Golden West College Swap Meet

I’ve always loved this quirky swap meet… there are always a bunch of random and interesting finds. Take a look at some of my pics for an idea of what I’m talking about.

typical swap meet.
here is what sucks: Golden West College.
there is very limited parking, so many park across the street @ toys r us parking lot, which always has hundreds of open spots all the time.
well, they towed me, and here is what you need to know:
golden west college hires security guards and a tow company (carr towing) to tow cars from a parking lot that is not even theirs! why? TOTAL ICE-​HOLES! These GOONS literally watch for people to park, and if they walk across the street to the swap meet they call Carr Towing. That’s that. So, if you wanna wa$te $ 331.00, just WIPE YOUR BUTT with a buncha bills! Make sure to mail the $ to GWC once your scent is on the money, to let them know how fugged up this «policy» is.
well, they zeroed in on me today, and it ended up co$ting me $ 331.00!!!
$ 145.00 towing
$ 62.00 labor
you’ll love these somehow legal charges:
$ 76.00 «gate fee»?
$ 48.00 «storage»
$ 331.00 total! outrageous!
my car was in their yard for less than an hour. storage? gate fee? blows.
golden west swap meet and more specifically golden west college suck out loud! i hate golden west and i’ll tell anybody who will listen to never ever go to their shiddy «swap meet».

This place is hit or miss. I love digging through the used book stand. I always end up leaving with arms full of books. I’ve also found many unique treasures while browsing but it’s definitely something I have to be in the mood for.

Parking tip: If you can wake up early enough to get here before 8AM, you can find parking on the Goldenwest side (which shares the lot with the swap meet booths). The adjacent lot along Edinger Ave (facing the Nursing Bldg) is next to fill up since its relatively close. If you’re like me and struggle to get out of bed *that early on a Saturday* — the Gothard St parking lot fills up last. Just be prepared to walk, since its clear on the other side of campus.
Brings lots of small denominations — $ 1 work best here, $ 5 is good too. A lot of the vendors will typically give you small dollar change back, so you can make their life somewhat easier by having them avoid breaking a giant bill.
The fun thing about the swap meet is that while you’ll see your «regular» vendor — sometimes, you’ll find a new vendor selling their wares. I don’t go often enough to notice much of a difference — I think I’ve gone about once every few months — if that — but it’s a great place to go bargain hunting at.
I think most vendors are open to haggling — but be respectful about it, people — what a lot of people don’t realize is that these vendors have to rent out a spot from the college every weekend — so it’s not like they staked out a spot, parked their van and unloaded their merchandise. My curiosity asked about the details and every weekend — bright and early — a vendor has to wait in line to see if they can snag a spot for their booth that day. Some are turned away due to space. Even worse, the costs of renting a spot is pretty high, so some are forced to deeply discount their goods as the day comes to an end. These people do have to make a living, so don’t be overly heartless with your haggling.
Cash Only. I’m a bit wary of the few vendors that do take credit cards (through that square app or some other app installed on their phones). If you’re low on cash — there is a SchoolsFirst ATM located at the Auto Tech Bldg (next to the 3-​story library). Credit Union Members get to withdraw cash for free (If your card has the COOP (triangle) logo, you’re good to go).

The Golden West College Swap Meet is an Orange County institution that is a wonderful place to haggle for crap you don’t need. Being a huge fan of swap meets and a frequent visitor to as many as I can find, I wavered back and forth over my overall star rating for this shopping Mecca. I ended up going with ⁴⁄₅ stars as opposed to ⁵⁄₅ simply because of some of the vendors, more so than most swap meets that I have visited, tend to severely over-​value their wares and other vendors really need to be watched if you’re buying in bulk. Allow me to explain…
As with most swap meets in the Southern California area, the vendors are predominantly Hispanic, but at this one, a large percentage are also of Asian decent (Westminster is right next door and is home to one of the largest Vietnamese populations in the state). The merchandise carried here isn’t just your typical storage unit crap (though there is a lot of that), it is also quite a bit of higher end goods and clothing. There is a large St. John vendor that carries women’s suits and sweaters that retail at $ 1500+, several electronics vendors and cel phone booths, and other speciality booths that you would never see at a typical swap meet.
In Vegas, the outdoor swap meet of choice is Broadacres, which offers several off price packaged food vendors. At GoldenWest, there really is only one, and it is known as WilMart, and has a sign that says as much. That booth provides phenomenal values on nearly expired or well expired packaged foods from places like WalMart, Cardenas, and even Trader Joes. Just be cautious of the expiration dates. We picked up some Slim Jim beef sticks that had expired about 10 months earlier. Still edible, but barely. Also, if buying in bulk, be sure to add up the total with the proprietor. We were incorrectly charged a few times and had to remind of the negotiated deal that we had made on a few items.
As with all swap meets, it’s all about the haggling. Personally, my greatest joy in swap meeting is haggling in broken Spanglish for crap I don’t need, and thankfully, the GoldenWest College Swap Meet fits the bill quite nicely. Though the Vegas swap meet (Broadacres) is a MUCH better value, the higher end goods are certainly more plentiful in OC so there are some trade offs when it comes to value. Either way, if you’re in OC, it is definitely worth a stop. Enjoy!

If you are a serious vintage and antique seller DO NOT buy a space at this swap meet. Most of the customers here either do not understand the value of the items you are selling or want to buy something for an unfair price. When the customers bargain it gets to the point of being demeaning because they want to pay the same or less than what the seller initially paid for the item. And I am talking about a $ 3 item here. Not an expensive item. I barely made back the money I paid for the space. Do not waste your time.

If you are not afraid to get your hands dirty digging for treasure, this swap meet is a good place to start. Not as dirty as the Cypress swap meet, but it offers the same kind of stuff. Also, the trees at this college campus are divine. Makes the walk from the far back parking lot not too bad…
First off, this is NOT an antique market. I repeat… NOT an antique market.
I would describe it more like storage wars meets community yard sale with the abundance of Mexican/​China products (and yummy elote!) as the cherry on top.
My husband and I hit this place up pretty often, and we usually come out with a cart full of goodies. Anything from real wood frames, vintage fabric and ribbon, miscellaneous home décor, random knick knacks, etc…
Vinyl records are usually $ 1 each. Pretty good deal. You just have to sift through them to find what you’re looking for. But be careful of warped ones. After weeks and weeks of sun exposure, those babies get ruined.
For artists or crafters, check out the «random tools» booth. They don’t make deals since most things are pretty cheap already. Makeup artists — they sell stainless steel spatulas! Woot! Better deal than at any beauty convention. And scissors that would be hella expensive at Joann’s can be found here. So if you’re an artist, definitely stop by this booth.
My husband has gotten awesome vintage tools here. I have no idea what he buys sometimes, but the look of happiness and satisfaction (with a fair price) on his face makes the trip to this place all the more worth it. You do have to know what you’re buying or else you may get cheated on what you think is a deal.
TIPS:
Bring a water bottle. It does get super hot and crowded.
Wear sunscreen and a hat. Save yourself from damaging sun rays.
Bring a cart. You never know what you’re gonna get.
And lastly, bring lots of dollars.
HAPPY SWAP MEETING!

The SWAT meet is the place to come when you have nothing better to do or when you want to buy something cheap and decent and when you need a tool and you don’t want to buy it new from the store

Got scammed big time!!! I was in a plant booth. The one that sells lots of small cactus plants, bamboo plants, adenium plants, etc. this plant booth is owned by a Chinese lady and a Caucasian guy.
So they had a sign for adenium buy 3 for $ 10. I bought some. They only had some left that were really small and almost dead. Because I was getting it for a gift, I didn’t want to come back again. I offer 4 for $ 10, and they were closing so the Chinese owner said «ok». I step out of the store to get the money from my husband. She puts the plants in the box for me and I left. After I left, I realized one of my plant was missing. I came back and ask for it. She denies the deal. And try to make me look like a fool!
Omg!!! I cannot explain how angry I was!!! First of all, I am half her age if not younger. She totally scammed me!!! What Bad business!!! Why would you do this to your customer?! She took my money, and didn’t give me what I paid for. I own a business myself… there is no way in HELL will I be able to survive with this type of scams. It’s stealing!!! Why agree to sell it to me in the first place?! If the plants hadn’t been for a special friend that beg me to pick it up. I would have toss it back in her face!!! You do not scam someone and denies it and try to make it look like its the customer’s fault. Shame on you Chinese lady!!!
Please beware!!!

*** Hmm… trash or treasure? ***
The last time I was at this swap meet it was a few years ago. I returned recently to just roam around and check things out. A lot of changes occurred within the last few years.
What I liked…
There was a lot more organization in the booths. The people selling their goods take more care to organize everything. There are many more booths that have clothes for example neatly stacked. There’s also a lot more food and refreshment options if you’re hungry after walking all day.
What I didn’t like…
There are still a lot of junky booths. Some of these booths look like people brought their trash and spread it out on the floor. Those kinds of booths are not very appealing to check out. In addition a large section of the parking lot by Goldenwest is under construction. There’s much less parking for visitors.
Bottom line…
I’ve seen much better swap meets in the past. This swap meet is cool if you like looking for the diamond in the rough. This is also a good place if you like treasure hunting and bargaining. I just really didn’t see anything that captured my attention. I’ll have to pass on it the next time.

If you want succulents, find Shuna at the Golden West College swap. She has very high quality plants at very good prices. You can find her in the row where the rows change direction. She also has a red pennant at the top of a long pole.

I have been coming here since I moved to Huntington Beach. They always have great finds and low prices. I usually come once a month to buy my baby succulents from this lovely lady and her family. They lady is so help helpful and her prices are amazing. Her baby succulents are $ 1 each or 6 for $ 5. She also sells a bigger succulent for 2 for $ 5.

Ghetto BUT if you look hard enough you’ll find some real gems. I like antiques so I know what to look for.
This place ISNT clean. Literally. It’s dirty. Trash cans are full and trash on the grounds. Some weird people. I suggest if you have kids to keep them close to you.

Parking is atrocious. Literally jammed packed and no one knows how to freakin park. It’s a free entry swap meet so it’s worth going to, just make sure you go before 9am. Yea arrive before 9am and you’re fine. Anytime after that, you’ll experience chaos going in and out of the parking lot.

One of my favorite swap meets in SoCal for the sheer variety of things you can buy.
Prada platforms? Check
American Brilliant, vintage cut glass? Check
Fresh produce? Check
Specialty tools for nail salons? Check
Fresh flowers? Check
Anything you can imagine can be found here.

This place is like a time machine!
Every aisle has more and more treasures from the past, junk, clothes, boots, beds, an everything in between.
We could only get through half!
Parking is a nightmare. Go to the got hard entrance.
Lots of bathrooms on the college campus.
Bring bags and wear good walking shoes. Got a great straw hat for 5 bucks. Best deal!

Oh Swap meet I haven’t visit you for a long time in years and it was nice seeing you again :)
This place has a lot of stuff here from food to plants, pet cages, fruit picker stick for those up high fruits that you can’t grab to even almost anything you need is all here for you.
Although I didn’t buy anything besides food but it was a great stroll in the morning for my mom and I. Plus it was great exercise for some morning sun :)
Parking: we came here around 10 and there were still plenty of parking for us which was good. The good time to come here is early In the morning 7 – 8 am where the sun is out but cooler in the morning.
*** be sure to wear a hat, sunscreen, or bring umbrella cuz being outdoor for along time can get you a nice looking tan****
FOOD— there this Mexican elotes booth where they sell grilled corn on the cob for $ 2 and elotes $ 2.50(s) & $ 4 (l) cup. Omg it was the best grill corn on the cob ever. I’m glad they had the table with condiments: mayonnaise, chili, butter, lime juice, Parmesan cheese, Mexican chili powder basically the main ingredients that goes on the corn to make it taste good. And boy was it good. :) I must come back for second cob for sure!
I almost wanted to try this Mexican fruit cocktail with mango and tamarind juice inside but didn’t want to upset my stomach in the morning with those sourness but next time I will.
So far this place is not bad for some fun time in the sun, bargains, and yummie grilled corn/​elotes.

I’ve been on a swap meet kick lately. But I dont wnat that fancy swap meet you see over in Costa Mesa… no sir. I want the real deal, pick through junk, find a bargain and haggling swap meet. Golden West scratches my itch.
Great to come and browse around and look for a bunch of stuff you probably dont need but if the price is right will be picking up. This place gets pretty crowded so get in early if you can. Parking can be a pain as well. I have been on a kick of trying to build collections of things I had when I was a kid and have had some good finds here.
Come check this place out. Its a great little spot to kill a couple hours. If you want to build a DVD collection this would be a good start. Get on over here and start rummaging. CHEERS!

I’ve been coming here my whole life and it’s a really good place to find diamonds in the rough. You need to dig through a lot of crap to find that diamond though. Even so, my family has gotten countless high end items for cheap because someone was moving or upgraded their tools. They have a few produce stands that seem to be dwindling lately.
The food is also great! you can get lots of Mexican meals and drinks! There is also a phở stand for those who refuse Mexican food (and why would you?!). Look for the churro guy or snow cones too!
Don’t forget to haggle!

The Golden West swap meet is a parking lot full of stuff. The stuff ranges from junk to goodies all at a relatively cheap price. I can’t tell you exactly where to find what you’ll need, but it seems as though the sellers like to use the same spots weekly.
The good —
Great deals on cleaning supplies, nail supplies, tools, some shoes (Converse Chucks for $ 20! brand new!) and great snackeries.
The bad —
Can be very crowded at times and people are NOT careful in the parking lot. A lot of aggressive rude drivers who have no value for human (or doggy) lives! Be prepared to fight for parking. Also, people litter. It gets dirty here.
So come with comfy shoes, cash, and an open mind. You just may find your next treasure at the swap meet!