Texas Scooter Times

Swap Meet!! What FUN!! Shopping for bargains - Rummaging through boxes in the booths, wheelin’ & Dealin’, "I want $10 for it" -
"How ‘bout $8", Chattin’ with friends, Makin New Friends, Socializin’, Flirtin’, kicking back with a cold one and listnin to the Blues
Band in the background. Can it get any better??? YES!! If you MAKE A LITTLE MONEY DOING IT!!....... First, call the Texas
Scooter Times office and reserve a booth space. Then as you pack up your stuff, kinda get an idea of what you want for it ‘cause at
lots of T.S.T’s swap meets people will be wanting to buy things as soon as you drive up.
Second, Show up at the Swap Meet early, (7:30-8:30am). Not only will you be better prepared when the crowd comes, but the
"serious buyers" with wads of cash in their pockets cruise then. Come up to the ticket window, tell ‘em you’ve got a reservation and
pay your way in. It’s only $40 for a more or less 10’x10’ space and that includes your personal admission. Anybody you bring with you
pays regular price ($8).
After you pay the cashier, they will radio the orange vested spotter and he’ll direct you to your "spot". The best way to do this in
our opinion is to bring along a buddy. Put your parts in the same booth or buy a couple alongside each other. This’ll give you
somebody to help you load and unload and be there and "mind the store" while you go out and shop. Sometimes tables and chairs are
part of the booth (like at the Longhorn) and sometimes they’re for rent from the facility (like Longview)
If you're not sure what your stuff’s worth, go look around and price ‘em at similar booths. Remember, it’s a Swap Meet and folks
are looking for BARGAINS. If you price your stuff too high - you’ll end up packing it home, but NEGOTIATE. A good place to start
on your pricing is about half of it’s retail price.
Third, bring things to make your booth work easier for you. Tape, markers and sign material. Change - lots of $1 bills are always
handy at a swap meet booth, (lots of hundreds are handy too, but that is a different article). Bring a dolly if your stuff is heavy
and be sure to check the flyers before you pack an ice chest, as some swap meets won’t allow them (longhorn).
Finally, Have a Good Time! Say "howdy" to folks that come up. And personally, I don’t mark prices on my stuff at swap meets. You
end up having to tell folks what you want for an article a bunch of times - but after someone asks me "how much" I’m real fond of
saying, "What’ll You Give Me??" A lot of times they’ll offer you more than you were going to ask and if not -- The DEAL IS ON!!
Folks’ll be surprised with some junk will bring at a swap meet and don’t just bring motorcycle parts. If you’ve got room, bring tools,
riding gear, bike magazines or anything else that might be of interest to another biker. Look around at the next swap meet. You’ll see
riders doing what I’ve been talking about in this article, Also you’ll see folks that have built stuff to sell at the swap meets or folks
that have run across a bargain or two themselves and all types of personal "PLANS". For Reservations call 254-687-9066 - 9-5 m-f.