To put up a sign saying that something is NOT for sale?

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

We keep our caravan on our drive. It's old-ish and is due a bit of a clean, but it in no way looks ramshackle or dilapidated - just an average caravan of the sort that average people use to go on average caravan holidays.

We regularly get people coming to our door, knocking and disturbing what we're doing and asking if it's for sale. I've just had one now. Most of them don't even ask if we would be interested in selling it, but just presumptuously ask if it 'is for sale', which irritates me even more.

If people want to buy a caravan, there are several caravan dealerships around, as well as the thousands of listings online where people are offering their caravans for sale. There's also the well-trodden effective path of posting a 'caravan wanted' advert themselves.

Nobody has ever come to the door and asked if our house is for sale. Nobody has ever stopped me in the street and asked if my coat is for sale. So why this? Do they really think that we're so stupid that we would have something that we're hoping to sell, but not even think to maybe indicate that in any way to potential buyers?

Should we put up an unsightly sign on it saying 'NOT for sale'? Is it normal to expect that everything (on somebody's private property - obviously not talking about in a shop) IS for sale, unless notified otherwise? I'm also mindful of the fact that the only people who usually notice/bother to read signs stating what should be stinking obvious are the sensible ones who don't need them and to whom it IS stinking obvious, and so must be left wondering why anybody would put up that sign in the first place - so it may be pointless anyway.

Does this regularly happen to other people? Any experiences or suggestions as to what might work?!

why would it be unreasonable to put a sign up? why do you need to ask us?

Hi, I've not been around for a while, I was looking for 'light-hearted', are there any fun threads about please?

We have this with our campervan. Every year, from about March onwards. I just say yes it's £15k when it's worth about £5k.
It amuses me.

Many years ago my parents kept their caravan on the driveway and used to have people regularly knock on the door asking if it was for sale.

One man turned up when I was there dog sitting and told me that my dad had sold the caravan to him and I was to take the wheel lock off immediately and let him tow it away. When I said no he called me a fucking bitch and said I was merely a woman and should do as I was told!

He changed his tune a bit when I opened the front door fully and he was confronted with three very large dogs. They were in total softies but were very useful that day.

Turned out he was going round the area trying the same tactic, if a man answered the door he would ask politely but tried to intimidate any lone women.

put the sign next to the doorbell

the caravan isn't for sale and the owners bite is worse than her bark

It can be a way for people to suss out who lives in a house, how alert you seem, how quickly you get to the door. Really they’re knocking on the door to assess you, but they’ll ask a question about your caravan/hedges etc as an excuse for being there.

That's partly what we're concerned about - although nothing about our house gives any suggestion that wealthy people live there - but I don't get why they sometimes labour the point so much. Surely if they're just wanting to see who/if anybody is at home, they would ask if somebody with a very unusual name lives there or similar, so they could just say "Ah, sorry, must have got the wrong house" when you tell them you don't know anybody called Artaxerxes?! There are never any further probing questions apart from about the caravan or hedge.

It's not personal. They're just after moneeeeey! Cash in hand obvs.

Oh, I don't take that personally - it's much less unreasonable to ask about, even if they do get the wrong house. However, I may sometimes deliberately patronise confirm to them that it's obviously not the appropriate time of the year to be cutting back a deciduous hedge when they come around in June. If they were a proper tree surgeon or specialist (and reputable), they would of course know this and not come knocking. They're just a bloke with a hedge trimmer wanting money for butchering the hedges without any skill or care at all.

I've no objection to people who put flyers or business cards through the letterbox - but they do tend to be the more reputable ones and not the Shifty Sids out to score themselves some easy money for very little work.

In the town I live, most people with caravans or campers in the drive have a sign saying ‘not for sale’ in the window.

That's interesting to hear. Isn't it bizarre? You can grab your phone from your bag or pocket, Google 'Caravans for sale in X-town' and Bob's your uncle; but people are obviously like Mrs Doyle and 'like the misery' - as well as inflicting it incessantly on the owners of obviously-not-for-sale items.

PLEASE do this!!! 🤣 🤣 🤣

Bullet point note on the front door:

Before knocking, please note:

The caravan is not for sale
We don’t want the hedge trimmed
The overgrown trees belong to our neighbours, so your business is with them

If your business involves any of the above, hopefully we’ve saved you some time. Thank you.

Yeah what's the difference?

I wouldn't be bothering with a sign but would get some serious locking devices or make it immobile somehow - our friends was stolen in the 15 minute window she took to pop out on school run.

Happened to my parents all the time. Can’t say they ever got this irate about it, ever. They were perplexed at best but carried on with their day…

You seem irrationally bothered by this.

@AndrexPuppy - it's only racist if the OP was bashing travellers (gypsies), not travelling showmen who work for the circus or fairground. I see the OP as bashing people in general for making a wrong assumption. So I would keep politics out of this thread.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll - love your user name! I would get a door sign that says "STOP! No cold callers, no canvassers, no sales people, no religious bodies. Please leave and do not return". Tonnes of examples from Google, and you can get them on Amazon/eBay.

‘Saw the caravan in your drive, and wondered if you’d be interested in selling it’. As opposed to ‘Is the caravan for sale’ when there’s nothing to denote that it’s anything other than parked in the drive.

My friends get this with their campervan - it looks - err - affordable (I'm being charitable).

I'm under no illusions that our caravan is worth a great deal - but there are various dedicated websites (like Autotrader for caravans) where you can specify the price range and radius you're willing to consider - a couple of clicks will filter out all the instantly unsuitable ones and help you find potentials.

why would it be unreasonable to put a sign up? why do you need to ask us?

It's a chat forum - not a UN summit or COBRA meeting! I was looking to see if other people experienced this too, and how they responded to it - and there have been some very interesting and useful replies; plus it may not seem weird to you to 'advertise' something as not for sale, but it is to me.

We get the same about our car, it's old, reliable and used every day, we HAVE a sign by the doorbell, it makes no difference, I usually point at the sign and shut the door but annoyed that I have still been disturbed, especially when working.

put the sign next to the doorbell

the caravan isn't for sale and the owners bite is worse than her bark

That's good - I like it

Can’t say they ever got this irate about it, ever. They were perplexed at best but carried on with their day…
You seem irrationally bothered by this.

You're projecting there - I've never said or indicated that I'm irate about it. If you personally don't get annoyed in any way by people disturbing you and bothering you with random stupid questions, PM me your number and I'll call you regularly and ask if I can speak to Brunhilde about piano tuning!

‘Saw the caravan in your drive, and wondered if you’d be interested in selling it’. As opposed to ‘Is the caravan for sale’ when there’s nothing to denote that it’s anything other than parked in the drive.

Yes, that's it. To me, it's the difference between 'might you be interested in doing a mutually-beneficial deal?' and 'this is what I want - I assume you will accommodate my random wishes'.

TrickorTreacle Thanks

I know there are plenty of signs out there, but I just wonder if anybody ever reads them apart from those who don't need to. My experiences in life suggest that this is usually the case.

I think we will end up getting a sign of some sort. At least then, if people ignore it, I suppose we can point straight to it and (maybe) make them realise that they didn't hit on a unique idea that nobody else has ever thought of and thus that they too - like all the others - are annoying and wasting everybody's time.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4755935-aibu-think-that-she-doesnt-get-to-dictate-who-the-dog-gets-to-see?latest=1

This one’s hilarious, trust me.

Thanks, I just spotted it after I posted, I thought it looked promising!

So once a month someone rings asks if your fairly average caravan is for sale. You say no, shut the door and you’re apparently totally complexed , unsure if you should put a sign and wish to ask mumsnet why folks don’t offer to buy your coat.

alright.

This is how travellers buy vans. I sold mine this way so it does work for them. I'd just say "no it's not for sale" it's hardly causing a huge issue is it?

Why is it racist ? It’s a caravan and if circus people are travellers it would stand to reason that they would be interested in asking if it was for sale if they needed one. Not everything is about race, but if you’re looking for it everywhere you’ll usually find it.

It's not unreasonable for them to ask if it looks like you don't use it and they could get it at an affordable price and make use of it.

Just clean it up a bit if you don't want it to look like it's just taking up space.

It's completely normal to put up a sign like that.

I don't understand why the great big long OP?

Just do it, what's the worst that might happen?