We thought we were being very clever going early and getting there just before 5am to get set up. Fools! Most people had been there since the night before. We could hardly get a space! In the inky darkness we erected trestles and unpacked boxes, at which point the vultures descended and I could hardly move for sharp elbowed dealers with headtorches picking over my stuff as soon as it came out of the newspaper. It was all a bit scary.
The morning rolled on, the sun rose, and a steady flow of people came and relieved me of some of the treasures I've spent years collecting. Interestingly the real collectible stuff (Tracy Island, 30s kitchen cannisters) did not sell, but odd incidental things did. Maybe I was asking too much. Well, I wasn't going to give it away.
Yes, I did have a bit of headache by 10am when it was time to start packing up. Seems early but after having been there for five hours we'd had a gutfull and were happy to leave. I made a tidy $450 and learnt the valuable lesson of how much work is involved in getting rid of things, and to try and avoid shopping for leisure. Now I have to decide what to do with the leftovers. Some I'll box up and keep, some will go back to the opshop.But don't worry, in reality what has been sold is just the tip of the iceberg, and there will always be a healthy spread of kitch krap littering my home. I really need to do it again, drop some prices and make a real difference.... but the thought of that dawn raid is just too horrendous.
yes, I op-shopped for leisure last year and ended up getting rid of most of it. Funny how a house move does that to someone!. xx
ReplyDeleteI dream of doing just this and my other half dreams of it even more. I am trying to steer clear of the oppies of late but there is one I just can't go past without stopping. A lot of what I'd like to sell is the grown up stuff in our high cupboards- you know- unused crystal wedding gift platters.....
ReplyDeleteReading your post I was having flashbacks to the last time we did this [think it may have been at the same swap meet?!] - I swore then I'd never do it again however my resolve has been dwindling of late, that was UNTIL I read this - thank you! Although it is a trick trying to work out the most efficient and effective way to move the excess on to new homes without giving it away.
ReplyDeleteHi Jody, probably! Melville? Glad I awakened you to your senses. Let me know if you come up with a better method for getting rid of stuff, like you say, without giving it away.
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