To think that NCT sales are too much effort?

[UpsyDaisyMegaphone]

I've signed up for one, paid for my 100 items and have now found out that

A) I need to spend ages entering everything in a spreadsheet
B) I need to print off a load of labels
C) I need to buy safety pins to attach the labels
D) I need to buy hangers to put the clothes on

And then I only keep 70% of what I actually make. I can't volunteer to be able to keep more of my earnings as I'm not available.

I thought this was going to be easier than selling on FB marketplace or Vinted but it actually seems a lot more complicated!

Should I sack it off? Only bother for bigger/higher value stuff? Or make the effort and do everything?

Have people found it worth the effort? Is there anything that sells well, and stuff I shouldn't bother with?

I never sold at one but I bought loads regularly until DD was too big.

Yes, I've enjoyed them as a buyer so thought I'd give selling a go but it seems a huge pain!

I've never bought or sold at them but I agree that sounds like a huge faff!
I've always bought/sold on local Facebook groups until this year, and this year I've been using Vinted. As a seller I've found Vinted really easy.

I did one as I had loads of stuff, including big items. It was more effort than it was worth! I think I made about 40 quid but spend so many hours labelling things (and all clothes had to be ironed - I never bloody iron anything!). I thought it would be worth it to sell a load of big items and get rid off it all in 1, but I ended up bringing most of it home! I think the pricing advice was wrong and seemed too high, so I did mine lower than suggested but still maybe prices were too high. The things that sold - stuff in perfect, unused condition (I suppose as they could be gifts) some room decorating stuff I never used and a cot-top baby changer with drawer I never used. Looking back I wonder if I priced those bits cheaper as I though no one would want them.

Summary: massive pain in the arse, wasted several days, made bugger all and still had most of the stuff at the end!!

Oh god I didn't even see the ironing requirement! I don't even know where my iron is!

I feel ironing baby grows was a real low point in my life 😂. Like 'what the hell am I doing?!'

100% agree. I did one which ok as I was still on Mat leave with a toddler who slept for two hours every afternoon, and I got free sellers fees. Second time, working, dealing with toddler who now can only nap for 45 minutes a day or else he won't sleep at night, just meant I didn't have time to prep. I sold all my stuff because i priced it to get rid of it but there was so much left at the end - so many people looked really disappointed.

I sell clothes & toys on vinted, and ended up donating the big things I had left like the cot and buggy as it was too much hassle.

I did one and wouldn't bother again. I also couldn't attend and had to donate 50%! I spent loads of time doing prep and priced to sell, but I brought plenty home. And after I had jumped through all the complicated labelling hoops and only kept half the money, I turned up to collect the rest and it was so disorganised I couldn't find anything, some of it I ended up having to drive to the organisers' home to collect days later, some of it never turned up. I'd rather give it away. I've had some bargains as a buyer though.

Much easier to do a carboot sale.

I did it once.. it was a lot of work. I didnt make much and got 80% of the stuff back.. but you may as well finish what you've started now and see how you get on.
Ebay and marketplace is better moving forward

Oh, not getting the unsold stuff back is pretty galling after all the prep!

I actually feel quite pissed off they didn't make all this clear when you actually sign up and pay the seller fees. I'm inclined to not bother now.

Pita I did one, 11 years ago now. Car boot or now Vinted way easier

Sell the decent stuff on vinted and sell the rest at a low price... then it's worth it.

Probably not near you but I’ve heard good things about the little children’s market which is run more like a car boot where it’s up to you how you present and price it.

I used to do them and the more you do the easier they are as you know what to price things to sell, you put things away to sell as you go, keep hangers and pins etc - first one if def the hardest. Equipment and toys sell best - tends to be a lot of clothing but coats, uniform, dressing up stuff usually does well.

I did several when the dc were younger, as a buyer, seller and volunteer. I always volunteered if I was selling, so I could keep more of my profit.

I priced low to shift things. The guideline we were given was to aim for half the price of the same type of garment/item new from a supermarket. I considered lots of £3 sales to be better than no £10 sales.

It was a lot of work, but provided a good boost to the coffers at a time when income was low and outgoings high.

Vinted and FB Marketplace didn't exist then though.

agree with all of the above!

10 years later we still have storage boxes with "38" written on the side in big writing!

I had a thread like this a few weeks ago!

I have a daughter born in July and a son born in December so I don’t have much I can re use. I signed up for my local one and OMG wish I hadn’t! I nearly gave myself a nervous breakdown (was going through a particularly tricky stage with baby DD at the time)

To be honest I wasn’t massively impressed by anything there but that could just be ours. I think a lot of people just sell on Vinted now, which I also CBA with!

I’ve done a few and the ticket ones are ok, but more of a nuisance to prepare. However, I think more items sell at this type of sale as people can find their size more easily.

The type I prefer are the ‘tabletop’ sales where you look after your own table of stuff. The key is to price low and not take too much stock. I have often cleared my table. I also give some items away eg. if a nice person buys an item then I give them something else in the same size. Also actively chat to and engage with buyers rather than sitting comatose behind the table - it makes a big difference. Look at Mum2Mum market for this kind of sale.

The stalls which spread out huge arrays of things on the floor and vast side-structures of boxes often seem to feature a pissed-off dad loading it all back into a seven-seater at 1pm!

Well, I decided to make myself do it. It was a huge faff but I ended up with about £200 so just about worth it!

That’s a lot more than I made! And I had really nice stuff too. Toys seemed to be priced higher than clothes, I noticed though - I was selling clothes.