I’ve got flea marketing on my mind because I have a little trip to one planned for the end of this week. It’s one of my favorite things to do – wander through mounds of junk in search of the treasures that appeal to me.
One of the dangers of modern life is that we have the capability to “engage” in an activity without really engaging. I’d like to think that this phenomenon started with the advent of VHS tapes of goldfish in a bowl, but I’m afraid it goes back much farther. For years people who never cook have accumulated cookbooks. People who never travel have gone to screenings of travelogs. Now you can even go to the flea market from the comfort of the Lazyboy.
A little over a year ago I wrote a post about why I dislike American Pickers. At the time I pretty much said that I just wasn’t drawn to all the man-tiques, that all the rusty bikes and car parts just were not my thing. But now we have two more “picking” shows, and I can’t say I like them either.
Oddly enough, one of the shows, Market Warriors, is aired by PBS. It features the four people in the photo above, who are taken to a flea market, given some money and told to find a certain type of item, say a piece of art glass. Then they shop again, this time for one or two items of their own choosing. The point is for them to make the best deal possible because all their items will be sold at auction, and the one who makes the most money on the re-sell is the winner.
There are all kinds of problems with the show, the least of which is the fake trash talk that occurs between the four contestants. This is PBS after all, and so no real trash talk is allowed, evidently. I’m sure these are four perfectly nice individuals, but they just don’t come across as being authentic. Yes, I do know this is a reality show, but somehow one just expects more from PBS.
The way the show is set up is working to guarantee failure. One of the weeks I watched this show, the “winner” was the person who lost the least amount of money. That’s right – all four contestants lost money on their items. Part of the problem is they are buying for a specific auction house that has a specific clientele. In the past I’ve been very successful at buying vintage clothing at flea markets and then reselling it and making money, but I have a strong suspicion I’d lose money if my clothing was taken to an auction that specializes in art pottery.
The second new program is Picked Off, which is made by the people who bring American Pickers into our lives. It airs on History. I watched the first episode, swore off of it forever, and then had to give in and watch a second time because two local men were appearing on it. In this show we are given four teams, all of which are different each episode. They start small, with $100, and try to pick an item worth more than the other teams’. The team with the least valuable item has to leave. Then another team is eliminated, and then another, until the last team standing wins $10,000.
Again, the rules get in the way of any real “picking” experience. There are tight time restraints, and the worth of the items is determined by a pair of brother experts (though I strongly suspect they are getting behind-the-scenes assistance, from the internet perhaps.) But the worst part is that it just feels hokey, with all the judging taking place in a “barn” with suspenseful music and cliffhangers going into commercials.
The episode that had my homeboys in it was filmed in the New Orleans area. One of the challenges was for the pickers to find a piece of Mardi Gras memorabilia. None of the teams knew a thing about such, which is to me a problem with both shows. In requiring these types of narrowly focused purchases, you end up relying on luck instead of the knowledge of the pickers.
And now the answer to the burning question: Did Lizzie’s hometown boys come home heroes or zeros? I’m pleased to report that they did win the $10,000. One of them is the son of the auctioneer who handled my MIL’s estate, and he was literally brought up in the antique business. I’m thinking that all those Saturday nights being a runner for daddy’s business finally paid off.
Top photo copyright PBS
Bottom Photo copyright history.com
At first I enjoyed watching American Pickers, because it gave me hope, just knowing that a lot of treasures were still out there, they just needed to be found. But as time went on, their personalities really wore on me, and then I began to see the influence of the show on the market. Prior to the show, I had not actually heard the term “picker” or “picking” with regards to the antique business, despite having my grandmother, parents and myself in the business. We never went “picking” we went on a “buying trip”. Additionally, the word “bundle” is suddenly being tossed about at every place I go, from garage sales to upscale antique malls. Sure, people have always grouped items together to try and score a better deal, but the word “bundle” was another one I hadn’t really heard until the show. And finally, the sky-rocking prices! Signs have always had a pretty good market value, and fetched a good price, however you could still purchase a “STOP” sign for under $30. Now I’m hard pressed to find one for under $45! Additionally, I have been into vintage bicycles since middle school, and was then able to purchase bikes for under $50, now everywhere I turn old bikes, no matter their condition are $250! It’s insane! Due to these shows everyone thinks they’re an expert now, and it is getting just plain irksome.
I didn’t watch the PBS show, I was out of the apartment when it aired, but my dad did, and when I talked to him about it, he said it was just plain ridiculous and made mention of all people losing money.
Look at me, going and writing a novel! Anyhow, that’s my two cents on the matter.
xoxo
-Janey
The bundle thing must be copied from the cable/phone/internet companies.
You make a valid point in that we tend to do a lot of things vicariously these days— as in watching Chefs Top-ping and Amazing Races and Runway Projects. Part of it is validating. I’ve been known to sew on a button after one of those PRs and try to get a bit more creative in the kitchen. On the other hand, once we know we are being so manipulated…
Like Teresa, I immediately thought of our British version, Bargain Hunt. Not exactly the same I agree but it’s a fun show.
It would seem to make more sense buying the item at auction first and then getting their expert to sell it for the most profit. Ho hum! I guess that’s another show!
I am done with reality TV. I have been approached by two different shows to be on them – one as fake ‘client’ who wanted me to pretend to have something to sell to an ‘expert/dealer’ and I supposedly have no idea what the item is. The only problem is, I disagreed with the ‘expert’ what the item was, and besides, I’m not going to pretend to sell something to a dealer – I have a reputation to maintain!
The other case was where I was asked to be a ‘kooky’ collector, but when they discovered that my collection was well cared for and put away and catalogued, rather than strewn all over the house and decorating every room, they lost interest and never called back. So, that is why I am not impressed with any of these ‘dealer – collector’ shows! I have also heard, although can not prove, that one of those shows where you bid on lock-ups is seeded with items to ensure good finds…
(but I still watch Project Runway, Face Off, and Chopped!)
So why not just hire an actor? I guess they’ve learned that people are so thrilled to be on TV that they will do it for free.
So much of “reality tv” is scripted it is almost a lie to even call it reality. No producer would ever invest in something that didn’t have at least a somewhat guaranteed outcome. Just look at how many “set ups” they have for the camera (cars pulling in/driving past) – that stuff takes more time to set up and film than you think (even if you film it out of order).
I find American Pickers somewhat interesting (even if it is so planned) but they usually pass over the stuff I really want to see, and if they don’t, they have to call someone else to explain it to them. (I’m almost glad they don’t have a clue about sewing machines and vintage clothes though.)
In the first season of American Pickers the Mid-century Modern people went nuts on twitter because one of the guys walked right by a valuable piece of art pottery. And it’s like I said in my post about this show, they will totally ignore a trunk full of textiles. BUT, to me that at least shows they don’t pretend to know everything about everything. I’m sure I pass by bargains all the time. What do I know about old car parts?
I can’t say that I have watched any of these shows, as we don’t have TV, but as a rule I agree with you Lizzie. One thing I’ve noticed too, in thrifting this year, is that there are much fewer items I’m interested in, and bargains to be had. I can’t help but think that people are hoarding things waiting for the big “reveal” or thinking their items will fetch what someone offered on TV.
And – much like Jonathan’s comments above – I know from a local friend who was approached to be on one of those shows, how FAKE “Reality” TV is. Sometimes I’ve thought of doing a “thrifting with Mod Betty” show, but to be honest to the process, there would be times where I came out empty handed!
You could be a YouTube sensation!
I actually did have some great finds at a thrift in Carbon County PA yesterday -a green satin cocktail dress with matching 3/4 length jacket – $7.99. And it fits! Too bad we didn’t think to film ourselves! Retro Roadhusband also found a great vintage bowling shirt embroidered with the name Elwood- for only $1.99. It wasn’t part of the half off all clothing sale, but we decided to be hedonistic and pay full price
But we all know that those great finds are usually the exception to the rule.
I know many people who think that I found all of my vintage items in one fell swoop going thrifting one day. They don’t realize that I’ve been doing this for 25+ years, so what they see is a lot of wheat, that I had to go through a lot of chaff to get to!
You have hit the nail on the head, Lizzie. I cancelled my cable last week because NOTHING on TV interests me or is worth the time to watch (so that’s an extra $600 a year for me to play with!).
As for ‘reality TV’? The nearest I can see, it’s all faked. I have too many close connections with that industry here in LA to believe anything I see on those shows (oh, the stories I could tell).
What to watch? I look for old DVD and VHS movies when I’m out cruising for vintage, then I always have something great to see, instead of the trash on TV.
Yes, and the thrifts are practically giving VHS away, so that would be a great and cheap way to have access to home entertainment.
I’d be interested in having a squiz at these shows to form my own opinion, but from your thoughts, I’m not sure I’d enjoy them. I hate a fake narrative and reality tv producers always force those to create a “plot”
when they should just focus on the actual project or facts behind the subject.
I have to weigh in here and agree with you. I watched American Warriors the first night it was on and will never watch it again. I didn’t care for the whole premise of the program and didn’t find the people involved likeable. I don’t care for American Pickers for all of the reasons that you mention. In general, I don’t care for reality TV shows and I haven’t even heard of Picked Off. I don’t have cable TV and have only watched American Pickers a couple of times at a friend’s home. On the other hand, two summers ago my husband and I were the lucky recipients of tickets to Antiques Roadshow when they filmed near us in Miami and we had a wonderful time. Although the items we brought didn’t appear on the show, we learned a great deal about the things we brought and every appraiser we dealt with was super kind, knowledgeable, and fun to talk to.