Irish version of a garage sale?

lyda

In the States we had a thing called a garage sale. You would clean all the crap out of your house, advertise a garage sale in the local rag and that weekend the eclectic group of people who toured garage sales most weekends would descend on your house and spend 30 minutes haggling over a set of pots you'd priced at $2.

At the very least you got gas money to schlep the remainder of your crap down to the town dump. Plus it's a bit of craic and you get to meet some of your more unusual neighbours.

After nearly 20 years I've finally done a huge clean and have several boxes of crap it will take me months to dispose of via my bins.

So is there an Irish equivalent to the garage sale? I know there's ebay and donedeal, but I've essentially got a bunch of kitchen and home stuff which would be useful to someone, but I'm not going to package it up and post to people. I've heard of "car boot sales," but not clear on how they work, if they still happen and if they happen anywhere in Galway.

bonzodog2

also adverts.ie and freecycle
there have been boot sales before in the Terryland football club, sometimes in Athenry, also one I think in Kilchreest, between Loughrea and Gort

misstearheus

Doesn't Claregalway have some sort of a Car-Boot Sale most Saturdays? Maybe it has finished though?

I don't know if anyone in Ireland would do an American-style House-Garage/Yard-Sale at people's own homes. But ya never know if it was a venture started by someone it might catch on!

You would find several "Car-boot Sales" happening occasionally around the County alright. An odd one maybe would be with people selling stuff out of their Trunks Car-Boots, most though, would be selling their personal wares/items at Stalls that ya would have paid a Fee to rent out for the duration of the Event. These would take place in empty Car-parks or empty Building's Yards or wherever. Would never see them advertised really though I have to say, would just happen to hear about it online / through Social-Media. Maybe keep an eye out in The Tuam Herald Classified's Pages for stuff taking place in the towns/Parishes/Villages around near you. There is / at least used to be some sort of a Market type thing on Saturdays in Claregalway, between Tuam and Galway City, but I've no idea how it was set-up or run or if it has finished up sorry!

This seems to be the Facebook Page here, Claregalway Family Indoor Market, but it's old, has Contact Number on it though.

Or maybe have a look at Boards Page - What's going on around the county here . There might be something on there for you.... Actually I think there is a guy from Athenry that posts on there a bit, - he seems to know a lot about what's going on! So he may happen to know about any Car-boot Sales taking place.

Have to say though I reckon you would have a good chance of selling even some of that stuff on the likes of Adverts.ie or 1 of those Websites.

motley

There is a facebook page dedicated to Car Boots Sales in Ireland (mainly listing Galway). You'll find that here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/9998289643/

The Car boot in Athenry no longer is going but there is one in Moylough that is usually on the second Sunday of the month

ScumLord

The problem with car boot sales here is they don't seem to be particularly well advertised. I've never seen anything more than an A4 sign nailed to a lamp post the day of the sale. A cynical person could say, that as the organisers are making their money charging the people selling to set up shop, they're not to pushed about whether they sell anything or not.

We're also coming into small town festival season. Many towns will have some sort of a market day, may be worth checking some of the towns to see if it's worth setting up a stall.

Greaney

ScumLord wrote: »

The problem with car boot sales here is they don't seem to be particularly well advertised. I've never seen anything more than an A4 sign nailed to a lamp post the day of the sale. A cynical person could say, that as the organisers are making their money charging the people selling to set up shop, they're not to pushed about whether they sell anything or not.

We're also coming into small town festival season. Many towns will have some sort of a market day, may be worth checking some of the towns to see if it's worth setting up a stall.

Got to agree with you there. I attended a few when clearing out my house and they were never as good as I thought they should have been... so I began to organise a few, to raise money for a cause and get rid of my stuff. I needed footfall of 'buyer's to do that and not nessecerily sellers (who'll always find a sale)

I've organised a few (and I run a facebook page for them) and I've worked very hard at building up the ones I've done. I'm shocked that other organisers don't use social media, or anything. Mine have been pretty decent (enough to be asked to organise a few more by traders) but I'm not interested in doing more than a couple a year.

Tough to find a premises/hardstand to hold them on. The weather's so unreliable in Ireland it can be a gamble and sometimes, downright discouraging. Indoor sales are not visable to passersby so you might as well be hosting them at night, in a cave, with no electricty.... you get my drift

ScumLord

Greaney wrote: »

I've organised a few (and I run a facebook page for them) and I've worked very hard at building up the ones I've done. I'm shocked that other organisers don't use social media, or anything. Mine have been pretty decent (enough to be asked to organise a few more by traders) but I'm not interested in doing more than a couple a year.

Tough to find a premises/hardstand to hold them on. The weather's so unreliable in Ireland it can be a gamble and sometimes, downright discouraging. Indoor sales are not visable to passersby so you might as well be hosting them at night, in a cave, with no electricty.... you get my drift

Oh I know, I've had to organise some events. It's a pain, everyone knows that all the work they put in could be for nothing if it rains.

Irish companies haven't fully copped on to facebook yet. A lot of shared posts I see, I'm doubtful they're even from legitimate companies. For a start all these like, share, comment competitions are a farce, they're against facebook's policies because they can never be fair, there's no list of names at the end of it, just a sample that could be affected by friends list depending on who's viewing. If I see a one of these posts I ignore them and warn people that they've little to no chance of winning anything even if it's a legitimate company in the first place. A legitimate company that is running these kind of things risks being banned from facebook.

Boosting posts on facebook works though, for €20 you can target exactly who you want and get instant results.

Greaney

And you dont' even have to pay to promo a car boot. If you just let a few car boot sale sites like collectireland.ie and use a facebook page, the car boot page here on boards, text tag all your mates on the phone a few days before the event, that should be loads. But some organisers think using the internet is some sort of witchcraft or something, but it's the no. #1 way for car boot'ers, collecters etc. to get info. And on top of all that, they don't post a simple phone number!!:eek:

Seriously, I've never been stalked after posting my number as a contact on an event!

ScumLord

The only thing I'd ad is to keep the facebook page active, even after the event. Post up some pictures (people actually like having their picture taken and published), say thanks to everyone for showing up. that will keep people involved with the page so they'll be more likely to notice your next event.

bobbyss

I once went to a kind of flea market type thing on the Curraghline on the Headford Road not too far from the garden centre. I think there was a €2 entrance fee but we just got in free somehow. I have to say the stuff was rubbish and there was a rough element to the traders which we didn't like so that meant we didn't stay very long at all and happy that we did not waste €2 getting in.

Once we went to a similar type event in Deacey Park and it was much better.

Greaney

I organized the first one in Deacy park, I know there were about three after organized by a few others... not a bad location, it just needed to be more regular, it might have taken off. The management were funny, I think they wanted to do one themselves but never got around to it I think. Ya gotta love it to run one

bobbyss

Greaney wrote: »

I organized the first one in Deacy park, I know there were about three after organized by a few others... not a bad location, it just needed to be more regular, it might have taken off. The management were funny, I think they wanted to do one themselves but never got around to it I think. Ya gotta love it to run one

Yes. It is a good location. We enjoyed it. I can't remember how we found out about it but that is another bug bear. These things seem to be kept secret. It is a pity they are not held more regularly because it is only in that way it can grow.

I don't know if St Nicholas has the market every day of the week... but that too is a good location... .

I love the idea of one person buying what to me is a piece of crap yet to that person is gold. And for that person to think what I am buying is a piece of crap yet to me is gold. One man's poison... .

But I would never go back to the one on the Curraghline as there were shady types.