Geoff Says
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TRURO!! TRURO!! URGENT!! We have cancelled SUNDAYS Car Boot Sales with immediate affect at TRURO due to the serious COVID rises in cases. Lou and I have just arrived back from CYPRUS now have to isolate until 12 the January 2022 see below;

Hello, We have just arrived back from Cyprus on EasyJet (never again fs) only 60 passengers but Lou and me have got to stay at home with instructions to both self-isolate until the 12th of this month. OMG wtf not another 10 day after spending 14 days together I mean enough is enough ffs but truth to tell we got along famously mixed with nobody kept ourselves to ourselves. TUI remember that name, totally cocking up what we were paying for they made promises the hotel knew nothing about and EasyJet is not comfortable on their newest on the cheap 'lets cram them in' plane. No seat movement allowed in a four and a half plus hours flight fs, I mean no gently lifting yer butt up to have a sly fart none of those sort of comforts so yer arse suffers for days after while you can only sit on cushions and store up the farts. ffs! The decision when to restart the Car Boot Sales will be made on the 31st of January. No wonder you need pigging self isolation ffs! This COVID is to be taken seriously however there are members of the public of whom I know are totally against any life saving vaccines and go about their lives potentially spreading the virus. These people of their own views are sellers and buyers at our Car Boot Sales so I am reluctant to run Car Boot Sales taking the chance that some of the objectors could be spreading the virus to my 30 year supporting public. Will advise the revised start date later. Sorry for all concerned.  Geoff

Collect all 5 of these separate colours and get £5.00 off next time you sell at Car Boots Cornwall or get a £3.00 discount for ANY five colours!

Welcome

Welcome to our 31st year of running Car Boot Sales in the West of Cornwall.

SELLERS PRICES!

We increased our selling prices at all locations from 2016 therefore we would not review selling prices until beyond 2020

The admission charges are generally £1.00 per adult person with kids FREE however at our Rugby Club locations the admission charge will remain at 50 p per adult person KIDS FREE!!

CHARITIES!

There has been so much abuse towards ‘We are doing this for CHARITY’ by sellers who decide let’s raise some money for CHARITY!! My advice is DON’T! Firstly you need to have permission from the most reputable Registered Charities before you raise a penny on their behalf. If you come to sell at a Charity stall we would need a written permission from the charity in ‘your name’ with FULL PUBLICITY and the name of the CHARITY on FULL display for the public information.

EARLY Sellers

At most locations you are able to pay an extra £5.00 to set your stall up earlier than other sellers! All this entitles you to do is to have more time to ‘set-up’ your selling items! What it does not entitle you to do is to SELL any items from your stall before the actual start times nor to have a wander around looking at other stalls and certainly not to buy! Whilst you are setting up hopefully lots of eager buyers are gathering, however if they see ‘YOU’ wandering around when you shouldn’t be? Then I could be the ‘nasty B’stard’ that maketh you close down your stall and go home without selling a bloody thing FFS!! Rules is Rules!!

DOGS! BRING POO BAGS!!

STRICTLY NO DOGS on the PITCH at Falmouth Rugby Club under any circumstances

STRICTLY NO DOGS in the Cattle Pens at TRURO

STRICTLY NO DOGS in the selling areas at MITCHELL

STRICTLY NO DOGS on the grassed areas at either FALMOUTH Rugby Club!

BOUNCY CASTLES

We do not allow any BOUNCY CASTLES at any of our locations in the Interest of Public and Child Safety. There are enough attractions at Car Boot Sales without these rip-off Bouncy Castles my bird!

RUBBISH-FLY TIPPING!

Please take all of your rubbish litter home with you and dispose of it at home. When our team is tidying up at the end of each Car Boot Sale we are doing it in the Interest of our Landlords their fields and livestock’s! Please do not ask for us to take it from you! If you have broken any of your stock in particular glass then ‘YOU’ personally have a ‘DUTY of CARE’ to put the broken items into your own vehicle and take home with you!!

YOU MUST NOT SELL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS

Wines, Spirits, Beers, Cigarettes, Tobacco, Animals, FAKE DVDs or CDs of Videos! You must not sell GUNS, KNIVES including Kitchen and Bread Knives, Flick Knives. You must not sell FOODS, CAKES, SANDWICHES, DRINKS, FRUIT or VEGETABLES, CRISPS nor SWEETS without the permission of Car Boots Cornwall and with the approval of Cornwall Council Health Authorities and Trading Standards!

SO YOU WANT TO DO A BOOT SALE?

You do not have anything to worry about from our side all advertised Car Boot Sales will go ahead (subject to weather conditions) You do not have to book or reserve a space, all of our locations have adequate space however it is advisable that you arrive at least one hour before start times, some sellers prefer to allow 2 hours in order that they get a space near the main entrance to the sale but seriously if you have the BARGAINS and a good stall whatever position you are setting up in the field the buyers WILL find you and enjoy spending money on your stall. All you have to do is arrive with your car sensibly loaded at the main gates where a member of our team will point you in the direction of the sellers queue. All of our sales are operated to start at the advertised times so as a seller you will be shown to your selling space half an hour before the start times. Please ensure when you park up that your engine is turned off and that your keys will not be lost also ensure your car BRAKES are on.

SETTING UP YOUR STALL!

Once you are parked safely open up your BOOT and the first items you will get out will probably be your tables. If you do not have tables don’t worry you can always put your items for sale on boxes or a blanket or a ground sheet or similar. We do not hire tables to sellers! During the setting up of your stall you are NOT allowed to either buy or sell nor look around at other stalls nor try to get another stall to reserve items on their stall for you to buy after the sale has started. Whilst you are setting up your selling area be careful that you are totally secure conscious and that you cash floats are in a very safe place (watch out there’s a thief about) When you have set your stall up which should take 15/20 minutes check that you have place your valuable items at the back of the table for security.

THE START OF THE SALE!

Whilst you are setting up hopefully many hundreds of buyers are arriving and at the correct time (5 minutes lee-way) the horn will blast to start the sale when all of the buyers will rush to your stalls and if you have got it right you should start taking money from the off! Once the initial rush is calmer look at your stall and move your displayed items around to ensure your potential customer can see everything on your tables. Be confident in your stalls, be nice to your customers but not over friendly and feel confident that once you have sold an item and you say “yes it works” make sure of your facts otherwise potential customers could be entitled to a REFUND. If a customer is sold an item that is not ‘all you claim it to be’ then Car Boots Cornwall would support that customer to gaining a full refund.

IT IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!

Take it seriously, you are a shop-keeper for a couple of hours and you should enjoy yourself and be able to sell off your unwanted items and make some money. Occasionally we get young kids and teenagers set up stall which they do with great pride and enthusiasm and they do a GREAT job! It’s your turn now. ENJOY!

Geoff & Louise Camden Wiles

But Not Quite Sure How To Go About It?

Well! We’re Here To Help – Take A Look At Our 20 Point Guide On How To Be A Successful Booter!

  • Don’t make it an ordeal, do it to raise some funds for you and your family, and get rid of your unwanted items.
  • Pack your Car, if you use tables pack them last, they are the first things you will need on arrival.
  • Arrive at least 1 hour before the start time.
  • If you arrive early you will have set-up time to display your stock.
  • Display to the best of your ability.Clean stock, dirty stock DOES NOT SELL and it puts customers off your stall.
  • Bring some change and keep your money safe.
  • Price up your stock with labels where possible, have carrier bags to wrap your sold items.
  • Put clothes on hangers where possible, check pockets! Make sure CDs and DVDs are IN the boxes.
  • No buying or selling before the HORN sounds.
  • Do not SMOKE on the stall or when serving customers. It puts your customers off.
  • Do not buy off one stall and then try to sell the same item on your stall, it amounts to BAD MANNERS and causes friction between sellers!
  • If you are selling electrical items they MUST work and they MUST have correctly fitted safety plugs.
  • If you can bring along instruction manuals or assembly instructions for your goods, it’ll make them more sellable
  • Be polite and pleasant to ours and your customers.
  • Do not say to customers ‘its only been worn once or its only been used once’ – Baloney!
  • If in doubt about anything ask for Geoff or Louise, we can advise after 20 years experience.
  • Dont wear anything nice and certainly wear your old shoes.
  • Be prepared for a shower of rain, something to cover your stock (see through plastic sheets work)
  • Control your kids and dogs but bring something to amuse them…Like Grandma!
  • BRING SOME BARGAINS and ENJOY YOURSELVES!

Car Boot Sales are generally friendly places to be, we all want to buy a bargain and when we load up the car we all hope we can get rid of some unwanted items. As a seller you will want to have an idea of how much to charge before you leave home, if you are not sure DON’T SELL IT, either Lou or Geoff can advise, failing that there are always reliable dealers to get advice from.

What ever location you go to think about WEATHER and be prepared to cover your table and stock in the event of a shower, or worse! Do not wear good clothes and certainly put on your old shoes, grounds tend to be mucky most times of the year.

There is no need to reserve a space, at most of our Car Boot Sales we have ample room for everybody.

If you are alone selling take your time by unpacking your car slowly and if you put an item on your table and it gets interest immediately from a buyer close your boot and deal with the buyer. We do not advise reducing any prices within the first hour of a sale, if a potential buyer really wants an item, tell them to call back before you decide to reduce.

Some Do’s and Don’ts!!

  • DO NOT ALLOW ANY PERSONS TO GO INTO YOUR CAR OR BOOT!
  • DO NOT SMOKE WHILST SERVING YOUR CUSTOMERS!
  • DO NOT LEAVE RUBBISH OF ANY NATURE AT THE END OF THE SALES!
  • Do bring plenty of change
  • Do bring carrier bags and wrapping paper
  • Do bring a ‘felt tip’ pen and some card or paper for writing prices
  • Do bring some cellotape
  • Do bring a cover for your stock in case it rains
  • Introduce yourself to a neighbour and someone to look after your stall for the ‘loo’
  • Don’t sell any electrical item without safety plug
  • Don’t sell any electrical items and claim they work, if they do not?
  • If you have CLEAN stock it will sell quicker and you WILL get repeat custom
  • Don’t come to complain if you are not selling, look at your stock, rearrange the display, are your price too high? Is your stock disinteresting?
  • Be nice to your customers, chat and be helpful, it works.
  • BEWARE and be security conscious, someone might try to deprive you of your earnings by stealing them so put you money safe, preferably on your person but NOT on your tables.
  • Watch your stock and make sure NO-ONE takes any items without paying.
  • If you have any problems on your stall contact one of our team do not try to take the law into your own hands.
  • If you have anything stolen from your stall it will probably be your own fault, remember you are in charge of a sales area no bigger than 4 yards x 3 yards! Childs play!!

DO NOT LEAVE ANY RUBBISH, FLY TIPPING IS ILLEGAL AND LEAVING YOUR UNWANTED ITEMS COUNTS AS FLY TIPPING!

Once you decide to leave the sale, pack up into a separate box the items you do not want to sell any more and when you get home leave the box by your dustbins!

Enjoy yourself, make a fun day of it!!!

Car Boots Cornwall Market Trader Code of Conduct 2019

  • All Market Traders and professional Car Boot Sellers are required to have FULL PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE with immediate effect.
  • We require names and addresses of all Traders the address to be in line with the one shown on your Public Liability.
  • Contact telephone numbers.
  • Vehicle Registration numbers.
  • Vehicle type.
  • All Public Liability Insurance certificates must be shown on request of myself or an appointed member of staff.
  • ALL sellers and Market Traders Vehicles should display a current road tax license.
  • Our terms for Market Trader and Professional Car Boot Sellers is £1.00 foot frontage at most locations, there is NO room for negotiation.

Market Traders should understand that Car Boots Cornwall relies on CAR BOOT SELLERS as the main part of our business, Car Boot Sales are ‘trouble free’ events with brilliant Community spirit friendship and atmosphere.

We will not hesitate to take action against any persons who wish to disrupt the smooth running of our events.

Market Traders are having a very difficult time with the main High Street Stores and Supermarkets selling similar items cheaper than the Market. Traders should be original and imaginative in choosing what to sell to the car boot community, Car Boots Cornwall had over 340,000 recorded visits to our location last season, we get the people to our events, it is up to you to offer the right BARGAINS to our public!

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