I read many of your posts about getting these reely amazing finds,I haven't been a member long and mainly look at Ebay for Vintage reels,I am not a yard sale person but, I know that is where my cousin(1st Class yard sale haggler) finds quite a few treasures for cheap.Are there any swap meets in the southeastern USA,near Georgia?
Check the internet using your location. Also look for yard sales in your area listing fishing tackle. Use the internet just like using ebay. Rudy
Local digital classified ads have been pretty good, as long as I'm not looking for something specific...Bill
Good advice so far. I'll add another option
Also check estate sales in your area
In the southeast you have a lot of really big flea-markets...you also have some decent antique malls. I've recently scored some great reels at antique malls. The Penns and Ocean Cities will be over priced but there are deals to be had on spinners. I recently saw two mint DAM Quicks for $25 each. I left them for someone else. You typically can't haggle at an antique mall because the seller isn't usually present.
Don't overlook pawn shops. There's a lot of junk there but there are gems too...and you can haggle. I recently picked up a Bantam Baitcaster for $30 and I love it. You have to do a lot of looking before you can do a little buying but you can get lucky.
On the west coast we have tackle swap-meets. These are sponsored by fishing clubs, boat shops, etc. I don't know how I find out about them but I go whenever I hear of one. There's always a lot to see there and haggling is encouraged (if not demanded). This is where you can pick up some real classics if you're willing to paw through the bins. Last one I went to I got a DAM Quick 700 baitcaster for $15. I just picked it up because I had never actually held one before. It was marked $40 and the vendor just spoke up and said I could have it for $15. Sometimes there's guys liquidating their collections and you can get some real honest deals without the eBay gamble. I would suggest googling key phrases like "tackle swap meet" and see if anything pops up in your area.
Good luck
-Mike
Hire/persuade your cousin to keep an eye out for old reels and text a photo to you when he sees something. You're more likely to find something rare and inexpensive at a residential yard sale than a flea market.
Craigslist is great. Lots of people don't know the value of grandpappys old gear, but they do know they need money.
I've gotten some crazy deals, and passed many more along to friends. I've got a couple browser windows with previously fruitful search terms that I keep open and refresh a few times a week to see if anything wild popped up. You may not see anything amazing on the first search. But crazy stuff pops up from time to time, and id you arent checking you won't see it.
If you do this: "include surrounding areas" is a must.
estate sales & little impromptu flea-markets, rather than big established ones
like churches, gun clubs, etc. -- where fishing is secondary
not so much, fishing clubs where "the good stuff" is likely overvalued
Do they still use the term "rummage sale" way down yonder?
Greg,I "ain't" heard rummage sale in a while, but do remember the term.I have had pretty good success on ebay except for the last 2 reels a 308 stated ready to fish... needed a bail spring and had incorrect screws in various places.A DQ 220 was missing some parts to make it functional, luckily Fred has them.I would just like to see some in person and just find a treasure where you least expect it.Me and my high school buddy use to just drive the south Georgia countryside on weekends long ago looking for old cars.We would see muscle cars in barns covered in dirt with trees growing out of them in a grandma's backyard.
Quote from: Gfish on July 13, 2021, 03:42:45 PM
Do they still use the term "rummage sale" way down yonder?
Not only that we got's Sundries, Doo Dad's ,Knick Knacks and What Not's !
My Grand daddy use to walk over to our house and ask "you got Ary pipe wrench". I have never heard anyone else say it except him.
Most of the local fishing clubs have a swap meet day.
go to facebook and look up your local fishing clubs, then ask when their swap meet is scheduled usually.
my spoonplugging club just had it, I picked 2 rods and 2 abu ambass reels for $50.
Kramer gave me a minnkota charger that needs new cables, I plan on splicing cables and giving it to some who can use it in the club.
Quote from: jgp12000 on July 12, 2021, 11:47:05 PM
I read many of your posts about getting these reely amazing finds,I haven't been a member long and mainly look at Ebay for Vintage reels,I am not a yard sale person but, I know that is where my cousin(1st Class yard sale haggler) finds quite a few treasures for cheap.Are there any swap meets in the southeastern USA,near Georgia?
All of the ideas above are very good. And I enjoy doing these various venues also — when time and opportunity allow.
There is another aspect that few folks will understand, appreciate, or even believe — and that is OK. It is not for everyone —
This is just what works for me — and has been successful over the decades.
———————————-
The true art of buying starts with a plan, gaining as much knowledge as possible about what we want to accumulate — and most of all...making the seemingly little contacts a necessary priority.
Our reputation needs to be one of buying quickly with no drama or indecision.
It should take no longer than 30 seconds to make a deal.
It boils down to 3 things — AGREE, PASS, or COUNTER — in less than 30 seconds — then move on to the next deal. This is true with shows, swap meets, online venues, and private offerings.
Then, once a reputation is developed for buying quickly and at a fair price — there will be many opportunities that come to the surface. I buy everything in a lot without cherry-picking. The stuff I don't need can always be sold for some sensible number — at some point down the road.
Sellers want to sell and get rid of stuff — and buyers that are fair and reliable — are appreciated and remembered for other future opportunities. Most of which are not offered to the general public — just to the fair and reliable buyer that they have done good business with previously.
For me, I let folks know that I will buy (1) reel, an old tackle box of junk, or multiple truckloads — no drama, no haggling, no wasted time or embarrassment for either party — and a genuine appreciation for the seller and their offerings.
Our experience helps to separate the solid folks from the chiselers — and everyone benefits.
Sounds easy — it's not. But it is dead simple.
Best, Fred
How's about the good ol' Church Bazaar, do they still use that term?
Sounds kinda dumb, but when you counter offer, flash the green like a card hand. I've seen it done by car buyer-seller-dealers twice. No effect on me but they wouldn't be doing it unless it worked. "You can have this money, or keep your stuff".
One guy that came to our house, flashed a giant roll of $17,000 in hundreds, at my wife and I, then told us he was $1,000 short of the agreed on 18-grand vehicle price,
'cause his kid needed to pay rent. His pretty, well endowed wife was with him, probably to distract me. The nerve of that guy... They came back latter with the thou., for the agreed on price, but had "an attitude" during the rest of the transaction, especially his wife(all towards me). Some people!
Just Call BR549 !
Bring the Wife We'll Dicker !
I get folks who try the cash gimmick on me — or they say their wife won't let them buy it for that much money right now.
For the cash chiselers — I generally raise the price $1000 on them after that sort of dishonest grinding stunt. There is always another buyer — no worries.
For the guy who wants something and agrees to a price — then comes back saying that his wife won't let him buy it — I tell him that is certainly a relief, because I really needed to ask my wife if it is OK to sell it to you!
I just laugh about the shenanigans some people try to pull when money is involved.
Best, Fred
Reminds me of the time I was at a gun show and I heard someone ask,"How much for just the grips?" and the vendor answered,"$600 but you get a free pistol with them!"
-Mike
I use to get people who would say (I can get that from Joe Blows's for a lot less .) To which I would reply
good , Joe know's what his Crap is Worth .
It is important to remember —
While we may recall the wanna-be chiselers and cheats — the vast majority of buyers and sellers are extremely honest.
90% of the time with the general public — fairness, trust, and solid transactions are in play.
On the Alan Tani site — it is 100%.
We can buy and sell our work, items, and our stuff — but our integrity is not for sale — and never will be.
Best, Fred
Another trick that got a friend of mine,while looking at a lot,the realtor gets a call.The realtor then tells my friend another couple is coming to put a deposit down in 30 minutes.This may have been true but I think it was a trick and he rushed into buying this lot he can't unload now,impulse buy.He kicks himself all the time about it.The way I look at it you can get deals but, if you don't feel peace about it or it doesn't work out for some reason, it wasn't meant to be.Now if I ran across a deal that's a no brainer even if I don't need it, I could sell it for a profit.I know the land was a larger sum of money than a reel,most of us would have to sleep on before buying. I generally discuss anything over $100 with my better half,unless it's for our grandchildren, she doesn't discuss it with me, she's the toy guru...
I sometimes get the guy that offers me 25 bucks for an item marked 60, "Jees I just can't do that but tell you what, I'll let it go just today for 75". Usually followed by an extended silence as the stupid guy with the stupid offer tries with great difficulty to do the math in his head. That's entertainment! Who say chiseling has to be a one way street?
Another line I get is
Well so and so's has those for 6 dollars but they are out of them to which I reply that's way to high cause when I am out of those they are only 4.00 . ;D
One of the best lines I ever heard was a gun show.
The buyer looked at a 1911 and asked,"How much for just the grips?"
...and the seller responded."$600 dollars but I'll throw in the pistol for free!"