First time to a guitar show. Any tips?

Revolutions

Hopefully we won't see anymore gang fights in the car park. Last year the Fender & Gibson crew had arranged to bash each other about round the corner, but they both got jumped by the Gretsch boys. Things got nasty real quick after that. 

welshboyo

How does it work with selling stuff there? - has anyone ever taken gear in to the show to a trader and they've bought it there and then (not part ex/trade) - I've been a few times and bought/traded stuff but never outright sales.

Or do I get a T Shirt made with what is for sale and "enquire within"!!

NorthernStomps

Wander around with a case and you'll get asked by plenty of people. But don't be shy just to ask dealers if they're interested - buying and selling guitars is what they do for a living, after all.

Bear in mind they'll be wanting to make a profit on it though so manage your expectations accordingly. 

Voxman

hassleham said:

The one thing I would say is to not be afraid to haggle. 

I’ve done shows before as a visitor but i’ve also done a few where i’ve paid for a table to try and clear out some stuff, and i find it crazy how people will look intently at what you’re selling but so often seem put off at the price and won’t bother even attempting a haggle, like they’re too shy or embarrassed to ask if you can do better on the price.

I did a show a couple years ago where the only two things i sold were two items i haggled on. I bought more stuff than i sold on that day so the wife wasn’t very impressed.. fun day out though!

Oh and i’ve also bought a fair bit of stuff through haggling with people at shows, and some dealers have straight up offered to take a lower price for things even just after a short, friendly conversation about them, so they’re definitely keen to work with buyers.

Enjoy

+1 - Obviously there's some risk here as it might sell before, but if you see something you like you might find sellers more open to dropping their price maybe even a bit more if you haggle later in the day than they might have been prepared to earlier.