Well I have some products to sell at conventions, meets etc.
First is the cost of getting there with today's gas prices $40 to $60
Second For out of town meets there is hotel rooms, food, etc $170 +
Third the booth cost is way too high can be $300
Fourth Advertising is $35 to $100
Fifth hams are cheap -- one guy offered me half price for a book -- I asked
him which Chapter he wanted (;-)

The last convention I went to -- sold 50 products -- barely broke even
Ain't worth the time and effort
--
Lamont Cranston

The Shadow Knows
"LA Runabout" wrote in message
...
Often heard comments from hams attending a hamfest:

Where are all the dealers? How come there are way less dealers
this year? Why don't dealers come to hamfests anymore?

And if this is a business for you a good businessman would roll up their costs into the
price of their products adjusting for what the market will bear +/- selling based on
demand to get rid of the junk as a loss leader and sell the stuff that moves at a profit.

Haggling has always been part of sales.

Would you walk into a car dealership and pay sticker price ?

I wouldn't get bent out of shape over haggling.

I would get out of the business if it were not profitable.

Seems to be a big market these days for well trained bomb sniffing dogs.

Steve
N2UBP



In article W%xHc.780$TT2.321@fed1read01, says...
Well I have some products to sell at conventions, meets etc.
First is the cost of getting there with today's gas prices $40 to $60
Second For out of town meets there is hotel rooms, food, etc $170 +
Third the booth cost is way too high can be $300
Fourth Advertising is $35 to $100
Fifth hams are cheap -- one guy offered me half price for a book -- I asked
him which Chapter he wanted (;-)

The last convention I went to -- sold 50 products -- barely broke even
Ain't worth the time and effort
--
Lamont Cranston

The Shadow Knows
"LA Runabout" wrote in message

Steve Stone wrote:

Haggling has always been part of sales.

Would you walk into a car dealership and pay sticker price ?

Try walking into a Kroger store and saying, "I'll give you $3.50 for
this pork roast and that's my final offer."

I pay sticker for gasoline and electric power too.

Dave K8MN

In article , Dave Heil
writes:

Try walking into a Kroger store and saying, "I'll give you $3.50 for
this pork roast and that's my final offer."

I pay sticker for gasoline and electric power too.

Always wondered why most new consumer goods, from a head of lettuce to the big
ticket items like wide screen TVs, are "price as marked", but a few things like
cars are all about haggling. Except Saturns.

I've had good luck at hamfests by:

- Marking "asking" price on items so people have an idea what I think it's
worth.
- Marking "firm" if the price is not negotiable
- Offering stuff I just want to move as "name your price" or "make offer"

Of course eBay and the 'net have had a big effect on 'fests. We've essentially
got a worldwide 24/7 hamfest going on, either as an auction or outright sale.
Plus you can toss out "wanted to buy" posts. Only downside is you're dealing at
a distance and the whole packing/shipping/payment/insurance headache.

Why folks expect to get eBay prices at a hamfest is beyond me, though. If you
want eBay prices, go to eBay.

73 de Jim, N2EY

N2EY wrote:
In article , Dave Heil
writes:


Try walking into a Kroger store and saying, "I'll give you $3.50 for
this pork roast and that's my final offer."

I pay sticker for gasoline and electric power too.


Always wondered why most new consumer goods, from a head of lettuce to the big
ticket items like wide screen TVs, are "price as marked", but a few things like
cars are all about haggling. Except Saturns.

I've had good luck at hamfests by:

- Marking "asking" price on items so people have an idea what I think it's
worth.
- Marking "firm" if the price is not negotiable
- Offering stuff I just want to move as "name your price" or "make offer"

That's the way to do it! Somehow I suspect you don't hate the customer
either, eh?


Of course eBay and the 'net have had a big effect on 'fests. We've essentially
got a worldwide 24/7 hamfest going on, either as an auction or outright sale.
Plus you can toss out "wanted to buy" posts. Only downside is you're dealing at
a distance and the whole packing/shipping/payment/insurance headache.

And getting robbed one way or the other.


Why folks expect to get eBay prices at a hamfest is beyond me, though. If you
want eBay prices, go to eBay.


The bloom is fading from that rose anyway. I did a quick perusal of ham
related equipment, and the prices seemed quite similar to what I would
expect to pay at a flea. There will always be the occasional outrageous
selling price, either on the high or low end, but it looks as if sanity
may be coming home in Ebay.

- Mike KB3EIA -

In article , Mike Coslo writes:

I've had good luck at hamfests by:

- Marking "asking" price on items so people have an idea what I think it's
worth.
- Marking "firm" if the price is not negotiable
- Offering stuff I just want to move as "name your price" or "make offer"

That's the way to do it! Somehow I suspect you don't hate the customer
either, eh?

Exactly. I'll even carry stuff to people's cars.

Of course eBay and the 'net have had a big effect on 'fests. We've
essentially
got a worldwide 24/7 hamfest going on, either as an auction or outright
sale.
Plus you can toss out "wanted to buy" posts. Only downside is you're
dealing at
a distance and the whole packing/shipping/payment/insurance headache.

And getting robbed one way or the other.

I don't know what you mean, Mike. In seven years of online buying and selling
I've *never* had a real problem. Not on eBay, not on the reflectors or
newsgroups.

Why folks expect to get eBay prices at a hamfest is beyond me, though. If
you want eBay prices, go to eBay.

The bloom is fading from that rose anyway. I did a quick perusal of ham
related equipment, and the prices seemed quite similar to what I would
expect to pay at a flea. There will always be the occasional outrageous
selling price, either on the high or low end, but it looks as if sanity
may be coming home in Ebay.

Some forces are at work the

- eBay hit big back when the economy was booming and people had lots of
confidence in their financial futures. It wasn't that long ago that "retire at
55" was a catchphrase - and if the markets had kept climbing, it would have
been reality for a lot of folks. But since boom-dot-bust hit, there are a lot
more sellers and fewer price-no-object buyers

- eBay was a new phenomenon back then, too. Equivalent to a 24/7 hamfest. I saw
things for sale on eBay that I'd never seen in 37 years of hamming, like the
famous-but-overrated-in-my-opinion SX-88. Such a new environment is a perfect
setting to make things appear rarer than they really are, and prices followed.
Now, people have learned that if something was on eBay once, it's a very good
bet that sooner or later another one will show up.

- The inital impact of eBay was to raise a lot of expectations about price. The
first SX-88 I ever saw on ebay went for over $6,000, and the bidding was
furious. I'm sure a lot of folks saw that auction and went away with the
thought "an SX-88 is worth $6000" But less than two weeks later, a second SX-88
showed up and went for less than $4000. People remember the high price but
forget the low ones.

73 de Jim, N2EY

N2EY wrote:
In article , Mike Coslo writes:


I've had good luck at hamfests by:

- Marking "asking" price on items so people have an idea what I think it's
worth.
- Marking "firm" if the price is not negotiable
- Offering stuff I just want to move as "name your price" or "make offer"

That's the way to do it! Somehow I suspect you don't hate the customer
either, eh?


Exactly. I'll even carry stuff to people's cars.

Of course eBay and the 'net have had a big effect on 'fests. We've
essentially
got a worldwide 24/7 hamfest going on, either as an auction or outright
sale.
Plus you can toss out "wanted to buy" posts. Only downside is you're
dealing at
a distance and the whole packing/shipping/payment/insurance headache.

And getting robbed one way or the other.


I don't know what you mean, Mike. In seven years of online buying and selling
I've *never* had a real problem. Not on eBay, not on the reflectors or
newsgroups.

I had two experiences on Ebay. Was nailed both times. Once buying, once
selling. My recourse? Leave negative feedback.

If you haven't, that's great.

Ebay won't be really clean until they are held accountable for the
shenanigans that go on there. Once something big enough happens, that
will happen

- Mike KB3EIA -

Well Jim, at the hamfests within our local area/state it seems to be a TON
of junk, and not too much in the way of decent stuff from the past 10-15
years which is what I am looking for. It seems more like packrat mentality
types finally trying to get rid of stuff from 20-30 years ago. Do I really
need a damned Commodore 64 computer? I guess one mans junk is another mans
prize..... My impression is that hamfests are the equivalent of a a
yard/garage/rummage sale but for ham radio people. (private sellers, not
dealers that is)

Ryan KC8PMX





Why folks expect to get eBay prices at a hamfest is beyond me, though. If
you
want eBay prices, go to eBay.

73 de Jim, N2EY

In article , "Ryan, KC8PMX"
writes:

Well Jim, at the hamfests within our local area/state it seems to be a TON
of junk, and not too much in the way of decent stuff from the past 10-15
years which is what I am looking for.

One person's junk is another person's treasure. Watch the "Antiques Road Show"
and see how much people value some "junk".

It seems more like packrat mentality
types finally trying to get rid of stuff from 20-30 years ago.

Is that bad? What about old cars and furniture? Does age make something "bad"?

Do I really need a damned Commodore 64 computer?

Why is it "damned"?

The C64 was a wonder of its time. Of course it seems kinda limited today, but
so what? *You* don't have to buy it.

I guess one mans junk is another mans
prize..... My impression is that hamfests are the equivalent of a a
yard/garage/rummage sale but for ham radio people. (private sellers, not
dealers that is)

Exactly!

If somebody has a nice clean late-model rig, which venue do you think will
bring a higher price: a typical hamfest or eBay?


73 de Jim, N2EY

N2EY wrote:
In article , "Ryan, KC8PMX"
writes:


Well Jim, at the hamfests within our local area/state it seems to be a TON
of junk, and not too much in the way of decent stuff from the past 10-15
years which is what I am looking for.


One person's junk is another person's treasure. Watch the "Antiques Road Show"
and see how much people value some "junk".


It seems more like packrat mentality
types finally trying to get rid of stuff from 20-30 years ago.


Is that bad? What about old cars and furniture? Does age make something "bad"?


Do I really need a damned Commodore 64 computer?


Why is it "damned"?

The C64 was a wonder of its time. Of course it seems kinda limited today, but
so what? *You* don't have to buy it.

I would still recommend one as an example of a simple computer. A
person that spends a couple weeks with an old C-64, and learning a
little basic can move to newerfasterbetter with some idea of what is
going on in the thing.

I am probably the only person in North America that would recommend
such a thing....



I guess one mans junk is another mans
prize..... My impression is that hamfests are the equivalent of a a
yard/garage/rummage sale but for ham radio people. (private sellers, not
dealers that is)


Exactly!

If somebody has a nice clean late-model rig, which venue do you think will
bring a higher price: a typical hamfest or eBay?

A year ago I would have said Ebay. That is changing.


- Mike KB3EIA -