Hoover Model 69

[dysonman]

David:
As a VCCC member, you ARE 'well connected'. You know everyone you need to know for all your vacuum needs, both current or vintage.

VCCC members have discussions all the time about eBay and what its done to the collecting hobby. There are many, laughable examples of eBay stupidity, both on the part of sellers and bidders.

There are many examples of unscrupulous sellers who are out to RIP OFF collectors and take advantage of our interests. Some find out about our interests by forums such as this, which is a HUGE reason I believe this forum should be CLOSED to all but dues paying VCCC members.

These unscroupulous sellers find out what's 'hot' at the moment and then put any old, tired, scratched, nasty, cootie-infested hunk of s**t they have laying around, on eBay for a high price, because they believe it's the current 'rage'. And all too often, some new club member, who has never been to a convention and heard us talk about this subject, buys the thing. They bring their 'treasure' to a convention, where they discover, to their horror, that they were ripped off.

At the last convention, we THREW AWAY over 30 vacuum cleaners.

Perhaps the hotel maids should have put them on eBay with buy-it-now prices of $99. After all, it was the maid who were hauling them out to their cars. The hotel itself took in all they could, before throwing the rest in the dumpster.

As a VERY LONG TIME club member (there were only 12 of us when I joined VCCC), I can tell you that this phenonenon of ripping off collectors started BEFORE eBay. It's one of the reasons that the first set of 'rules' for VCCC excluded anyone with a vac shop from joining, since most vac shop owners want to make a 'quick buck' off our interests. Mostly by selling us the junk in their 'boneyard' room that they want to throw away, for exhorbitant prices. Alex Taber specifically had to be convinced to allow vac shop owners to join.

Clay and I were the first two. At the first meeting, both of us together brought 41 vacuums that we GAVE AWAY to club members. Jimmy Martin, Chuck Chatham, Marc Turbyfill, Dwayne Taylor, etc. are all vac shop owners who do NOT rip off club members, but rather have been an asset to our club.

It's the vac shop owning VCCC members who got together and offered any current member the opportunity to buy parts and vacs from us at our wholesale price plus postage. While we didn't, of course, HAVE to do this, it's because we CARE about our fellow club members that we do this. That's why Fred S. has been busy shipping VCCC members Hoover Constellations for $135 plus postage, which is the wholesale cost. Not because he HAS to, but because he CARES about this club, as we all do.

 

[sukething]

Well said Tom...

Yes, exactly Tom!! I remember that first meeting at Alex's home and how Alex commented to me how he was very afraid at that time how vacuums would become so expensive that it may become outragious. Which at times it has as we all have seem. Alex wanted us to be able to share our knowledge and share our vacuums like swaping and trading. I agree whole heartedly, I feel badly that I have not been able to be apart of the group but things are back to normal.

 

[swingette]

i was lucky, i guess. i got my coolest eBay vacuums BEFORE the recent upsurge. a Eureka 260 with original bag for an opening bid , something like 20 bucks, and its very nice. and a model 61 with all tools and lit and original bag for 40 bucks! and a SWEET Hoover model 913 (with phony bag) for 20 something bucks as well. this would never happen today.

 

[converto-skip]

I totally agree about the trading with each other

I have to second the notion about trading with fellow club members and/or selling at a reasonable price. In fact reggie and I just did 2 deals together and you wouldn't believe the savings we did trading vacs with each other and I did puirchase one for a mere 10.00 plus shipping never to see that on ebay. In fact I even just give a fellow collector parts to complete his vacuum and don't even sell it just give it and if it is small enough I don't charge him shipping because i look at it this Way You help a fellow collector out and the favor will be returned sooner then You think. Because like Tom was saying ebay is getting out of hand with the prices. And believe it or not that's why some flea markets and thrift stores have raised the price of there vacuums that you used to be able to pay 5 to 10 bucks for now will probably cost 50.00 or more. because they are aware of ebay and figure people are buying there vacuums to sell on ebay. I knew A guy from Knoxville tenn and he would go to his local flea maeket and buy beautiful vacuums for 5 bucks and i mean totally complete and in original boxes. Well Robert had called me up and wanting me to buy the Hoover airdyne model 51 totally complete and in original boxes for 25.00 and 25.00 shipping but Thats one vacuum i wasn't into So I sugested He put it on ebay and after a month of me telling him to put it on ebay. Robert did put it on ebay and the final bid was like right at 280 bucks. Well needless to say Robert goes back to the thrift store for some more vacuums but this time he told the owner about the hoover and the winning bid well all of the sudden these 5 to 10 dollars vacuums went up to 80.00 to 100 dollars. He realized what a mistake he made.

Skip...

 

[tolivac]

WOW!! threw away 30 vacuums from the VCCC Convention?Before tossing them-how 'bout advertising them for other members-the other members may be able to find them homes rather than ending up in the garbage.

 

[dysonman]

tolivac:
You are a VCCC member?

I forget that our forum is open to everyone, and not just club members. That's definately a problem we need to address at the next meeting of the board of directors.

In any event, the vacs thrown away were vacs BROUGHT to the meeting BY VCCC members, who did not want them. They were put in the FREE pile or the For Sale pile. The FREE pile machines that were not taken, and the For Sale pile vacs not sold, were just LEFT by club members. We had one hour to clean up the room, so most of the vacs were given to maids at the hotel or to the hotel itself. The rest were thrown out.

How would we have been able to "advertise" them? It was after all, club members themselves who did not want them.

There were tons of convertibles, some Lux, some Rainbows, etc.
Many Kirbys, some Kenmores, some Eureka's. There were just so many machines there that people brought to 'trade' or 'sell' and never wound up doing either. I got a wonderful Rainbow chrome dome model D with the original attachment box, for free. I also got a Sunbeam Challenger tank type, and a Universal straight suction upright from the 1920's. All for free.

As I've said to Derreck many times, just COME TO THE CONVENTION. It's not what's there the first that that counts, it's what's left on the last day that really matters.

 

[convertible68]

Well, since I'm a VCCC member now (since early September), and will be able to attend the Omaha convention, AND have a somewhat limited collection...I will definitely try to save some of the unwanted stuff as well.

 

[hoovercelebrity]

The 'free' pile.

Almost every convention I've been to (the past 5 in a row), that I can recall... there has always been a 'free' pile that has things which don't seem to get claimed. People bring them, and set them in the pile, then don't take responsibility for them when the events comes to a close.

I have a feeling, though, that things are going to be different this next time around...

~Fred

 

[dysonman]

Fred:
Part of the problem has been that, for many VCCC members, they do not work on their own cleaners. So, they aquire one at a garage sale (or wherever), and it has loud bearings or a worn out brush. They never do anything with it. They bring it to convention, thinking of trading it. Except for the few of us who DO work on old cleaners, no one seems to want it. I wait until the last day, then ask for it. I've received many cleaners for my collection that way. I have room to store a lot of machines for 'parts'. For example, when I got the Rainbow from Tania on the last day, she told me that it didn't work all the time. Something about a short in the switch or cord. Well, it was just the carbon brushes worn down to the springs. I took the motor completely apart, replaced the bearings and brushes, and it works (and looks) like new. It was a 1962 model D Rainbow (the year I was born) and it sits proudly on display at Dan's vac shop, on the shelf, where customers can see it.

No one but me wanted it, since it didn't work 'properly'. To me, it was a treasure. Because I knew I could fix it. As I said, it's the LAST DAY that really counts for me anyway.