American Pickers

[Chris Haynes]

Reminds me of one of the vendors at AMCA meets who calls himself a picker. Buy it for a dollar and sell it for a thousand.

[t-bone]

pickers

seems to me that everyone on here hates profit. unless of course its them making it then it is wonderfull. human nature i guess.

[RichO]

Pickers

Last time I checked it's still America outside. Don't have to watch shows you don't like, don't have to buy parts from vendors who don't agree with you, yaddah, yaddah, yaddah. Freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom to express both. Bless America!

[Ohio-Rider]

Cotten, I get what your saying about not caring for any wheeling and dealing of artifacts. Nor do I. I just don’t think parts become artifacts until there is no one in the world who can use them. Then those part set on a self and become artifacts. So who ever is finding them doesn’t matter to me. What ever will help reduce the cost of those parts is fine by me -Steve

[Chris Haynes]

Steve,
Somebody who makes their living buying parts and memoribilia and marking prices up past the ceiling isn't helping things.

[*JU]

When was the last time anyone here sold something for less then the buying party was willing to pay?

[45OZ]

When was the last time anyone here sold something for less then the buying party was willing to pay?

I beleive everyone here has, But how do you know ? this is how;


Everytime you quote a price on something you want to sell & the buying party IMMEDIATELY says OK !! That's when you know you sold it for less than the buying party was willing to pay !!!
Am I Right ?? LOL

[T. Cotten]

Are we confusing "picking" in general with "dickering"?

What's the bigger thrill for you folks:
Finding a piece of history to treasure, or gouging what you can out of it?

Does a piece really mean more,.. the more you pay for it?
Or does it only mean to you what you can get out of it?

We all love the thrill of the hunt,
But many of us only thrill in the killing.

...Cotten

[Slojo]

Are we confusing "picking" in general with "dickering"?

What's the bigger thrill for you folks:
Finding a piece of history to treasure, or gouging what you can out of it?

Does a piece really mean more,.. the more you pay for it?
Or does it only mean to you what you can get out of it?

We all love the thrill of the hunt,
But many of us only thrill in the killing.

...Cotten

I tend to hunt only what I can eat, if it is not what works for my particular projects I typically walk away. Purchasing parts at meets to resell them at the same meet is ok if that is what you enjoy although it just adds to the price the end user must bear. For me I enjoy building and riding what I build. If these guys can buy from remote locations at whatever price negotiated then so be it. The part or item is now in the stream and available for all of us to purchase instead of being stagnant. All the power to the “remote pickers”.
Joe

[Magic]

Interesting show indeed followed by Pawn :-P

I liked the show and envy those in that profession of seeking items that some people are glad to rid themselves of and others who know there worth and desire and play the game of interested but maybe not for that price LOL The personality of the seeker is key as possession is a goal :-) I've walked away from an original 54FL back in the day sitting in an old Harley shop that didn't continue with the New Harley company and the man was retiring and wanted to sell some stuff. The 54FL was one of them and I didn't wanna pay 7K then alittle over 22yrs ago... that was alot then, but I had it and wanted it for less around 5K. The MC was sweet and complete dirty and dusty just how I like em. I regret not contributing to his pension then and still want one of those now. The prices are up there now.

[silentgreyfello]

Steve,
Somebody who makes their living buying parts and memoribilia and marking prices up past the ceiling isn't helping things.

Is the person buying it forced to buy it at the "inflated price"? Is the seller pointing his gun at them? You sound like you are drinking Nancy Pelosi's coolaid standing up for that poor consumer that paid too much. It's a free market. It is worth what someone will pay. If someone paid too much, then they got their part at market price and the extra went towards their own education. But we could all subscribe to socialism so that nobody can profit, or if you do, redistribute it to those that are sitting on their butt and don't want to work.

Chris, could I please buy all of your knucklehead parts for what you paid for them, and not a dime more? I don't care if you got a really good deal 47 years ago, or even yesterday... just pass the parts on and don't worry about the gas that you spent going to get them, the knowlege that you were able to identify them, the time to drag them to a meet or list on ebay. No, I want to buy them for what you paid so that you can't profit. Extreme? Yes, but no more than your assertion that some dumbo paid too much and is somehow the victim.

[Chris Border MFG]

I have to agree with Jim. I wish I could buy things at a reasonable price. Its taken me over ten years to aquire just the motor for my bike. We all love the thrill of the hunt. Whats around the next corner or in that barn? Its a rush. We would not have to mark the stuff up to sell if we didnt have a house payment or rent. Food to buy. gas for the rig. Lights to see the new treasure we bought for a song. Or even money for the cable company so we can watch a show about guys getting off their ass and finding the good stuff. We all do the same thing now and then. We just dont have a film crew following us or a network to pay us to do it. If you dont like it, dont watch or dont buy it. But someone else will.

Sorry for the rant. I tend to ramble.

[William McClean]

All of us have tales of the treasures that got away, snarfed up by someone else, leaving a collector , or relative, a bit angry and jealous of the good fortune that didn't come his way.

The tactic of wearing down elderly people by being a constant PITA is preditory. Anouncing it as the intended course of action doesn't make it any less preditory, and encourages others to do the same. There are legal protections from that type of predation, solicitation business transactions by phone. For the fella who told the old lady " Jesus sent me to here to give you money for that old pile of rusty junk " { a pittance compaired to the actual value, of course } and the gal who follows the obituaries driving around looking up " lost cousins " and visiting them to eyeball the funiture and household goodies { Is that the next TV show ? ' Where There's Will, There's A Greedy Relative ' } there is a special corner of Hell awaiting. Both are true events, not mocked up " entertainment " for television .

Images of nose-y pickers peering thru dusty barn windows may make an interesting camera shot and filler, but it Will get people shot. { More interesting when the sounds of a pump 12 gauge chambering a round is heard... Aw, Crap, now I'm writing script for reality TV,.. . curses .. ! }
What legitmate business does a person have pressing nose to glass looking thru a window on private property ? If you had been invited, you would be on the inside of the building. Airing that type of activity encourages peolpe to follow suit. Monkey see, monkey do. The monkey who unethically prowls around peering into out buildings uninvited is at huge risk. More that one trespasser has been cut up & feed to the hogs.

[micmac]

Could not have said it better myself!

[LouieMCman]

I watched the show a couple times and enjoyed it. But started to think when they pulled in uninvited to the house of the 88 year old woman who was nice and pleasant and they was having a good time cutting up with her and then they started their roaming around and finding stuff they wanted and named their own prices (low of course) and she agreed with everyone of them. It just seemed to me that she was not all there mentally and they took advantage of her. What if someone did that to your 88 year old mother? The other old guys seem to be on top of the game but not the old woman. And how come everyone they visit is OLD? OK, lets here from the vendors about how it's a free market ....yada. yada. yada.