Mike, it’s not my first time out but the advice is solid. I was a regular at TCF and did pretty well there for many years - this was before they moved it inside! By the way I made a quick pass to look for you but did not see you! (Looking for the other Model IV actually) Bob Shuster http://theshusters.com/bobvintage.html On Jun 27, 2024, at 8:59 AM, Sentrytv <sentrytv@yahoo.com> wrote:
Bob
I have been going to swapmeets, hamfests and Computer shows for the last 25 years or more.
You have to “take the good with the bad” as they say.
Since this is your first time out, please don’t let it bother you that much or discourage you from trying again.
I have to admit I sold small items and did not get rid of any big items at all. I even gave away a bunch of stuff.
Timing is everything and the weather plays a big role in attendance.
The Schedule definitely could’ve been better but it takes a lot of work.
If you don’t mind standing outside in the cold for a little while, November would probably be better.
I know that you wanted to get rid of a lot of things at once, but it probably would’ve been better to bring one carload full of stuff and “test the waters” first.
( you definitely should have put your stuff on the sheet in detail.)
In the past I too had a tendency to pack my van to its fullest. My way of thinking was, the more you take, more diversity you have, the more you have out to show, the more you will sell.
Well, that is not always the case, of course.
Mike Rosen
Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.
On Jun 27, 2024, at 8:42 AM, Bob Shuster via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
My take on the event: I did ok financially, but I brought a ton of stuff with me (3 SUVs full.) My goal was not necessarily to make money but to down-size the collection which I was only moderately successful at achieving. I’m not sure I would do another of these, especially not in summer again, and I don’t think I’ll be able to convince my wife and daughter to help again! I had too much stuff to properly display it all, so I think that affected my sales, but ultimately it was the heat and lack of buyers that had the biggest effect.
But overall I was happy that some of my collection is in new hands. I gave quite a bit away and I reduced the footprint of the remaining items somewhat. I’ll be busy reorganizing for a while, then all goes back into storage. Any interest in anything, please let me know - I’d even be willing to meet somewhere if necessary.
Bob Shuster http://theshusters.com/bobvintage.html
I have the final totals for buyers: 183 buyers 175 Buyers paid buyers (13 and older) 8 Buyers non-paid (12 and younger)
By the way, it is called "VCF Tech Swap Meet" not "Flea Market". An important distinction that we settled on years ago to make it sound more than just a free for all of all types of items.