Anyone try bartering (trading) at train shows?

Your kidding, right? Doesn't EVERYONE just pay what ever the dealer/seller is asking?

Yep, bartering is as much a part of train shows as the trains themselves. Whether you're successful or not depends on how motivated the dealer is to sell.

9 times out of 10 I am able to work out a better price. However, one time I had an interesting experience with a dealer in the Orange Hall at York. My offer to make a package deal with two freight cars was enthusiastically denied, and I had a suspicion it was because of my age (I'm 20). Later on I gave my uncle the money and sent him over to make the same deal, which was then accepted.

I usually try to barter when I buy multiple items from the same seller. Just call me Frank Fritz, the bundler (minus the overpriced State Set)

Otherwise, I only barter if it price is rather high

Bartering means exchanging one item for another. Bargaining or haggling is discussing the price with the intent of getting it reduced. 

I have done some bartering at train meets, both buying and selling. The deal that stands out in my mind was a straight swap with another table holder at a local meet. He was trying to sell a K-Line SP Berkshire; I had an MTH Milwaukee Road Bi-Polar. We agreed on a straight swap and both of us went away happy. I still have the Berk.

Another time I swapped a Lionel 392E straight across for a 385E. Both were restored; the 385E was in somewhat better shape than the 392E, offsetting what would otherwise be a value difference of $50-100 or so. The guy with the 385E had several of them and no 392E, and whatever was wrong with the 392E didn't matter all that much to him, so we agreed it was a fair swap. Once again, I still have the 385E. 

Some dealers or even private sellers will take trade-ins or buy stuff from train show visitors if the price/value is right. Most won't, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

When I was a kid I used to help out a hobby shop owner at shows and in his store. He was a major LGB importer and didn’t know too much about Lionel and American flyer. I was only a kid of say 11 or 12 but had a good under standing of Pre war post war trains so he took the standard and o-gauge trains in on trade for the LGB. Then he would sell it at shows on a separate set of tables. The owner would let me to run the o-gauge tables and I would head out to scope out the show before it opened and make some trades for items I thought would bring more attention to his table, sell faster/ better or at a higher price. He also would let me bring stuff of my own to the shows to sell/trade and put it on the tables.

I would take breaks through out the day and trade my wares for items I really wanted.

Bottom line was less trains on the table by the end of the show and money in his pockets.

I did that for quite a few years and I was proud of the fact that he trusted me to make good trades even though I was so young and it wasn’t my cash.

People would come and haggle for price at the tables and that was ok. Until they tried to brow beat him or I.

I remember one time we had a junk box under the table and every thing was marked for a dollar. There always was good stuff in it and you could get a working o-gauge switch with rusty rails to a tin 600 series freight cars with a wheel missing. The stuff was worth way more than a buck any way. One day this guy comes over and roots through the box and pulls out half the box to purchase. He then asked the owner could he do better on the price of the stuff  (about 13 dollars or 13 items) to which the owner said sure give me ten bucks. He then asked if he could do any better to which the owner replied No that’s as low as he could go. The guy kept looking in the box and asking if he could do better a couple more times. By this time the owner was done with it but he didn’t say any thing and the guy finally left. About an hour before the show ended the guy comes back and looks through the box again and pulls out some more stuff, three tin o gauge cars missing parts and asks if the owner can do any better than 3 dollars for them all. The owner says sure 2.50 the guy looks back at him and asks again for a lower price because the show is almost over. The owner said no and the guy started telling him he was bad for the show and wouldn’t buy from him again or come back again .The owner very calmly said sorry that he felt that way and picked the box of junk trains up off the floor as some body else was just starting to look inside, he handed the other guy the box and said you can have whatever you want out of the box or you can take the whole box with you for free but only if you promise not to give that guy (he pointed to the upset guy) anything out of it and then put out his hand to shake with the other guy. Needless to say the first guy was very mad and started calling him some not so train show friendly words.

I think bartering and trading is good for shows but not so much for stores.

These are just my opinions.

I've set up at shows on and off for some 20 years, and have noticed that more buyers now than in years past will try for a lower price. It seems that it's almost expected now. When I'm buying I'll try to be respectful and pleasant and ask the seller if he can do better.  But although I like bartering I've never tried to do so at a show.

I'm surprised that some of you don't understand what bartering means.

It does not mean haggling for a low price. It means trading one or more items for something else.

Bob

Ugh Bartering,imagine if there was something that could be exchanged for goods and services. 

Oh, my no!!! I thought the whole idea was to arrive with nothing and go home with alot!!!! :-)

Just re-read the original post and realized indeed OP's question has nothing to do with negotiating a better price. He's specifically asking about trading items. In which case I have to go with ibrewtoo's comment that generally seller's are looking to get rid of stuff so unless you have EXACTLY what they're looking for, bartering probably doesn't work all that great at shows.

You are 100% correct.

bartering  present participle of bar·ter

I've done it, but usually after the show has run its course and its usually unexpected. The last show I was selling at I had some nice American Flyer. The seller across from me had purchased a box car from me earlier. He was interested in a 953 combine with sillouettes that I had. He asked what my price was and him told him $125. He suggested a trade. At first I was hesitant, but noticed he had a red cab 635 crane on his table in the box in EX- at the same price. So we swapped. I got a car that I always wanted but was neamble lie to find in real nice shape at a reasonable price. He got a tougher car that he needed for his collection. 

Gandy

heck guys,we done this on this site.  I'd.traded some box cars for passenger cars..

Bartering, no, negotiating a better deal than the asking price, almost always unless the seller's price is so good that it would be an insult to offer less. Fair is fair.