Kind of off-topic for around here, but something those of you going to the Academy might like to know.
At the Academy last year, (and I will bet again for this year) they set up a "swat meet" area. A lot of members posted on the forum a list of extra materials they had on hand and were willing to part with. Others made arrangements to buy the material and this is the area when they would meet up.
Also a lot of us brought odd items we had on hand.
For example, I ran across 60 count yellow dome LED lights on clearance last year for 75% off at HD. I bought all they had even though I only needed a couple of boxes. (Think Yellow Snow) I took the extra to the swap meet room and left them on the table with a note that had a description, contact info (i.e. cell number) and price per box. I sold all of them for what I had in them. I also bought about 50 strings of mini lights for my son's wedding for $1 a box. I bought extension cords, storage boxes and cat five cables in the swap meet area. There were trees, wreaths and a lot of other stuff o hand. I would say that of the items on hand, easily 90%+ changed hands.
Best of all, no shipping cost! As we all know, when you only need a few strings of lights, the shipping costs can ruin a good deal.
I plan on buying more lights this year on clearance and fully intend to get some just to take to the swap meet. It is just one of the ways we try to help each other control the cost of our hobby.
Just something to keep in mind when you run across those rare, great deals this holiday season.
