HDAV Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 That was langers mate, That shut about 10 years ago. They do still have there shop in Kiddy, By the seven vally railway. They had been there for ever and a day. What ever you wonted the old guy had it there. Thats it i bought a few bits there in my youth, place was jam packed with stuff. The MOD has wisened to disposal of assets in the last 20 years using disposal agents to retail rather than dumping it all through auctions. BCB offer some good stuff http://www.bcbin.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ME Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 http://www.fieldtextiles.co.uk/ http://www.europeanarmysurplus.co.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 does anyone have any idea what sort of mark-up a trader would put on for somthing like this 10? 20? % ... I have no idea how much stock you would shift in one day on a market? these things you HAVE to get an idea of before you get going! if your only going to shift £1000's worth of stock and turn 100 - 200 pounds profit minus all your outgoings and running costs suddenly theres not alot left! If I was you do your gardening where you know you can tap a pay stream and keep the boat a float so to speak, and use the internet to sell army surplus stock on the side if it takes off and you are turning a heavy profit and it demands more attention and time then go for it!! but I wouldnt lump a load of cash onto stock you dont know how much you can shift and at what price, sorry for being a kill joy but as they say dont put all of your eggs into one basket!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halight Posted July 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 Thats it i bought a few bits there in my youth, place was jam packed with stuff. The MOD has wisened to disposal of assets in the last 20 years using disposal agents to retail rather than dumping it all through auctions. BCB offer some good stuff http://www.bcbin.com/ Many thanks for that link mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halight Posted July 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 does anyone have any idea what sort of mark-up a trader would put on for somthing like this 10? 20? % ... I have no idea how much stock you would shift in one day on a market? these things you HAVE to get an idea of before you get going! if your only going to shift £1000's worth of stock and turn 100 - 200 pounds profit minus all your outgoings and running costs suddenly theres not alot left! If I was you do your gardening where you know you can tap a pay stream and keep the boat a float so to speak, and use the internet to sell army surplus stock on the side if it takes off and you are turning a heavy profit and it demands more attention and time then go for it!! but I wouldnt lump a load of cash onto stock you dont know how much you can shift and at what price, sorry for being a kill joy but as they say dont put all of your eggs into one basket!! That's for the advice mate, I know what you mean about putting all my eggs into one basket, been there and done that before, The mart up on some items is a lot more than 20% iv had a look on eBay on the buy it now from some of the shops. On some items they are getting away with. 100% Mark up on what iv seen it being sold for on a couple of whole sale sites. But then you do have the other side that some items are only selling for a small profit. Iv been thinking of doing work were aswell as army surpluss. Some survival items too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 Fair play mate you seem to be going into this with a level head!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houlsby Posted July 21, 2012 Report Share Posted July 21, 2012 iv just got a full time job after running my own company. id say go for it, it was the best thing i ever did! iv seen most of the country and stayed away in some really nice places which i wouldn't have if i'd been a local electrician at a local firm. however, one thing i learned was, make sure youve got enough money saved to last 6 months. (this is the reason why i went back to employment) over xmas, there was no work about at all, so from November i was down to my last pennies. it ruined xmas for us (presents wise) and i ended up getting a loan off my old man till work went mental in jan. as a surplus store you will also be affected by xmas, summer etc so bear this in mind. i also opened my own alarm and security company and ebay store last year, was the cheapest distributor in the uk of that alarm... and made a loss of 2k within 6 months, so be prepared to swap and change what your selling especially on a market where the customer demands change with the seasons. good luck, being your own boss is fantastic.. its well worth the hard work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halight Posted July 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 iv just got a full time job after running my own company. id say go for it, it was the best thing i ever did! iv seen most of the country and stayed away in some really nice places which i wouldn't have if i'd been a local electrician at a local firm. however, one thing i learned was, make sure youve got enough money saved to last 6 months. (this is the reason why i went back to employment) over xmas, there was no work about at all, so from November i was down to my last pennies. it ruined xmas for us (presents wise) and i ended up getting a loan off my old man till work went mental in jan. as a surplus store you will also be affected by xmas, summer etc so bear this in mind. i also opened my own alarm and security company and ebay store last year, was the cheapest distributor in the uk of that alarm... and made a loss of 2k within 6 months, so be prepared to swap and change what your selling especially on a market where the customer demands change with the seasons. good luck, being your own boss is fantastic.. its well worth the hard work! Iv been thinking about Christmas and other slower times of the year. And i think the only way to make any money at times like these would be to sell Gift items. I.E. Hip flasks, Zippo lighters and items along them lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halight Posted July 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Hey Guys, Just an update from me, I'm still looking into setting up selling army surplus, Iv been looking At the local In door markets. Just having a walk around them to see whats already there, How busy they look on the days that they are open. I have found one local that I think I like the look of. Its open four days a week. All but three of the stalls have traders working from them. The place Looks very clean, And there seems to be a steady amount of people walking around it on the days that it opens. Last Saturday morning was quite buys. So If i do this then that's the indoor market that I would like to trade from. The items that I'm looking at stocking will be army surplus, British and other.Some camping and survival items. Other out door items and Gifts. Plus I'm also still thinking of some work were Items. Will also be looking at booking up for out door markets and fair/advents for next year. Anyway as iv said just an update from me. Iv not ditched the idea just yet, Thanks for everyone that has given me advice and things to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 , make sure youve got enough money saved to last 6 months. Good advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robl Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 does anyone have any idea what sort of mark-up a trader would put on for somthing like this 10? 20? % ... As a very rough guide a trader should be making 100% markup on what they buy from a wholesaler. That’s not to say they make 100% profit per item though. You need to factor in costs of transporting the stuff, tied up money, stall costs and so forth. Also, the trader will be responsible for returns and refunds on damaged stock that they may not be able to recoup from the wholesaler (depending on the wholesaler). I guess this margin might be dropping with online stores having less overheads, and with hobby traders willing to make less profit per item. There’s also a question of you ‘adding value’ as you buy and sell. People won’t but a rucksack off you for £100 when they can buy it online for £90. But, they might buy from you for £110 if it’s a rucksack that comes with a mini survival pack, and some mini mesh packing bags for inside. (even if those extras only cost you £2) They’ll pay extra for the convenience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halight Posted July 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 As a very rough guide a trader should be making 100% markup on what they buy from a wholesaler. That’s not to say they make 100% profit per item though. You need to factor in costs of transporting the stuff, tied up money, stall costs and so forth. Also, the trader will be responsible for returns and refunds on damaged stock that they may not be able to recoup from the wholesaler (depending on the wholesaler). I guess this margin might be dropping with online stores having less overheads, and with hobby traders willing to make less profit per item. There’s also a question of you ‘adding value’ as you buy and sell. People won’t but a rucksack off you for £100 when they can buy it online for £90. But, they might buy from you for £110 if it’s a rucksack that comes with a mini survival pack, and some mini mesh packing bags for inside. (even if those extras only cost you £2) They’ll pay extra for the convenience. Thanks mate, That given me something to think about, Added value. Ill have a good think about that, there might be something I can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Something that might be worth looking at is a tie up with a seamstress etc if one in the market offering repairs/alterations not only clothes but bags/tents etc that's something the online stores can't easily do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 (edited) All the best with your venture. I've been working in a company we set up three years ago after 30 years working for a PLC. As KFC states planning is important so do plan, the other thing is to make sure you get paid for the stuff you sell. We have a very simple saying "no funny money ( £'s only), money first bits later". We give no credit anywhere. I've seen companies the size of mine go under very fast because of false promises of payment.The costs involved in recovering bad debt are huge. Good luck and have some fun! Edited July 31, 2012 by Whitebridges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halight Posted July 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Something that might be worth looking at is a tie up with a seamstress etc if one in the market offering repairs/alterations not only clothes but bags/tents etc that's something the online stores can't easily do! cheers mate that is a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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