carlisle experiences, the good, the bad, and the weird

BeastlyBirdie · Jul 13, 2013

Ok, not that anyone would really care about my Carlisle experiences, but I figured I'd share, anyway.
I was there Thursday and Friday, was planning Saturday as well, but got sidetracked. Anyway, picked up parts from Mark at desert metal. Great experience, his friend told some hysterical stories, the parts were cheaper than I thought, and included more than I expected. Framedude helped me sell a grill, I've bought from him before, would definitely again...
Most of the people there are great to deal with, they want to sell parts, happy to ask if they can help, etc. Heck, even the bbq owner asked how the brisket was and thanked us for buying. One guy I was negotiating with on a set of 215 heads put up with me for well over half an hour even though we never met on price.
Then there's the bad. Indy cylinder head.... Now I look kind of grubby mid way through a day, lumping subframe connectors and half dozen other things on a cart. I mean ok, long hair hanging out from a hat, unshaven, and dirty hands...but...I was standing checking their heads, thinking I might pick up a set, and looking around for a salesman. I spot one, he started toward me, or so I thought, asks 'can I help you', and proceeds to walk up to a guy that just walked up to the heads. After saying 'excuse me, I was here first' the guy just looked at me and said 'I figure you're just browsing'. Good job dude, you just lost a sale that day, and a probable repeat customer.
Finally, the bizarre. Ok, I will just say this guy had spark plugs, brake and suspension parts. NOS, moog, etc. I asked about some moog parts, he said he had, and I wanted a price on. Mind you, current production. Still available. He quoted a higher than normal price, and was unwilling to budge. I said ok, thanks, I'd keep it in mind. As I walked away, he said, 'come back when you are man enough to step up and buy'. No joke. I'm not sure how he thought that statement would help him sell parts, I do know it almost helped him get a tie rod end suppository, and has left me with one of the more bizarre non music related stories to tell.
All in all, a great time, lots of gorgeous cars and tons of stuff

YY1 · Jul 13, 2013

Yeah, I don't know how people justify insulting a potential customer, or insulting a customer's intelligence.

I had a vendor tell me, after I said I couldn't go as high as he wanted for a fender with a rust hole "good luck finding another one".
To which I replied "I found a nearly perfect one for the other side for $X (about half of what he wanted).
He smiled a **** eating grin and repeated "good luck finding another one".

I had another online vendor refuse to accept return or refund on an defective NOS part.
He said "All I can do is offer free shipping on your next order".
Really? Did he really think there would be a "next order"?

Pistol Pete · Jul 13, 2013

I do know it almost helped him get a tie rod end suppository

That's some funny **** right there. :headbang:

bee71 · Jul 14, 2013

Many times at events like this i'm turned off by these vendors who seem to want to make a years worth of income at one event. To me, practical pricing and a good attitude will most certainly make a sale.

WileE · Jul 14, 2013

Due to personal commitments, my attendance was abbreviated. "Weird" ? how about the Chrysler LeBaron transformed into an El Camino in the corral ? I didn't know if I should laugh or puke.

green 66 · Jul 14, 2013

Had a great time!Could not believe all the fine rides and good people in the rain!WOW!!!!! How bout the money in the Mequires Charger-$250,000.Nice car!

coloradodave · Jul 14, 2013

5wndwcpe said:
I do know it almost helped him get a tie rod end suppository

That's some funny **** right there. :headbang:

What I was gonna say...lol

Chris · Jul 14, 2013

I thought the show was great. I drove my 63 out in the rain on Saturday morning and was regretting it the whole ride out. Once there the sun came out and the rest of the weekend was fine. A lot of parts if you needed them and a decent coral. Overall A+

HawkRod · Jul 14, 2013

I was there Friday, walked about 1000 miles and picked up a lot of parts.

The Good:

Bought some new reproduction parts that I needed fairly cheap and without shipping costs: Trunk Lock, glove box liner, radio plate, instrument cluster light sockets, etc.
Found some black headrests for $125. A bit beat up, but better than the nonexistent ones I had.
Scored a decent hood turn signal insert with lights for cheap. The lights need work, but even if they are junk, the insert was still worth the price.
Bought two center caps for $4. They are far from perfect, but are just fine for the current beater condition of my car.
Talked to some really nice people, especially John who let me crawl around his 70 Road Runner and learn from it.

The Bad:

Bought headlight surround trim that wasn't what it was advertised to be: for a 70 GTX/Road Runner. Buyer beware, so my fault I guess. I thought they looked right and they were advertised as such. I will assume good intent and hope the seller just made a mistake himself. He didn't seem like the type of guy that was trying to rip people off. Still, I spent money for parts I can't use...
Didn't get a chance to walk through the car corral and check out as many cars as I would like.
Didn't have enough money to be able to walk up and convince the owner of the Tor Red 70 Road Runner 440+6 4 Speed to sell it to me. Man, that car was beautiful!

The Unbelievable:

Saw a set of green headrests for sale. Yes they were NOS but still not all that nice. $600 EACH! $1200 for two green headrests? Not from me...

All in all, I had a great day. I talked to a lot of nice people, and most of the vendors do seem like decent people - trying to make a buck but I feel like there are fewer scam artists.

300 · Jul 14, 2013

Met. Matt. And got the A 100 Seats, Thanks,, Got Door from Dave. Thanks, Walked the vendors twice, Did All the cars, Brought all the stuff I went down for home ( a lot). Home now in Barrie Ontario Canada

Bruzilla · Jul 16, 2013

I've spent some time on the vendor side of the table as well as the buyer side, so I have more understanding for what those guys are going through.

You know what a buyer looks like? It's someone who comes to your table, starts looking at items, and then starts yelling questions to you. That tells me "Hey, I'm interested!" Long hair/short hair, shaven/unshaven, doesn't matter. When I see some guy standing there, and standing there, and standing there, I see browser. Also, what was the other guy doing while you were looking at the heads? I'm guessing he was either doing or saying something that caught the vendor's attention, which is why he went right over to him. Good vendors make mental notes of everyone who looks even casually at their stuff, and notices when they come back multiple times. There's about 1,500 browsers at these meets for every buyer, so a good vendor wants to find and focus their attention on buyers.

As for the "man enough..." comment, that's one I would never use. But, you also have to look at the crap these guys are going through. I used to hear "well, I can find one of these..." or "I can buy one of these cheaper..." at least five times an hour! You get sick of it after hour four or so, and you start getting to a point where you just don't want to hear it anymore. Like I said, I would never use the "man enough..." comment, but I sure used "well, you better get back there and buy it then!" or "so why are you so interested in my stuff then?" lines on guys like that.

As for their pricing, a lot of these guys are trying to make a year's, or at least a quarter's, worth of profit in one weekend. That's why they pay $$$ to transport all the stuff there, pay the vendor's fees, pay for a hotel and meals, etc. Usually it's their best exposure to a large population of buyers. They are also able to capitalize on impulse buys they ordinarily wouldn't be able to, especially with car parts. There are lots of buyers who are interested until they find out what shipping is going to cost them, then they lose interest. But, these people are also usually willing to pay a premium price to be able to get what they want now and not pay for shipping or wait for it to arrive, and vendors take that into account when setting their prices. When someone would say 'I can get that cheaper online", I would say "you can feel free to order it, pay the shipping, then wait for a week for UPS to show up with it... and hope it isn't lost or damaged, or you can buy mine right her and right now and take it with you. Which do you want to do?"

macksgrl426 · Jul 16, 2013

we were vending.. and had a great experience..met some really nice people.. but we dont over price stuff.. hell I usually end up selling and my husband is walking around spending for the stuff we need for our cars.. we break even and all in all its a good time...

YY1 · Jul 16, 2013

Fair pricing + good marketing + honesty = successful business.

Remove or alter any one = failure and or frustration.

BeastlyBirdie · Jul 16, 2013

I've spent time selling as well, both privately and when our machine shop would get a booth. And Tommy nailed it when he said 'who gets the better tip, a waiter who is pushy, or one that is acting interested..'
The guy with the suspension parts was telling someone else how stupid people were for not buying his J12Y plugs. And yes, he said stupid.
As for me not getting help from Indy Cylinder Head, maybe I failed to adequately describe the situation. I not only was looking the heads, I opened my wallet to count that I had the money, and was also looking around behind and everywhere for a salesman (of which I saw none). When I finally saw one coming, we made eye contact, and I started to talk, when he asked if he could help, the other guy. Who had only a bag of McGuires car polish. Best part, as I walked away steaming, I heard him say, 'nah, just looking.'
When TVM sold things, we made sure to ask ANYONE who came by if they had questions. We never tried to decide who was buying, who was browsing , because the browser today will be the buyer tomorrow.
Really doesn't matter, I know I won't bother buying parts from Indy. I felt slighted, like my business wasn't important to them. So they lost $1800 that day, and probably more on every engine after this one is done. Because, like many others, I will pay a bit more for something from someone who acts like they want my business. If you have a great price, or I can get it cheaper online doesn't matter as much as customer service. Especially when I need something later-who would you call, an impatient a$$, who can tell a buyer from a browser, or the guy that took the time...end soapbox....

Bruzilla · Jul 16, 2013

Who gets the better tips? The pushy Hooters girl or some attentive dork-looking guy? It's all in what you're selling.

One of the most surprising things I found as a car salesmen was that the worst customers tend to be the ones you bend over backwards to help because these folks ALWAYS tend to have issues with every freaking thing, and once they know you'll bend over on some things, they'll bend you over on everything and you end up spending more time and money on a transaction that it's worth. I just usually don't have time to play personality games with someone when I'm selling, and I know it doesn't matter how much cash they have because getting it won't be worth the trouble.

I'll just say this. The role of a vendor is to sell stuff. Not to be your buddy, or your mom, or your brother. That's what we have buddies, moms, and brothers for. Vendors are there to buy stuff from, and you let something totally frivolous get personal for you. There's no law against it, but it's not something I ever recommend anyone doing as folks can lose out on a lot of opportunities that way. Case in point, I was at a pawn shop looking at a war-time production Walther P38 that I could have walked out of the store with for an excellent price of $300, but the girl who was helping me just rubbed me the wrong way and pissed me off, so I acted much like you did and said they aren't getting my business. Then I got home and thought what the heck was I thinking? A wartime P38 for $300? I have to go back! So I went back and ended up with one of the managers who told me if I had been offered that gun for $300 I should have snatched it up because that gun wasn't going out the door for less than $700. That gun was long gone a few weeks later, so they sold it and who lost out? Me! Lots of people have these grand illusions that they're going to strike some kind of economic blow against a vendor by taking their business elsewhere, but you're not... especially in that business. Someone else will buy it and they'll never know you and your $1,800 ever existed.

BarrsRestoration · Jul 16, 2013

Bruzilla said:
.....Someone else will buy it and they'll never know you and your $1,800 ever existed.[/QUOTE
Or it might be one less that they get to sell.

67 coronet · Jul 16, 2013

i can understand bruzillas points if you are dealing with a rare nos type part,but not with something that is readily available.indy needs to set themselves apart from the other guys with customer service.i can get heads and intakes all over the place,customer service is what makes the difference.all companies selling new products tell there sales people that they make the difference with customer relations,dont let the product sell itself.it wont.

Jim 68cuda · Jul 17, 2013

BarrsRestoration · Jul 17, 2013

I see familiar old projects. Album 4, pic 128. That blue '67 GTX was a rusted out basket case I rebuilt the body on in '09.

NHCharger · Jul 17, 2013

I drove my 72 Charger down and back.
The Good:
No 105º heat.
Bought a bunch of stuff for my 68 Charger project so i saved a lot of money on shipping and found a few hard to find parts and made a connection with someone who can hook me up with some other hard to find parts.
Hung out with a bunch of great guys.
1200 miles and the Charger ran flawlessly.

The Bad:
Driving an antique car through Hartford and Waterbury CT suxs balls.
Getting boned by the motels in Carlisle.
Spent way too much money.
The show should run for an entire week. I have never been able to cover the entire show (too much time in the swap meet)

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