Swap Meets

[Mark Huston]

Northern California</ST1:place does not have a large swap meet like Hershey. The one big two day swap meet that I have been attending for over 35 years is coming up again next month. I am thinking about skipping it for the first time since I have been in the old car hobby. The reason: I have not found a single item that I have been looking for in years at a swap meet. Anymore, the parts I am looking for I find on the internet, club magazine, or networking with other Studebaker collectors. For the last several years I have continued to attend the swap meet out of nostalgia, but with the cost of driving to the meet, paying to park, paying the entrance fee, and spending an entire day walking on two tired old legs and feet, I have decided why bother?

Anyone else giving up on the smaller local swap meets?

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

Whether we like it or not, the internet and ebay in particular, has killed the benefit of swap meets. No vendor, or even individuals, is going to haul a trailer load of parts miles and miles to display when attendance to such meets has dropped like a rock.

I personally realized this when several years ago I happened to drop in on the swap meet at Turlock, California and realized there were probably more sellers than buyers and the sellers that were there had greatly inflated ideas as to the value of the "junk" they had brought. In three hours of being there I really didn't see anyone walking out with much.

Same could also be said of the meet in DFW and Chickasha, Oklahoma. All are on their way to being big disappointments. Swap meets may well be on the path to extinction.

Jim

Edited December 22, 2010 by Jim_Edwards (see edit history)

[keiser31]

You might want to check out the Portland, Oregon Swap Meet...Always in April.

[junkyardjeff]

I have gave up on a few swapmeets for the same reason,we have one that puts on 3 for the year and do not go to the last two due to not much being there. I only went to the second one this year due to needing grinding discs which after paying to get in I doubt I saved any money plus I did not bring anything else out of there so it wont happen next year,there is one about 100 miles away that was huge years ago and watching it slowly shrinking every year and said I was not going back but since I have been attending it for over 30 years it was hard to give up so I went this year and actually found something. I have found parts on the internet I have not seen in 30 years at the swapmeets so I hate the thought on giving up on the swapmeets but it might happen due to the costs getting there.

[Larry Schramm]

I have a mixed feeling on going to meets. I guess that part of the territory is that you will not always find things at a meet, but sometimes I have hit a great stash. Last couple of Hershey meets netted very little, but this year I found a bunch of things that I needed. Same can be said of Chickasha. And the things that I have found were not on Ebay or other internet sites as I watch those sites for parts. I will continue to go to meets unless the vendors stop coming.