Old Style Jumble sales

ladygrey_2

when I was young we used to be dragged out regularly to any local jumble sales and pick up some great bargains, clothes and books etc

since carboots have started up people don't seem to donate as much to the jumble sales, they want to sell things for themselves

can you pick up bargains at carboots or is everyone looking to make a profit,


do oldstyle jumble sales still exist?

are they still worth a look?

I only seem to see signs up for them around xmas

moggins

We still have jumble sales around here but they are usually on a weekend and I can't get out much then. They are often advertised in the free papers and on local radio.

ladygrey_2

and are they as good as years ago?
or do they just have rubbish that people have donated?

Chipps

I went to one a while back, got 3 outfits for £1.50, at a previous one I found a pair of brand new trainers for 20p!!!!
It really is the luck of the draw - for my purposes I prefer ones run by expensively dressed ladies of larger proportions!!!!
Definitely best if the organisation running it is mostly populated by wealthy people - the nicer the area the better!!!!

Contains_Mild_Peril

I do think jumble sales have declined somewhat both in quantity and quality as car boot sales have increased in popularity. Some people sell things at car boot sales and only donate leftovers to the jumble sales, while I have to compete with car boot dealers who buy stuff at jumble sales, too (though I can't really begrudge them since I sometimes buy things to sell on eBay at jumble sales. I tend to go for vintage clothes to make a profit, whereas the car boot dealers are more inclined to buy the bric-a-brac I want for myself).
I do still like a good jumble sale. In my town, there's a 3-4 day charity sale usually once a year in a church hall, and it's usually very well stocked and cheap. Sadly they didn't do it last year for some reason. The ordinary jumble sales are sometimes quite good, sometimes rubbish.
I remember going to a jumble sale in London once, when I was staying at my mum's for a few days. Having seen plenty of items on Antiques Roadshow that were bought from London jumble sales, I was hoping it would be better than the ones where I live. What a disappointment. First, there was no clear indication that it had started! There was a sign above the fornt door of the building saying "Jumble sale today 2pm" or something. I arrived shortly before 2 and, when I saw there was no queue (there is always a queue before a jumble opens where I come from), I thought it might have started early, so I tried the door and found it unlocked. I found myself in a foyer with several doors from it and no indication of where the jumble sale was. After I'd been standing around wondering where to go for a few seconds, somebody appeared and asked "can I help you?" I said I was looking for the jumble sale. He replied "it's not open yet", then went away again. I went outside and waited. And waited. I finally discovered that access to the jumble sale was via an unmarked side door, and nobody had bothered to tell me.
When I finally got in, I found it understocked and mostly overpriced (and it wasn't that I'd been beaten to all the bargains: only one customer had already been and gone, which was how I found out where to get in). There was hardly anyone there, the bric-a-brac stall had no more than a dozen overpriced knick-knacks, and most of the clothes were £1 per bog-standard garment. I did get one bargain, a Tracy Chapman LP for 20p, but it was hardly worth turning up just or that.
I don't know if that was typical of a London jumble sale, but it certainly made me appreciate my medium-sized Scottish town more!

Joannaclaire

Our local church (around the corner) has them overy few months. They're 50p to get in and are full of greedy old grannies snatching items to beat their friend to it and elbowing you out the way - it's hilarious. I've snagged the odd bargain, but mostly go to get old saucers/plates to use under pot plants as they're 10p each.

1sttimer_2

Our Church have fairly regular jumble sales (next one next week!) and I have noticed that we do not do as well as in the past. Having said that we do better at different times of the year but the last 2 were quite disappointing (sales side that is) we had quite a lot left over to put towards the next one and just left the 'rubbish' for the jumble collection men.

You can still get good bargains though as my daughter got some very good work clothes (she worked in an office where they had no uniform but had to look smart) and they were mainly M&S and I don't think she paid over 50p for anything - it's just the luck of the draw.

What's that saying - One man's rubbish is another mans ? (jewels?!?)

Philippa36

"Ones man's rubbish is another man's treasure"

We spent our childhood going to jumble sales at my Mum's church, now though they don't have them. There does seem to be a reduced need for them with car boot sales, Ebay, etc. They now have bring and buy type sales and the goods sold are not always the 'finds' that we used to pick up when we were younger.
I will have to keep an eye out now and see if there are any going on locally, I'd love to go have a rummage for some treasure

hermit-crab

Jumble sales are great places to pick up bits and pieces at excellent prices. I am a widower and I miss my late wifes homebaking so the best bit of jumble sales for me is sometimes there are stalls selling homemade goods such as jams and cakes.

ocemeer

I love jumble sales, bought a lovely cardi with chewy buttons and some great 70s wrap skirts,
plus like the idea of being able to donate hm jams and stuff......more unsuspecting fools to try all my recipes on.
just about to move and tempted to get involved with the local WI and local events so fingers crossed a new supply of jumble

hornetgirl

We love going to jumble sales, and our house is full of the bargains we've picked up (and of course plenty of things that weren't such bargains!) They are often a good source of men's clothes, and there seems to be less of a scrum for those. Best buy was probably a 1930s wooden telephone table which DH bought for £8, restored and sold at auction for £80. Also a good place to find books for selling on Amazon.