ENTER WITH CAUTION, olddude rant

**EcoSafe** · 02-18-2013, 08:36 PM

Haven't really done one of these for a while so, here goes,

first of all I hate the term "pickers" but that's just me. I dont like tv shows that proclaim to be "reality shows" when their are, for the most part, unreality shows. do you realy think those guy on Pickers or what ever the show is called just one day decided they were going to do a tv show and off they went. They own a big auction house and have many many experts at their disposal. It is the same with all the others, pawn stars, storage wars and all the rest.

So you really beieve the "survivors are really stuck on some god forsaken Island with out millions of dollars of back up behind the trees.

Now for the picker /scrapper thing. A scrapper can pick out certain things out of his scrap that has more then scrap value and in that way be a "treasure hunter".

A "picker" < I have personally done a lot of picking in my youth. Cotton, Beans, Corn, and pulling peanuts by hand to name a few.

I have nothing against those who glean yard sales and antique stashes for treasure in fact I love it but I would never call myself or others that "treasure hunt" pickers just because of an unreality show. But then thats just me

**Jvcr1** · 02-18-2013, 08:44 PM

Yeah, I despise those "reality" shows too, as they are totally staged and unreal in essence.

**Phantoms001** · 02-18-2013, 09:00 PM

Originally Posted by Jvcr1

Yeah, I despise those "reality" shows too, as they are totally staged and unreal in essence.

No way these shows are rigged.........

'Storage Wars' Rigging Lawsuit: David Hester Says A&E Can't Plead First Amendment - Hollywood Reporter

**Mick** · 02-18-2013, 09:07 PM

Next time you watch one, think of where the camera is to get that shot. Often, what they're having so much trouble getting to; The cameraman (and crew) has already gotten there carrying heavy equipment.

**happyscraper** · 02-18-2013, 09:13 PM

Most of the time the apprassors on "storage wars" and "Pawn stars" are the actual owners of the things they are aprassing. I could never figure out why people would pring the things that they do to a pawn shop to sell. Some of those items would sell for alot more at a good auction house or even on e-bay. Just my .02

**Ecycle Atlanta** · 02-18-2013, 09:45 PM

Truth is there have been "pickers" out there for eons, while the shows are certainly not "reality". I've been a picker for a long time. It basically starts when you go out looking for something that you have gained knowledge in (pottery, art, coins, furniture, etc.). As time goes by, you gain education in other things as well by doing research, reading or joining forums like this. My hunt at garage sales, auctions, etc. is 10x more expanded than it was 20 years ago, which means my potential to make a profit is much greater. Plus I just love to go to those places instead of the movies or bowling, so it is entertainment for me. Bottom line is that your rant is well founded in that the shows depict unreal conditions and events that may happen possibly 1 out of 50 times instead of 3x per episode. I love being a "picker", just dont confuse me with those shows

**EcoSafe** · 02-18-2013, 11:56 PM

no offense meant. those shows just turned me off that tag. I'd much rather be a treasure hunter. You wanting to be refereed to as a "picker" is your prerogative.

**Immulmen** · 02-19-2013, 07:42 AM

Originally Posted by Phantoms001

No way these shows are rigged.........

'Storage Wars' Rigging Lawsuit: David Hester Says A&E Can't Plead First Amendment - Hollywood Reporter

On Storage wars they found a Russian sidecar motorcycle. I know the owner of the motorcycle and he did not buy it from them. It came with a receipt renting it to the show for $600. It was planted.
Chris

**grouchyolddude** · 02-19-2013, 08:20 AM

I started "picking" my nose at a very young age. As I've grown older, my methods have improved but my fingers have got bigger.

**KzScrapper** · 02-19-2013, 08:36 AM

Seems everything on TV these days is rigged including the news. If I sit down to watch, my goal is to be half way entertained and come away learning something new about an item they have on there whether it be about it's history or a ballpark value...usually you have to cut their estimate by 1/3 -1/2 to be realistic though.

There is one show on PBS that 3-4 "Pickers" set out to find things then sell them at auction at the end of the show. These folks lose money or break even most the time though which proves two points...its not as easy as it looks and Public TV has no idea the value of a Dollar.

**jghilino** · 02-19-2013, 10:52 AM

They state right at the beginning of the show Auction Hunters that this is the story of there best finds. So basically they are telling you upfront that its fake. I like that. I like the storag unit shows and atend storage auctions regularly to wash people shell out thousands of dollars for junk. The tv craze us brought alot of stupidity into the auctions. Ive seen people spend $2000 on a unit pull 3 decent things out and leave the rest behind.

**taterjuice** · 02-19-2013, 11:01 AM

Of course these shows are fake, if it was just real life it'd be boring as hell and no one would watch it. I like to watch some of the before mentioned shows But purely for entertainment sake I don't believe they hold a bit of truth to them.

**Ecycle Atlanta** · 02-19-2013, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by KzScrapper

Seems everything on TV these days is rigged including the news. If I sit down to watch, my goal is to be half way entertained and come away learning something new about an item they have on there whether it be about it's history or a ballpark value...usually you have to cut their estimate by 1/3 -1/2 to be realistic though.

There is one show on PBS that 3-4 "Pickers" set out to find things then sell them at auction at the end of the show. These folks lose money or break even most the time though which proves two points...its not as easy as it looks and Public TV has no idea the value of a Dollar.

That show is just awful. I dont know who produced it but it is done very poorly. The other thing is that they send out these people from "upscale" cities and think the auction value in Bugtussel, Iowa will be the same. That show irks me. Must be partially founded by the Fed's. Oh, and olddude, i like the treasure hunter tag too. Makes me think of being on a ship off the coast of Florida looking for a lost Spanish galleon...with Jimmy Buffet playing in the background

**NobleMetalWorks** · 02-19-2013, 03:47 PM

The reality shows bother me as well...

What people don't generally know is when, like on the "Gold Rush" series, people are complaining about not making any money, they are still being paid. According to the Actors Guild, they have to be paid at least $1,000 per episode. The reality is (no pun intended) if they have a halfway decent manager, they are probably making a lot more off the show than they are making in gold, or picking, or buying auctioned storage units, etc.

Another thing that bothers me in these shows is that the "stars" always seem to be ripping someone off, the pawn shops pay less than value, the storage units are auctioning off peoples items, the pickers are selling them items for many times more than what they paid for them. It seems to me they are encouraging the idea it's okay to profit from other peoples misfortune or their own greed.

Just my humble opinion, but I really believe that shows like these are adding to the decay of our society under the guise of entertainment.

Scott

**Ecycle Atlanta** · 02-19-2013, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by NobleMetalWorks

The reality shows bother me as well...

What people don't generally know is when, like on the "Gold Rush" series, people are complaining about not making any money, they are still being paid. According to the Actors Guild, they have to be paid at least $1,000 per episode. The reality is (no pun intended) if they have a halfway decent manager, they are probably making a lot more off the show than they are making in gold, or picking, or buying auctioned storage units, etc.

Another thing that bothers me in these shows is that the "stars" always seem to be ripping someone off, the pawn shops pay less than value, the storage units are auctioning off peoples items, the pickers are selling them items for many times more than what they paid for them. It seems to me they are encouraging the idea it's okay to profit from other peoples misfortune or their own greed.

Just my humble opinion, but I really believe that shows like these are adding to the decay of our society under the guise of entertainment.

Scott

Yes, great response Scott. There is definetely a "ethics" question when you are in the business of buying in order to resell. At what point does getting a "good deal" turn into "ripping off" someone. Some food for thought and could probably lead into hundreds of responses, so I'll just leave it as a rhetorical question.

**TheRecycler** · 02-19-2013, 08:47 PM

Olddude I call myself TheRecycler because I turn trash into cash. I agree, pickers are like hoarders who just collect things due to an obsession but us scrappers, that's different. We are providing a valuable service to society and the environment.

**unknownk** · 02-19-2013, 09:51 PM

Reality shows started as unscripted, put some people together with different backgrounds and see what happens and edit out 99% of the boring crud. The shows you are talking about now Pickers, pawnstars etc are mostly just commercials for the owners and entertainment TV for the viewers. People watch reality tv because the exagerated personalities and situations are amusing to them. I do kind of hate all the shows showing garbage as being worth money has inflated asking prices on ebay and garage sales for stuff that will never sell anyway.

**BurlyGuys** · 02-20-2013, 05:39 AM

Don't care that they're rigged, they're entertaining.

Besides, Brandy Passante...yum!

**Scrapette** · 02-20-2013, 10:21 AM

I hardly ever watch the Pickers show. I have trouble believing the profits they claim to make - "We bought this rusty piece of c#$p for thirty dollars and sold it for sixty." I look at that and wonder what idiot paid them sixty bucks for an item that I wouldn't have even paid the original thirty for.

Where are these buyers and can I please have their addresses and phone numbers because I have some valuable junk to sell them? And a very nice bridge in Brooklyn........

**826ih** · 02-20-2013, 10:59 AM

lol id never want to show how i make money on tv than everyone else would want to try and snatch up my items.

ENTER WITH CAUTION, olddude rant

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