oscarsear Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 The History Channels new TV offering, The American Pickers, seems to be riling a few folks. I guess it was an program idea along the lines of their Pawn Stars show but the American Picker guys are really out to obtain their deals for the least possible investment in effort and $$$$$. The more $$$ they can trick out of some naive MidWest Grandma the better. And adding insult to injury they gleefully brag about and celebrate their victories. Both the Pawn Stars and the Pickers have their expert consultants. But the Pawn Stars actually call their experts in for advice before they deal so their client can be treated fairly. The Pickers only call their experts after the deal is completed just to see how much $$$$ they snaked out of an elderly retired person. Then they squeal with great delight. If they came anywhere near my families estate of junk I'd send them packing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace168516 Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 You know, I do like pawn stars...and I have watched a few of the American Picker show as well and I got the exact same vibe. At a pawn shop you know what you are getting...ripped off because you need cash. The two guys on the show seem like sleazy used car salesman trying hose old people out of "junk" as they call it to e-bay it for a profit. I remember one episode where the old guy had a sword from japan in WWII...he was old...didn't seem totally with it and they were like can we have the sword for $50? He of course agreed and they made a few hunderd on it. Now, if I run to a garage sale and find a pair of Heresy's for $25, of course I am going to buy them. I am not going door to door asking if anyone has any old junky speakers to buy though, hoping to find grandma looking to get rid of some of her husband's speakers. That is my take on the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hifi jim Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Mark, those are excellent points that I have to agree with after watching a couple of shows. To save some gas money, they should Google Earth target areas and look for piles of trash from the satellite photos... all in the comfort of their underwear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 My wife is a antique re-seller. We operate on a 2% profit. We buy something then just multiply it by 2! But seriously, how the heck do you guys think the resellers stay in business? My wife knows her stuff, she finds items at garage sales all the time, she will pay what is asked for the item. One of her interests is glassware. If she finds a plate for 50 cents, sometimes it will sell for 50 bucks. That's after running her car all over town. Needless to say we are not getting rich with the price of gas today. Anyway, the guys on TV are not the vultures people think they are. You should see how the regular dealers operate, now that's a crime. Finding leads in the obituary column as an example. Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I have to wonder if any of these pawn/picker guys get stung on a purchase, do they take it out on the next guy(s)? My guess is yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace168516 Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 My issue is not with the guys buying stuff and selling them for a profit...tons of people do that. It is different finding something at a garage sale and selling it for more, or finding something in an antique store that they may not know the value of. These are buy/resell transactions. From some of the episodes I have seen though, they are just driving around, knocking on people's doors and if a nice old person lets them in, they just start throwing numbers at them for stuff. Maybe I am in the minority, but I see a difference between the two scenarios...one is a seller being stupid and someone profiting, the other leads to possibly taking advantage of elders who did not ask to sell any of their stuff in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsear Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 As a program for TV viewing it has some troubling ethics IMHO. It glorifies the act of penny pinching a deal that most frequently involves the elderly or even the mentally unstable. At times it borders on fleecing. An analogy might be a mortgage banker show that lauds predatory lending. There was a show on the BBC called 'Cash in the Attic' where home sellers would voluntarily participate in selling their family treasures at auction to raise funds for a project. That was entertaining, informative and nobody got intentionally skunked. I think the American Pickers show is just a poorly chosen family entertainment vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I've never heard of the show. I thought this was a thread on guitar players from Nashville... [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Your wife owns a gun? I thought the show involved nasal cavities in some way or form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 You certainly have the opportunity to buy an object for next to nothing and reap a large profit. That doesn't happen often. On most items you are lucky to just make a few bucks. The real question is it wrong to offer a low price for a valuable item. I'm not sure. There are some really glorious fakes are out there and you could be spending real money for something that's worthless, happens all the time. It's really buyer beware out there. The same goes for the sellers, we often tell the sellers that they should do the research and find out what they have but most just want to get rid of the stuff and sell for pennies on the dollar. Stealing from an unsuspecting widow is a whole other subject but let me tell you a lot of dealers have no mercy. Like it's already been said, they will charge 500 bucks to hull away an entire estate knowing there are a number of 1500 buck items in the pile. On the other hand if the buyer and seller agree, that's just the way it is. Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Heck, people old and young have yardsales with underpriced stuff all the time. I won't even buy it unless I think it's a good deal (IE:underpriced) so what's the difference? Mark has a good point. The owner of that mountain of valuable treasure dies and the kids have a yardsale and the stuff goes even cheaper. I don't see how that's better. If those two guys weren't on a TV show they would already be out of business IMHO. No way they make enough to live on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merkin Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I just wish they would come to my basement and offer me anything for a box full of beanie babies. Or for that matter just offer to haul out the stuff my hoarding wife and kids keep and won't let me throw away. About the rusted stuff. I'm from Iowa and they have farm sales all the time with piles of junk/stuff. There are buyeres there to buy it just to scrap it out for the metals. My brother in law passed away several years ago. My sister had people come by and bid on the old implements that had been setting around the back of the farmstead for 80 to 100 years. They scraped it for the metal. She said she was almost embarrassed by how much they received for old rusting implements. We are talking mowers. combine parts, hay rakes, discs and ect. Heck it cleaned up the place and they made money, my sisiter got money and a lot of metal was recycled. Plus, plus, plus. These people came and knocked on her door. Just don't let the come knock at my door and let my wife sell them my belles or my sunfire stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigStewMan Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 if the buyer is willing to pay a certain price, and the seller will part with that item for that price--then it was a fair deal. But, I agree with MDeneen though; hard to imagine those two guys making a good living--that is of course unless the network is paying them handsomely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Aren't they driving a Mercedes truck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I've seen the show and it inspired me to come up with my own show. I'm in contract talks now with Fux News to air the show right after Hannity, I'm calling it Chinese Pickers. I've filmed the first few shows already at local Wal-Mark stores. I follow customers around filming them from the time they enter the store, pay for their items and on to their homes using the items. The first show features a lady that bought a steam iron for $45 dollars and it worked for 6 minutes. Others appearing are a young couple that bought lead-based painted toys for their kids and we later follow them to the hospital, another guy grilling on his patio listening to his Klipsch outdoor speakers and getting sick from e-coli tainted beef. I hoping the show is successful and I'm counting on everyone here watching. I'll be filming at Wal-Marks all over the country so I just purchased a new Toyota. I might just run into some of you. Wish me luck! Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Speaking of Wal-mart,over the last few months i became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping there and it has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't think it could not happen to you and your friends, here is how it works. Two very hot young ladies come over while you are putting your bags in your trunk.They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex with their breasts falling out of their skimpy t shirts.It is impossible not to look. When you thank them and offer them a tip they say no but ask for a ride to another walmart.You agree and they get in the back seat.Onthe way they start undressing and one of them gets in the front seatand starts crawling all over you while the other one steals your wallet.I had my wallet stolen by them. January 14,16,20,25,27 Febuary 3,10,13 and twice last Saturday and most likely again this weekend.So tell your friends to watch out don't let this happen to them.By the way walmart has wallets on sale for 2.99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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