I visited a local car boot sale yesterday after a long boring hiatus. It was great fun to be outside and rummaging again.
Delving into boxes of tat I listened to the stall holders' chatter and sales patter and it reminded me just how different they can be.
My favourite kind of seller is one who keeps quiet whilst I pick though the boxes and scour the table top, only speaking when I ask about the price. Obviously a bit of banter is OK - the weather, the site, the price of potatoes - but I do like to get on with my search relatively undisturbed. It's more or less how I used to sell at toy fairs.
Of course there are toy dealers at car boots too. Some toy-based chat is often fun and if they're toy fair standers then informative too, especially now as toy fairs begin to re-open.
Then there are the car boot price-changers. A typical conversation about a crate of battered Matchbox might be:
"Everything in that box is a pound mate"
I pick up a Superkings truck.
"That's two pounds. Its bigger!"
Then there are the anti-hagglers, who simply will not bargain.
"That's a fiver"
I offer four.
"Nope, I'd rather take it home"
Four fifty.
"Its worth five"
I'm not sure why they sell at a boot sale if they can't haggle but hey, each to their own.
Yesterday I came across a new seller technique, one I'll call the tracker, because he tracked everything I did and commented all the time.
I bent down to rummage and he said everything is 50p in that box. I picked out a podless die-cast Thunderbird 2.
"I knew you'd pick that" said the seller with a knowing grin.
I stood up and picked up an action figure on the table and the seller said "Three". I picked up another and he said "two". One more confirmed the tracker's patter. "One". He wasn't a countdown either.
Bearing in mind I was simply handling these figures and not asking for the price, I found this particular technique off-putting and I paid for my Thunderbird and moved away. Maybe I'm over-sensitive to a talking price tag.
What kind of sellers do you enjoy readers and dare I ask, what kind of seller are you?
"everything is 50p"
ReplyDeleteWhat I hate is when the seller looks you up and down and then makes a mental calculation as to whether youre a good mark with deep pockets. Car boot sellers who seem to think they are selling the crown jewels are my pet hate, or toy sellers who have no idea of intrinsic value and price everything based on the best sale they can find on ebay. Its nice to find someone who is engaging and enthusiastic about their wares, but doesnt try to gouge you for top dollar and just asks a fair price. I love selling at car boots and am always keen to make sure my customers are happy and the table gets cleared!
ReplyDeleteI only sold off some items a few years ago when I really, really needed the money. I hate parting with anything from my collection. Therefore I do not sell.
ReplyDeleteQuiet sellers, who are not a pest. But I do like things to be priced. At the last fair I attended, one seller had three large plastic Weird-Ohs models on display, I think by Marx, but not priced. I asked - sorry I did - $80 to $120 NZ. Way out of my league. Still, it is nice to catch up with some of the sellers I have come to know, and see what they have this time. Yes, some people think any piece of battered and broken junk is worth a King's ransom. Others are much more reasonable, and will give a discount if you buy several items, or throw in an extra.
Say: "Just have a look and see what you can find."
ReplyDeleteDon't say: "Is there anything particular you are looking for?"
I don't speak or show any expression if I can help it.After I have made my choices and am satisfied with price, then I am glad to chat about anything.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting guys. Everyone likes something slightly different.
ReplyDelete