Hams Gripe At Hamfests
 

So what you are saying is that hams attending hamfests should buy damaged radios at list
price ?

Everyone likes a bargain. Everyone likes to make a profit.

Somewhere in between there is a middle ground.

Steve
N2UBP

In article , says...
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?




Often heard comments from hams at a hamfest when speaking
to a dealer at a hamfest:

Hey, how come youze guys dont have special hamfest prices?
Your prices are way too high.
Will you take a $100 less for this rig, since we're at a hamfest?
When are youze guys going to bring rigs to hamfests that people

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

"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?




Often heard comments from hams at a hamfest when speaking
to a dealer at a hamfest:

Hey, how come youze guys dont have special hamfest prices?
Your prices are way too high.
Will you take a $100 less for this rig, since we're at a hamfest?
When are youze guys going to bring rigs to hamfests that people
wanna buy?
You guys stink, I can do better through your competitor's catalog.
This rig is scratched, will you take $250 off the marked price?
Hey, tell me about this new rig (takes up 35 mins of salesman's time,
then walks away saying he can get it for less.)




Comment Dealer makes when asked by hamfest committee
to set up at a hamfest:

Not worth my time or the expense.


Only one word that created this environment: Ebay

"UR 59 OM" wrote in message
...

Ironically, at any given hamfest where there is a boneyard, CBers, truck
drivers, pirate broadcasters, boat owners, commercial fishermen, &
others looking for 2nd hand unlicensed radios are cruising the boneyard
and paying top dollar, without complaining or whining aboout the price.

I know of guys who travel from hamfest to hamfest, selling reconditioned
ham a.m. xmtrs to pirausite broadcasters, amplifiers to CBers, HF rigs to
truck drivers, etc. They are paid the price as marked, top dollar, no
haggling with cheap skate hams. And business couldn't be better.

And spare me the typical ham whining about the illegality of doing this.
I am NOT the guy selling the stuff, only making an observation of what
I see at hamfests.


UR 59 OM


So haggling is whining to you? Not that there aren't some whiners in the ham
ranks. They are everywhere these days.

I used to work for a commercial two-way radio business as a salesman. On
Friday night or Saturday, I'd earn some extra change by working in the
amateur radio side of the business. What a contrast it was between selling
to business folks on cold calls during the week and standing behind a
counter on the weekend. Too bad I didn't earn the same commission on the
amateur side as I earned on the commercial side.

Heck, the owners didn't make as much on amateur gear as I, their salesman,
made on commercial gear. The mark up just isn't there. I don't know why
anyone would waste their time selling ham gear. The profit is miniscule.

Ed, NM2K

How the heck can you blame eBay for this? Are you one of those hams that
blames eBay for everything? eBay is just an avenue to sell. I think eBay
is fine as you as you don't overpay/overbid - if you do, it's because of
your own stupidity and through no fault of eBay.

If dealers don't want to go to hamfests, who cares. It's their business to
run as they see fit.

"©" wrote in message news:wpBHc.49927$%_6.19179@attbi_s01...

"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?




Often heard comments from hams at a hamfest when speaking
to a dealer at a hamfest:

Hey, how come youze guys dont have special hamfest prices?
Your prices are way too high.
Will you take a $100 less for this rig, since we're at a hamfest?
When are youze guys going to bring rigs to hamfests that people
wanna buy?
You guys stink, I can do better through your competitor's catalog.
This rig is scratched, will you take $250 off the marked price?
Hey, tell me about this new rig (takes up 35 mins of salesman's time,
then walks away saying he can get it for less.)




Comment Dealer makes when asked by hamfest committee
to set up at a hamfest:

Not worth my time or the expense.


Only one word that created this environment: Ebay

In article , says...
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?




Often heard comments from hams at a hamfest when speaking
to a dealer at a hamfest:

Hey, how come youze guys dont have special hamfest prices?
Your prices are way too high.
Will you take a $100 less for this rig, since we're at a hamfest?
When are youze guys going to bring rigs to hamfests that people


On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 13:55:35 GMT, Steve Stone
wrote:


So what you are saying is that hams attending hamfests should buy damaged radios at list
price ?

Everyone likes a bargain. Everyone likes to make a profit.

Somewhere in between there is a middle ground.

Steve
N2UBP

Besides... If we wanted to pay retail, we'd just go mail order.
Hamfests are where one goes to look for a bargain.

Raymond Sirois KU2S
SysOp: The Lost Chord BBS
607-733-5745
telnet://thelostchord.dns2go.com:6000

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

Subject: Hams Gripe At Hamfests
From: KU2S
Date: 7/9/2004 10:27 PM Central Standard Time
Message-id:

Besides... If we wanted to pay retail, we'd just go mail order.
Hamfests are where one goes to look for a bargain.

Not me!...I go to check out the hot babes!

(gurglegurglechokechoke ! ! ! !)

73

Steve, K4YZ

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