Any Swampers going to be at the B.A.D. Flea Market

[parrotheaddiver]

this Sat Oct 13....I will be there for most of the day looking for good deals...

Scuba Diver Flea Market in Houston, Texas

 

[Texas_Aggie06]

i'm going to have to check that out.

 

[Dutchman]

I am so there.

 

[Scubafast]

If the flea mrkt does not improve it's attendance I am afraid it will end. One local dive shop has taken it's whole store down every year and rented 8 tables for display but they pulled out since last year was such a bust in attendance. It is just not worth it for the expenses they incurred. I hope the word can get out and this event is salvaged and participation goes back up. Good luck to all!

 

[Debraw]

Last year I found out about the flea market approx. 2 weeks before the sale. I remember saying then, I wish I had known sooner. I would have set up a display table. It was not even announced on a board like Scubaboard until it was just to late. Seems like posting on a few boards, (there are several), sending flyers to every scuba club and scuba shop in Texas a minimum of 2 months in advance would help.

 

[parrotheaddiver]

I would hear about it through friends in the club and Seaspace...but just never remembered to go...this year I put it on my calendar and the club also sent me an email so I decided to check it out this year....I am not sure how they handle the advertising...I plan on seeing Capt'n Randy (El Presidente) this weekend and I will ask him how it works....seems like a good idea....hope the drive is worth it maybe I will win a door prize...

 

[ReefHound]

I plan to be there and know a few others who are going. I've seen more "marketing" for it this year so maybe they have awakened to the need. This is an event run by a local dive club that seems to have diminished in activity in recent years but is still pretty active.

Personally, I couldn't care less if dive shops pull out, unless they are offering super specials or their rentals for sale. I would visit their store if i wanted to look at their overpriced everyday crap. I think maybe that's why attendance is flagging. People are looking for really great deals. They don't need to pay an admission fee to shop from a LDS.

I want an event that is a true swap meet, divers selling to divers. But the truth is that this is probably doomed inevitably. Divers looking to buy or sell off used gear now have many cheaper and more effective options such as Ebay, Craigslist, and various scuba forums. Why rent a table when you can post here for free and have your stuff seen by thousands? Why pay an admission fee to browse a limited and haphazard selection?

 

[Scubafast]

True! The one shop I was referring too is a discounter already so this is the only time during the year they would cut their prices more. They use to do gang buster sales there but it slowed way down in the last few years.
Ex. fins- MSRP $74, store price $50, fle mkt price $35. Mask: store $80, flea mkt $50.
So for this store to pull out many will care. They use to get people coming in asking if they would be at the flea mkt so they could get new gear. They didn't sell any used stuff, they didn't have to-the new stuff was so cheap. It was a great way to get new gear cheap.
I hear another shop may take those tables this year but don't know who or what their pricing is like.
As for the admit fee ($2) it is part of a fundraiser for the club hosting the show and to cover expenses.
I have not been in years but there use to be lots of divers selling their used stuff.

-=-

Personally, I couldn't care less if dive shops pull out, unless they are offering super specials or their rentals for sale. I would visit their store if i wanted to look at their overpriced everyday crap. I think maybe that's why attendance is flagging. People are looking for really great deals. They don't need to pay an admission fee to shop from a LDS.

I want an event that is a true swap meet, divers selling to divers. But the truth is that this is probably doomed inevitably. Divers looking to buy or sell off used gear now have many cheaper and more effective options such as Ebay, Craigslist, and various scuba forums. Why rent a table when you can post here for free and have your stuff seen by thousands? Why pay an admission fee to browse a limited and haphazard selection?[/QUOTE]

 

[ReefHound]

I haven't been so I'm just speculating. If the specials are really good then it might be worth going. But the retail dive industry has changed in recent years with the emergence of Scubatoys, Divesports, Divers direct, and other online discounters. Buyers so inclined have access to "specials" every day of the year. In your examples of fins and masks, what would the Scubatoys price have been? Just a hypothetical question since you probably are just ballparking examples and it's been awhile, but it's a question that will be in the minds of many shopping.

On the other hand, I can see why that shop might pull out if they have gotten such a rep that customers are coming into their store asking about the flea market. Why buy in the store if they will have the same things marked down at the flea market? They probably discovered that attending the flea market annually caused their August/September store sales to nosedive. I would think non-local shops like SIS (former owner Debra) would benefit most since the flea market would be an additional not a substitute market, and would not cannibalize normal store sales.

Admission fee is now $5 and throw in another $5 for gas, you're paying $10 for the chance to shop. For occasional divers it might be worth the chance to get out and mingle with other divers but active divers in active dive clubs already get that regularly.

 

[Mack Diver]

I'm going to give it a try this year. I've rented 2 tables and I'm bringing a trailer load of stuff to sell. This includes new gear, used gear and rentals. FYI, if you're looking for a good deal on a 3/2 wetsuit or a shorty, I'm bringin a bunch of em and they'll be priced to sell. I'm hoping attendance and sales will justify the trip.