I've decided to sell at a few swap meets to clear out some excess goods. It is also good experience for my daughter and she gets all the money for her goods, which up to this point has been about 90% of the items sold.
I've been twice and I am looking for advice on dealing with obnoxious people.
Our goods are pretty much as new and undamaged. There are also a lot of new items still in their packaging. I've ticketed them at about 15-25% of new if they are brand new or as new. Significantly less if damaged or obviously used. I think my prices are fair and if I was in the market for these goods I'd be thrilled to find them at this price.
It seems to me that the early shoppers (who get there about the same time as sellers, but who can not enter until about 40 minutes later) are the worst. They rush in, pick things up and offer half or less of the marked price. They get angry when I tell them I will get the marked price later in the day. One practically shouted at me today and told me I was depriving poor people of a chance to get noce goods. He threw the items down hard and stalked off. He was similarly rude the previous week about other items, ones that went on to sell at the marked price.
Then you have other sellers that don't even look at the goods before they start haggling. If you agree to their price, they walk off.
Then there are others that just get angry when I tell them I am not discounting. They act as if they are entitled to a discount and whatever discount they have decided. Sometimes I will give a discount for multiple items, sometimes not.
Today, one woman grabbed a stuffed toy that was in the $2 box and was clearly marked $2 held it up and said I'll give you 50 cents for this. I said No, Then she demanded I take a dollar. I shook my head and she hurled it down screaming that she only wanted it for her dog, as if that was relevant.
Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with these people? I am thinking I will no longer explain why I won't accept a lower price because it is not relevant to the interaction. (Generally it is because I am certain I will get the price marked sometime in the near future and I do not see the benefit of giving that money away.)
Incidentally, I have noted that the later shoppers, even at the very end, are not the ones seeking extreme bargains.
Also, does anyone know where the best goods are being sold at swap meets in PERTH? Maybe I should try another market.
canningvale markets