Featured History What is the point of outrageous asking prices for common vintage parts

My pet peeve is swap meet vendors these days. You stand there politely waiting for them to quit ********ting with someone long enough to ask the price (since they are too lazy or too arbitrary to put a price on their offerings) They quote you an unexpectedly high price, and cop an at***ude when you offer less. I have always figured that that is the way you bargain with people, especially at a swap meet.
When I go to sell, I pretty much want to get rid of the stuff, so make me an offer, I might say no or make a counteroffer but I’m not pissed or insulted. I just figure that that’s how an informal sales event should work.
The only time I’ve bought someone’s overpriced junk is when I’ve made a killing selling my junk and it’s something that I really really want. Doesn’t happen often.

 

....talk to my wife...she will pay you to take it

 

'32 Ford parts have always been pricey and the rarer it is the higher the price, an original Henry Ford 25 louver hood is expensive as is the arm rest for a 3 window.

But anything for a '32 Ford is going to hurt your wallet. HRP

 

Pretty simple, actually - supply & demand

 

Look at the prices some dudes, want for 33-34 ford parts, you wonder what they have been smoking.

 

Or as Frieburger would say "Sniffing Glue"

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It's human nature to pay as little as possible I'm wired differently if item is worth it to me I'll pay it, at Back to the 50's one year a vender was selling car parts on the side of his tent and he had some early Olds Isky dimpled valve covers with breathers they had surface rust though the tag said make an offer mine was 75 bucks he said finally a guy who knows what they are he said one guy offered him 5 bucks there on my 303 now.

 

I do sell at swaps..all cast iron is cheap as I don’t want to pick it up again. Not so much with Aluminum.

Some times I’ll get just a little irritated at a shopper trying to ****er an already super low price and have some fun. If I’m offered $2 for a $5 item I’ll quickly counter offer by saying $7… If the guy jumps in my s**t …I’ll say you should have taken it cause now it’s $9….I say “you went down so I went up”. Most of the time if guys see this going on the watch and start chuckling with a smile looking right at me. If he starts again I’ll blurt out $11….
The funniest time one guy said it’s tagged $5 and that’s all I’ll pay…I responded with “yes sir”. My son had to go around our truck he was laughing so hard.
Swap meets can be fun…

 

Ignorant speculators buying up everything that even looks old thinking it's worth a fortune. The other part of that is they flood the various pages on Fakebook with "what do I have here" posts looking for a free education.

 

I tend to look at swap meets kinda like how I grocery shop. I go with a list of items I need, when I find them fairly priced, I buy them. I don't go to "kill time", or be entertained. Any time not building the car is wasted. I have a friend that is the same way; we went to Hershey a few years ago and were really disappointed. Lots of people holding out for the recent lottery winner that will overpay for a Packard ashtray or whatever. Clearly for many it's a social p*** time, a chance to get away from their wife. Yes, I'm no fun at parties, but I do drive a cool car, mostly because I like to get stuff done!

 

I personally saw this occur at Lawrence, kansas, about 35 years ago. Guy was selling blue dot lenses at $15. / pair. He was having a bad day when the low-baller hit him.

My solution was the same as the one mentioned by jimmy six. If someone low-balled the price, I offered the low-baller a "special" at the higher price.

Jon

 

My first trip to Hershey in 2018 was a wake up call. Vendors not open at 8:00, stuff under tarps, and most not willing to negotiate much, only to take it all back home. I see it as a social event for most, chitchatting/drinking with their buddies/friends. Was there last year looking for a 2x2 intake for my flathead. Saw tons of overpriced stuff, but finally did come across a nice vintage Edmunds intake listed for $450 IIRC. Was in great shape compared other stuff I came across. I think I talked him down to $425. Haha! Was still a deal.

 

What amazes me are the people who will list something on Ebay for, say, $500.00 when two or three others will have the same item listed in the same condition for half of that, or less. It's like two gas stations on the same corner and one is selling gas for a dollar less than the other one.

 

That's because they have low IQs and its "their" worthless piece of junk .... and sellers name is probably Jethro
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Buy high, sell low, make it up in volume.

I must admit I just don't care to haggle. I generally say "I'll take it" unless something is extremely high priced, and then I won't even ask, I'll just keep looking.

I also tend to sell my stuff a little cheaper just to get rid of it. I don't take a bath or anything, but I don't wanna babysit an ad for months. I list it for what I'll take for it, and I won't bend a penny, but I've never had a problem selling stuff quick.

This is probably why I'm poor...... Lol.

 

eBay is rather good for that exact thing, but no perfect.

I have found that the more hyperbole the seller uses, the more overpriced the item is.

The other truism I have found is there will always be another one down the line if you ae patient enough. Now, it may take 23 years to show up, but if it's not a one-of-one thing, another will appear eventually.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/sbc-water-pump-riser.1354539/page-2#post-15977712

 

How 'bout a worn out 1985 sm blck chevy bored "only" .030 but worn out for $1500

 

Who says their prices are Outrageous? I believe everyone has the right to value their own stuff at whatever they feel is fair. Are they twisting your arm to buy it? If they value it more than you then no harm just walk away. Why be bitter about it? One thing to understand here is we do not all work for the same company. So we do not all make the same wage. Meaning that some things are worth more to other's than they may be worth to you. We live in a world today where you either over pay for what you want or you do without it! Average price of gas is $5.00 a gallon and people ***** about it. But in fairness the same people were *****ing about it when it was $1.50 a gallon.

 

After reading through the comments it's time to point out that some buyers at swaps are no gems either.
A lot of posts that sound like grumpy *******s walking in with a at***ude from the start. Some with prices in mind from from 20-40 years ago while others thinking the vendors owe them for being in their presence.
Vendors can read buyers in a glance or the intro sentence. Bring at***ude get at***ude back. I enjoy the dance when good buyers. It's the game and it can be a lot of fun when played with the right people.
Complain about vendors talking a****st themselves while you wait to ask a price? Any vendor can tell stories of groups of buyers standing in front of a table discussing last night at the bar or where to go after the swap while blocking the tables from other buyers.
Pricing is also both regional and national. What can be thought of as outrageous in Minnesota,for example, might be a bargain on the East or West coast. As stated in a earlier post cast iron or bulky items are priced to move but if it's smaller and easy to ship then it will get the national average price. If a green line,winged,curved lens or large logo SW gauge sells nationally for a average of $75-100 that's the price based on multiple verified sales. I might be outrageous to some but that is the reality. Sure, some vendors have prices that are way out there but most have prices that are at or below national averages.
I think Hershey along with Carlisle and Pomona are good examples of East/West pricing. There
can be sticker shock if arriving from fly over country.
Whew...that was a lot of words. Probably way to many. Never been good at being concise.

 

The ol' Douglas County Swamp Meet. I'm from Lawrence (Topeka, now). I just cant stand how they make sure it's scheduled to be wetter than Vietnam for a swap meet. But I have made a few good deals there.

-rick

 

We call that "Priced To Set"

cuz it's gonna set right where I parked it!



-rick

 

It’s 5AM and I can’t sleep so eBay doom scrolling it is. I’m looking at a listing for a $800 chevy bellhousing.

In order to use this $800 bellhousing after purchasing it you would need the custom clutch fork and throw out bearing. You would also be hunting down the custom four bolt front bearing retainer and seal. Not to mention the adapter that is needed to use the bell housing.

I don’t have the heart to message the seller and ask what my two 100% complete (missing zero parts) painted up (with new seals) ready to use units would sell for.

 

WHAT IS THE POINT OF OUTRAGEOUS ASKING PRICES FOR COMMON VINTAGE PARTS

Hope !
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Hello,

The cost is outrageous if the part is what you are looking for and there are others with the same part. Think about what you need and buy the part. On our 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery , we needed a hood latch that I had broken off. The hood could still be opened with a small lockable needle nose pliers. But, my wife and I went to a local swap meet that had a lot of sellers with good old stuff. A lot of them were
N.O. S.

We saw the cost of several ones sitting on the tables. Some were pitted with lower costs. Others were in good shape, but not in perfect chrome. So, my wife had the great idea. Why spend money on something that is in second or third place, when the first place item is sitting right there. It is the one you want and who cares how much it costs.

That statement threw me for a loop. She handled all of our finances, but never had that idea for parts for our hot rod 327 powered 40 Ford Sedan Delivery. If you want American Racing 5 Spoke Mags, then wait until a birthday or Christmas for the “big surprise…” So, what you want is within reach. The cost should not be a bargaining chip with those sellers. Do you want a ****py copy or a used part that shows right in front of your own eyes as you approach the hot rod every day?

Jnaki

We solved the issue, no at the swap meet, but at our local Ford Parts Obsolete store that was located near our mom’s house in the Westside of Long Beach.

They had the N.O. S. versions in the showroom and we instantly purchased it for our sedan delivery. The cost was less than the N.O.S. unit we saw at the local antique swap meet at the Long Beach Veteran's Stadium. Wow!
The cost of the hood lift handle was a little more than the used ones at the swap meet. So, spend a little more to get what you actually want. Why have second rate items on what you consider you own hot rod? Talk all you want about saving money. The new lever is what you want, just buy it, and who cares what cost you paid. YRMV

Note:
After 70 years of being the local football arena for our Long Beach Poly H.S. teams, the old structure is being torn down. The new complex will have another larger stadium and sports complex. This will include a modern sports cl***rooms and facilities for other sports related subjects.

Plus the new football stadium will have new press boxes and facilities for the general public. That means a new place for the famous Antique Auto Swap Meet that has been a staple at the stadium parking lots since the 60s. Yea!

 

I have been running it to this recently working on the Tiger . Tiger and Alpine are basically very same car . If parts are for sale as Alpine priced as they should be if Tiger is stated they are near 4x greater , so one has to learn to ask for the cheap stuff . How many times have you seen 32 Model A parts for sale ?

 

Some stuff is just expensive because boomers or hipsters with money pay stupid prices...

 

Not an issue in my area,,everything is hoarded, not for sale.

I was looking for some 15x7” steelies for my ‘56 Olds…2 months of searching..stuff is hoarded or as i learned old rims s****ped....i did not think it would take me 2 months to find the rims…got a set of 4 off a ‘93 chev with beauty rings for $100

 

I'm kinda on the other side of the coin. I have tons of parts that I saved from being s****ped, can't seem to give them away. Nobody building old stuff around here. I take stuff to several swap meets, priced to sell, or even free, not much interest.
Selling on the internet is a huge h***le and waste of time for me, easier to just toss it I guess