My first model show

[ra7c7er]

With all the negative that has been going around lately I thought I would post about a couple of the experiences I had at the local model show today.

#1 - I showed up at the show at 8:30 (I thought traffic would be worse) and they were still in early admission till 10:00. I asked the guy at the front taking the money where Steve Doing's (route66modeler) booth was and he asked if I was helping him. I told him I was just there to trade a model and wasn't really there to buy anything. the guy let me in for free and even gave me a early bird sticker. It was very nice of him. After I sold a model I went back paid the admission.

#2 - When I got to Steve's (route66modeler) booth he offered me $25 in trade for the model I brought. I didn't think it was worth much more than maybe 10 or so (I couldn't find the model on ebay or anywhere). When he said 25 I was stunned and asked him two more times before I picked out what I wanted. I was/am still new to the trading/buying/selling aspect of models and had no clue the model was worth that much. His honesty was appreciated.

#3 - This is another nice dealer story. I didn't have much money to spend (I had only 17 in my pocket when I went through the door) but I did bring one large scale model I had hoping to sell or trade it. The dealer that expressed interest in it asked me what I wanted and I joked about wanting a grand for it. He asked if I knew what it was worth and I told him straight up that I didn't have a clue. He let me go behind his booth to use his computer to look up the model on ebay and other sites and after some looking I found that the model was worth somewhere in the 125-200 range and then he offered me 100 cash and a 10 dollar model I was eying I gladly took it. I know dealers make more customers being nice but I probably would have taken it if he would have said 35 bucks, I didn't know. He is another dealer I will seek out when going to shows.

#4 - I was looking at a BMW model and I was getting ready to buy it when another buyer looked over and said are you buying that. I told him yeah and he said he didn't have that one and he was looking for it for his collection. I told him if he wanted it he could have it since I already had one at home and was just getting it because I like the car. We started talking and he told me he owned several BMW's and even works at a BMW shop. I told him my favorite BMWs were the E30 M3s and he said he had one at home. Right after that he got a phone call and said bye and left. About an hour later he came back and tapped on my shoulder and told me he brought his E30 M3 Evolution to show me. The car was sweet and apparently their are only a handful in the states. He then took me to his house to show me the rest of his cars and his entire three car garage full of BMW stuff. He even gave me a BMW shirt. Just goes to show a little nicety can go a long way.

#5 - I bought a Dragon BMW M3 kit that was the special edition with the metal emblems. I didn't even notice the emblems were missing till the dealer flagged me down a bit later and gave them to me. He found them in the box he had the models packed in. He could have kept them and I would have never known but instead he sought me out to give them to me.

All in all it was a great day. I showed up right at 8:30 and stayed almost all day (I left at 1:45, they closed at 2:30) with about a 45 minute trip to the BMW guys house. It was great and I joked that I should have just stayed the extra 45 minutes so I could have been there from open to close that's how much fun I had. I even watched a dealers booth for him while he went to the snack bar.

Edited May 2, 2011 by ra7c7er

[Sam Cates]

Sounds like you had a FRIGGIN SWEET experience. I don't go to them much (Not many around my parts) But the few I have been to were tons of fun. Hope you have the same experience at your next!

[highway]

It does sound like a great day Robert! This is just a little advice for your next show experience, if you find something you really want but with a higher price tag than you would really want to pay, wait until that last hour or so and make an offer on it. Most times, a vendor would rather take $35 or $40 for the kit they have a $50 price tag on than drag it back home. Also, don't be afraid to haggle a little bit, most vendors will deal with you. There has been sometimes I've walked out of a show with a trunk full of models for around a $100!

[charlie8575]

What a nice experience.

I really have met some of the nicest people I've run across in this hobby.

Please continue to support it with shows. Was this a contest or just a swapmeet/sale?

Charlie Larkin

[ra7c7er]

What a nice experience.

I really have met some of the nicest people I've run across in this hobby.

Please continue to support it with shows. Was this a contest or just a swapmeet/sale?

Charlie Larkin

They had a contest but it was lacking in entrants. The stupid weather people were calling for severe storms all of Sunday and that probably kept tons of people way. Even a couple dealers decided not to come even though they paid for booths. Even with the lower attendance I thought the show was good. They had a steady stream of buyers all day and at one point you could hardly walk around. The contest to had great cars, I was amazed by some of them.

[route66modeler]

Hi Robet, Glad you made it to the show. Thanks for your "kudos" about me. I always treat people the way I want to be treated, with respect and honesty. Look forward to seeing you at the Eureka show in sept. Also, maybe we can carpool to the next central Il model club meeting. Hopefully the next one will be in Spingfield. Steve