Swap Meets Aren't What They Used To Be

[packick]

This past Saturday, I drove about 130 miles one-way to attended an old car swap meet that I have attended for the past 30 years and was very disappointed. What was disappointing was that there were very few old car parts/vendors there. It seems the antique and collectibles crowd has taken over the meet.

I am aware that the online auction sites (e.g., eBay) has removed most of the old car vendors from these meets over the past few years, but this time it was very noticable. Has anyone else experienced this with their local swap meets? As far as I am concerned it is not worth driving 2.5 hours to attend this meet and will probably not go again.

Edited February 16, 2015 by packick (see edit history)

[Bhigdog]

One of the biggest local shows and flea markets has gone down hill to the point of "why bother". The show is still good but the flea market is a sea of empty spaces and/or crafts and Chinese POS tools. So, you're not alone..........Bob

[JZRIV]

Yea been noticing the downward trend for years. When you think about what a vendor has to do to attend its no wonder. Rent a space, Maybe take time off day job, Prepare days ahead loading the truck or trailer, Drive to the swap meet, Gas, Food, Tolls, Vehicle maintenance, Then unload and setup and hope weather cooperates to get enough people buying to pay your costs and make a little profit. This must be more of a passion and enjoyment for some vendors as it has to be a tough business. I think swap meets will be alive and well for awhile because attending can be as much amusement for us as it is hoping to find those needed parts. Sure, the swap meet glory days may be over but they still serve a purpose. There is still a good number of people who don't want to deal with ebay's fees or internet selling and shipping in general. Also with rising taxes, there is still something to be said for cash deals the government has trouble tracking in order to tax.

[Brad Conley]

This also is happening in other hobbies. I am a Ham and the swap meets (hamfests) for Amateur Radio have literally turned into flea markets. Nothing but trinkets and junk anymore. I don't bother going, sad to say.

[trimacar]

I've set up at Hershey some, 20 years ago you could ask fair prices and get fair prices. My experience these days is the opposite. I'll price something at $30, expecting $25, and get offered $5.....unless it's something that someone specifically needs for their car, low ball offers are much more common than they used to be....just my experience, maybe others do better.....

[Mark Shaw]

I only intermittently attend three old car swap meets each year; Portland OR, Bakersfield CA, & Chicasha OK. This year the OR & CA swaps are on the same weekend, so I am going to CA & OK this year. Portland tries to segregate the antique and collectable vendors from the car parts vendors, but it is still full of mixed vendors everywhere. However, the Bakersfield and Chicasha swaps are limited to prewar car parts.

[Pete Phillips]

Around here, it's not so much trinkets and general antiques (yes, some of those), as it is hot rod parts; street rod parts; headers; huge chrome wheels; after-market gauges; tape players/modern stereo systems; everything for your street rod or hot rod pickup truck. Maybe one out of 20 vendors has actual antique car parts that are worth looking at, and then this is Texas, so 90% of those are for Ford and Chevrolet.

This is why I go to Hershey and Chickasha--they are the exceptions to the rule.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Leonard, Texas

[Guest my3buicks]

I don't know, all i see at Hershey anymore is a bunch of old junk that no one wants, have the spaces are used for nothing more than a base station. I go for the experience but something never expect to find anything anymore. And frankly why would I when I can tap a couple buttons on my keyboard and have the part delivered to my home.

Edited February 17, 2015 by my3buicks (see edit history)

[Guest Buick8Bill]

I was with Joe (packick) last weekend and agree that it wasn't worth the trip except for the camaraderie and experience. 130 miles is long ride if you go solo. It was a nice day in Northwest Washington and being Valentines Day, I expect that a lot of wives and children were along for the ride. The first couple of hours was wall to wall people.

As to the lack of old car parts; the supply of old parts is dwindling. Times have changed.

[old-tank]

They just want to sell the spaces. They don't care if it is car parts or trinkets or even 4 spaces to park a big ass motorhome to camp in.

[MrEarl]

Gotta give it to Brad54 on here who holds the Northeast Georgia Swap Meet, he don't allow any sissy stuff in his swap meet. Show up with something that don't meet criteria and one of his ROTC Cadets will turn you around and send you on your way.

So if you want to come to a real man swap meet, come on down to Commerce Georgia, the first Satdy of every month.

http://www.georgiaswapmeet.com/

Here is what he has to say about it:

"That’s it. No antiques of the non-rusty/greezy automotive variety… no pioneer tools… no glass bottle collections or farmhouse windows or old railroad lanterns or those glass insulators from old phone poles.

If you’re loading up your trailer and you wonder if it’s something that belongs at the NE Georgia Swap Meet, here’s an easy little quiz you can ask yourself:

A) When a guy picks this up, will his wife roll her eyes, or say “Don’t you have three of those already?” or “That’s awful rusty, isn’t it?” If the answer is “Yes,” throw it on the truck.

Will someone pick this up and say “Hey! Remember my Aunt Margaret? The one who smelled kinda funny and had that one eyebrow… over both eyes? She used to have one of these!” If the answer is “Yes,” leave it at home.

C) Will someone pick this up and say “Oh, this will look PERFECT in the living room (or family room, guest room or any finished room in the house other than the rec room in the basement).” If the answer is “Yes,” leave it next to that thing Aunt Maggy had.

D) If you pick it up and say “If I don’t sell this stuff here today, could I take it to the Jefferson Junction, Pendergrass flea market or J&J flea market tomorrow and probably sell it?” If the answer is “Yes,” go ahead and make that your first stop on Saturday morning instead of the NE Georgia Swap Meet.

I don’t mean to be unkind, but it’s real, real important to me that the NE Georgia Swap Meet be known as the best auto and motorsports enthusiast swap meet there is."

[Bill Stoneberg]

Gotta give it to Brad54 on here who holds the Northeast Georgia Swap Meet, he don't allow any sissy stuff in his swap meet. Show up with something that don't meet criteria and one of his ROTC Cadets will turn you around and send you on your way.

So if you want to come to a real man swap meet, come on down to Commerce Georgia, the first Satdy of every month.

http://www.georgiaswapmeet.com/

Here is what he has to say about it:

"That’s it. No antiques of the non-rusty/greezy automotive variety… no pioneer tools… no glass bottle collections or farmhouse windows or old railroad lanterns or those glass insulators from old phone poles.

If you’re loading up your trailer and you wonder if it’s something that belongs at the NE Georgia Swap Meet, here’s an easy little quiz you can ask yourself:

A) When a guy picks this up, will his wife roll her eyes, or say “Don’t you have three of those already?” or “That’s awful rusty, isn’t it?” If the answer is “Yes,” throw it on the truck.

Will someone pick this up and say “Hey! Remember my Aunt Margaret? The one who smelled kinda funny and had that one eyebrow… over both eyes? She used to have one of these!” If the answer is “Yes,” leave it at home.

C) Will someone pick this up and say “Oh, this will look PERFECT in the living room (or family room, guest room or any finished room in the house other than the rec room in the basement).” If the answer is “Yes,” leave it next to that thing Aunt Maggy had.

D) If you pick it up and say “If I don’t sell this stuff here today, could I take it to the Jefferson Junction, Pendergrass flea market or J&J flea market tomorrow and probably sell it?” If the answer is “Yes,” go ahead and make that your first stop on Saturday morning instead of the NE Georgia Swap Meet.

I don’t mean to be unkind, but it’s real, real important to me that the NE Georgia Swap Meet be known as the best auto and motorsports enthusiast swap meet there is."

LIKE... Wish there were more of those around.

[Larry Schramm]

Wish it was closer

[60FlatTop]

How about an E- Does this look like something my ***-in-law learned how to do in rehab?

That also applies to those Main St. "art" Festivals, too.

Bernie