Keep your old grease

These guys must have been nuts -- all 32 of them !
WOW

must have been Christmas gift for the man who has everything (but brains and money)

Ya dad had a Harley Davidson oil can, probably 5 gal, from 1920's that he sold for $2000.00 cash.

Correction - he might not have had brains, but spent money like greased lightening.

Nice can, I have the shed full of grease and oil cans. Would sell of of them for the price of that one.
Kevin

Old containers for just about everything are highly collectable. Dave

Wondered why anybody sold to the Pickers show. They would talk somebody down from a already too low price and act like they're doing them a favor. An old sign they had on there today they talked him down from 150 to a 100 and at the end of the show they sold it for 1200.

Oh yeah, That's a nice one all right. I saw a little tin sign on ebay the other day I sure would have liked. But I'm way to conservative. If it's the only one out there and you want it, how much is too much?
ebay IHC sign

A couple of thoughts on the American Pickers show. 1. What happens when the seller see's on TV how they were swindled. Is this why some people threaten strangers with a shotgun? 2. They made a TV show about people getting taken advantage of. A lot of the people are elderly. The pickers get paid for doing the show and also make huge profits off the stuff the seller had no idea of the value. I think a much better show would be where they find valuable items and help the owners get the most money for them. Especially in todays economy, this could really help a lot of people out. I watched a couple episodes and thought it was disgraceful. These guys have all the contacts and resources of the show and the owners of the items are at a clear disadvantage. Dave

I guess I wouldn't get too excited about what happens on Pickers- remember, there's a camera crew filming the whole thing. The folks all act like the camera's not there- in real life, they'd be tongue-tied and looking at the camera all the time. Everything is obviously worked out in advance, and scripted.

Most of those ol' boys are the type that would meet you at the front door with a shotgun- how do you imagine they are able to get the camera crew in place, lights set up, etc., before knocking on the door, without getting blown away?

I'm sure the folks get paid enough in addition to the picker prices to make them happy.

I like Pawn Stars better- kind of a Joe Sixpack version of Antiques Roadshow, with Chumley and the Old Man for comic relief.

Pawning stuff is different. It would be interesting to see what the people on Pickers thought after they've seen what the pickers sold their items for. I can see people getting excited about being on TV and having their 15 minutes of fame but finding out that they got taken advantage of after the fact. That would seem like a good reason to chase future strangers away. I wouldn't say it's all scripted. On one episode the guy they visited wouldn't sell anything at the price they offered so they left. Some people want too much for their stuff and a lot of others have no idea. That's why I think it would be a better show if they helped people sell stuff and get the most money for it. On pawn stars, they actually tell the people they need to make money on the stuff they buy. I wonder how people on Pickers would sell their stuff knowing the buyers only bought it cause they know it's worth more? A lot more in some cases. Dave

The "pickers" seldom actually make a big "score", from what of it I have watched (which isn't all too much)..

As they leave the places, we usually see what they picked, and what it is VALUED at.. Sometimes it says SOLD FOR $XX, but usually valued...

The thing about VALUED.. My house is VALUED at roughly 200k.. Could I get that?? NOT LIKELY..

The other thing, some of those people on the show surely think like some people I know personally.. I'd rather sell __________ for $XX.. even if they're gonna make money on it because I've worked to "save" this stuff, and I know when I'm gone, it'll all be right down to the scrap yard, and in quick order.. If they're buying it, and gonna make money on it, then surely whoever buys it is going to continue to "save" it..

Then, take into consideration, they drive all over, wearing out a vehicle to get this stuff, and all the costs that go with it.. I'm sure they're making money from the TV show, but they were doing this before the network came along..

We also rarely see things they "lose" on.. and I'm sure there are some things they do in fact lose on..

There really are more sides than we see, but I'll agree, most of these people have to know they're coming, I mean, the camera crew would have me asking questions 2 seconds in if I didn't have a clue.

Brad

Remember The Pickers is just a show.

What I'm saying is, the WHOLE THING is fiction. They aren't really selling anything for what they say. Some will sell, some will not- but its all in the script. The folks get paid, whether they sell or not. The program needs the "drama" of some being reluctant to sell, but finally coming around, and others who never do. ITS ALL PLAY-ACTING! Nobody is actually selling anything! Nobody is getting taken advantage of. Do you also believe all the preposterous story lines on "Days of Our Lives"?

How do you know the whole thing is fiction? Unless you're the producer, there's no way you'd know. You can't compare it to soap opera. Dave

Taken advantage of??? seriously. Most of these people didn't even know they had this stuff until they dug it out of a barn. I've seen it a few times they where they gave the seller more than what they were asking b/c it was fair. TV aside these people are running a business they need to buy low and sell high. Personally I'd rather have someone buy my prized junk so someone can enjoy it rather than have it rot away. I don't watch the show much, but Its fun to see what some people have laying around.


I know if someone wants something I have, make an offer I won't sell it unless I think its fair.

I saw the pickers talking people UP a lot during yesterday's marathon.

Sideshow posters... They talked the guy up to $700 from his original $400, then sold the posters for $10,000, came back and handed him another $5000!

Another one was a widow and her son on the farm. The son was throwing ridiculously low prices at the pickers for everything, and the one says, "Let me school you on this..." talked the kid UP.

Mostly though they deal with people who know exactly what they have and what it's worth, or think they have a golden shoebox. Nobody's getting swindled.

They gotta make a profit. They're not a charity.

Uncle!