previous article next
Selling Your Used Radio Equipment at a Hamfest
Selling used, surplus, or inherited radio equipment at a hamfest can be a very
enjoyable experience. It can also turn out to be a few hours of torture.
Because you are reading this article we are going to assume that you have only
been to one or two hamfests, or perhaps never. We will also assume that
you are going because you have some of grandad's old radios and you really don't
know what to do with them.
Find a Hamfest or Swapmeet Near You
Finding a hamfest or antique radio swapmeet near you can sometimes be very easy,
sometimes it can be difficult.
Look here! Go to the
SecondHandRadio.com
Advanced Search page, select the category events. I
suggest that you then select location by your own state. The
website will then return all hamfests, swapmeets, exam sessions, operating
events, etc. in that state.
Other places to search:
Preparing for the Swapmeet
First you want to find a hamfest, radio swapmeet, telephone collector swapmeet,
or antique radio swapmeet in your area. Give yourself plenty of time to
prepare. You are going to want to make a list of what you have to sell;
write down as much as you can find out about the old electronics such as model
number (or model name), manufacturer name, and perhaps, whether it is currently
operating or how many years it has been since you have last seen it turned on.
Write all this information down. It will save you hours of repeated
questions during the swapmeet.
This brings us to a very important point. If the electronic equipment has
not been turned on in many years, do NOT try to see if it works! Most
electronic components "last forever", however there are devices called
capacitors (or condensors) that go bad with time. When regularly powered
up, they will age, but when left unpowered, they age very fast. So
plugging in a 30 or more year old radio could damage it! (You may also
want to read my article "dangers in antique
electronics").
Do not be overly concerned that I recommend that you do not plug it in and turn
it on, there are methods known to antique electronic collectors and restorers
that can test these things with a verly low likelyhood of causing damage;
but let them make these tests after you have their money.
Testing battery powered equipment is much safer. Battery powered equipment
is less likely to have the type of circuits that have electrolytic capacitors.
Now box up your equipment carefully. Be cautious of old speaker "grill
cloth" it might be very fragile. Look for loose items in the old
equipment, even gently tilt the equipment and listen for things that might be
shifting or rolling around inside. If you do detect something loose or
that needs attention, now is the time to look at it. Don't wait until the day of
the swapmeet to find out what to do.
One great time saving and money making tip is to gather up ALL accessories, no
matter how trivial they might seem. Especially you do not know what they
are. These little things could double or quadruple the sale price of that
old gear. It is also possible that those doo-dads you packed up are
worthless. However, having them on hand will be invaluable should a
potential buyer ask "do you have the frammerhonklewiggler for this thing"?
Be honest and say "I don't know, but we can look in this box of doohickies and
find out."
Swapmeet Day
Get there early. It's a mystery to me, but many swapmeets begin way before
dawn. Bring a chair, bottled water, and hat & sunscreen if it is an
outdoor swapmeet. Also bring a folding table for yourself if they are not
provided by the swapmeet promoter.
Take your time unpacking your car and set up your display. Be wary
of the vultures! There will always be those annoying bargain hunters
that will make stupid ridiculous offers on your equipment before you even get it
on the table - tell them to back off or all prices will be doubled for them!
The very least these 'people' will cause you stress, and that is not why you
went to the swapmeet. Let them wait, you have all day and so do they.
If they are ready to offer a fair price, they know that your gear will still be
there for them to look at when you are ready. If you treat every vulture
this way, they will get the message an go bother someone else. You have
invited them to look at your equipment when you are ready.
Don't be afraid to say NO to an offer if you suspect someone might be trying to
take advantage of your because you don't know what grandad left you.
Politely ask the looker to write down his name & email and offer on a card.
By asking for this you will soon find out if he is just a lookie-loo, someone
wanting to rip you off, or if it is a genuine offer.
I once bought a tower, antenna, and rotator from a ham-radio widow by doing just
that. I made her an offer, and it became obvious she didn't know what it
was worth. So I wrote down my offer and telephone number and told her that
when she is ready to sell to give me a call. I also asked her that if she
found someone ready to pay a little more than I offered to also give me a call
because I might go a little higher, but we would all have time to think about
it.
Did you go to the swapmeet alone? Then take it easy on the coffee
and soda.
You won't feel comfortable searching for the facilities while your radios sit
unwatched. If you did bring a friend or spouse, they do not have to
know anything at all about your items. When watching over your table they
only need to say you went to look around and you will be back soon. Never
let your table-watcher sell anything unless it is for the price marked
on the item. There are some vultures that will wait until you go away,
then tell your table-watcher "here is the $10 he said he would take for this $30
turntable". Let them wait until you get back to your table.