The advantage is that you save postage, often pretty high on yards of metal etc and can see the item before purchase. The days of lots of show bargains ended about twenty years ago but sometimes you get lucky.

BTW a bit late now but if you want a big lump of metal or specific kit or machine you can often email/phone an exhibitor and arrange to collect at the show. Not necessary for general stock items but once Noggin brought along a foot of 3in steel for me so massive saving in postage.

+1 for the PEC finder

Not that many special deals to be had these days but paper money can sometimes be useful. I tend to think of it as one or two purchases of metal will cover entrance fee and that's it.

The cylindrical end like the PEC has is easier to use when toughing the edge of a horizontal bar as exact height is not critical. Pec can be had for £1 less too

Edited By JasonB on 13/10/2022 14:59:34

Visited the show this morning. Got there for opening time when it was easy to get around, other than for those people standing in the middle of the walkways. By the time I left it was getting a bit packed and the car park was the busiest I have seen it. I do wish stands would make it clear that they only take cash and others would sort out their card machines as some seemed to take an inordinate time trying to take payment. I did buy a couple of things but felt that most of my expected purchases will be made later from home. The displays seemed less than has been in previous years. I do wonder if these shows will continue, be interesting if Crystal Palace or Doncaster make it next year.

I've always found these shows a bit random – you don't usually know who's doing bargains till you walk about and look at prices. You have to put the time in to find good value. That's why tight and crowded shows like the Midland tend to be tiring. Long queues at the caff as well unless you go in for an early lunch.

I got my milling vice for a nice price at an Olympia show at the last knockings before closing, and I've had a few carbide endmills, slot drills and the like too.

One problem I'm a tad bitter about is the second hand sellers wanting new money for everything. Spoke to one about a QCTP to be told he wanted as much £ for the post with two holders as I got the brand new one with two standard, one v groove and a parting blade holder with a blade. No contest!

And don't get me started on book sellers… I think this is the first time I've walked away from a show without any!

Hard times all round I know, but if you're paying so much for your second hand stock as to need to charge that much then you have to accept the business simply isn't viable. You'd be better running a bring and buy type sales model and charging a commission on sales.

Jay

I don't really negotiate much or at all tbh… I could've probably gone back and got a few quid off the second hand one, but no chance of getting it near the value gained from the new one…

I expect the second hand one was a genuine Dickson which if new would cost several times as much as the far eastern one from RDG so not really a fair contest

Agreed, there re the quality.

You perhaps would not expect a guarantee, per se, with a second hand item such as that, but to not get a warranty with a new item is not acceptable to me. Did you get one?

However, if you went to one particular second hand merchant, you might just look at items that turn up on a well known internet auction site. Generally grossly over-priced, such that if they sell they make a real killing and would generally accept much lower offers, by purchasers who contact them and deal ‘off-line, over the phone’.

Edited By not done it yet on 14/10/2022 07:38:05

That's a fair point I didn't consider… Although I didn't check the manufacturer, was just told it's off a Colchester. Whether or not it'll come back to haunt me, for my purposes I think the RDG item still made the better purchase. Even if I later decide some of the surfaces want a scraping. As far as recourse goes, I paid on the credit card so can always go that route if they don't play fair in after sales…

Jay

Interesting comments on the future of shows, which are only 'local' to a few. I fully understand the need for any trader to make as much as they can to cover the overheads, but surely they should keep their normal business going while they are at a show.

I presume Polly Engineering have all their staff at the show as they are not currently answering their phone or responding to emails!