Charity Shop Phone call.....

Okay, so a local charity shop in which I left one of my cards has just called. The conversation went like this:

(My heartrate = quite normal)
'Is that Ben?'
'Yes'
'This is ****** charity shop. You left your details with us a while ago and asked us to call you if we ever get any Subbuteo. Well, we have some good news!'
(Heartrate = risen quite substantially)
'Excellent! What have you got?'
'lets say theres a lot of it. its best you come take a look'.
(Heartrate = Not as noticable as my now very wet pants)

I'm off to find out what of my cards has turned up (hoorah, not had anything from those for over a year now). No doubt I'll be disappointed as people only get shot of anything to charity shops these days after checking ebay but I live in hope.

I'll keep you posted when i get back.... (the suspense is killing me!)

Good luck Ben...I've had plenty of success from Charity shops tbh. Hopefully you will too.

I'm back and.... what a waste of time that was!

This is a classic case of someone glancing at ebay or other sites quickly to get prices and then way overpricing what they actually have.

Here is a list of what was there and how much they wanted (!):

8 late 90's LW teams (nothing rare, all very common and some missing players - all at... £20 each
tournament goals - £25
green fence surround - £20
Boxed goalies (painted) - £15
black, 90's scoreboard - £20
The best one, a late 90's 60140 set (missing goals and pitch) - She was convinced that this was worth £50 as it had a price sticker of 89.99 on it!!

Now, I know they are charity shops and any money they make goes to good causes but this is what really gets me about people just having a quick look on ebay and not researching things properly (not just subbuteo). I tried to tell her that she wouldn't get these prices (as she said whatever I didn't have they would sell on ebay through their official shop) and advised her what she should try to sell them for but she wouldn't have it and said that they've done the research and that what they're worth. As you can guess, I didn't have anything!

Anyway, I'm pretty gutted as I'm sure you all would be but thats the way it goes sometimes I guess!

Bad luck mate...that sounds horrendous.

unlucky Ben. Its hard to find any subby in charity shops nowadays.

Exactly, thats why i got so excited! Never mind, the dream haul is out there somewhere.....

Big_Ben wrote:

Never mind, the dream haul is out there somewhere.....

Some of these fine days ......

A mate, who knows that I collect Subbuteo, phoned me yesterday and gave me a few details about a Subbuteo collection that was on offer through the Daily Mirror. 40 teams +++ apparently.

Asking £50 .....

GONE before I could get through

I thought things were really cheap in charity shops didn't reaiise they tried to get serious money for items. My daughter volunteered for Age Concern and anything that came in was just priced by the staff with no research and put on the shelves for a couple of quid....

I can't walk past a charity shop without having a shuffty, but in the past 10 years, i've maybe found something on only half a dozen occassions, often LW / Accessories.

I did find a load at the local Oxfam in the early 2000s, since some enterprising employee had made an impressive shop display in the window to tie in with the football WC or Euros, can't remember which. Cost me £100 for half a dozen HW teams (various condition, nothing fancy) and the ususal accessories. It was just about worth it, and is was for "charidee".

I've had 2 or 3 calls from shops that have seen my local "Wanted Ads", so some of they do watch out for collectors etc.

I've taken to contacting Charity Shop HQs, thinking that they might be able to steer some of it my way. I've had 3 calls (all from Oxfam, I think) where I've bought it blind, paid by cheque or credit card and crossed my fingers. Again, nothing fancy, neither cheap, but just about worth it.

Ah, the joys of trying to find Subby!

Chris

Yes, charity shops are usually the last place you find Subby but I can't help but take a butchers and I have had a couple of decent finds.

A few years back my friends mum worked in one just over from where i worked and she always kept me the best stuff (and not just subbuteo - old computer games, toys or models). Over a year she gave me a few original transformers, Nintendos, segas and a very nice old 'woody' atari which still lives somewhere up in my loft - yeah, the one with pong!

But one day I went over there and she had a full box of about 20 HW teams, all of which had been well looked after, most in ref'd boxes and there were some decent teams in there (nothing too rare but not your bog standard stuff either - I seem to remember the best being a ref'd 191 in mint condition). As this was before ebay really took off (and i knew her!) I got the lot for a tenner! Not quite like that today unfortunately...

I also found an all gold OHW team (on its own) in a charity shop in oxford once but they wanted £65 for it! I know its oxford but seriously.....

I've found very little in Charity shops down South, but when i was living up North, there was always something. There seem to be a lot more Charity shops up there as well...prices lower too.

House Clearance and second hand shops are quiet fruitfull around here though.

August 2002 , second hand toy shop in sunny , deepest , Dorset , 33 Heavyweight teams 50 quid , one of the best days of my life , Calum and I kept every one , happy days

mine was 2 years ago, an original flats boxset from 1949/50. Still had the original peice of chalk! All good for £20. I've been offered 10 x that but I won't sell it.

bought a ref 68 in shortbox this week and i noticed the original price sticker on the box with the name of ths shop and their london phone number.

i have never bothered checking if a shop on a price sticker is still trading before but i did check the name out on t'internet and low and behold the shop is still trading at the same place with the same phone number (now with 0208 in front).

AND its an area i pass through on business from time to time.

i might take the team along to show them for nostalgia's sake - and then of course ask "any old stock in the basement?" ......

well you never know do you?

"oh yes i have got about 40 unopened teams that i was going to throw out but if they are any use to you...."