NCT sales

[Haggisfish]

Hello everyone
I am hoping to go my local NCT nearly new sale on sunday but just wondered if they are worth going to. is the stuff reasonable quality and price?
And do husbands/partners go, too or is it more of a female 'thing'?!
Many thanks
Haggis

the standard of the stuff on sale is very good (they won't let rubbish in!). Bring your partner- he can hold the stuff as you rummage! They can be a bit of a scrum sometimes. Have an idea of what you want to look for- pushchairs/ travel cot/ toys/ clothes etc... then you can go straight to that bit (they put things in groups). Prices vary- it depends on what the seller wants as NCT put on between 20-30% for the charity.

have fun!

Are you a member of the NCT? If you are its worth checking whether your local sale let members in early - ours give you a 15 minute head start, and its invaluable!

Before you go, have a clear idea in your mind of what you're looking for and how much you're prepared to pay. If you see something that you think you want its worth holding on to it while you continue to rummage - sometimes you'll find the exact same thing in better condition at a lower price.

Some sellers go into it with a view to getting shot of stuff and maybe earning a bit of cash, others have a price they're after and would rather take it home than sell for less. Quality should be good (it gets its name for a reason ), but it does depend on the policy of the group and on how stringent the people laying out are - most sales have a lot of items to sort and display in a finite amount of time and the people doing it are only human!

Husbands / partners / friends can be really useful - either to hold onto stuff or to tackle a different area. I'd be wary of taking a pushchair in, though - people do at ours but there isn't really enough space and it does get VERY busy (I took DD in a sling when she was 6 months, and that worked much better IMO.

Happy shopping

If it's your first it can be quite overwhelming. Brace yourself!! My Dh was reaally freaked out at the first one with all tthe pregnent ladies and I wandered aimlessly. Now I'm much more organised.

Tthink in advance and try to make a list, mentally or on paper of things you want to look for.

thank you everyone for your advice i shall get my list prepared and go early!

I love our local sale. I know the drill now, get there early with a list and get in and out fast. I tend to stock up on the next years clothes in advance so I know we've got it for when the dc's are about to grow into the next size up.

At our local sale non-members tend to start queueing over an hour before it starts.

Is it a table top sale or a regular sale? At ours the goods from all sellers are jumbled together, but grouped by item (so all clothes on rails sorted by gender and size, toys in rough age groups, books, puzzles, equipment, etc). As a buyer, you just pick up what you want, doesn't matter how many seller's, and pay for it all together - its then down to the organisers to get the right money to the right seller. The chances of you being able to talk to the seller direct are non-existent unless you're helping to clear up at the end and collar them when they come to pick up their unsold goods. Our sale only takes cash or cheque, but I have heard of some that take plastic - worth checking (DH tries to hide the cheque book and limit the cash I take, but usually fails )

If its a table top sale then its much more like an indoor car-boot job - each seller has to be there to man their own stall and so you can haggle, etc.

If you want any large items (cots, push chairs) go for those first as there tend to be far fewer of them than clothes and toys and the bargains can go incredibly fast....

Advice as above, these sales really are a bit of a scrum! Think 'Monica in Friends,the one with the wedding dress!'

My top tip is check out the equipment first, and head over to the clothes later, there are in my exp fantastic bargains to be had at my last sale I picked up a pack of brand new tots bots washable nappies for £3.50!

And its def worth hanging around, as the sellers have to return to collect their money and stuff that has not sold, and as someone else mentioned they often drop the prices just so they dont have to take it home!

I was considering a vibrating baby chair and having put it down the seller came over and reduced the price from £10 to £3.00! Its practically new!

I would grab anything of interest and then decide as you can guaruntee that someone else will snap it up just as you decide you want it!

Take a (big) bag to hold things as you look, something like a laundry bag or similar size!

And rather than que for ages to pay, just keep browsing, you never know what you will find often things have been put down after someone has changed their minds!

Def take someone with you, its not for the faint hearted!

Our next one is Saturday, I have a huge bump now but wouldn't miss it, you will be amazed at the quality of stuff, good luck!

I'm going to my first this Sat, looking forward to it but not sure I'm bolshy enough to get anything! I'll prob just end up standing out of the way saying "excuse me", "you go first" etc!

Ooohh MrsC, you sent shivers down my spine!

Get in there girl! I am usually a mild mannered mother of 'nearly three', but when it comes to NCT sales something inside, I like to think maternal instinct, kicks in and I go hunting! lol

It seems there are a few on Saturday, maybe we should come back and post our bargains afterwards, as inspiration!

Go , Go , Go .................(think I may be having a hormonal surge today!)

Haha, maybe my well hidden shopping instinct will kick back in and take over! Looking forward to going anyway, am dragging the DH with me...not sure he's quite as enthusiastic!

get there early

take your elbows

do NOT take any children