> But I agree -- eBay has had it's affect on parts meets.
Well it is not entirely eBay. Attending Carlisle and other major regional
swap meets has NEVER been profitable for any year round commercial parts
company. I think some of the veteran British parts vendors, especially some
of the ones who have listened to me over the years, are finally starting to
realize I have always been right about this.
Attending a show the size of Carlisle and having a decent sized display and
tent requires at least two people to be in attendance at the show. Those
same two people will spend at least three to four days preparing and packing
for the show, then spend the next four days at the show, then return and
unpack and reinventory what came home with them. For a business that means
a three day event actually consumes about two business weeks in terms of
wages and time.
One of the biggest British parts vendors at Carlisle used to boast, and I
imagine still does, that he would come "home with $9000 in cash for three
days of work." But what he always failed to see is that the sight of the
huge wad of cash clouded his judgement and he forgot about the cost of
parts, the spent time for himself and a helper, the travel/lodging/food
expenses (tax deductible for that fiscal year, but still an expense), and
the damaged and lost parts that result from everyone sifting through your
bins. Finally you have the distruptions to your dialy operations from the
loss of regular sales (phone/email) that get left unanswered until returning
home and the show frenzy subsides. There are other nominal expenses that
need to be accounted for as well if you are trying to view Carlisle as a
profitable venue to attend.
So it just is not eBay that has killed the swap meets. Vendors are getting
older (i.e. lazier) as well and for those vendors with any degree of
business sense, they probably have realized the swap meets are not worth it
economically.
eBay plays into it because it does not involve the massive investment in
preparation time that a show like Carlisle involves. It does not involve
the hours of travel time. It does not involve returning home with parts
that are damaged or unaccounted for. Oh... and eBay can be done at 4AM in
your climate controlled house. And whereas at Carlisle you may spend four
hours searching for an NOS part on your list and not find it, you'll at
least know in under five minutes if that part is listed on eBay or not.
> I was told Carlisle was all kit cars and Hondas, but seemed to me
> it was mostly Triumph and MGs with some VW and Volvo's tossed
> in. Lots of hats and T shirts for sale too.
The clothing vendors, Triple-C and LBCarCo, are the only two British related
guys who make enough money from the shows to make it a worthwhile event to
attend.
Perhaps I am the one killing Carlisle, I had not even planned to attend this
year as a spectator and I never and will never attend as a vendor. Carlisle
is great from a buyer's perspective, no tax or shipping to pay and reduced
prices on many parts. But even this year, all I spent as a buyer was $26.
I bought a used MG book ($20), a 1976 Triumph paint color booklet ($1), and
a used MGA dash panel ($5).
RIP Carlisle
Kai
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