First table at a gun show

[sidecarmike]

sidecarmike, it seems that most of what I said sailed over your head. In the first place you have no idea what I got for items I sold . You might be surprised how much I got for some of my 2 dollar treasures. What part about 1800 bucks in a little over 24 hours don't you get.--- If you don't agree with me. I really don't care.

I don't care either. I'm only stating my opinion and that of a family member who sells. She says $750 a day above your investment and expenses is about average. but she's surprised you could make that without organizing. More power to you.

[Hawkeye45]

This reminds me of a bunch of guys sitting around a pot bellied stove with their favorite beverage.
Love it !!

Mr. Ed

[Monttexan]

One handy trick: move stuff around on your table part way through the show. As stated earlier lots of folks will walk through a show to see what's there and then go back to take a closer look at what they're interested in. If something has changed about your table it can make them pause to see what it is. It can be as small as flipping one handgun over and you will see it catch people's attention. Mid afternoon on Saturday swap some of your ammo around and see what happens.

[00buck]

bring a buddy so you can take breaks and look around

[rockrat]

Also, you will probably get someone you don't know , stop in front of your table, and tell stories, some gun related, most not, for about 10-15min. All the while, he is in the middle of the table, blocking others from getting to and looking at your merchandise. Never fails. Forgot, gun oil, to go with the cloths, to wipe off fingerprints of parents/kids who are eating salty popcorn while handling your stuff.

Those that tell you to hold it for them, they will be "right back", but never show. Finally started to ask for a deposit to hold it for 15 min., usually they decline. Lost a decent sale in the early days, telling a cash customer that the item was spoken for, guy never came back to get it.

[waksupi]

It is surprising how much you can make in a weekend. Last one I set up at, I made around $2500, and it didn't seem like anything was gone from what I had to haul back home.

Kalispell Spring Gun Show is the last weekend in March, always a good show in the past. Best one of the year here, lots of variety, with some real high quality stuff showing up at times. If anyone out of the area wants tables, I have the contact info if you need it. I still haven't decided whether to set up, or not.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Also, you will probably get someone you don't know , stop in front of your table, and tell stories, some gun related, most not, for about 10-15min. All the while, he is in the middle of the table, blocking others from getting to and looking at your merchandise. Never fails. Forgot, gun oil, to go with the cloths, to wipe off fingerprints of parents/kids who are eating salty popcorn while handling your stuff.

Those that tell you to hold it for them, they will be "right back", but never show. Finally started to ask for a deposit to hold it for 15 min., usually they decline. Lost a decent sale in the early days, telling a cash customer that the item was spoken for, guy never came back to get it.

Yep, nothing is much more annoying then the "Be back"...except when a friend does it to you.

A few years, I had a 8 3/8 S&W mod 57 on the table for $350. It had a couple issues, but still a great deal on a shooter. It seemed to catch everyone's eye, but no takers on the first morning, I was surprised, I figure it'd go right away.

Well, my friend wanted it bad, and he made several offers for a trade, then haggled me down in a cash price...then asked me to hold it for him til the next day, so he could ask the wife for permission. I told him, he better bring cash, but I ain't holding it for you. The gun sold about 30 minutes later to someone else. He showed up the next day with the cash, and he was quite upset that it was sold. He brings this up everytime we run into each other, and I bring up a dozen "Be back" stories I've experienced over the years, where they never came back...and of course I give him krap about asking the wife for permission for a $300 gun...Heck he is a Big Union guy, making Big Bucks.

[6bg6ga]

You did the right thing. If you had waited for your friend there is a very good chance that his wife would have told him no and you would have turned down a sure sale. Business and friendship simply don't mix. My wife and I have an agreement. She buys her stuff and I buy mine up to a limit of 1K and anything over that we discuss.

[waksupi]

With the "I'll be back's", as they are walking away, I tell them it goes to whoever shows cash first. Sometimes that will push them over the edge for a buy.

[MUSTANG]

An old saying of used car salesmen:

"If Be Backs were Green Backs; your wallet would be full"

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Mike, you still don't get it. When I sell at the gun show or swap meet, the last thing I want people to think is that I'm organized. When I walk thru a show or swap meet and I pass someone that has everything in neat rows with little price tags on each item, It tells me, this person knows exactly what his stuff is worth. No bargains here. When I sell, I price nothing because I want buyers to think I'm a poor rube that doesn't know the real value of what he is selling. If your family member sells a new product then my method will not work for her. I will give you a good example of what I am talking about. I was walking thru a swap meet on a Saturday and I saw this man dressed in bib overalls wearing a straw hat and a red bandana around his neck. He was selling old tractor seats and other old farm related gear. He had his act down pat complete with a rube accent and a lot of aw shucks. I waited until he had no one else looking and struck up a conversation with him. After a short wait I asked him, what do you do for a living and he said" I'm an engineer for McDonald- Douglas". The last thing you would call his display was organized and nothing had prices on it but he was doing very well. If you want to make money by selling anywhere there is one rule you must adhere to, you make money on an item, not when you sell but when you buy it and when you sell it you need to price it slightly below market value. This rule has worked very well for me. My father who was born in 1895 could never understand why anyone would pay me good money for some old piece of rusty junk or an old oak chest. He grew up with the stuff and he had no use for it. He liked things that were new and shiny. I told him over and over, I don't care. All I care about is that they will. As I am typing this I can look to my right and see fours shelves of old toy cannons, cradle phones from the 1930s, old kerosene lamps, carbide miners lamp, antique coffee grinder, butter mold and an old walnut boot jack and other items. I only bought one item. The coffee grinder. I paid 10 bucks for it. I could take it all to a show this coming weekend and sell it to the last item but I couldn't buy it back. The items I wrote about selling in my first thread I could sell today for twice as much. You have to guess when to let go. A number of people who replied to my first post said they passed any table that didn't have each item priced. I didn't have that problem. Most of the time I had a crowd at my table and I was taking in money so fast my wife couldn't stop to count it. That is something women love to do. My wife wouldn't let me leave her even to go to the rest room. I finally said I have to go. When I got back there people waiting for me. I figured out that I spent a total of thirteen hours selling at that show between Friday and Saturday and I sold as I said , a little over $1800. I didn't learn all this over night. It is a slow learning process and you will make mistakes. You have to learn from them. What I have told you has worked well for me. You are free to take my advice or not, as I said, I really don't care.

[RogerDat]

Seems to me there is a difference between the type of items being sold that would influence if it needs to be organized or not. Boxes of ammo are a different item than assorted mil-surp pouches and carry bags. The ammo needs to be at least organized enough that I can locate what you have that I shoot. A number of bins full of interesting "stuff" in no particular order might get me to stop just to see what there is.

Unless you know the going price and/or your cost you can't price it. If your selling ammo you can probably figure out a price that represents an acceptable profit and a price that will look good to a buyer. I would at least put a price card in front of ammo. Price drives commodity purchase more than it does durable goods. Bullets being a commodity are something people will impulse purchase on seeing a good price, nice firearm or reloading press the impulse to buy is based on wanting to own it. Possibly more room to dicker on that type of item, especially if used, or bundled with some accessories.
Think of it this way people buy nails differently than they buy tools. I need some nails, I want to have the tool.

[osteodoc08]

TES,

So how'd it go?

[gravel]

if you are selling a firearm, have a bore light or at least a mini flashlight so folks can see the bore.

if you are selling a firearm, have some (cheaper) ammo for it. you can use it to sweeten a deal. or just sell it to the gun buyer.

have some plastic bags so people don't have to carry small items in their hands or pockets.

[remy3424]

Set-up at a gun show for the first time a year ago, had a good time, sold most of the excess **** I took(no firearms), reinvested most of the money into a varmint rifle. The show I went to is only shooting related stuff, none of the other BS that you often see at the big shows. Bringing table cloths is a great tip. If you get POed here I can't image doing well with people face to face..... Everyone has their own ways to do things, just cause it is different that yours, it does mean they are wrong, just the way they choose to conduct their business. Let us know how it went.

[Boyscout]

To re-emphasize what Rockrat said, don't let a non-buyer tie you up. One thing I hate more than anything else is a vendor that makes me work hard to spend my money. Nothing is worse than waiting behind a non-buying know-it-all and struggling to get a quick question in before trying to buy.

I once waited five minutes for a vendor while he complained to one of his buddies about one thing after another. Instead of buying his cast bullets, I found another vendor who had a bunch of Lee casting equipment and the rest is history. As a side-note, both vendors still do the show and the one that was too busy for me is still too busy for me.