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?!

If you read some caravan and motorhome social sites this is often a “ we’re looking it over to see how easy it is to steal” preamble. Particularly in motorhome they often just ask to have a quick look inside as they want one just like it/ used to have one the same/ their dad owns one just like it.
You’d be better off putting a sticker on the caravan saying it’s fitted with trackers. ( plural as it’s too time consuming to search fir more than one)

I would stick a 1mill price tag on it and wait for the offers

It's tempting! But I fear that any subtle message would be totally lost on them - they would then use that as surefire confirmation that it IS for sale and then try to browbeat and mansplain their (self-appointed) expert opinion as to its 'true' value - which would co-incidentally just so happen to be next to nothing - like a dog with a bone.

I could also see that attracting significantly MORE people to the front door - all the people who have no interest at all in buying a caravan - to 'helpfully' inform us that we're being very unrealistic and will be much more likely to get a sale if we sell it for £X. A lot of just cannot comprehend subtlety or sarcasm, thus they think that people who do are automatically stupid.

I know it worked for Arkwright, with his deliberate 'speciol offers' sign in the window - but he wanted buyers to come to him!!

This is a fairly common ploy for caravan thieves.Theyre checking out who lives there, who is home, who is likely to be home at certain times of the day etc.And, yes, it happens more if travellers are in town- that's not racist, it's reality.We have a caravan and used to keep it on a local farm with several others. Twice a year, there used to be a horse fair nearby.The farmer would have to park big farm machinery across all the gates to the storage area and patrol at night with a shotgun to keep the travellers away.

Put a sign on it saying something like DANGER - wasp nest and a picture of a wasp.

I don't think it's that uncommon for people to ask whether things are for sale or if you need work done in the garden etc. Some are scammers probably, others trying to drum up some casual work.

You could put a not for sale sign in the window of the caravan nearest the pavement, though I don't think 'every 3 to 4 weeks' is extreme and I expect some people would still ignore it on the off chance you might be persuaded. I suspect most think they could knock you down to a lowish price and sell on for more, rather than wanting it themselves. Like any other tactic, it will work with some people.

We don't normally do business at the door but last year we agreed to a guy knocking on our door offering to cut back a couple of trees for us. They desperately needed doing and he claimed he had worked for us before. I recognised his van as being one I'd seen around but couldn't later find any paperwork from the company for a previous job. (But that doesn't mean he didn't as we couldn't remember who had). Anyway he and his mate did a great job at a reasonable price and the trees are still thriving.

Suck it up or stop answering the door?!!

Have you considered running away and joining the circus? It would save the bother of making a sign or answering the door any more.

I've chanced my luck before when I have seen a car that hasn't moved for a while and given the door a knock to ask if they are considering selling it
I'm always polite and friendly and yes I have brought a couple of cars that way
If they say no it's not for sale I'll ask if I'm able to leave my number in case they change their mind

People will knock regardless if you have a sign or not
Just make sure the caravan has a hitch lock and wheel clamps on it and keep politely saying it isn't for sale

If it is related to the circus, perhaps contact the Council to suggest that they reconsider any permissions for it. I doubt it is solely you that gets hassled.

I can see it's annoying op. It's quite a presumption to March k to someone property and ask if something is for sale. I wouldn't like it either.

Not sure if a note would work - I have a sign that says no selling at the door, no charity and no religion - but they all still knock!

Suck it up or stop answering the door?!!

We need to get a new doorbell at some point soon. I think we are going to put up a sign and I'm wondering if one of those fancy camera/video doorbells might be slightly less annoying - I presume we can answer it on our phones and then tell them to read the massive sign right next to the bell that they pressed?!

Have you considered running away and joining the circus? It would save the bother of making a sign or answering the door any more.

This is the only sensible suggestion on this thread

If it is related to the circus, perhaps contact the Council to suggest that they reconsider any permissions for it. I doubt it is solely you that gets hassled.

No, it increases when the circus is in town, but people come all year round - not just circus folk.

I can see it's annoying op. It's quite a presumption to March k to someone property and ask if something is for sale. I wouldn't like it either.

Yes, this is my main beef. It wouldn't bother me nearly so much if I were outside and a passer-by called and asked if we were considering selling.

Also, I'm sure people will say it's our fault for not being the stereotypical MNer family on six figures and thus for having old things, but I'm quite offended that, often, they've looked at one of our regularly-used possessions and decided that it's only good for scrap - and not only that, but that they should be entitled to make a profit by scrapping it rather than us doing so, should we wish to.

I don't expect them to like/want/esteem it at all themselves; I just want them to ignore somebody else's possession that clearly isn't for sale and get on with their day.

....and the added implication is that, if they do want it to use as a caravan, I'm presuming they will have come and had a good look around the outside of it before knocking on the door to ask - which is highly intrusive, treating somebody's private drive as a sales yard where the public are invited to come and browse.

I do think it takes a very special kind of entitled, boundary-less person to come to your door, see a sign that you've felt the need to put up because of the likes of them, telling them explicitly that you don't want them there and are not interested, and yet still knock/ring anyway.

I know there are obviously far more serious things where consent is crucial, but I hate the attitude of 'well, they've clearly said No, but I want it, so I'll ignore them and talk them around to making it a Yes' - or even just take your clear No as a 'that means Yes', as in the case upthread where somebody lied that they'd bought a caravan and ordered a family member to unlock it for them to steal it.