SNOOZE- YOU LOSE. This oft heard phrase is most often in reference to being slow off the starting line in a DRAG RACE. There are also those moments in life where one has ‘thought about it’ for too long. One of those times happened in the last few days.
A customer came out to the Chrome N Rust world headquarters last Saturday to have a ‘look around’ for parts. In particular, he was looking for red colored interior parts for a Chevy truck, as he was contemplating an interior color change for a project. I know that it sounds like a sales pressure tactic to remind someone that the parts they are looking at may not be there the next time they come back. Then again…
Monday rolls around; the phone rings. The fellow on the line is looking for dark red or maroon door panels for a GM truck. I told him about the red panels I had, but I would need to look to see if they had manual, crank-up handles. Long story short, the customer came out later that day and gladly shelled out my asking price for the panels.
The lesson here is like they often say on the ‘American Pickers’ tv show: “If you see it- buy it. Because you don’t know when the next time (if ever) you will get another opportunity.”
ONE THING I have been hearing lately is that places like mine don’t exist anymore. One of the biggest reasons is government regulation/ intervention caused mainly by the encroachment of ‘urban’ people in rural areas. Another factor here is the ‘greying’ of the auto enthusiast hobby. Simply put, some of us are getting old- too old to want to put in the effort and expense to maintain a ‘junk-yard’. Most young people are not into cars/ trucks, grease, or things mechanical. Therefore, there isn’t another generation to keep ‘places like mine’ going.
WHILE I am aware of the economic realities most of you face, I am also in the same boat. Maybe even worse, because what I hope to sell and make an income from is primarily a want rather than a need. I am hoping to complete the restoration of my 1 ton carrier truck so that I can start hauling scrap vehicles again. I will also begin thinning the inventory of boned-out donor vehicles.
Maybe then, I won’t have to call in a crusher.
I recently posted a new page (Chrome n Rust ‘G’ Bodies) in order to market another portion of my ‘collection’. I have recently been ‘outed’ on some Facebook b&s sites, so before I go public (I joined the sites) I thought I would post a few rules that would make interactions with me go better…. Read more »
I recently received an email telling me that one of my ‘old’ project cars was for sale on kijiji with a substantial markup in price. Frankly, I couldn’t be happier. When the two vehicles in question (one was just a body without even a frame under it) left the chrome n rust world headquarters, I… Read more »
LATELY I have been wondering what it takes to sell stuff online. I have posted vehicles and parts on kijiji and the last few years on FB Marketplace sites. Thanks to idiot governments and ‘plan-demics’, things have been less than predictable. The fact is that when you sell goods that are ‘wants’ rather than needs,… Read more »
A few years ago I took advantage of a ‘free’ google listing to help give my commercial operation Over The Hill Classic Trucks! some ‘search engine optimization’ thereby bypassing every East Indian nimrod with a cell phone who was promising top of the listing presence on google. For what it’s worth- some of the corporations… Read more »
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