Well, I finally made it to Perry, the long fabled swap meet to end all swap meets. I had heard stories for years about all of the incredible bargains to be had there. So I went! Wow, it was BIG but the prices were anything but bargains. The prices people were asking for junk airplanes was just a joke. I was told beforehand that you have to haggle. I made a couple of reasonable offers which were returned with indignance by the sellers. In the two days I was there, I saw very few airplanes go out the doors. I will admit that I left before the show was over and there could have been more bargaining room toward the end.
I'll just stay around the home area. Airplanes that were in the $300-600 range at Perry sell regularly for $100-400 around here. So after a long drive, overnight stay at a hotel, and two tanks of gas, I'm glad to be home. I'm glad I went. My curiosity has been satisfied. Some of my friends who have been to Perry in the past agreed with my assessment this year. They said the prices had gone way up and they probably wouldn't return either.
Unfortunately, the success of the Perry show may be its downfall. The greedy have taken over.