consequently I had to sit at my space all the time. I just sat back and watched the browsers come and go-and got a lesson on who builds/works on rods nowadays. In two full days, I only had 2 guys who I felt were under thirty-everyone else seemed to be late 50’s + and the majority were retirees-65 and over. The old guys and myself (dino) always wound up in a B.S. session that lasted 30 min. or so, while the young ones didn’t have the time to do that. In their defense, they were always interested in some of the old stuff I had -an 8 ball cue ball drilled for a shifter?, metalflake helmet?, unrestored horrible rusty 1932 Texas license plates? Did you actually use this junk? The old dudes loved all of it, and there we went with the 30 minute stories. I’m not sure what the point is I’m making here, except to say that while the hobby is mature and the older crowd still loves it, builds it, and buys for it, the younger ones have the interest, its just their numbers are very low. My new car radio still in the box didn’t have wifi-under 30 said forget it.
The swap meets are always an interesting observation. I'm an under-30 guy and I would B.S. all day about hot rod stuff, but I don't just start talking to people.
I probably would pass an a non wi-fi stereo as well. those are easier to hide But I don’t own an old ride with a working radio
On old guys talking old car radios, the desired feature is not wifi connectivity, it's Bluetooth connectivity that's desired.
On the rare occasion I get to go to swap meets, I don't look for necessarily period correct stuff or the things that everyone else considers the Holy Grail. Most of the time, I look for things that I can make work to fit what I already have. A lot of the vendors I've seen weren't interested in what I plan to do with their parts, they are only interested in relieving me of my cash. Also, a lot of them don't seem to have the knowledge of what they have, all they know is their asking price was probably suggested by research on Ebay and is the only thing they know. If I were to find vendors who were willing to talk to me, maybe I'd feel differently.
Retirement aged guys have a lot more free time on their hands to attend swap meets and tell 30 minute long stories. I'm 42 and I live and breathe this stuff but I only went to one swap meet (Iola) for one day this year. And I was on a mission while I was there. Guys under 50 also tend to shop the internet a lot harder than swap meets. I wouldn't correlate swap meet ages with the age of hobbyists as a whole.
I have been going to swap meets for over 55 years. Yes, the crowd is older, but there are a lot of young guys, 30-45 years old that are genuinely interested in our sport. I enjoy speaking with them, and I let them know that I appreciate what they are doing. I tell them that they are the future of our sport, and I will pass along as much knowledge and information as I can. If we don't do this, our sport may go away.
I went to Hershey last year for the first time. We had fun, but it was kind of a let down...lotta BS'ing and standing around, lots of guys with parts for sale, but no one around to deal with. I think lots of guys just go as a social event. For me, (age 57) swap meets are like shopping for groceries. I'm on a quest, have little time, know what I want and seldom buy unneeded stuff impulsively. (Yeah, I'm not too fun at parties!) Maybe when I retire I'll stop and smell the gear lube, but these days I have way more to do than I have time for. YMMV!
Strange, I always thought you were much older than 42 and I mean that with all respect. I am almost twice your age and can tell you that your assumption that "retirement aged guys" have a lot more free time to attend swap meets, tell long-winded stories and generally do whatever they feel like doing is not always correct. I can recall posts from several members who are restrained from doing all that fun stuff because life has a habit of interfering with what you plan. They may be the only caregiver for a loved one with the all the responsibilities that would usually be shared by a couple. In my case, I am blessed to have the help of a daughter who, on her day off in the middle of the week, manages to take her mother to doctors' appointments, I do the rest. There are sometimes as many as four appointments a week and some of those aren't in our town but an hour travel away. Between those and the occasional trip to the emergency room, there isn't a lot of time left over for the things I'd rather be doing. I've been able to work on my RPU for maybe two days out of the last month. The only "free time" and fun that I've had this year was Lloydfest, and it involved some very careful coordination with another daughter who traveled down from Michigan so her sister and I could go. I'm not saying "Poor little me" or trying to make anyone feel sorry for me. It's what I signed on for when I married my wife 57 years ago. I probably should have planned my life a little bit better, but I didn't have the benefit of a crystal ball. Rant over.
I remember going to swaps in the 80s and 90s, lots of em. These guys must be immortal cuz they were all old back then too!
I honestly don’t know if any of the radios in my old cars work or not. They’re mostly AM only, though, except one that has FM and a cassette. Don’t know if that works, either. As to time for swap meets, I personally spent more Saturdays and Sundays at swap meets thirty years ago than I do now. I only made it to Iola the last couple of years, and only justified time for that because I considered it to be our summer get away camping trip. Everything takes longer as you age, so there just isn’t time to do everything when you know the clock is ticking.
I've been going to swap meets for 30+ years. Mostly selling. The internet killed a lot of it I think in the early '00s and it has not gotten better since the pandemic. I don't want to hit a home run on everything I take but there are some cheap people out there. Much of the "good stuff" I am bringing I have had since the '80s. What seems to sell best is low dollar stuff that costs more than it's worth to ship or some too heavy to ship. The old guys seems to be getting older and the young guys are not so interested in parts. The last few years at the Nashville AACA meet It seems that people only wanted signs and stickers and junk tools (not from me) but not a lot of anything of value. There are fewer vendors each year even though the new space is really nice (probably due to the parking situation). I keep threatening not to go set up again, the booth costs me more and more each year. Even with staying with my nephew in town I have to "give away" the first $200+ that I sell now to pay for gas, food, and booth space. But the stuff that is selling is stuff I either throw away or take to a swap meet and sell $1-2-5 at a time-so what can you do? Maybe 2024 will be my last year, maybe not.
The most positive element of a swap as a vendor has to be you. Everyone that stops to peek in is your "friend" and just treat em that way. If they get shitty or insulting, give it back. No violence. Not an original thought here, but I read where someone said "I used to tell myself I shouldn't say that, but now I tell myself let's see what happens." I had only 3 rude ppl at Hershey this year and trust me they got it back. A guy picked up my OG Cadillac 8 track player. I had $125 on it I think. "You can have it for 100." I said. "Oh no, I only pay $50 for these. You're Waaay over priced!" "So don't buy it." "But I only pay 50 and..." "Not to me, take a hike." "You're wrong, thats crazy and..." "And you should just fuck off to wherever you came from." You'd have to hear the convo to get the context. Rude right away. Another one picked up a NOS distributor and offered ½. "Nope, but thanks for dropping by." "It's really not worth ½ but I'd do you..." "What a favor?" "Yeah and ..." "Just stop, I don't need any favors." "Well thats rude." "Not as rude as insulting offers, so you win. See ya..." On the other side, everyone else was in good spirits, had a sense of humor, and were basically honest and candid in their efforts. "Hey, I gotta have something you can't live without." "Well let's take a look then." or "Well my wife can live without it." "Yeah, but is she here?" "Hey, good point, no." Good spirits and enthusiasm is normally contagious. Just some raw thoughts.
Alan, I for one, understand completely. This "caregiver" gig is not for wimps. But as you said, we took on that responsibility many years ago. I had to miss Lloydfest due to that. Glad you were able to attend. Ben
Hope to make a couple of fall swap meets this year, have not gone since last spring due to back issues. Retirement gives more time, health takes it away. I have not been in the garage to work on my truck in a year, back rehab is progressing, I hope to get back to it soon.
When I sell at a swap meet, you can negotiate the price with me, but don't insult me with a low ball offer. I don't have to sell my stuff to put food on the table, but at 83 years old, I don't need the stuff anymore. We have met a nice couple from New Zealand that have an early Ford store there. They are great people, in their 40's and help us set up, and tear down. We give them many parts at good prices, ( so they can re-sell in New Zealand ) or we just give them some parts for free. I would rather give our parts to someone that appreciates it rather than get my chops busted over a $ 5.00 part. Treat me right, and I will treat you right.
Im 35, I like swap meets...no, I love swap meets. I am also one of my wifes least favorite people when at a swap meet because I can talk to just about anyone for just about any amount of time....so for that reason or if its HUGE and Im trying to see everything. I try to keep her movin. I absolutely low ball offer on stuff but mainly because Im so broke I really shouldnt be there at all and when I make those offers I do so lightly and apologetically. Sometimes folks dont want to haul stuff home and sometimes those offers stick....if I had 3 grand in my pocket, I would feel bad, typically I am offering everything but my gas money home
Locally there were two well known swap meets every year at the fairgrounds. One in the spring which does pretty well and the one in the fall that was a little less successful. Now the spring meet is the only one and the fall one has gone away. I enjoy going, but so many vendors just pile stuff here and there with no hint as to what it might be for. Often hard to know what the stuff is. The tool vendors don't offer any better prices than I can find on Amazon and get it delivered the next day for free. I think Amazon and Facebook Marketplace have hurt them because its much easier to find stuff and you can get some really good deals .
I definitely agree on these two things. When I did sell at swap meets a few years ago, all I brought was cheap junk that wasn't worth putting on the internet, and virtually all of it went. Big stuff I damn near had to give away, or bring it back home with me. I've also noticed recently that wallhanger stuff sells great at swap meets compared to functional parts. I collect that kind of stuff too, so I'm not mad about it, but that has really been a trend in the last 10 years.
When I go to swap meets as a buyer I tend to spend more time digging through boxes and piles of parts than I do talking to people. It's not that I don't enjoy talking cars and parts, I just want to find the good stuff before someone beats me to it. When i'm there selling it's different. I will strike up a conversation with anyone that seems interested in the stuff i'm selling.
Swap meets are still a lot of fun but they sure have changed. In just the last 15 years or so I've noticed the number of vendor spaces shrinking as well as the number of buyers. Many in the hobby are aging and passing on, at least at a faster rate then the younger crowd is filling their shoes. The internet has no doubt had a big impact, why go to a swap meet when you can buy and sell from the comfort of your living room? Then the pandemic came along and things certainly have not been the same since. I'd love to see things bounce back and I hope they do, but I'm at an age I'm not real certain how much longer I'll be attending myself.
This is the ying/yang of swaps...........Isn't bad to offer low, but don't come in chopping knees..... If you have some kind of explanation, and are sincere, you might get a deal........ But comparing to anything other than the number told/priced at, accept or don't.........But don't argue with the seller.... It's always the buyers call to jump or not......... Not singling you out at all! I've been on both sides of the game.........
As a seller, I rarely get offended by an offer, even a fairly low one (whether on the internet or in person), sometimes I'm happy to get it if it's something I really want to be rid of. If not, I'll politely turn it down, or counter with a best price. And if I'm interested in buying something but the price seems too high to me, I'll make an offer, I'll usually preface it by asking "would you be interested in taking an offer" first, that way if they are very firm on the price, neither of us is wasting time. It's the buyers who like to lecture me/other sellers about how they know better what stuff is worth and how they're doing me a favor, or the sellers who take any offer less than their stated price as a personal insult. Some sellers, at swap meets especially, don't even have a price on their parts, but will get really huffy if your blind offer doesn't line up with their perceived value. Those are the buyers and sellers that get to me.
Over 50 years of both selling and buying at swap meets says that it is almost a roll of the dice for the majority of us selling wise. That meaning, "what do I load up to take this time and will it sell?" Personally, any more I tend to do a fast look over of things someone has in their display at a swapmeet and may take photos of real interesting stuff to share here or on another board. Anymore I tend to have a very specific shopping list of what I am looking for and don't buy pieces for "sometime" projects" anymore just because the piece is cool or the price is right. I've still got some pieces I bought in Texas in the 70's and in the 80's that I haven't had a project to use them on yet. As far as selling, come next May I am hoping that I have what I plan to use on the projects I have going sorted and stashed together and have everything that doesn't have a project to go on sorted out and ready to hit a couple of swapmeets and most of it will have pretty friendly prices and I could give a rip if you take it back to your booth and put your price on it. I plan to go home with an empty truck and trailer. I'm 76 and a few weeks short of 77 and to me guys who are 50 are young guys. I know a couple who are just now at a point in life where they can build the car they always wanted or in a couple of cases finally get the car that they had in high school to the point where they always wanted it. Kids finally got out of school and for once in the past 20 years they don't have sports activities to go to or haul the kids to. One finally has his dream garage/shop/mancave. One's car squeaks in as a Hamb Friendly year but he isn't building it to where I'll ever be able to show it here. I think that a big problem for a lot of young guys is that they see hotrods and street rods advertised for 50K and up and don't understand that you can start out a lot simpler with a T bucket or post war car and have a decent car without a lot of cash outlay at one time.
I go to a lot of meets and get there when the gates open and I don't have time to talk when I have a days worth of walking to see everything and hopefully before some one else does . The few times I sold at one I have had guys stand there and talk for a hour about a steering wheel they had no intention of buying made me wonder how many rows they got through in a day . Internet has killed a lot of things , if its rare and valuable most who know what it is post it on line and if they dont know what it is the internet tells them so you dont get the guys wanting to just getting rid of them old grey colored 5 spoke wheels
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