justaguy168 

I have two bicycles to sell at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center (aka Trexlertown) Velofest Swap Meet. I've never sold nor been there before. I know to get there very very early. Does anybody have any advice for selling a bicycle there? The two bicycles were featured in previous posts:

1. Circa 1983 Austro Damlier Puch Vent Noir Black Anodized
2. Circa 1970s Zeus

Am I allowed to advertise on this forum that I'm selling it there? I'd prefer to sell them to someone who wouldn't part them out but I'm sure I don't have any control over that. I've heard a lot of bad things about selling stuff on eBay so I abandoned that option. If I don't get my price, I'll try selling it on these forums.


Thanks in advance.

KonAaron Snake 

My advice is not to sell a bike there unless you're OK with deep discount, and dealing with chuckle heads. I buy bikes at T-town, I don't sell there. Folks after vintage stuff there are either after something exceedingly rare/specific or they're after DEEP discount. I see it as a way for flippers to sell the stuff they don't want to deal with to other flippers, or for hobbyists who are just tired of clutter and looking to get rid of stuff.

You bought your membership, so you can post the bikes on the for sale forum here.

I'd wager that A-D will garner some interest here...some folks love those, and while you're unlikely to get max pricing, you'll do as well here as t-town I'd wager...with less BS. The Zeus might get a bite as well.

BTW - I don't know Zeus well enough to have much of an opinion, but I thought the prices being thrown out on the evaluation thread seemed EXTREMELY high. I assure you you aren't getting anywhere near the lowest quoted number at t-own.

justaguy168 

KonAaron, thanks for the advice! BTW, I like your Frejus and Sachs bicycles and your Mooney collection.

-holiday76

+1 that t-town is a mostly a buyers market vs sellers. As a seller it's a good place to get rid of a bunch of **** for not much money.

That said I did sell a Gios for $700 there a few years back. That's probably what it was worth.

Pemetic2006

I'll be going to this for the first time in probably 5 years. Hoping to maybe score an 80's lugged MTB.

KonAaron Snake 

Thanks, and GLWS!

jgedwa

If I am not mistaken, everyone on this forum therefore qualifies as a chuckle head. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Jim

fender1

I went twice as a seller. People will approach you in the parking lot before set up and check out your stuff as your unloading. They may even make an offer or two. If they sound good, take them up on it.
Bring a metric/standard tape measure and a set of digital calipers. Perspective buyers appreciate precise measurements.
Bring some basic bike related tools just incase.
I used small pieces of blue painters tape to attach to items to list asking prices. It makes it easier for people to buy or negotiate.
Be prepared to negotiate if you want to actually sell things. As was said before, this is not a physical manifestation of an ebay auction. Too many people approach selling at this event from a "collector" mindset. You should only bring things you don't want to bring home. Price accordingly.
Do not sit behind your table staring at perspective buyers. Stand in front of your table to draw people in by saying "Hello", smiling etc.


I sold lots of mid range parts,frames & few whole bikes.
Bring beer (if you drink). Bring food.
Bring a bunch of small bills to make change.

fender1

Guilty as charged.

Pemetic2006

What time is a good time to get there to check out bikes before the masses arrive?

-holiday76

thats great advice. Drinking definitely made it better.

Pemetic2006

I'll get that at 4 am. That should be early enough.

KonAaron Snake 

I think they sell beer at the swap, no? They do for the races.

Pemetic2006

I don't recall seeing beer at the swap but I haven't been there in a few years.

fender1

They do but I brought my own cooler.

Philly Tandem

Yes, they do sell beer and food at the concession stand during the event.

Some thoughts from a seller (few times) and a buyer (many times), and also a former outdoor specialty store retail manager are below. I'm trying to decide whether to get a booth this weekend. I need to clean out my garage, but it's a lot of work to get ready to sell...

Sellers:
1. Don't be lazy. Give your sale items a basic cleaning. Put a price on each item. For items with multiple pieces (brakes, etc.) put them all in a Ziploc bag and write what it is and the price on the outside. Organize your table by what the item is (brakes together, derailleurs, etc.); don't just throw them all in a box. Buyers will (unconsciously) pay a premium for a clean, well-packaged, and priced item. Your work before the sale will pay off in better prices and increased sales.
1a. Price your items fairly to begin with, but have some wiggle room in the price as people expect to haggle. This isn't Ebay, and you want get Ebay prices. You also won't pay Ebay and Paypal fees, have to deal with shipping, etc., so it works out in the end.
1b. Realize that you are running a pop-up retail store. To get maximum value for your booth investment, think like a retailer!
2. Bring tables to display your stuff on. Nobody likes to bend over and look at stuff on a blanket (unless it's big stuff, like frames, wheels, etc.). Walmart sell reasonably priced folding plastic tables. Or rent them at a local rental place for a few dollars for the day.
3. A cheap canopy/tent is nice for the sun and rainy days, but not 100% necessary.
4. Expensive bikes are hard to sell at the swap, unless they are very competitively priced. Be prepared to have plenty of people look at the bike, but not buy. Have some note cards or something with your name, phone or e-mail address to give to people who seem really interested, in case they want to buy later. It's rare that a person is coming to T-town looking to buy a $3,000 Co-Motion tandem (as I saw last spring), or carrying that amount of cash, but they might look at it, go home and think about it, and then give you a call.
5. If you just have two bikes to sell, it's probably not worth getting a booth on your own for $70. Some people walk around inside the swap with their bike with a "For Sale" sign on it. Or, get there very early, park as close to the entrance as you can, and put the bikes on a roof rack with a For Sale sign and your phone number. Make sure you lock them with a good lock!
6. You can get there the night before and camp out if you want in the parking lot. Lots of people do it, and nobody will bother you. No open bathrooms, though. Bring earplugs, as people are arriving throughout the night and aren't terribly quiet. The hardcore guys are out prowling the lot for stuff well before dawn. BTW, the egg, cheese, and pork roll sandwich at the concession stand is very good for breakfast!
7. Private sellers get two early entrance wristbands, which allow you in an hour or so before the unwashed masses so you can set up. Usually I'm by myself when selling, and I've sold the extra wristband for $20-25 to recoup some of my cost to someone waiting outside who was super-excited to get in before the sale opened and get first dibs on the good deals.
8. If you want to buy and sell, it's good to have a second person with you to mind the shop while you wander around. If not, then get there right when set up starts, put your tables in your spot, but don't set up your stuff. Wander around and look at what people are selling, then come back and set up your items to sell. (See #1: if you weren't lazy, then setting up is easy and everything is priced and organized already and all you do is put it out.) Mainly the people looking at your stuff before the sale opens are other sellers looking to get something cheap and flip it in their booth, so why bother selling?
9. Be polite to people, even if they are trying to beat you down on price (well, unless they are being a jerk). That's the way the game works. Often they will come around and buy it, or walk away and then come back. This assumes that your stuff is priced fairly to begin with (see 1a.). Although I have told people that were being overly rude that I'm not interested in selling to them at all.
10. Engage people in conversation. Don't just sit there and glare at them as they shop. This is Retail 101! We all share a common passion, so it's not that hard to make small talk. Comment on something they are carrying that they bought ("Wow, nice set of wheels! Did you get a good deal on them?"). Or if they are looking at an item you are selling, comment on it and reinforce why they should buy it and how it will make their life infinitely better. If they seem really interested, and you have some price flexibility, throw out a lower price to them proactively to make them feel like they have to buy it. ("It's marked $20, but if you can use it I'll let it go for $17 to have it go to a good home.")
11. Be willing to educate about what you are selling. Again, Retail 101. I'm always amazed by the people that are there buying stuff to fix up a bike, and have NO idea about what they are buying or what they need.
12. Make friends early on with the people in the booths next to you. You may need to ask them to cover for you while you run to the bathroom!
13. Bring a tarp to cover your items with in case you need to leave the booth for a few minutes. It won't really "protect" your items, but people are much less likely to mess with your table if it's covered.
14. Bring a hand truck to move your stuff to/from the infield. You can drive your car in before and after the sale, but it's not worth the hassle unless you have a lot of stuff.
15. Bring plenty of small bills to make cash. Lots of $1s and $5s, some $10s. (Go to the bank the day before, not the ATM the day of.) Don't lose a sale because you can't make change!

Buyers:
1. Don't be a jerk! Be polite when you negotiate. There's a good and a bad way to make an offer. Good: "Would you consider $5 for this?" Bad: "I'll give you $5." Chat up the seller before you start to negotiate. When selling I've often given a great price to someone if they have engaged with me and I feel like they could really use the item. I've even given out a few things for free if it seemed like the right thing to do. If the person won't come down in price then just thank them and walk away. If their prices are way too high (as often happens), then offer what you think it is really worth. They probably won't take it, though, at least early on. You don't need to be the hero and tell them that their item is stupidly overpriced. The market will do that. If you are at the sale near the end, go back to their booth and offer to buy it again at the lower price.
2. Take a good-sized backpack to haul your purchases.
3. If you are looking for specific sizes of items, bring a tape measure and calipers. Don't assume that the seller's measurements are correct. Always check for yourself before you buy!
4. Bring a few slips of paper with your name and contact info on them. Maybe you see something you really want, but can't get it for the price you are willing to pay. Give the seller your contact info and tell him/her to give you a call if they want to sell it at your price.
5. Bring plenty of small bills. Lots of $1s and $5s. No seller likes breaking your $20 for a $2 sale. It also makes it easier to make lower-priced offers. If you want to offer $7 on a $10 item, get the $7 in exact cash out and hold it out as you make your offer. "Would you consider $7 for this?" As a seller, it's hard to resist someone waving cash at you!
6. If you see something that you really want, the time to buy it is then. Don't walk away and "think about it," as it might not be there when you get back.
7. If you want the really good deals, stay until the very end. People literally give stuff away.
8. If you are looking for a specific item, educate yourself beforehand on current values (use Ebay/Craigslist, etc.) so you have a good idea of what to spend.
9. Carefully look over whatever you are buying. It's Buyer Beware at swap meets. When you buy it, it's yours. Don't think you can go back an hour later saying "I just noticed..." and get a refund.
11. If you didn't bring enough cash, the Wawa convenience store out on Rt 100 has a no-fee ATM.
12. Have fun!

KonAaron Snake 

This is excellent advice.

FWIW, I bought a tandem at what I thought was a bit to high of a price because I wanted it.

Generally I think the swap is good for selling a bunch of stuff you want to get rid of, I don't think it's great for selling higher dollar parts, or pricier complete vintage bikes. Folks want deep discount.

As a buyer, I love it. And at the end of the day you can usually find deals like 50 tubes for fifty dollars, slashed prices on tires, etc. Many of the best vintage deals happen over night in the parking lot, but not all.

I dilly dallied on a Merckx, finally made up my mind, and watched it sell in front of me.

Philly Tandem

Agreed. It's great for the kind of stuff most of us have in boxes in our garage. Not worth throwing out because it's perfectly good stuff, but not worth dealing with the hassle of Ebay or CL. My goal there is to #1 clean out my garage, #2 have some fun, and #3 make a few extra dollars over my vendor fee. The first time I went I made $1000 on lots of little stuff, but that was years of accumulation.

For higher-end stuff, like a Phil Wood hub, Ebay is going to be better. (As an aside, anyone interested in a nice Phil 36-spoke cassette hub that I have for sale? :-)