Slightly Shell Shocked - NCT Sale!

[Joannezipan]

We went to the NCT sale in Cambridge this afternoon and OMG, that wasn't for the faint hearted was it! It was successful though - enough reusable nappies to see us through the first 6 months plus a baby bouncer for £60! I'm feeling quite smug. Hooray!

Those who survive deserve medals!

I love them but I know the drill now.

Went to one once, never again!

Went to one and found it so overwhelming - pushed and shoved! I'm with Blooming...never again for me either!

It took me a while to work out WTF was going on! LOL It was pretty hardcore! I don't think I've ever seen so many "determined" women in one place!

Volunteer next time. You'll get to shop before the masses descend

I volunteer these days too. I can spot a nice Baby GAP top a mile off.

I was going to try them... I think after this I won't bother as i have agrophobia

@lolajane in that case ebay might be a better option!

oh no i'm going tomorrow with mum and ds - no to ds coming?

Definately dump him on someone. You need your wits (and hands) about you, and he will no doubt pester for every bit of plastic tat in the place.

Get there early (queue starts about an hour beforehand at ours) and have a list of what you want and go straight for it, especially if it is for equipment. I have volunteered regularly for a few years now, as others said it is the way to get the best stuff. We have had some fantastic bargains from them over the years, plus sold masses of stuff too.

when you say bargins what are we talking?

Thanks for the tips, any more? i'm off to one tomorrow. Will get there early.

Are there proper tills where you can pay on card, i was going to take cash .

I missed ours today, at almost 38 weeks pregnant, I felt there couldnt be that much I needed

Cash or cheque at ours, but you need a cheque guarantee card.
I've had loads of good stuff. I buy all of dc's wardrobes from there pretty much, Boden stuff for a few quid, and a lot of their Christmas and birthday presies too. I got ds a Buzz Lightyear for a pound at the last one, and have got him stacks of Brio as well. The kind of thing that is windly popular will be snapped up by the volunteers (our sale got ridiculous one year when one witch woman literally scooped up all the brio and hid it before we were meant to start shopping ). I got dd a 3 tier Sylvanian department store with all people and furniture for a tenner before too. Unbelievable stuff, especially when you consider the seller likely only got half of that money after the NCT had taken their cut. Great for buying, not so worth it for selling imo. I am faced with my NCT pile to do tonight and am debating wether it's really worth the effort once they've taken their cut

You can pay by cheques at our one.

The dc's GAP hoodies were about £2.50 each, spare Clarks shoes for the garden £2 each, Boots & Next clothes usually £1-3 an item. Nothing is expensive TBH.

Boys clothes are thinner on the ground than girls clothes.

Wellies are a good buy too IMO.

fab, so it works like a shop in essance you pick up what you want & pay at the end? but then how id it marked so the ladies know which is theirs etc esp if (as my friend suggests) some people move it all about.

I think Lego and Mega-Bloks are popular too. Always seems to be snapped up first.

Cot and changing table, virtually as good as new for £55 (new would have been about £300, used for 2 DCs and sold again for £35.

ELC Blossom Farm playmat - £5, £35 new

Moses Basket - £5

All manner of toys for a few pounds versus say £20-£30 new.

Winter coats for maybe £2, most clothes are under £2.

Each seller is given a number which is printed on their tickets with the prices. When you pay, the cashier takes the tickets off and keeps them, they are then sorted out by seller, added up and the money sent to the seller, minus commission. Some branches run their sale by each seller having their own table and sellingtheir own stuff a bit like a car boot sale, but most do it via the tickets with volunteer cashiers, so all the clothes are in one part of the hall, all the toys in another etc

i went a couple of weeks ago and got 3 bags of stuff (no clothes) of stuff that i knew I wanted / needed / would buy anyway new etc for £30

well chuffed to get a 'tiny love' baby gym RRP £50, the one i wanted, the natal hyonotherapy CDs, the proper lambs wool cosy toes for my mountain buggy, a bump belt (for the car, i need it NOW) a birthing ball (home birth fingers crossed) and so many cloth nappies, + loads and loads of other stuff for that £30.

Am visiting my family in a couple of weeks time and the NCT sale is on down there. NCT members can go in half an hour early to this one, so have joined NCT especially, hoping for some more bargains and to get a good look before the mass crowd comes in!

excellent, have off loads DS to nan, drawn out some cash & going with mum - wish me luck - never know might be less people as the clocks have changed :o

Agree with others, you so need to volunteer

Went to our first one yesterday and was very grateful I'd joined up in advance .. the queue for non-members was about 250 people long !!!!!!! We got a moses basket, a baby bouncer (not overly keen on the pattern, but hey), baby bath, an insulated bottle bag, changing matt and quite a lot of clothes and we paid £39.60. I was quite amazed. I do want to get some things new but this was handy too. I do agree though, quite terrifying and I was v grateful my DH had come with me to carry things.

do people sell travel systems (pram to buggy) at the nct sales?