Swap meet etiquette, would this piss you off??

When one is new to the swap meet you get a lesson in life, you can derive the same lesson from watching Shark Week on Discovery. It is the nature of the beast. I was a virgin to a Jersey meet last year and had to laugh. I arrived in the dark and out of nowwhere was this mob of guys with flashlights running all around looking in everones trucks and trailers. I was not even parked and they were crawling in my windows snorting and out of breath asking for parts. it was like the sharks that come in for the test bite. I had to laugh and still remember the chilled air, the bulging eyes, the slobber, the frozen breath, the guy i almost ran over. Insanity plus. By the end of the day all the deals were done and most packed their bellies with overpriced heart attack food, farted and went home. Flea markets and swap meets have there purpose and there are lessons to be learned and some funny memories to be gained too.

 

My favorite thing to do at a swap meet is to buy something and then get out my tape and marker and put a realy crazy crazy low price on it. Like a 32 shell for 20 bucks, then walk around with it and watch the dumbfounded look on peoples faces wondering how they could have missed that...lol
The vendor to vendor selling and buying is always your first sale and purchase of the day. The low baller to later huge mark up guy is always there and it doesn't matter where your located, he's just always there.

 

When one is new to the swap meet you get a lesson in life, you can derive the same lesson from watching Shark Week on Discovery. It is the nature of the beast. I was a virgin to a Jersey meet last year and had to laugh. I arrived in the dark and out of nowwhere was this mob of guys with flashlights running all around looking in everones trucks and trailers. I was not even parked and they were crawling in my windows snorting and out of breath asking for parts. it was like the sharks that come in for the test bite. I had to laugh and still remember the chilled air, the bulging eyes, the slobber, the frozen breath, the guy i almost ran over. Insanity plus. By the end of the day all the deals were done and most packed their bellies with overpriced heart attack food, farted and went home. Flea markets and swap meets have there purpose and there are lessons to be learned and some funny memories to be gained too.

 

I,m a swap meet buyer not a seller, and way back a friend told me he would help me sell some parts. So I was there watching him and he priced my 4 cylinder duece firewalle I thought kinda high. This one guy comes along and acts like he really needed it but was only able to pay a lower price. My buddy didnt go for it. I kinda wanted to get rid of it [I didnt really know what it was worth] Bud says he,ll be back, knows what its worth and hes a reseller. Sure nuff later on he comes back, pays our price and leaves. So out of curiosity I go lookin for him and he had it marked up about 50%. I got a good price for it, but he may havto keep it till the right buyer shows up.

 

If you were really black hearted, you could tell folks that the vendor had two more just like it and give them a vague "set up somewhere over there" wave of the hand and watch them look for the guy the rest of the day.
Larry T

 

It would be crappy if he presented himself as a dude who was down on his luck and only needs [insert type of part here] to finish his project.

If he didn't, as crappy as it is, that the deal with swaps.

There are scum bags in every hobby. Consider it a lesson in swap meet street smarts.

 

Dead nuts on. Good advice.

 

If I'm dumb enough to sell stuff to someone for too little money then it's my fault.
He did'nt put a gun to my head for my parts.
I cant blame the buyer because I caved into his offer.

 

You thought?
Hey, when you sell early you gotta realize the buyer is probably a seller. And the rule for selling to sellers is - "always leave something on the table." Let him make a profit.
You get what you want, don't bitch. Then let the buyer get a bit more (or a lot more) when he re-sells it.
I sell old books. One of my buyers is a reseller. I love it when he buys from me. I make a profit on every book he buys from me. And he makes a profit on every one too when he re-sells it. I'm happy, he's happy.
Don't bitch.

 

My prices are usually double what I paid unless it's a high end part as those go market value.Numerous times I have sold a part and the buyer then smiles and tells me I sold it too cheap and how he was going to make 20 or 30 percent more.When I tell them I doubled my money the smiles go away.
Been on the other side of that tale a time or two as well.
I once saw a guy driving into a swapmeet with a pickup load and stopped him and asked what he wanted for all of it.He named a price,I paid him and he drove to my space and we started to unload my new stuff.As we were unloading a guy asked about one part and I shot a price and the guy bought the one part and paid me more for that one part than I paid for the whole load.I did have to unload the rest of the parts myself.
Was I a bad guy? I dont think so.The guy quoted a price,I paid it.Not knowing what stuff is worth isnt my problem.
With the internet not knowing what your stuff is worth before going to sell it is just being lazy.

 

I been doin swap meets for 40 years and I have seen some dandys. The best one that comes to mind was a few years ago at Lancaster; Ohio. I got a bunch of hubcaps, a guy picks up a 53 Stude wheel cover and asks how much. I told him $8, cause I really wanted $6 and would have took $5. He says I must be nuts , he might give $2. He comes by two or three more times that day, acts like I never seen him before, each time I raise the price. This is a two day meet so on Sunday the same guy starts the same shit, each time he ask I raise the price, by Sunday afternoon that cap is about $40. finally he sends his buddy to try, this asshole is "hid" down the row watching, I tell the buddy $45, he lays it down and says thanks. The end of the day comes and I see the goofball coming up the isle so I threw that Stude cap out on the blacktop and jumped on it about 10 times and put it back where it was. He comes up and says he may go $5 so I don't have to take it home. Then he looks over and seen the trashed cap and goes off on me. I told him, hey asshole you wanted a $2 cap there it is! We still laugh about that one!

 

A friend was selling a really decent camper shell left on his property by a renter. It was worth probably $400.00. He put $100.00 on it, just to unload it and try to get some back rent owed. Some hillbilly comes by, offers $50.00, my friend looks at this guy, turns around, goes to his garage, comes back, fires up his chainsaw and cuts the camper in half. He then turns to the guy, and says "free" take it away. That guy couldn't run away fast enough. My friend is a retired fireman and that story is true and he is legend around here.

 

Yes it would piss me off! Is it wrong? Not sure...

 

Best system is to tell the early bird buyers with low ball offers that their bids are welcome at the end of the day.. pick a decent price and stick to it for a couple of hours.. you can always lower the price of give it away later..

 

Good one! Sort of like the headlight lense story a friend used to tell. Guy picked up a 1930's lense and asks the price, guy wanted $10. gets an offer of $2. with an attitude. So my friend asked his buddy in the next space if the lense is worth $10. as it is in mid air on the way to him. Landed on the blacktop loudly and Russ said "Yes".

 

stop crying

 

This happens here on the HAMB all the time, you sell something at a decent price to cut a Haber a break and then you see your very same part here or on eBay, or refer to thread about selling the car you just bought off your buddy to make a profit.

 

yep, it's called free enterprise.

 

You hit the nail on the head in your original post.

"A sale is a sale"

YEP.

"A major dick move"

YEP!

 

This is a great subject that gives an insight to how some people truly are.

Just because it happens a lot and or is now the “standard” don’t make it right Bad manners are un cool no matter how common it is.

Do unto others is more and more unheard of these days ….. To many laws and attorneys discouraging real life consequences imo.

 

He said WHAT?! I would have jumped the table right then and there. F***er! After you did him a good deal and all...that sucks.

As far as the OP topic...yeah, I'd be pissed off. If there was no argument on the price and you got what you want then he can sell them I guess but if they screw you down on price and make you feel like you are doing them a favour and then turn right around and sell them - that's bullshitting and low.

 

We got a well-known bottom-feeder around here, we call him "Red"- red ponytail, and always blue coveralls, and always rooting in your truck before you unload. Pulled into a meet in Sac a few years ago, and here comes that frikken' weasel- I'm still moving, pulling into my space, and I hear the zipper of his coveralls hit the side of my new black Powerstroke- bailed out with a "GET THE F#@% OFF MY TRUCK"- he lit out and disappeared. Had a half-dozen other sellers come over laughing, he'd had his nose in their trucks too
I don't go to meets to make other sellers money, especially the weasels- I know what my "good" stuff's worth, price it fairly with a little cushion so a buyer can do a little feel-good haggling, and the right guy that needs it gets his part for a reasonable price, and everybody's happy. I trade in a lot of 427 and Cobra Jet stuff, usually pretty good, and fairly rare, parts, and if they're a little shaky or need work, the prices reflect that, and if you're a serious buyer and have something interesting to trade, sure, I'll listen- especially FE stuff. Those parts do tend to attract a lot of looky-loos, no problem with that, part of the fun. Lowballers or "experts" that try to BS me don't get very far- the serious buyers for that stuff are usually pretty quiet, can spot the parts from a distance, and head straight to the casting numbers and date codes, and don't BS- but usually have an interesting "real" project to talk about
"Regular" parts are very negotiable, come and get it

 

Well said. I was disappointed to hear a few of the stories on this thread, and wasn't sure how to respond. There are some real dicks on here...

 

Bingo, tell the early low baller to stop by about the time you plan to leave and you might deal with him on anything you have left. That gives you the chance of getting your price and gives him the option of getting them for his low ball figure at the end of the day.

 

yeah it happens... legal but it sucks.. the price of being nice to vultures and ya gotta expect it sometimes, man..

 

darn lowballers and all thier cash, they should be banned from swap meets.

the only resale lowballer I have a complaint about is the guy who bought a bunch of loose tools and asked to borrow my bucket to haul them all to his spot...sucker didn't return my bucket!

 

Let me get this straight, 5 or 6 assholes trying to screw other assholes? S'why I don't go to many big meets.

Clarification... met lots of great guys selling and buying, and most vendors are excellent. Just had a few bored assholes give my sons a hard time when they were looking (not touching) their stuff. I always taught my boys that rule. Had a chat with one guy who told my sons (8 and 9 at the time) to f##k off... I offered him a lesson in manners behind his trailer... no taker. No reason to speak to boys that way.

 

I don't know..I had a few yardsales that had lowballers come around at 4am...they met a grump...me.

 

Had my old 54 f100 truck front axel w/brake drums all sand blasted & primed for 40 bucks. Guy offers me 30, hey I don't need the thing. After he pays he says he's going to put in his 62 Galaxie with a 500 & something aluminum 460 w/TCI C6. Thought that's got to be 20 grand & he just saved himself 10 bucks. What a guy.

 

+1. if it was a price you could live with and he met it then ya gotta live with it. it was a b*tch move on his part but manners and tact are fast going the way of Muntz 4-tracks and leaded gas.