Dealing with travelers when selling things
Discussion
Jambur said:
I'm Irish, it bugs me a bit when I see people here equating Irish and travellers as one and the same. Most of the travellers we see here have UK reg vans. I would venture theres a larger population in the UK, then in Ireland.
That's because you had the good sense to put a stop to their bs and we haven't - dreading what starmer will dream up....Stick Legs said:
I'm going to go against the grain here.
A mate of mine runs a garage, he deals with the travelling community and has done for over 20 years. My observations being around them are:
Negatives:
-They do act a bit entitled and you need to be quite sharp to sense when they are winding you up & being serious as despite all acting like hard nuts they are rather touchy and thin skinned, assume the worse, and allow them to laugh at you being wound up as the reverse is not palatable.
-The whole thing of never ever counting cash in front of them is real, but if they rip you off they'll only do it once.
-They have a habit of going everywhere mob handed, which is intimidating, but you soon realise that's just how they are.
-Never ever, EVER stare too hard or make a wise crack about their women, no matter how ridiculously they are dressed or behaving.
-Their kids are all mad. However once you know them a simple 'Billy, go & see your dad' nips it in the bud.
-If you are the sort of person who makes up for a lack of brain by backing it up with brawn steer clear.
Positives:
-Once they realise that you are not prejudiced they treat you very well.
-The power of word of mouth in that community is immense. If one has a good experience buying or selling with you they tell all their mates and you will never want for work.
-The whole thing of never ever counting cash in front of them is real, if you trust them they never ever short change you.
-Compared to normal people they actually have very realistic expectations of second hand gear and if it breaks are quite reasonable. I'd rather sell a second hand car to a Traveller than to a normal person in this regard.
-They aren't tight and will pay good money for good stuff.
-If you are the sort of person who makes up for a lack of brawn by using your brain then you'll be fine.
Meet them, be friendly, offer them a drink. Do a deal.
Be open and treat them like normal people, chances are you haven't got what they'd risk stealing.
Get a CCTV camera from Amazon. Once they leave write down all the vehicle reg numbers etc. If they do steal from you at least you have some sort of evidence to go to the Police with, but in my experience and friendly attitude backed up with a CCTV camera will mean they won't steal from you.
A chippy attitude, keeping everything around you under lock and key, acting like the crown jewels are in that shed and no they can't look in there, counting money and not budging on price means that they'd nick everything including your yard broom on principle.
Sorry but adapting normal social behaviours to accomodate a very small rogue minority (on nothing more than the hope they dont take offence to somehting normal or innocuous) is just not acceptable or worth it.A mate of mine runs a garage, he deals with the travelling community and has done for over 20 years. My observations being around them are:
Negatives:
-They do act a bit entitled and you need to be quite sharp to sense when they are winding you up & being serious as despite all acting like hard nuts they are rather touchy and thin skinned, assume the worse, and allow them to laugh at you being wound up as the reverse is not palatable.
-The whole thing of never ever counting cash in front of them is real, but if they rip you off they'll only do it once.
-They have a habit of going everywhere mob handed, which is intimidating, but you soon realise that's just how they are.
-Never ever, EVER stare too hard or make a wise crack about their women, no matter how ridiculously they are dressed or behaving.
-Their kids are all mad. However once you know them a simple 'Billy, go & see your dad' nips it in the bud.
-If you are the sort of person who makes up for a lack of brain by backing it up with brawn steer clear.
Positives:
-Once they realise that you are not prejudiced they treat you very well.
-The power of word of mouth in that community is immense. If one has a good experience buying or selling with you they tell all their mates and you will never want for work.
-The whole thing of never ever counting cash in front of them is real, if you trust them they never ever short change you.
-Compared to normal people they actually have very realistic expectations of second hand gear and if it breaks are quite reasonable. I'd rather sell a second hand car to a Traveller than to a normal person in this regard.
-They aren't tight and will pay good money for good stuff.
-If you are the sort of person who makes up for a lack of brawn by using your brain then you'll be fine.
Meet them, be friendly, offer them a drink. Do a deal.
Be open and treat them like normal people, chances are you haven't got what they'd risk stealing.
Get a CCTV camera from Amazon. Once they leave write down all the vehicle reg numbers etc. If they do steal from you at least you have some sort of evidence to go to the Police with, but in my experience and friendly attitude backed up with a CCTV camera will mean they won't steal from you.
A chippy attitude, keeping everything around you under lock and key, acting like the crown jewels are in that shed and no they can't look in there, counting money and not budging on price means that they'd nick everything including your yard broom on principle.
Block, move on, sell to normal people.
Stick Legs said:
I'm going to go against the grain here.
That was a very long list of Do's and Don'ts.Personally, I wouldn't be jumping through those hoops for any buyer. That goes for absolutely anyone, irrespective of race, religion, background etc.
I sell a few things here and there via Facebook marketplace and Ebay (usually stuff I don't want/need anymore) and I take the easiest every single time to avoid any hassle. If any buyer who messages gives even the slightest hint that they may be difficult, I just ignore them or block them immediately, and never give it a second thought.
You will always get a good buyer in the end. No one needs to sell to someone difficult or risky. Why put yourself through any unnecessary hassle?
I've been selling stuff for decades and never had a single problem with whoever has come round to my house, partly as a result of my basic filtering of messages and contact.
Block immediately and move on.
Edited by Mont Blanc on Friday 17th May 11:06
pork911 said:
Ben Jk said:
Not all travellers are thieves but is it really worth the risk?
What about blacks?
k. Nothing to do with his colour or religion, more that he didn't want to pay for the tax disc, as he thought could obtain one in any pub in his local area (L8) for a fiver, and he wanted to take the V5 and send it off to save me the bother. Car was never taxed or MOTd again.
pork911 said:
Ben Jk said:
Not all travellers are thieves but is it really worth the risk?
What about blacks?Blatant racism, but they claim it helps filter out difficult customers, in their opinion.
The irony is that one of the salesmen who told me this is of Bangladeshi decent with a very 'brown sounding name' himself.
It's not about race, or colour, or caravan-enthusiasm.
It's about selling to people who aren't going to be a massive PITA, threaten to beat the crap out of you, or rob everything that isn't nailed down.
I've bought and sold loads of stuff over the years, and not once have I or any of the buyers felt the need to tell the other side that we're "not going to rob them or anything". Likely because the thoughts of petty crime didn't even enter our minds.
It's about selling to people who aren't going to be a massive PITA, threaten to beat the crap out of you, or rob everything that isn't nailed down.
I've bought and sold loads of stuff over the years, and not once have I or any of the buyers felt the need to tell the other side that we're "not going to rob them or anything". Likely because the thoughts of petty crime didn't even enter our minds.
Someone told me once that saying 'It's not for sale' would be translated as 'I won't sell it you you' which could be taken negatively and personally. This is, (my understanding), important to the traveller community.
A better approach is to say 'It's very precious to me and wouldn't sell it for less that X' where X is 10 times it's value. That way you're not refusing, but make it clear it's very valuable to you and that way they can leave without feeling you're just telling them to fk off.
A better approach is to say 'It's very precious to me and wouldn't sell it for less that X' where X is 10 times it's value. That way you're not refusing, but make it clear it's very valuable to you and that way they can leave without feeling you're just telling them to f
k off.TimmyMallett said:
Someone told me once that saying 'It's not for sale' would be translated as 'I won't sell it you you' which could be taken negatively and personally. This is, (my understanding), important to the traveller community.
A better approach is to say 'It's very precious to me and wouldn't sell it for less that X' where X is 10 times it's value. That way you're not refusing, but make it clear it's very valuable to you and that way they can leave without feeling you're just telling them to fk off.
Why even get into a further discussion with them? A better approach is to say 'It's very precious to me and wouldn't sell it for less that X' where X is 10 times it's value. That way you're not refusing, but make it clear it's very valuable to you and that way they can leave without feeling you're just telling them to f
k off.Just block them and forget about it.
Deranged Rover said:
Jambur said:
I'm Irish, it bugs me a bit when I see people here equating Irish and travellers as one and the same.
My wife is Irish.It bugs her that most travellers in the UK have Irish accents!
We live in the Thames Valley. Every year we get a summertime influx of Irish travellers who are completely lawless. A good friend of mine is a local police officer, he can list endless crimes they commit until moved on, where they continue said criminality.
Nobody I know equates Irish people with travellers. Lots of people equate Irish travellers with criminality. Until they as a cohort stop committing crime above and beyond the levels of the local population in a given area it will always be thus.
Remember the strip in Viz? This is how Wiki reports it: The comic was reprimanded by the United Nations after featuring a strip called "The Thieving Gypsy b
ds". UK tabloid newspaper The Sun ran a story suggesting that the principal Roma man who initiated the complaints against Viz ("Don't call us thieving gypsies, says thieving gypsy") had been found guilty of handling stolen property at Preston Crown Court. He had, but in truth the man in question had been supportive of the comic in his correspondence with them and had not made any complaint against the strip. In the same issue Viz ran a short strip called "The Nice, Honest Gypsies", featuring a kindly Gypsy woman selling pegs door-to-door and helpfully returning forgotten changeIf you have the option to avoid, do. There are many stereotypes in the world and many are unfounded. With travellers it seems that the stereotypes are largely applicable, I've never known of anyone having a pleasant experience with them unless you're in their circles.
I triggered on on FB when I commented on a news article about an camp that was due to be moved on and said that I'm sure it'll be left as it was found and there will definitely be no clean up operation needed after it's moved. Clearly triggered one of the cheeky little scamps as the last comment they posted stated how streetwise they were not 'bookwise' and a picture of a UFC belt!
If you have the choice to block him, do that.
I triggered on on FB when I commented on a news article about an camp that was due to be moved on and said that I'm sure it'll be left as it was found and there will definitely be no clean up operation needed after it's moved. Clearly triggered one of the cheeky little scamps as the last comment they posted stated how streetwise they were not 'bookwise' and a picture of a UFC belt!
If you have the choice to block him, do that.
PurpleTurtle said:
Deranged Rover said:
Jambur said:
I'm Irish, it bugs me a bit when I see people here equating Irish and travellers as one and the same.
My wife is Irish.It bugs her that most travellers in the UK have Irish accents!
We live in the Thames Valley. Every year we get a summertime influx of Irish travellers who are completely lawless. A good friend of mine is a local police officer, he can list endless crimes they commit until moved on, where they continue said criminality.
Nobody I know equates Irish people with travellers. Lots of people equate Irish travellers with criminality. Until they as a cohort stop committing crime above and beyond the levels of the local population in a given area it will always be thus.
Remember the strip in Viz? This is how Wiki reports it: The comic was reprimanded by the United Nations after featuring a strip called "The Thieving Gypsy b
ds". UK tabloid newspaper The Sun ran a story suggesting that the principal Roma man who initiated the complaints against Viz ("Don't call us thieving gypsies, says thieving gypsy") had been found guilty of handling stolen property at Preston Crown Court. He had, but in truth the man in question had been supportive of the comic in his correspondence with them and had not made any complaint against the strip. In the same issue Viz ran a short strip called "The Nice, Honest Gypsies", featuring a kindly Gypsy woman selling pegs door-to-door and helpfully returning forgotten change
pork911 said:
PurpleTurtle said:
Deranged Rover said:
Jambur said:
I'm Irish, it bugs me a bit when I see people here equating Irish and travellers as one and the same.
My wife is Irish.It bugs her that most travellers in the UK have Irish accents!
We live in the Thames Valley. Every year we get a summertime influx of Irish travellers who are completely lawless. A good friend of mine is a local police officer, he can list endless crimes they commit until moved on, where they continue said criminality.
Nobody I know equates Irish people with travellers. Lots of people equate Irish travellers with criminality. Until they as a cohort stop committing crime above and beyond the levels of the local population in a given area it will always be thus.
Remember the strip in Viz? This is how Wiki reports it: The comic was reprimanded by the United Nations after featuring a strip called "The Thieving Gypsy b
ds". UK tabloid newspaper The Sun ran a story suggesting that the principal Roma man who initiated the complaints against Viz ("Don't call us thieving gypsies, says thieving gypsy") had been found guilty of handling stolen property at Preston Crown Court. He had, but in truth the man in question had been supportive of the comic in his correspondence with them and had not made any complaint against the strip. In the same issue Viz ran a short strip called "The Nice, Honest Gypsies", featuring a kindly Gypsy woman selling pegs door-to-door and helpfully returning forgotten changeKAgantua said:
pork911 said:
PurpleTurtle said:
Deranged Rover said:
Jambur said:
I'm Irish, it bugs me a bit when I see people here equating Irish and travellers as one and the same.
My wife is Irish.It bugs her that most travellers in the UK have Irish accents!
We live in the Thames Valley. Every year we get a summertime influx of Irish travellers who are completely lawless. A good friend of mine is a local police officer, he can list endless crimes they commit until moved on, where they continue said criminality.
Nobody I know equates Irish people with travellers. Lots of people equate Irish travellers with criminality. Until they as a cohort stop committing crime above and beyond the levels of the local population in a given area it will always be thus.
Remember the strip in Viz? This is how Wiki reports it: The comic was reprimanded by the United Nations after featuring a strip called "The Thieving Gypsy b
ds". UK tabloid newspaper The Sun ran a story suggesting that the principal Roma man who initiated the complaints against Viz ("Don't call us thieving gypsies, says thieving gypsy") had been found guilty of handling stolen property at Preston Crown Court. He had, but in truth the man in question had been supportive of the comic in his correspondence with them and had not made any complaint against the strip. In the same issue Viz ran a short strip called "The Nice, Honest Gypsies", featuring a kindly Gypsy woman selling pegs door-to-door and helpfully returning forgotten changeGassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff