American Pickers
- Thread starter janikphoto
- Start date
janikphoto
Lunatic Member
I dunno.....
The part that bothers me is when they price it out. They spend all that time getting buddy buddy with the sellers and are all smiles when they leave, but then the sort of gloat and show how much they're going to make on the flips.
You know the "I paid $200 for this Mobil sign and I'm selling it for $500" moments.
I can't help but wonder if some of their sellers aren't cursing them out when the shows air...
But, they are always mentioning that the price "doesn't leave enough meat on the bone" and "you're right on retail, but I need room to resell it." They always make it clear to the sellers that they need a wholesale price. If anything, the sellers are getting a good deal on many of those things, as you know most flippers need to pay 25% of retail to cover repairs and unknowns.
Also, the price they will ask for the item isn't set in stone. If they don't get their price, I've seen them sell it for less to get it out of the store. I've also seen them tell a seller the item is being sold for less than it's worth and they give the seller more money then they were asking for the item.
targeteye
Super Member
I personally like the show. It hasn't degenerated in argumentative crap like most other reality tv. I've been doing what they do as a hobby for most of my life albiet a bit more specific in subject matter.
For better or worse (depending you the way you look at it) the effect this show and others like it have had is that there is now a "picking" craze going on. There are many more people out looking than just a few years ago and the folks you talk to about their 'stuff' are getting more knowledgable.
I personally think it good for the hobby overall because it get many more people interested in Vintage stuff of all kinds than there was before.
I also find Mike and Frank to be geniune. Maybe they are just characters but they are very believable. They both seem to have genuine passion for the things they are inersted in and the people they meet.
I find my exploits much more enjoyable these days even though, frankly, its much harder to find stuff now with all the competition. However, Frank and Mike have taught me that it just as much about meeting folks as it is about finding hidden treasures.
I seldom watch it anymore as i just never seem to find time to anymore but do tune in from time to time.
Steve
For better or worse (depending you the way you look at it) the effect this show and others like it have had is that there is now a "picking" craze going on. There are many more people out looking than just a few years ago and the folks you talk to about their 'stuff' are getting more knowledgable.
I personally think it good for the hobby overall because it get many more people interested in Vintage stuff of all kinds than there was before.
I also find Mike and Frank to be geniune. Maybe they are just characters but they are very believable. They both seem to have genuine passion for the things they are inersted in and the people they meet.
I find my exploits much more enjoyable these days even though, frankly, its much harder to find stuff now with all the competition. However, Frank and Mike have taught me that it just as much about meeting folks as it is about finding hidden treasures.
I seldom watch it anymore as i just never seem to find time to anymore but do tune in from time to time.
Steve
Exactly. I've never seen them to be dishonest with anyone about what they're doing, and it has been pretty well documented that if Mike takes a chance on something and finds out it was worth far more than he anticipated, he'll share some of the surplus profits with the sellers. Unlike a lot of businesses these days, he seems to want to build a long-term business relationship with people, and a good name in the overall community, rather than just trying to squeeze every last cent out right this second.
I helped do background for an episode last spring and can tell you both guys are truly decent. (Did mention I was into vintage stereo and think I seen repair bills dance behind their eyes.)
Exactly.
Well - saying and doing cheesy things is also a basic part of the Pawn Shop show, which I like a bit more now because it is more funny and the items are sometimes VERY insteresting, whereas most of the stuff Mike and Frank are digging out is just nice.
For sure Big Hoss, Rick and the Old Man are a bit different when the camera is off but who cares...
I like both shows very much, although I know that both reality shows are presumably partly fakes, or let's say: a bit customized for TV. It is America, the country I am pining for.
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janikphoto
Lunatic Member
Just watching the nov 26, 2014 episode and they picked a pair of TT's for two hundred bucks. It was a Dual 1242 and a late 70's Fisher. Knowing about the washers/bushings in the Dual that need replacing and the going rate for a mid-level Fisher, I'd say those boys won't be making too much off that pick!
audiomagnate
Addicted Member
Those guys should stick to oil cans and old bikes. The whole thing is pointless now as they have to be making way more money being performers now than they ever made flipping rusty relics. They don't really give a crap if they make money money on a deal, what's important is that the interaction is entertaining, which it isn't for me anymore. I stopped watching Pawn Stars when Chumlee went Hollywood. Same thing here.
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Stephen J
Suum Cuique
In the woods behind my house where I grew up, there must have been an old glass dump. As children, we dug up thousands and thousands of old bottles, inkwells, different color bottles, milk jugs, etc.. It turns my stomach now to think about when we were setting all those up on a fence post and shooting them with BB guns!
Probably $50,000 worth of bottles today..
Probably just an outright trash dump at one time. Most of the other stuff rots away leaving just the glass.
I have to second that obviously both of the shows (Pawn Stars even more) lost of their original sincerity. I also thought that Frank and Mike make for sure more money with the show than with the corroded junk, when I watched it for the first time, but it did not disturb me back then. Meanwhile it is a bit different. But still nice Amerícan entertainment for me sitting on the other side of the pond.
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janikphoto
Lunatic Member
I watched a lot less Pawn Stars, because they fake a lot more interaction. They occasionally fake some stupid stuff on American Pickers, like when Danielle was asking for a work van, so they got her a little three-wheeled Isetta-type car on a pick. Or, she said she needed better healthcare to get new glasses, so the guys picked a pair of antique glasses for her... fake interaction like that annoys me, but American Pickers has very little of it. They stick to a fairly simple recipe: drive, chat a bit, pick, get to know the odd/interesting people they meet, roll the credits, done. Pawn Stars is half buying interesting items and half fake scenarios they set up to exploit the stereotypes of the show's main "characters".
ummmm - I'm liking how folks here aren't mentioning that the show isn't set up & rehearsed. Like the sound guy & the camera man & the cable dudes are invisible. I don't want to break the news that the show is a fake but....... come on guys - reality TV is an oxymoron.
janikphoto
Lunatic Member
I figured that was a given, and no need to debate that point. It's not like mike and frank coincidentally happened upon a freestyle pic that already had camera crew there. If the free styling is really random, they have to first pull up, explain what's happening, scout the site to see if it's worth filming, get the owners to sign releases, and then pull back out and drive up again to film the guys meet the homeowners for the "first" time.
No, we knew a lot of production stuff had to happen that required certain things to be acted or recreated.
NJguy
Super Member
On pawn stars i fast forward thru all the backroom interations and fake story lines. Just show me the stuff, thats all i care about. I hope nobody thinks those little conflicts they have with each other are real. The show would be much better if they added 2 other items and skipped that acting nonsense.
NJguy
Super Member
Producers scout the locations week in advance. I was told that occasionally they may even add items to a pick to make it more interesting.
I do find it funny that these millionaires would be outbther buying a $50 sign to make 30 bucks on it. But if you can get past all that you can get interesting history on stuff
I know a couple of guys at the flea market who are extremely well off and they are out there every Sunday looking for treasures. They haggle quite a bit, too. Hunting the thrifts and flea markets is the thrill for many people. Finding something good is just icing on the cake. Making a ton of money off of it isn't that important.
