Indeed, the July Flea Market was run by Sue Ede but it was an extra one in the calendar, only arranged with the Bath & West about a month before instead of being included in the dates set at the beginning of the year.

I was inside selling the vintage linens and textiles which are my stock in trade but I know there were a vast number of outside pitches because of the good weather. Anyone can fill their car and go along on the day, and because many regulars were unable to rearrange their calendars to fit in this extra Fair there were plenty of indoor spaces for others to book. Of course that doesn’t mean to say that it wasn’t a regular who was selling the items you were looking at and I appreciate your comments.

I generally take the same items that I would take to the 3-day Antiques Fair, with a few extra cheaper items which would be out of place at the other Fair, and my prices do not vary from one Fair to another. The rest of the time I sell my stock from Dairy House Antiques, which is my antiques shop/centre near Shaftesbury (see the link on my blog) or my website. My prices are set according to what I paid for an item and the profit I need to stay in business. This may mean that you would find them too expensive, but if a particular length of fabric or piece of china has hung around for some time nearly all dealers will sell at a lower price to move the item on. It’s always worth asking for a best price, but do be prepared for the fact that an aggressive approach by a prospective purchaser is bound to be met by an equally aggressive response from a seller. I love to chat to everyone who comes to my stall, and will often reduce an item more than I should when dealing with a friendly buyer, but I give short shrift to someone who is rude or tries to bully me into reducing a price.

Remember also that the majority of people selling at a run of the mill carboot are just clearing their houses of unwanted items which owe them very little return. This is where you will get the bargains for obvious reasons. For those of us whose business it is to buy and sell, a proper return on our outlay is the difference between success and failure in business.

If you do decide to come to the Flea in December do please come and say hello. I stand half-way down the first aisle, next to the middle roller shutter door, and opposite the sweet man.

Sue

I’m sorry you had trouble leaving your comment. I’ll look into that, but it may be just this delay because I am bombarded with spam so I approve all comments before they appear on the website. (I approve everything that isn’t spam.)

This is my 3rd attempt!

Oh dear, what a shame you found all the stalls that give the rest of us a bad name. Did you go into the Showering Pavilion - where most of us are genuine dealers? Bearing in mind your comments I sincerely hope you didn’t. As you say, there were some bona fide dealers outside, many of whom I know, and who are not in the habit of fleecing the public. The rest of the outside stallholders queue up on the day and are generally ‘fair weather’ sellers.

I don’t know what you were expecting, but most visitors to the Flea are thrilled to find there is so much to browse, and spend several hours browsing and finding bargains. If you got round in an hour and only found rubbish, then it’s hardly surprising you were disappointed.

One other thing bothers me, though - the fact that your post is dated 29 September and Sue Ede’s Giant Flea Market at Shepton Mallet was not held on that day. There was one on 31 August and the next one, the most recent, was 12 October. If you attended a Flea Market at the Bath & West Showground on 28 September it should certainly NOT be confused with the major one held 6 or 7 times a year run by Sue Ede.

I hope others will not be put off by your comments and will make up their own minds about the quality of some of the items and the sellers. Many bloggers buy at the Flea and later sell the items on their websites. They seek out items tucked under and behind other bits and pieces, negotiate with the seller and generally come away with bargains which they are then able to sell on to others through the internet at realistic prices.

I am guessing that you won’t be turning up at my pitch in the Showering Pavilion at the next Giant Flea Market at Shepton on 14 December, but if you decide to give it another chance I shall be delighted to meet you.

Sue

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to give such great detail and I hope you found somewhere beautiful to live.

Martin.