Hershey On the Positive Side

pooch said:
One thing this Hershey committee can do , is to group vendors together as to their predominant products.

They do this at our Ballarat swap, although it is only the motorcycle section .

Then buyers who only want bike parts don't have to trudge the entire field, and buyers who only want car parts can avoid the bike section.

Saves a lot of wasted time and walking.

Vendors could have a preference for areas on their application form as to what they are predominately selling, and then be put with others with similar stuff.

Imagine how streamlined that would make it, barners could go direct to that area, buy up and leave , instead of miles of walking past modern parked cars on the elusive hunt.

It may not suit all vendors to be situated next to others with similar products if they themselves are a rip off, and next door the guy is an honest vendor,

And it is refreshing to see this post, that is not Hershey bashing.

People do this over here, and very quickly the swap goes downhill and ends.

Word gets around quick.

Talk it UP instead of DOWN.
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I can see a problem arising from having all similar vendors grouped together. What happens is that while setting up or shortly afterwards, before the public is allowed in, vendor will go around and snap up anything that is a bargain, then go put it on their table at a marked up price. This happens at gun shows ALL THE TIME. You can bet that if all stuff from the 40's were grouped together that there would not be a '46 chevy truck grill for $5. Another vendor that knows it's value would have snapped that up long before the public ever got a chance to see it. being spread out means less chance that people knowledgeable about a certain ear would see and buy up all the bargains of parts from that era.
 
Dennis Caroenter was there. I stopped by their booth.



totally missed them- did they have parts or only phones to order?
 
Met nothing but nice people at Hershey, both dealers and shoppers. It's still the "Greatest Show on Earth" to borrow a phrase. In the past several years it's become quite evident that this is an international happening with many different languages being heard in the flea market. The state of PA should amend their tax laws to encourage attendance by vendors because revenue is brought into the state's economy through so many different venues from this event. The big picture PA, think about it......
 
Licensed to kill said:
I can see a problem arising from having all similar vendors grouped together. What happens is that while setting up or shortly afterwards, before the public is allowed in, vendor will go around and snap up anything that is a bargain, then go put it on their table at a marked up price. This happens at gun shows ALL THE TIME. You can bet that if all stuff from the 40's were grouped together that there would not be a '46 chevy truck grill for $5. Another vendor that knows it's value would have snapped that up long before the public ever got a chance to see it. being spread out means less chance that people knowledgeable about a certain ear would see and buy up all the bargains of parts from that era.
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What you describe happens now. It is the order of the day. I have an acquaintance that is proud to say that 90% of what he sells is what he bought when other vendors were setting up and on day one. Wayne
 
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If anyone thinks the hobby is dying, you just had to visit the car coral at Hershey each afternoon to believe otherwise, so busy you had to walk around crowds of people, more pics attached
 

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Just got back from the Hershey show - really enjoyed it: great weather, friendly/helpful people, lots to see. I agree that there's been a shift away from Model A toward the 50's and 60's, sign vendors, etc. A great reason to cover as much of the show as possible! I found a couple of goodies - not inexpensive but the quality was there.

I would like to see the organizers recognize that many vendors are renting from the vendors who officially sign up for the sites and find a way to list the subs....otherwise I'm a happy camper.
 
I am happy that all of the Model A vendors are not lumped together in one spot. What beautiful and perfect temperature we had all four days to walk the fields searching for "stuff." I got in more than 22,000 steps on my Fitbit so it was also great exercise. No complaints here except that I have to wait another year to enjoy such a wonderful experience.
 
I bought a great and I mean great bicycle this year ,found the special wrench for the valve plugs on my 14 Maxwell ,found unused brackets for a fork mount headlight ( really early motorcycle ) a few extra parts for my Tudor and saw a few people I have not seen in a long time -I hope Hershey never changes..... I would like to ***** about all the scooters ,golf carts , mountain bikes and one wheeled things I have never seen before all zipping around -but I wont....
 
Licensed to kill said:
I can see a problem arising from having all similar vendors grouped together. What happens is that while setting up or shortly afterwards, before the public is allowed in, vendor will go around and snap up anything that is a bargain, then go put it on their table at a marked up price. This happens at gun shows ALL THE TIME. You can bet that if all stuff from the 40's were grouped together that there would not be a '46 chevy truck grill for $5. Another vendor that knows it's value would have snapped that up long before the public ever got a chance to see it. being spread out means less chance that people knowledgeable about a certain ear would see and buy up all the bargains of parts from that era.
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True. Very true.
 
forever4 said:
Have you ever been to Hershey?

Everyone can enter at the same time.
There is no distinction between seller and buyer.
There is no admission fee.
There are no wristbands or buttons or other ID.
There are no 'fences' or gate checks to stop people.

Feel free to attend and be an early buyer.
That is what serious buyers and searchers do.

People who think they can arrive Friday and Saturday and still find a full field of vendors stocked with low priced goodies and rarities may be se[/B]disappointed for arriving to the party late. :eek:

Personally, I prefer it just the way it is, with vendors randomly spaced, not grouped or arranged by any particular criteria. Much more democratic and 'fair' that way also.
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Maybe fair to the vendor but not the same fairness to the potential buyer. It also gives an unfair advantage to the young physically fit buyer as opposed to the senior citizen that is not capable of walking all day. Wayne
 
Grouping by products is none starter.

Some guys group together from the same area.

Some people just sell general stuff.

We are A guys, but then we pick up some chevy junk we need to unload. Since you would be in the Ford area chevy guys wont come through and you might not sell it or not get as good a price.

Of course, you never know what you are going to find where. My brother picked up an open car 1936 Ford radio complete with wires and control head at an insanely cheap price from an antique dealer. Some NOS Ford parts at cheap prices at the front of the table.
 
Did Hershey for 3 days this year and could have stayed another 3 without being bored/seeing everything/everyone I wanted to see, etc. Maybe not exactly apples to apples but in terms of crowd management, try getting in and out of a major sporting event or concert with the efficiency the organizers handle crowds at Hershey. Grouping by type occurs to some degree (brass is heavy in the red field, Packard Alley now in green, etc.) but a daunting task for sure - my personal favorite field is Chocolate for Model A stuff, and Chocolate/Red for the T.

Found an open car vac. wiper motor for $10, and a few odds and ends including some "smalls" for my collection, 1 lb. grease cans, vintage car care cans. Also picked up about 10 great reference books, service letters, Schild book, etc. for peanuts.

Saw another '30 Standard roadster which, while not the rarest Model A, they are not at every local event either. Visited with a nice gent who does cast drum conversions/preps them on an exchange basis and got his info. Sounds like some other barners might have been in touch with him as well.

Spent 3 days with Dad which was great. Saw a few friends we don't see but a couple times a year.

Oh, and got to put my paws on an original Duesenberg owner's manual a friend picked up for a client - $5 grand, I figure I want to find one for the A for $50 - 75! :)

Counting the days till next year already...
 
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forever4 said:
Have you ever been to Hershey?

Everyone can enter at the same time.
There is no distinction between seller and buyer.
There is no admission fee.
There are no wristbands or buttons or other ID.
There are no 'fences' or gate checks to stop people.

Feel free to attend and be an early buyer.
That is what serious buyers and searchers do.

People who think they can arrive Friday and Saturday and still find a full field of vendors stocked with low priced goodies and rarities may be severely disappointed for arriving to the party late. :eek:

Personally, I prefer it just the way it is, with vendors randomly spaced, not grouped or arranged by any particular criteria. Much more democratic and 'fair' that way also.
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I agree with this as well. Well said.
 
forever4 said:
Have you ever been to Hershey?

Everyone can enter at the same time.
There is no distinction between seller and buyer.
There is no admission fee.
There are no wristbands or buttons or other ID.
There are no 'fences' or gate checks to stop people.

Feel free to attend and be an early buyer.
That is what serious buyers and searchers do.

People who think they can arrive Friday and Saturday and still find a full field of vendors stocked with low priced goodies and rarities may be severely disappointed for arriving to the party late. :eek:

Personally, I prefer it just the way it is, with vendors randomly spaced, not grouped or arranged by any particular criteria. Much more democratic and 'fair' that way also.
Click to expand...

I agree, 100% . I hope they never change. I missed Hershey this year due to some unforseen circumstances and I really missed the comradery and living together with my friends for a week. You just can't put into words what you see there, nothing like getting out to look on Wednesday morning and seeing all the things and people you haven't seen for a year or so.
 
Great point! I went last year for the first time and was overwhelmed. Going back next year for a couple of days. Just talking with people and asking questions is worth going for me. Met sooooo many nice people. And bargains galore if you take time to look. But just like everything else there are some looking to gouge, but you have the right to just walk on by. Lets be glad we still have it!
 
Hershey was fantastic for me again this year. The weather was great as well.
I'm putting together a model a roadster for next year's Race of Gentlemen, so I was looking for parts for that project. I found everything I had on my list plus some AV8 parts that I wasn't particularly looking for but thought I better get them while I there. I picked up a pair of front wishbones, one for a '32 ford and one for a '34, both from the same vendor and the price was fair.

I can't wait 'til next year.
 
After reading these posts I see that I have been all wrong. Need to go to Hershey next year. The reason I say 'all wrong' is that in 1971, when I was 17, I mentioned going to Hershey to Fast Freddie, a WWII vet and a friend here in town that belonged to the AACA and had several antique cars. Freddie was an antique car guru. Anyway, he told me 'You'd be wasting your time the prices are out of sight' and he never would go. All the old car guys around here worshipped Fast Freddie he was very knowledgable!!!

Last year my Mother-in-Law was dying from cancer this year I have been dealing with cancer myself and the treatments have made it very hard to walk......partial paralysis in my legs.... they tell me I'll be back to normal in 6 months so Hershey 2017 here I come:)
 
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