The postman came yesterday with my beaulieu entry forms.

First obvious thing was prices have gone up yet again.

Spring beaulieu is now £74.50 per stall

September international is now £145.00 per stall

That's around a 7.5% rise.

As 7 county Austins we have 2 stalls at each, Most of the trade talk together after events. And most agree the trade and sales are dropping year by year.

By the time We do September it takes the first £1,000 worth of sales to cover what's paid out for the weekend. I'm starting to wonder if its worth wile.

Or perhaps to drop down to one stall only.

I know non of this will be of interest for many of you. But perhaps it will to those who like to look around autojumbles, only to find there is nothing there apart from new tools and handbags.

Perhaps spares prices need to raised to cover beaulieus corporate greed.

But what are your thoughts, it is a forum.

Also does anyone know if there public entry tickets are going up in price from last year to this year, and will it make any difference to you. If it does then the trade will take that hit with less sales.

Tony

Location: Huncote on the pig

Hi Tony.

Yes, you and other treasured suppliers, are the back bone of the A7 movement, we know Beaulieu corporates see the auto jumble as a "cash cow", and prices will always go up. For you a trader and us as "general public". But Beaulieu would not be the same without you and other traders to talk to. And get our rare valuable parts for our Sevens, and who else can I talk to about football?

S&P

Location: Not so sunny Gower

Hi All, Have been going to Beaulieu Sept for the 30 years with the only break when abroad. The last few years have not been as enjoyable and more expensive. Very few enthusiasts stalls anymore due to the cost of stalls and more of the feeling that we are the cash cow for the year. Therefore Beaulieu will not be seeing us this year, and i suspect many more will be doing the same.
We can get it all via the internet, so all the traders need to do is improve their web sites and no need to go.

Keith

Location: North East

Tony,
It's a bloody shame how it's going the Internet has a lot too answer for the social searching side of keeping our cars on the road. The last couple of years I have attended both main events and spent several hundred pounds at each , but I could have easily of bought the same stuff direct from our cherished suppliers.
I object most strongly to having to pay entry to the museum and grounds when I no intension what so ever in viewing the exhibits, I am there for the Jumble only.
You have to decide what is financiall viable for your business an decide accordingly.
Hope to see you both soon.

Location: Oakley hants

I live on the opposite side of the New Forest to Beaulieu , so travel is not a problem .
However the sheer size of the Auto jumble means that there is just no way to have a real dig around for the odd bits I am trying to find .
I have only ever once managed to get to the furthest paddocks for a mooch round .
Perhaps it is getting too big for its own success ??

The internet has changed the face of retail all around the world , and I think that events such as Beaulieu will start to feel the draught , just as town-centre trading is being affected .

Merv

Location: New Forest

Hello Tony. You may recall that last September I commented that I thought the event had lost its 'mojo'. Conversations with other traders confirmed my feeling, indeed one said that at 3.00 pm on the Saturday afternoon (usually the busiest time)there were no members of the public at all in their aisle. Increased costs for exhibitors will not improve the situation although the foreign contingent will no doubt be well represented given the exchange rate for the pound vs the euro.
However once again I have received a number of phone calls beginning 'I spoke to you at Beaulieu............' so subsequent business has been ok.
I will be there again using the event as a shop window but financially it doesn't make sense.
As for conversations about football Stuart given the state of the 'Swans' it could be a very brief chat!
Regards
Stuart

Location: Staffordshire, the creative county.

To pick up on various points raised here:

Increase in prices: Beaulieu have lost a case at the HMRC tribunal concerning VAT, which means that they now have to charge VAT on stalls (and tickets?). They have absorbed some of the increased cost as they said they would, so a 9% increase (for September) is less than might have been expected.

We have kept a record of our takings at the September event, and like others have noticed a steady decrease over the last few years. However, we too find it valuable as a shop window, but are also considering down-sizing to one stand instead of two.

Beaulieu's greed: there seems to be a feeling that the event is past its best, or that they are becoming a victim of their own success. However, there appears to be no let up in the demand for stalls, and Beaulieu's own figures show that there is generally an increasing attendance year on year. So from their point of view (as a business) there can't be much incentive for them not to continue to increase their prices.

Ilke & I spend most of the Sunday trying to get round as much of the event as possible, and we have noticed a decrease in the number of pre-war stands which has been matched by a corresponding increase in the number of stands catering for the growing classic car movement. Bad news for us, but clearly not for Beaulieu...

David

From a traders point of view the ever increasing costs must be a burden as your costs have to be covered from profits not just sales, people forget that you have to buy the parts either new or second hand in the first place, and that the parts they have just bought could have been bought online or over the phone,its nice to see your wears in the flesh and have a chat and maybe the I will have one of those as well sales, but an event like Beaulieu with only a limited number of Austin Seven enthusiasts attending overall can only really be done as a social event and probably at a loss as the parts you sell there will more than likely be sold to the same people sooner or later though the risk is that the sale could be lost to another trader if you are not there.

On the other hand as private sellers who are basically clearing out our old junk to make room for more, having a stall makes good sense compared with being Jo Public for the following reasons, Its a long drive from South West Wales to get there so its an early start and a long day only to have to cope with the heavy traffic and parking then waiting around to get in and out just for one day. As exhibitors we can arrive on site drive straight in at a reasonable time on the Friday afternoon get sorted out and have a wander around the other stalls and do some early shopping, We have not got to pay for impossible to get local accommodation as we are camping on the site, we get the full benefit of the weekend, with 2 or 3 of us sharing the costs for fuel, food etc it works out costing only a few quid more than paying at the gate and with any luck that will be more than covered by any sales we make. My last Beaulieu sale of 2015 yes 2015 was just before Xmas this year from a chap I was chatting to that year and have more than covered this years costs. We booked the same stall again for 2017 in 2016 to avoid any price increase.

Location: Pembrokeshire

Surely this is a heads up to make sure potential buyers definitely goes to the A7 Beaulieu Rally, where the crowds aren't a problem, other peoples stuff isnt a problem....and anyone with any A7 stuff will know they can profitably benefit, if they don't already go? And the social side is further maximised.

"Beaulieu" will eventually regroup/re-occur somewhere else, when its disadvantages start to outweigh its advantages.

Thank you all so far for you opinions of beaulieu.

I had noticed the vat, but couldn't remember if it was on the entry for last year.

I guess by not putting the stalls up by the full 20% they are seeing the fragility of there golden goose.

I can remember around 10 year ago, stalls were starting to thin out. Beaulieu then put the EXTRA ticket prices amongst other things up to stall holders.

This ment all the European customers stopped buying there ticket from the stall holders, and took there own pitch on the field for the same price.

That's why there are so many stall with a huge RV on them and very little for sale.

Well that trick only works once,

jonE, Sorry but I think you are wrong, once beaulieu dies. There will be nothing to take its place. All the other events round the country that have popped up over the years struggle to make it worth wile for vintage parts.

Don't know why

I would guess its close to what happens with antique fairs, and car boots.

Location: Huncote on the pig

eBay + PayPal now charge a combined 16% on sales and that now includes the postage cost too!

So after you have taken photos of your item, listed and maybe sell it and then packaged it all up, you may wait in all day for it to be collected by the courier. If your sales should total £1000 your deduction amounts to a hefty £160.00 - And if the buyer thinks you have charged 10p more for the delivery charge than it cost you, (Forget the eBay/PayPal charge, buyers who never sell anything regard packaging material and your time spent doing it costs you absolutely nothing), they will possibly leave poor feedback too.

Makes Beaulieu seem more attractive don't you think even with travelling costs and sustenance ?

No connection with Beaulieu whatsoever.

nice one John,

That's one of my favourits,

I had an ebay buyer complain I had over charged him by 17p for postage.

So I told Him I had forgotten to charge him the other P, packing. And asked him if he would send me another 50p.

Guess what, I didn't get it. And didn't hear from him again.

Fantastic.

Location: Huncote on the pig