that_guy_zach

I have never been to a bike swap meet before and was thinking about setting up a booth to sell some of my random parts. I am curious about what to expect and how the people that sell come up with there pricing. Do you just go by Market value or Ebay, Cl etc?

beech333

Expect less than Ebay. If someone wanted to pay premium, why not buy online whenever you need it?

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

if its your first swap I'd highly recommend splitting a table with one or more people so you can have a chance to walk around the swap yourself and check it out. Otherwise you're sort of tied to your table selling stuff and watching your stuff.

Honestly if its your first one and you don't have a lot of stuff to sell I'd just forget trying to sell this time around and just go and experience the swap and suss out what the deal is.

To me there seems like there's 2 kinds of people selling parts. The guys with boxes of stuff set up on top of and in front of tables, with maybe a few items sitting on the table top...generally everything is coated in at least a thin layer of grime. The other type i see is the folks with everything laid out and cleaned off a least a bit..everything is priced and you can see everything they've got to offer.
I don't think one is better than the other or knows more or that you can even get a better deal with type A vs type B but its just interesting to me to see the ways people approach it.

Rule #1 though is bring cash and be prepared to get your Haggle on.

that_guy_zach

Well, I have about 5+ complete bikes and partials to take and tons of parts. I dont have a problem with some haggling though. I might just go down there and get a feel for it since its a once a month thing.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

5+ complete bikes will certainly draw good attention to your table.

gomango

The first few years, I'd wander and buy a goodie here and there, just like I did at SCCA swaps. Same for BMW owner's swaps.

Then I started to sell a bike here and there at the club's swaps.

Last winter, we moved five bikes due to the swap and brought a couple home afterward.

Sold an item or two at higher prices off the table, until a fellow offered me a reasonable price on three gruppos.

Closed the table down early.

dashuaigeh

the ones I typically go to have prices that vary from way below ebay value to almost-new prices. not surprisingly, the almost-new market value stuff usually doesn't sell. what actually sells always seems to be a surprise though - a friend's table (which included several paul, brooks, and other really nice items) only sold a cheap rack for the first 2 hours.

Grand Bois

I took my 18 year old daughter with me last time I sold at a swap. She sold a lot more parts than I did.

Be sure to have lots of small bills to make change.

ColonelJLloyd 

It is for this reason that when possible my wife or sister-in-law operate the merch table at my band's gigs. They always sell more than one of us sweaty dudes.

khatfull

Have any Dia-Compe 500G brake calipers? Sugino 44T, 110BCD chainring?

that_guy_zach

I might have the brakes. The only sugino I have is a mighty comp on the auction site.

LDB

How does one find out where these events take place?

Grand Bois

I only go to one and I just check their site for the date. https://www.theped.com/article_details.asp?idno=7

The fifth picture down is Curbtender holding the wheel and the blue and white Mondia that I should have bought.

that_guy_zach

This one is Frankenbike is Austin. Just google it, there site will pop up.

curbtender

https://theped.com/article_details.asp?idno=7 on 10/17/10

Rabid Koala

As a frequent buyer at bike swaps, I appreciate it when sellers have prices marked on the items. I can either get interested in a hurry or walk away.

ftwelder

Khat, you are a machine.

ebr898

I went to my first one last Sunday. It was hosted by LBS. I took the wrong approch though, at least for this swap meet. I worked late into the night( early morning) finishing all the little things to make a rack of about 10 bikes. After talking to a couple of guys regarding buying some of my bikes to rob them of parts, I relized I should have labed the parts, disassembled any partial projects and labled it all including extras out of the parts bin and went to bed early.

JunkYardBike

That'll be me! Shiny stuff sells at a higher price, and after all the time I spend cleaning a part with a toothbrush, I'm not going to give it away. Usually when prepping for a meet I start out thinking I'll offer a part for a bargain, but then my OCD kicks in and I start cleaning, and as I do, the price begins to inflate exponentially in my head. I use ebay as a guide and usually discount at least 10-15% on the final auction price, not including shipping, which is a further 'discount' to a buyer. I also sometimes put high prices on things I have no use for, but I'm not sure I want to sell. If someone is willing to pay the price, I'll sell it. If not, I'm not disappointed.

As a buyer, however, I'm much more interested in the grimy parts at bargain prices. I'm a certified bottom feeder.

fender1

I sold off a TON of old parts, frames, wheels etc. at the last T-Town swap in the spring.

I;

1. Cleared out most of the stuff I had accumulated and decided not to keep/use.

2. Got to spend the day with my brother, hang around lots of pretty cool, like minded people and drink a case of Victory Prima Pilsner.

3. Finally meet a number of BF friends in person.

4. Clear $2300 cash (no taxes, no paypal, no shipping, no CL flakes)

5. Made a large parts donation to the local bike co-op with the unsold products. Nothing was coming home.....I went to sell.

All in all a GREAT day topped off with a couple of Yocco's chili dogs on the way home. Why not go and take a shot? As for pricing, completed e-bay auctions are a decent place to start but people will always try and work you on the price so your pricing should reflect some wiggle room on your part.

KonAaron Snake 

I will only be going to swaps as a buyer going forward...unless I'm selling relatively minor stuff cheap that I want to get rid of. I don't mind not getting ebay pricing, but I've found that a lot of the buyers there are unreasonable and feel that every purchase has to be the deal of a life time. If you're looking to clear out mid-end stuff, it's a good way to do it...but if you're looking to sell higher end things, don't waste your time.