I went to a Buick Parts Swap in Troy, Michigan today. It is held annually in March. I have been in previous years and was surprised at how much smaller it was this time. One of my fellow Buick Club members commented that with parts being sold over the Internet through EBay, etc., that swap meets are not as popular as they once were. That's sad... I'd hate to think that all the best parts are being scooped up on line and that the days of finding deals at a swap are dwindling....seems to me that yes, there is money to be made by selling online, but, there is also money to be lost by getting swept up in the excitement of an auction. How many of us have paid WAY too much for something online just because "I've GOT to have it!" Let's hope that the Auto Swaps don't become a thing of the past! :3gears: David
not in socal the long beach and pomona swap meets here seem to be as big as ever judging from the last time i went to either, last fall.
David, I went to the swap meet in Troy today also. Didn't buy anything except donut and coffee. Had over $500 cash in my pocket and didn't even reach in my pocket (except to make sure it was still there). This swap meet is no longer on my list to go to, been going to it for more than 15 years, but I think today was my last. I think e-bay may have a little something to do with it, but of course these old parts ('70 - '72) are drying up.
Guys, I was there vending as I have at this swap meet for 14 or 15 years, it has shrunk in size quite a bit in recent years, on the ride home (over 4 hours by the way) we were discussing just that and the small turnout of customers as well, if you are willing to ship the parts, selling on-line is much easier, and buyers/bidders usually set the prices higher then I had been asking anyway. I'm sure I'll be there next year because I do enjoy going but, it'd be nice to make a few bucks to help support the Buick habit of mine. ou:
Well I have been selling parts,(95%Buick) over 20 years. Been to swap meets in Indy, Iola, all around midwest. Getting to old and too expensive to sell for 3-4 days at these meets. Swap spaces are 25-50 space, motels 75-90 night. Gas prices are sky high now, Traveling several hundred miles is a real chore and expense today. When after several hours of setting up display of parts, everyone wants it for nothing, nothing wrong with bartering. I can sit at home, comfortable, food always available, When you list something to sell there can be 10-20K eyes looking at your items. No pressure to sell , or reduce your prices, if someone wants the part they will bid, if it is too high just pass it by. Supply and demand dictates prices, and NOS parts are disappering fast. Jim Schilf palbuick@aol.com
Good post Yes-the internet and the lack of items in general for 60's cars-is certainly making the swap meets less interesting and will be their complete undoing over time. I went to Springfield and only picked up a few things. Mostly, I go just to hang out with an old friend and get some sun and exercise.
swapmeets are almost dead. jim hit the nail on the head, the cost of running the roads is getting rough and the buyers cant steal from you online. i did swapmeets for 20 years and the parts that nobody would even look at at the shows will get big bids on ebay. i have heard buyers at the car shows say things like, why should i walk around in the cold mud for 3-4 days when i can sit home, click buy it now, and have it delivered to my door in a few days ? my thoughts are, because its much cheaper and more fun. i also got tired of burning a tank of gas per day, and paying for motel rooms etc, but the swapmeets are much more fun than ebay, theres something about walking up on a big pile of nos and cherry picking it at super low prices, carry it out to the truck, then do it again 3-4 more times in one day, but those days are gone forever. one nice thing about ebay though, is , you will find parts on ebay that would never show up at the car shows, only thing is, you cant inspect the parts first, you might get nothing for your money, and you must pay a premium almost every time. i dropped out partly because the buyers stopped showing up, once the buyers leave, the sellers leave, and so on. also, the PA dept of revenue messed things up, they made all sellers get a tax number and started hassling people, the fools, with their greed, they killed the goose that laid the golden eggs. if you go to carlisle, all you find nowdays is tube socks and flintstone vitamins, k-mart junk, ( dont even bother to go on wednesday anymore ) i must be getting old, i remember when they sold car parts there. but its alot of fun to get up at 3:00 am and drive to hershey in the fog to walk in the mud all day. actually, its almost all pavement now, i miss the hershey mud. i think hershey will be done in just a couple more years. sad, very sad. henry white
Henry, you hit the nail on the head about swapmeets and especially Carlisle. Heck there is no way I can get the money for parts at Carlisle that I can get on ebay. Even my buddy who is into Trans Ams big time, now sells on ebay. He only takes the bigger pieces, like fenders and hood to Carlisle. Henry, the old white and yellow fields ( I think I have my colors right) are still mud at Hershey Take it easy
Annual Buick Swap Meet I agree, every year the meet gets smaller. My buddies and I go for one main reason and that's to BS with friends that we see once or twice a year. See you guys at Norwalk!
It is NOT just ebay.... We sell right here everyday...and many other places on the net. But you are right, swap meets are almost obsolete. Personally, I have walked too many miles thur swap meets with nothing to show for it. I admit I prefer the net.:Smarty: But I do miss inspecting the parts.o No:
I was also vending in Troy Yesterday, and noticed that it is getting smaller every year. I had a buyer tell me that he wouldnt pay $50 for a brand new temp gauge for a 57 as he bought them for $5 over the net. The temp gauge guy gets $95 to rebuild your old one. I vend at the local swap meets more to visit and see people than to sell, and will be there next year. :beer :beer :beer :beer :beer :beer
I have been going to the englishtown swap meet for over 20 yrs and have seen it grow in size every year. It has all ways been that buick parts were only 1 to 2 % of all the venders their. Most of the stuff is cheby, followed by ford, then chrysler. The ebay stuff seems to drop off at the begining of the summer, just my observation. owen
Having bought, sold, & set-up at several hundred auto swappers, it just makes little sense to kill oneself getting nice retail stuff organised & haul the little stuff to the swappers anymore just so parts can get dirty & scratched & scuffed up. For the most part, the folks don't appreciate the 50 or so hours it takes for one to get a really good swap meet spread ready for a big swapper & honestly that's the least of it... As a result, for latter part of the 90's & into the new century, many of us just brought our canopys & basic swapper set-up & come to buy. :3gears: Roger
