Unfortunately, been a couple in the DFW area and were the same. I was excited to go but they were quite disappointing.
Want hamfests to get better? 1. Pick a desirable item out of your collection of equipment that you do not need or want anymore. 2. Take it to a hamfest and put it on a table. 3. Sell it for substantially less than available on the internet. 4. Be completely honest about it's condition so that the buyer is not disappointed after purchase.
Last Saturday's Atlanta hamfest was pretty good. I was given... A box of 50 unused 2-56 taps. A Lapp 40 Amp 0-20 Volt adjustable power supply that needs a little work.
OP, if you are in Lakeland, then try the Plant City event in early December. It was decent a few years back. Ditto for Brooksville last February.
WA4VQW = I was there the last 2 years and it was pretty darn good ! I had 3 tables of gear and I sold most of it. I always price things very reasonably to move - but there are a lot of guys that buy my stuff and I see it later at a higher price on their table. I provide honest descriptions and usually have power to test things. Lakeland is not too far away and I have to say its the best one that is in he Tampa bay area that I have been to. As a seller I want to get gear to hams that will use it - not let it rot in a basement. The free swap in St. Pete in the park is usually FB but not as nice as Lakeland.
You want the items for sale clean? How about the folks selling them. Gee, I would be totally embarrassed taking somebody to a fest that i was trying to get into the hobby...
"What is with these Hams? Are they that broke that they are selling used components and Radio Shack crap from the 1970's that they can't even bother to clean off." I realize this is an older posting, but these are my thoughts exactly. I see so many items at hamfests, Ebay, and here in the QRZ swapfest, that if the seller would only take a few minuets with glass cleaner and a paper towel, the item would be much more likely to sell. When I see dirty items, I think that they were not well taken care of by the owner, and there very well could be something wrong with it. Car dealers have it figured out, and they have the used cars that they are selling detailed. Who wants to buy a filthy car, and who wants to buy filthy Amateur radio equipment? Not me.
The recent ham fest I went to was also smaller than I remember it and not many vendors. I did see some good rigs on sale like an FT-991 and an IC-7400. I was just happy to see other hams and meet the sellers.
Whats wrong. this sounds like a normal hamfest... I just went to one and some dude was carrying in a multi outlet tower. he dropped it twice... I thought he had a table with power and he was going to plug it in and power stuff up. It was on his table to sell... he took it home with him that day too....
This seems to be a common theme over this side of the pond too. All the "radio rallies" (as they're known here) are getting smaller, quieter and with less stuff on offer. I'll be at Friedrichshafen next week and will see how that one is. 20 years ago the fleamarket used to stretch into 3 halls at the Messe. Last year it was 1.5 really. It's all a trend of fewer sellers, less stuff, fewer attendees. I went to the one at Luton a few weeks back which is an outdoor car boot sale and that was good. The one at Rugby was always good and also the one at Telford. Some don't even exist any more, such as the previously outstanding Dutch rally at Rosmalen. Even though that was extremely well attended before the pandemic, I believe that VERON have simply cancelled the event from now on. Rosmalen back in the day (about 10 years ago). Sadly no more...
The greater C-MARC hamfest has always been a small show. This year you could spit from one end to the other. BurpGAS, (AKA MURGAS) used to fill out an entire fair ground is now relegated to the parking lot of the 'Polish-America Veterans Club' in Wilkes-Barre. But I'm getting to the point I enjoy talking and making eyeball QSO's with friends. I've been told that Berryville, VA still holds on to its splendor. I hope I can make it there this year.
I don't know how long you've been going to FWA Hamfests, I remember when they were at the Shiloh Hall and the cigarette smoke was waist high. The coliseum used to pack two floors. Sadly, the FWA hamfest has become an opportunity to learn who from my childhood has become a silent key. This said, I do make an effort to go to "Marshall", Angola, Lima, etc. Evolution I suppose
