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#1
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good points.
The local flea markets here, always seem so barren of good stuff. So I managed to get to one 35 minutes before official opening time. I was surpised to see the smart buyers already walking out with boxes full of all the good stuff ! The best items sell, as the spots are still being set up. |
#2
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![]() "CAINE" wrote in message oups.com... good points. The local flea markets here, always seem so barren of good stuff. So I managed to get to one 35 minutes before official opening time. I was surpised to see the smart buyers already walking out with boxes full of all the good stuff ! The best items sell, as the spots are still being set up. I have to agree. I got to Dayton last year shortly after the opening, and there were already some R5000's and some beautiful old Hallicrafters that already had "sold" tags on them. --Mike L. |
#3
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managed to get to one 35 minutes before official opening time.
I was surpised to see the smart buyers already walking out with boxes full of all the good stuff ! The best items sell, as the spots are still being set up. Shuuuu, don't tell everyone. That's half to reason to get a flea market space. That way most of the time you get in before the general public and scoop up the good deals.... Ron -- Radio Collection Web Page, http://www.radioheaven.homestead.com |
#4
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I have a friend who's a professional flea marketeer, he told me that
for an 8 AM opening time, he's already walking around at 6:30 AM buying stuff- and by the time the public gets there, the stuff that's worth $200, that was selling for $25-50, is gone- other marketeers already bought it then, they put it on ebay when they get home what doesn't sell, goes back to the market 2 weeks later constant cycle the average joe can get lucky here and there, and find some stuff under bushels, etc., or from someone that set up late, or someone that finally moved off a high price but for the most part, the VERY early bird, gets the worm |
#5
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Ah, Ron....
RANT WARNING You need to understand the essential difference between a "Flea Market" and a Hamfest or Radio Meet. Fleas are just that. Locations where mostly crap is redistributed amongst a few, and mostly Chinese Junque is sold at no-better-than- Cosco or Sam's Club prices, but somehow the appeal is the 'story' and perceived bargain vs. the actual reality. Those that do it "professionally" (NOT ALL, mind) are in many ways the cockroaches of society inhabiting the dark corners and hiding under filth to avoid paying taxes and to skim from society without paying any freight. I once was present when the State Police together with the FBI and quite a number of local police groups raided the Pennsauken (NJ) Drive-In flea-market. They focused _only_ on the 'professional' dealers, some 90% of which (a line of handcuffed mostly-men that stretched over 100 yards, shoulder-to-shoulder) were selling all/some of the above: Stolen goods (Wonder where that "Sears Craftsman" or Still-in-the-Clamshell Channel Lock or Klein or Mac or Snap-On comes from?), knock-off goods, illegal goods (baby clothes not fire-treated, recalled tools and/or appliances), mislabeled goods (made in USA... NOT), pirated goods and so forth. And the Feds were there for the Tax-Evasion stuff as well as the across-state-lines stuff. The 20% of the dealers that were in it for the weekend, cleaning out the attic and the like were entirely ignored. Very damned little of it any more has anything to do with "recycling" used goods. Yard sales and garage sales, church bazaars and such are about the last refuge for that kind of thing. But keep in mind that every time one buys something stolen or a return or a recall or a torn-cover paperback at a flea, one is quite directly taking someone's job away, usually right here in the good old USA. Who gets sued if a recalled defective Craftsman or Stanley or Klein or Channel Lock Tool sold at a fleamarket hurts someone? The "vendor" that stole it and resold it? Not hardly. And whose prices _all_ go up as a result? Ours. And is it Chinese manufacturers that go out of business due to overhead costs? Nope. But, very damned few of us think about this stuff when we see that tempting tool on the table. "We" figure we can buy it at the flea, then take it back to Sears if it breaks.... GOOD thinking. On the other hand, there are "shows" dedicated to certain hobbies. My approach to a 'timed' show (opens X and closes Y) is to not sell _ANYTHING_ except as-marked before the show opens. I tell people that I will negotiate price one hour (1hr) after the show opens officially, but not until then. Period. And when someone askes me what is my "dealer price" I add 20% automatically. But that is *just* me. Once upon a time, one dealer at Kutztown, very early on when it was a 1/2 day affair was all over me as I was unloading. And as this individual would easily have made three of me (no kidding, and I am 6'-3", at 220lbs) it was annoying to say the least. He was picking stuff up, pulling stuff out of boxes, turning stuff over (and leaving it) and such. All the while pattering on how ridiculous my prices were. At the time, I had sprained an ankle and was using a blackthorn stick just after sitting or driving until I loosened up. I actually had to raise it and call for witnesses before this particular jackass moved on. At the end of the day, I drove home with a full pocket and an empty vehicle. His load was still with him, literally and figuratively. I will not say that my raising a very loud stink to get him off my stuff had anything to do with that, but I would like to think so. I had a 'pot' to support the hobby for another year. It has pretty much been that way ever since. I cover my costs, and turn over my radios keeping fewer and fewer, but nicer and nicer radios, and fewer-but-very-much-nicer audio systems. So, it is all in accordance with how one behaves, how one sees the world and how lady luck sees you. I have found as many bargains in the last 30 minutes of a flea market as getting there before set-up. Mostly I am buying for my own use and pleasure, resale is at best a tertiary concern even if that... This is a HOBBY for me, the moment I feel I am becoming predatory, buying for resale or otherwise treating it like a business, I take a deep breath and walk away. THAT IS ONLY ME. Others are free to behave as they see fit. But I want to be able to look any of my buyers in the eye years later and get a smile in return. END RANT Peter Wieck Wyncote, PA |
#6
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you've obviously never been to our local flea markets here, Peter
I bought a pair of speakers for $10, that sold for $400 on ebay |
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