Anyone have a swap meet table?

[dupont2005]

I have a couple ideas for swap meet selling. Comic books is one of them of course (no comic shop for over 70 miles. I would just sell cheap readers for a dollar each or less. I have maybe 5,000 I would be willing to sell and am looking for more large collections right now), but also skate boards (just found some pretty cheap bulk rates and I think I have a good idea on how to market them in a unique way. We have at least two skate parks out here so the kids are skating), watches (I sold a lot of watches online last year, several thousand in revenue. It's always something to keep in my arsenal), and odds and ends (I have a set of wire wheels, several thousand glass Murino beads for those Pandora bracelets, and am thinking of doing some junk rummaging). What does a spot cost where you live? I always thought it would be a risky venture but I think I recently heard a spot can be as little as $10 a day. Oh yeah, I also used to build custom lowrider bicycles and could easily do that again. I can assemble a bike from parts in like 15 minutes, and I can re-spoke wheels in custom patterns in an hour. I have done upholstery and fabricated custom and modified Parts in little time. This was my hobby for a very long time and I think those would sell great at a swap meet out here too.

[oakman29]

You live out here in So. Cal. set up at Frank and Sons in the City of Industry it's an indoor swap meet,gets tons of people every week.

[dupont2005]

My aunts boyfriend has a regular spot there and he would probably let me sell some things at his table if I helped him out I figured competition would be tough there if I was trying to sell Copper/Modern drek for a buck an issue. I thought I would have an advantage out here since there is absolutely nowhere for kids or adults to buy comic books in the Coachella Valley. One year at the fair I saw someone had a manga table and it was swamped.

[shadroch]

Spots on Long Island range from $25 to $50. I was doing one in Golden Valley Arizona for awhile and that was $100 a month. Most months have four weekends, but you do get the occasional five.

[Ringfinger]

Not a bad idea.

[dupont2005]

Sounds good. I am going to have to contact the swap meet to find out how much a table costs. I don't have a truck but I have a big Caddy. Maybe that will work to start things out

[InvstmntComcSuply]

I also used to build custom lowrider bicycles and could easily do that again. I can assemble a bike from parts in like 15 minutes, and I can re-spoke wheels in custom patterns in an hour. I have done upholstery and fabricated custom and modified Parts in little time. This was my hobby for a very long time and I think those would sell great at a swap meet out here too.

 

If this is strictly a money making venture then you should play to your strengths and focus on the things with the most profit potential based on your personal risk tolerance. I would think the above quoted things should be far more profitable than selling $1 fodder. Though, you would need good photos or examples of your work.

[dupont2005]

I deleted most of the pics of bikes I have built, but here is one I dug up

 

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I'm trying to figure out how to get a vendor right now. This stuff is manufactured in China and if I can figure out how to go directly to the source I aught to get a great price. I don't think it will be less of a risk than comics though, since I already have a bunch of comics and no bikes. I do have money to invest though. They would sell well I think. I live in what I suspect is the most highly concentrated Hispanic population in America. There is a lowrider bike shop but they aren't that great, and one guy at the swap meet has a couple bikes but he has the super plain out of the box types that I probably wouldn't deal with. Stuff like this

 

[kdoginohio]

Been thinking about it. Lotsa opportunities near me to set one up.

[aardvark88]

I sold at the weekly Sunday local flea markets for about 12 months. Most fun was looking for vintage comics for cheap with dealer's privelage: early set up time. My best seller was comics or graphic novels under $6 and misc. home items. e.g. previously viewed dvd's, mixed media paintings, posters or Native Indian prints, etc. Tables quite cheap at $20-25 each. Lots of families on the weekend.

[the blob]

I'd think having a couple of custom bikes around as well as an album of pics would make more sense as advsertising for your side-business of customizing bikes than actually selling anything there. these things are pretty personalized.

 

if there really is no shop within 70 miles then there's certainly potential. but I'd sell some other stuff too for sure. it's amazing how few people are going to look at the comics and those who do are often looking for a score/flip and aren't interested in just picking up some cheap reading material. i set up at our neighborhood yard sale every year and there's tons of foot traffic as it is a well advertised event (in a county of 2.5 million people), put 4 longies of random stuff out there for $1 each 12 for $10 and, well, the results have been disappointing even when i cut the price even more. sure, i basically have 80's and 90's stuff in there with some 60's and 70's readers, but I run the gammut from Preacher to kids' stuff.