tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

[tutusue]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

In my experience, disability checks are on the 1st, some recipients are paid in some kind of alpha grouping, and DHS is on the 5th.

The fourth Wednesday? So really, you're receiving for the upcoming month?

Nope...after the fact!!!

Yes, SSI is on the 1st. My check is retirement, not disability. This might explain it a bit more.

[infinitypro]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

Nope...after the fact!!!

Yes, SSI is on the 1st. My check is retirement, not disability. This might explain it a bit more.

I clicked on the link, and just the initial glance confused me! But, thank you too for this information. I've just been going with my client's and their check dates.

[scrivener]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

If you're also planning on selling white elephants, my biggest piece of advice is that NOTHING is too crappy to sell there. If you think something is absolute trash, display it anyway, because you never can tell what someone wants to get ahold of.

Has your mom already begun selling her services at the swap meet? Which is she planning to hit: the Stadium or Kam Drive In?

"Swap Meet" is a totally understandable phrase to get confused about. It's called that because the idea is that it's supposed to be a place for people who gather and "swap" stuff. Nowadays, it's just a huge garage sale, really.

That's partly why swap meets are also called flea markets. The type of people who made their livings selling their wares at places like this were thought to be dirty, or flea-infested. This was a totally unfair (and almost certainly racist) nomenclature, but it seems to have shed its negative stigma. I like "flea market" as the name of something!

[acousticlady]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

That's partly why swap meets are also called flea markets. The type of people who made their livings selling their wares at places like this were thought to be dirty, or flea-infested. This was a totally unfair (and almost certainly racist) nomenclature, but it seems to have shed its negative stigma. I like "flea market" as the name of something!

When I was little, my mom was taking me to the flea market. I really thought we were going to buy fleas! What can I say. I was a dumb kid .

[cezanne]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

Yeehaw we're goin to the swamp meet!

[Pomai]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

Easy Music Center used to hold quite popular swap meets in their parking lot when they were located at the Ward, and then Koreamoku street location. My friend bought a killer unfinished Washburn (or Ibanez, I forget) signature Nuno Bettencourt (of Extreme) guitar from someone there for about $300. The model originally sold for over $1000 new. That neck ruled.

Gosh, it's been a while since I last visited the Stadium Flea Market. Last time there, IIRC, bought a couple of goofy T-shirts and some Kaki Mochi snacks.

Silly joke: What do you call the flea market when it's really busy? A "Swamp Meet".

[Peshkwe]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

What type of embroidery does your mom do?

One suggestion is to pack your stock in plastic bins rather than boxes, if you're out selling and there's a short rain or the ground is wet from the previous evening, the plastic bins won't soak up moisture from the bottom up and damage your goods.

Another thought would be to go scope out the swap meet a few times, in good weather and bad. See if people keep buying if it's raining. You want to go on a day where it's been raining (not drenching downpours but light type rain) from early morning and throughout the day, and a day where it's off and on rain. If people are still buying even if it's raining, on good days it should be even better.

Watch how the vendors deal with bad weather, do they bug out or hang tight? What do they do to protect their goods? Particularly watch vendors who deal in soft goods and materials similar to your mom's embroidery...t-shirt vendors, linen dealers, specialty or used clothing dealers.

Bring a pad of paper and take notes on what you can adapt for your own set up. Get there early and stay late, watch how people set up and break down too.

[scrivener]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

Easy Music still has the musicians' swap meets, only now they're in the parking lot at the First Interstate building.

It used to be that on Oahu, "Swap Meet" meant Kam Drive-In and "Flea Market" meant Aloha Stadium, but the stadium's event is now also called the swap meet.

I think Adrian should hook up with a crocodile source and sell "swamp meat" alongside the embroidery.

Just joshing.

[Peshkwe]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

Easy Music still has the musicians' swap meets, only now they're in the parking lot at the First Interstate building.

It used to be that on Oahu, "Swap Meet" meant Kam Drive-In and "Flea Market" meant Aloha Stadium, but the stadium's event is now also called the swap meet.

I think Adrian should hook up with a crocodile source and sell "swamp meat" alongside the embroidery.

Just joshing.

They have 'gator jerky for sale here....close enough to croc.

http://www.mountainamericajerky.com/gamemeat.shtml

the price lends to the whole experience....you get the feeling that a gator took a chunk out of your wallet.

[adrian]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

Okay, enough of the 'swamp meet' jokes, or else I'll be known as the swamp guy if I come to a meet.

If you're also planning on selling white elephants, my biggest piece of advice is that NOTHING is too crappy to sell there. If you think something is absolute trash, display it anyway, because you never can tell what someone wants to get ahold of.

My Dad brings home a lot of "junk" that piles in his workshop, so I know a thing or two about what sells there.

Has your mom already begun selling her services at the swap meet? Which is she planning to hit: the Stadium or Kam Drive In?

I don't know which one we'll go to. Kam Swap Meet has more of a 'local' feel; while Aloha Stadium's Swap Meet has the tourists and has more professional services (I've seen tattoo shops, cell phone accessories, and choke homemade shirts sold there).

Either one, I'll be the one sitting in the hot sun for the better half of the morning, selling the stuff.

[SusieMisajon]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

I sold ears of corn at our towns annual swapmeet, and made over 100 euros...they used to think that corn was just for feeding to pigs.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

Watch how the vendors deal with bad weather, do they bug out or hang tight? What do they do to protect their goods? Particularly watch vendors who deal in soft goods and materials similar to your mom's embroidery...t-shirt vendors, linen dealers, specialty or used clothing dealers.

The way I've seen it done is a clear plastic "tarp" that's been pre-taped to the table along one side. When it starts to sprinkle, they flip it over their table of goods. The stuff is still on display, but it's protected. The vendors can reach under the "tarp" to pull the merchandise of interest.

[Peshkwe]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

The way I've seen it done is a clear plastic "tarp" that's been pre-taped to the table along one side. When it starts to sprinkle, they flip it over their table of goods. The stuff is still on display, but it's protected. The vendors can reach under the "tarp" to pull the merchandise of interest.

That's the way I used to do it for the beading supplies, pelts and artwork I sold on the pow-wow circuit years ago, but I used the rubber tipped spring clamps, it was quicker to break down if I did have to bug out in a hurry. Having a nice big awning that you can lower the legs on for covering all of it is handy too. But when it comes right down to it, Adrian is going to have to figure out what exactly is going to work for him by observation and plain old experience.

If the swap meet is set up on a parking lot and you can't stake down, using gallon jugs filled with water hooked to the beach umbrellas or awning corners by bungy cords weight it down enough so sudden wind gusts keep your cover from flying away and it gives you extra water to drink if you need it. He can dump the water out for repacking the vehicle after his day is done.

Packing, unpacking and repacking his vehicle is going to be a major learning experience on it's own....it never ceased to amaze me how things that originally came out of the car managed to expand and no longer fit back in the car.

It just always seemed like the more severe the weather the smaller the bins shrank so the stuff that came out of em wouldn't go back in, then when finally filled, the bins expanded so they wouldn't go back into the car. I attributed it to 'magic weather syndrome'

[infinitypro]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

I sold ears of corn at our towns annual swapmeet, and made over 100 euros...they used to think that corn was just for feeding to pigs.

How much for the skateboard?

[SusieMisajon]

Re: tips to sell stuff at swamp meet

How much for the skateboard?

I bought the skateboard with the profits from the corn...complete with helmet, it was two Euros (about $2.50).

The 'funniest' part about the skateboard was that it wasn't until I was paying for it that I knew who was selling it...it was a kid that had, with a group of others, vandalized and burned down my house. I told him that he ought to GIVE me the thing as part-payment.