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I have THREE shows I am looking at upcoming in the next 45 days. Here is my battle plan: 1- Ignore the layouts and displays, we will look at them later 2- start at the tables in one corner and work against the crowd's movements. What you dont want is the feeling of being "herded" down the table by 5 people breathing down your neck. 3- Have a wishlist and the money to cover it. 4- See a desired item, inspect it and try to haggle. If you have it in your hand what is also on your wish list buy it right then. 5- work on the wish list BEFORE you go to the show. Do it carefully. Try to leave out paints, brushes and etcera. You can get those at the hobby shop. 6- Greet the person at the table and be nice even if you are not the least interested in the superduper internet controlled thisawhatis it that costs really cheap. (If it was really that good everyone would have it) 7- research prices for the items you have on your list. Know if those Athearn boxcars are worth 25 dollars apeice unassembled. (you laugh...) 8- understand that some shady dealers will talk loud, long and dazzle the customer into buying technology that went out of fashion in the 80's and leave it to them to learn that it is not the "spectrum super duper DCC ready unit" that they really were looking for. Customer eyes 40 year old AHM steamer... price 200- Dealer eyes customer and evaluates sucker factor while preparing a verbal sales patch filled with how EASY and CHEAP to get DCC and sound into it... usually reinforced by a SUPER LOUD sound engine chugging and whistling back and forth on the 3 foot track. Kinda hard to do business... sorta like sitting a showroom new car and smelling the seductive leather and fragrance they seem to spray in those things while the salesman works a verbal narrative about how comfortable and powerful the car is.... Admit to yourself these two things: 1- You can hire a fleet of trucks and have as much money as Bill Gates but you will NEVER buy EVERYTHING that you ever want, previously wanted as a kid or will want a year from now in a train show. 2- Try to stay focused on that list you made up. Once you traveled the tables and perhaps gotten one or several items on that list and spent your money... then it's time to visit the show. Try to park close to the door. You will want to store your acquired loot in the vehicle instead of hauling it about the building several times (or miles) on your feet. Keep the credit card at home. Some dealers have ability to "call in" the card by cell phone but they are a security risk. If you wi***o spend on credit card, use it at your local hobby shop where at least you can get exactly what you want. Save some money for your lunch or dinner. Trust me all that walking about will work up an appetite. PUT the trains in your vehicles before you go eat. Ketchup and Mustard does not lube that 400 dollar gem of a steam engine very well. People never get onto hands and knees. They only do this to root through boxes of kits that everyone knows is retired or discontinued. Same with books. Test that locomotive BEFORE buying it. Dont let them simply apply full throttle and say wow it runs like a gem! Make them move it forward backwards, slow, fast and listen for any problems... watch for duck walking and other issues that reveal potential issues. If you spot something that is not on your list and you suddenly feel as if the entire show is conspiring to snatch it away from you after you have waited 20 years to get such a item then buy it. Sometimes the heart can be made happy this way. Even if you did not spend any money take the time to go thru everything. Dont bother to look at the computers and software... they are years out of date. Unless it is a railroad related software you can understand. At any show there will be hats, shirts, coffee mugs and all that stuff. Avoid those areas as they take away from your time that you will need to visit the tables. Brace yourself.. some of the tables will be crappy. Dealers will be mean and onery. Or worst of all that prized item you been watching all day get tossed into the box as it was spare parts good only for the parts bin. Some of these dealers hauled the items all the way to the show to dispose of them. They are more motivated to make the sale closer to the end of day as they really dont want to carry that stuff back to rot for another year in thier store. Keep a pair of 20's ready to "pull". If you are using one hand to show a pair of 20's as if seeking to determine if there is enough to buy the said item... the dealer will see the green and want it. It's crazy I know but I have bought stuff for 20 dollars that I know is worth 60 or more in the hobby shop. If you think you will be buying another copy of a favorite freight car, jot the car number down. I really hate it when I sit wondering if I already have this exact car number on the layout. Sometimes a item such as a building will catch your eye but the "glue spots" and missed paint spots will really be awful. Think about what you can do on the workbench with this item. It may be salvageable to your standards. That one item painted in a really sick shade of green or garish pink deserves a .10 cent sticker. Tell the dealer you will spend alot of money repairing the color to your taste. Another trick is to approach the table that contains the "Fountain of Youth" which is an item that you are willing to mortage your house, lands, job, spouse... everything including the soul to the devil ...*ahem dealer.... carefully.... Put on your poker face and dont indicate to the dealer of your great excitement in that one item. Simply pick up the worst looking cheapest bottle rocket you can find and work your way over towards the treasure. Calmly haggle with the dealer that this bottle rocket cannot be all that good will he or she be willing to throw in this "junk" engine to make a sale? Perhaps at a reduced cost due to parts that may be needed or repairs at home? Keep the junk part that you dont want in one hand. This contains your quivering excitement and overwhelming desire to purchase the mother lode of all things trainshow. You DONT want your body language to tip off the dealer. If the dealer finds out that it is a coveted item then it is in thier power to try to complete the sale on THIER terms... not necessarily cheaply as you would like. You will visit 7 out of 10 shows and feel ready to leave in 1 hour or less because nothing is there that you want. So try not to be too disappointed. There will be screaming children roaming the place. Unattended and driven snorting wild raving stampeding cattle by bright colors and flashing toys. They are hazards to Navigation and should be given as much room as possible. Thankfully that bright lego train flying down the track keeps them in one area. That big and beautiful O scale smoker running around the track smoking up the place is a pleasure to watch and listen to. Just dont breathe too much of the fumes. I have seen 10 tables obscured by smoke from these locomotives as air circulation is not the best in some shows.
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