Meet the team: Sam runs Mum2mum market Nearly New sales in the West Midlands Hi I’m Sam and I joined mum2mum market back in May 2015. I’d been searching for a franchise for a while and whilst I really don’t have the vocal skills for the baby class opportunities I knew my control freak organising self would love event planning. I coerced my lovely friend Nicki into joining with me, we sent off for some info, had a phone interview with mum2mum market owner Cath and that’s when mum2mum market Stourbridge, Dudley & Kidderminster was born. Mum2mum nearly new sales allow local families to sell on their good quality preloved maternity, baby and children’s items in a friendly, indoor environment. I’m on a mission to work term time only by the time both girls are in school. So since joining mum2mum I’ve also taken on the Wolverhampton/Bridgnorth franchise. I also do 5 hours a week Facebook admin for the National mum2mum page and I’ve have set up a little cake making business with another friend to cater our events – although we only do Wolverhampton currently. I’m still not quite there yet but have managed to decrease my ‘day job’ hours down to fit in better with the school run. Sometimes I wonder how I fit it all in but it’s great that I can do so much of it after the girls are in bed. 'It’s great seeing buyers leaving with armfuls of fantastic quality bargains, and then returning, and leaving again multiple times as they fill the car! I love organising successful sales where local parents can turn their preloved items into cash for their family and that other local families can make some serious savings shopping with us. It’s great seeing buyers leaving with armfuls of fantastic quality bargains, and then returning, and leaving again multiple times as they fill the car! We have lots of repeat buyers and sellers and it’s lovely to meet everyone and get to know them a little. I like to say we have two types of buyers, the targeted buyers and the moochers. We really encourage our sellers to send us plenty of pictures of what they are selling before the sale to add to our Facebook photo album. Our targeted buyers have been known to be first in the queue and be in and out in under 5 minutes with the bargains they’d spotted online! The moochers love to stay and browse and head to the café for a cuppa before returning to the sale room for one last bargain hunt. 'We have lots of repeat buyers and sellers and it’s lovely to meet everyone and get to know them a little.' I couldn’t do all this without the support from my wonderful family. I’ve been married to my husband Matt for 9 years but together for 16 (I think he was just making sure!) We have two lovely, lively little girls, Emily 6 and Abigail 3. My mum regularly helps at the sales and is always in the market for a little cuddle. Sam runs mum2mummarket Nearly New Sales covering Stourbridge, Dudley & Kidderminster and in Wolverhampton. Find local events in the West Midlands Join mum2mum market West Midlands on Facebook Book a stall To find our how to start your own mum2mum market franchise visit www.mum2mummarket/franchise How to sell at a nearly new sale: Tips from a regular seller. Mum of two Lisa Holland from Peterborough and her husband are regular stall holders at their local mum2mum markets. Lisa has sold at Stamford, Bourne and Peterborough. After having 7 stalls she has become something of a Pro at selling nearly new. Below she shares her experience and tips on getting the most out of a mum2mum sale. A mum2mum market stall holder gives their tips on selling at our nearly new sales. It's that time of year where everyone has finally put all the Christmas presents away and decided that they have too many toys, or sorting through clothes and bits and realising that actually their child has outgrown them. Why not make some money and sell them on to someone who will appreciate them and love them as much as you. Whilst I will put some selling ideas at the end, one of the best bits of selling at a sale is the feeling of ... I'm not sure what you call it! Happy, glowy, warm, satisfied. Can't think of a word that means all of what I want to say. Don't be afraid to enjoy yourself. One of my memorable moments was playing with a toy and a little girl wanting to join in. She was so happy, I let her have it. It didn't matter about the money as the look on her face was priceless. Her mum went on to buy other things but couldn't thank me enough for making her daughter so happy. It is one of the most enjoyable experiences with friendly staff to help you out if needed and I have met some fantastic people along the way. Now for some of my advice: Demonstrate your stock. If it doesn't work or you don't know how it works you are very unlikely to sell it. Don't be scared to chat to people. Someone may be afraid to ask questions about what they are looking at but most people are happy to receive some information, especially if they think what they are going to ask is silly. But please bare in mind some of the people are going to be first time parents and wouldn't understand a lot of the gadgets on the market at the minute. Be prepared to reduce your prices. If someone offers you a lower price don't be offended. You have to decide if you want to sell it for less or take the risk of having it to take home again. Don't overprice. It may sound silly but it is so easy to do. You need to become detached to what you are selling. A coat you paid £30 for that you can remember your child going puddle jumping in or their first trip to the park may be worth loads to you, but remember it is a coat you are selling not the memories. When pricing clothes to it is so difficult when you can go to stores nowadays and buy cheaply. Just try and be realistic. Try and organise everything before you go. There is limited space at the sale so if you are like me and spread everything out when organising, do what you can at home. It makes it so much easier when you are there. No Overcrowding Try not to overcrowd the table as people will find it so hard to see everything and they may miss exactly what they are looking for. Most importantly ENJOY YOURSELF. Meet some lovely people, give unwanted things a loving new home, make someone's day by giving them the chance to buy something they may not have previously been able to afford, put a smile on someone's face. |
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