They Don’t Always Play Fair
Mike and Frank, the show’s main guys, seem like fair businessmen. They never really want to seem like they’re giving someone a bad deal or taking advantage of their naiveté.
But things aren’t always what they seem, right? Apparently, it’s typical for the crew to agree on a price with the guest, and Mike and Frank start to haggle them down once the cameras start rolling. But that’s made for TV drama, I guess.
The producers are really the Pickers: It looks like Mike and Frank are running the whole operation, but in reality, the producers are the ones who scout out locations and negotiate deals.
Source: History Channel
People who have worked with American Pickers claimed that the producers actually work out prices with the guests ahead of time. They agree on a price and then tell the seller to ask for more money so they can capture all the negotiations (the interesting part) on camera.