Here I am back again.

I was at IG this year as early as Monday just because I wanted a handicapped space as close to the front door as possible.
Me, no vending outside, just a few things on the bed, mostly for guys who had asked me to bring items with me. Didn't care about the auction other than what I said above, 1/2 on Wednesday, 1/2 Thursday.

No real problems about the entire show, every thing seemed to slide along smoothly. The weather was great, yes a little hot, but nothing like it usually is in Iowa.

Now....If the promoters tell us the set up is Tuesday, well, I saw many trucks on the lot on Monday. The big outside area was already blocked off, but it was opened for anyone who wanted to get to their spots. I have no idea what they did as for selling something or if, did they tell everyone, "I cannot sell anything until tomorrow?"

That is just what every swap meet is about and we cannot do anything about it. Years ago I pulled in to Carlisle on the Monday of a week long event, I spotted a air meter (my specialty) and I purchased it. He didn't say wait to the event is "officially started." If you have a chance to sell anything you have, regardless of what day it is, "it is sold."

The same problems we are discussing about above are the same things we have brought up for years "the show lasts through Friday, but I cannot get to the meet until....."

I missed a few IG meets over the last few years, but I did attend the second one and over 25 ones after that.

I am sure there a few guys who complained back in the early 1990's that most of the vendors were gone when they got there, but, can we ask those same buyers "did you not learn how you needed to get to the meet sooner?" Most of us old guys soon learned when to be there to get the best buys.

In the early 1990s we got there on the day it started and we left when we felt it was not worth another night at a motel.

There were guys who complained no one was there on the last day. The next year those who came late the previous year came early, but again there were those who came on the last day, and again the next year they came earlier. This is how we learn.

If you were to ask guys about their first trips to IG, I believe many would tell you they came late an no one was there. But they learned. First, find items to sell, second get there early, be prepared to be there for a couple of days.

I really wish I didn't have to say this, but these shows (CTO, IG) have become nothing like what we were accustomed to back in the 1990s. Back in the 1990s my tables were full of gas pump parts and maybe a globe, today the tables are filled with signs and globes selling for (let me say high dollars). Today, don't look for gas pump parts "ASK." Years ago we usually had to ask about a pump part, now pump parts are to be found on tables of guys who specialize on selling gas pump parts. Now table are filled with high dollar globes and signs.

Again, what is all of the above about? It is about your first trip to a large show like OG and CTO. You will probably be disappointed, mainly because you came late and you found that the prices of the signs and globes are way beyond your present reach. But, you need to start somewhere. Start planning now, get the days off you need to attend these shows for more than a few days, save every penny over the year so that you have some money to purchase that one item you found. Now that you have learned what we are selling and buying, start looking for these things. The next year, sell anything you want to get rid of by putting it on the bed of the room you are using.
By now, you should have gained this certain mentality of buying and selling. If you have learned how to find and buy things and bring them to the next show. Donn't expect to make money, just hope to cover your expenses. Use a trip to IG or CTO to learn what is selling and what things are selling for.
This hobby has expanded so much since the early 1990s even us old timers need to look and realize where this hobby is going.

Start learning now, but do not stop.

Jack Sim


Last edited by Jack Sim; Wed Aug 16 2017 02:23 AM.

Author, 1st & 2nd editions of Gas Pump ID book, 3rd edition is now available at www.gaspumpbible.com
Air Meter ID book also available