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We live in SW France and would like to have a stand in an antique fair or brocante in order to sell some of the items we no longer have room for. It would seem that the best way to get started is by contacting people who hold these fairs in various towns throughout the year. We could then register and rent a position at any locations that are suitable.

My question is, does anyone know the names of such antique fair/brocante organisers?

Thank you in anticipation.

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Unless you're starting an antiques business, it might be better to consider a stand at a vide grenier instead.  You are allowed to have a stand at one vide grenier a year, it costs very little and there is no licence or registration needed.  Most towns have them, and although I can find nothing yet for Montesquieu in 2008, the contact details have probably not changed since this one http://www.albret-tourisme.com/modules/piCal/index.php?action=View&event_id=0000016442

 

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I think you would find details of fairs and organisers via Aladin, Antiquitie et Brocante and Le Chineur - however my belief is that you need to be a correctly registered business before you would be given a table, indeed for some Salons you are not allowed in to the trade day without proof that you are genuinely trade. Sometimes a showing a UK passport does the trick (but I have no idea how that works - it just has in the past [:)] )
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Pickup a copy of Aladdin/Chinambule or one of the other listings mags - they tend to list around one month in advance.  My favourite is the A5 sized 'Le Chineur'.

You will generally be allowed onto a brocante fair by the organisers, but if the gendarmes come around you'll get stuck when they ask you to produce your SIRET No. and you also need a certificate from the prefecture stating that you are allowed to sell 'non-sedentary' - i.e. on the street.  These things are not like car-boots in the UK where anyone and everyone can openly sell pirate DVD's etc. week-in week-out - the Gendarmes DO come around, and do check.

As pointed out before, go for a vide-grenier instead as private individuals (particuliers) are allowed to sell there - although with legal restrictions on frequency, and if the gendarmes see you selling at V-G's too often they will kick you off!

Personally I'd wait for the summer fairs as they do tend to be a lot busier.

Matt

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  • 2 weeks later...

We make a visit to the V.G's a day out. Anywhere in about a 70km radius of St.Malo. Apart from trying to find that piece of Lalique or Fagerge,no luck yet, it has given us a pretty good idea about the various villages/cities in our area. There is always a good atmosphere. food on offer and by the look of most stands at lunchtime the event and lunch, is more important than selling anything. We do one each year at St.Meloir des Ondes,it's one of the first in the year and it's indoors!!! The big one at Rennes ,at St Martin is one not to be missed but be prepared for plenty of walking,it goes for many kms.The ones held on the beach are a bonus for there is Moule & Frits on offer.

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The big one at Rennes ,at St Martin is one not to be missed but be prepared for plenty of walking,it goes for many kms.The ones held on the beach are a bonus for there is Moule & Frits on offer.

Is that the one in September ? I have been to that and it was very good - you are right, good walking shoes required.

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"You are ALLOWED a stand at one Vide Grenier a year "..!!.......Who decides you can only try and sell your old crockery once ?... What a country !.... Is there is a " Citizens Sale of Old  Tat and Junk Department "  full of functionaries in Paris?......I suppose there must be ....and its them  instructing gendarmes  to search out and keep in their place  these "try and  flog it again " criminals .
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The legislation for this was made just a few years ago in order to crack down on dealers who were not 'legit' using vide greniers as an outlet.

My understanding is that in some areas it is acted upon more stringently than in others.

When you go to some of the huge VG like Oye Plage, Montreuil sur Mer and the one in Rennes you often see that the goods are not really just someones 2nd hand stuff but collectibles, and antiques too.....

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[quote user="Frederick"]Who decides you can only try and sell your old crockery once ?[/quote]

Under

pressure from professionals which

could not handle or unfair competition from the sale of second-hand goods by unregistered professionals dealers

(paying therefore neither charges nor taxes, and who

offer no guarantees), or by competition from private individuals, the law has

changed. (
http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/12/ta/ta0468.asp).

« Les

particuliers non inscrits au registre du commerce et des sociétés sont

autorisés à participer aux ventes au déballage en vue de vendre

exclusivement des objets personnels et usagés deux fois par an au plus,

à condition qu'ils aient leur domicile ou leur résidence secondaire

dans l'arrondissement départemental, la commune ou, pour les villes de

Lyon, Marseille et Paris, dans l'arrondissement municipal siège de la

manifestation.

« Les

particuliers non inscrits au registre du commerce et des sociétés

souhaitant participer aux ventes au déballage doivent s'inscrire avant

le début de la manifestation sur un registre tenu par la personne qui

organise la manifestation.

« Ce

registre doit mentionner l'identité du particulier souhaitant

participer à la vente au déballage, son adresse ainsi que son numéro

d'immatriculation de véhicule.

« Ce registre est mis à disposition des services de police et de gendarmerie dès le début de la manifestation.

« Un

registre départemental informatisé est constitué par les services

préfectoraux intégrant l'ensemble des informations figurant dans le

registre mentionné aux alinéas précédents.

« Ce registre départemental est mis à disposition des services de police et de gendarmerie.

« Les modalités d'application du présent article sont fixées par décret pris en Conseil d'Etat.

Quick google translation:

"Individuals

not registered in the commercial register and companies are allowed to

participate in sales unpacking to sell exclusively personal and

used objects twice a year, provided they have their home or secondary residence

in Borough department, the town or, for the cities of Lyon, Marseille

and Paris, in the borough municipal headquarters of the event.

"Individuals not registered in the commercial register and companies

wishing to participate in sales unpacking must register before the

start of the event on a register kept by the person who is organising

the event.

"This record must include the identity of an

individual wishing to participate in the selling, its address and its

Vehicle Identification Number.

"This register is made available to the police and gendarmerie at the start of the event.

"A departmental computerized registry consists of the prefectural

services incorporating all the information in the registry mentioned in

the preceding paragraphs.

"This register is departmental made available to the police and gendarmerie.

"The modalities of application of this Article shall be determined by decree of the Council of State.
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[quote user="Frederick"]"You are ALLOWED a stand at one Vide Grenier a year "..!!.......Who decides you can only try and sell your old crockery once ?... What a country !.... Is there is a " Citizens Sale of Old  Tat and Junk Department "  full of functionaries in Paris?......I suppose there must be ....and its them  instructing gendarmes  to search out and keep in their place  these "try and  flog it again " criminals .[/quote]

 

Well at the local Brocantes and Vide Greniers that I have been to in 17 you will often find the same "locals" week after week traiding at them all. It is quite useful when there is something you realised afterwards that you really "needed / wanted" and didn't buy the first time! LOL[;-)]

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In the FranceOuest paper last year,it stated a "particular" could do 2 VG's a year. This was brought in as the Registered dealers were losing trade to some traders in "Antiques"  who were doing the VG's on a regular basis.

Occasionally you will see the Gendarmarie going around and the organisers of the VG's are supposed to take a note of sellers name /address and sometimes ID cards/passports numbers.they give these lists to the local Gendarmarie,alledgedly.

When we first came over here,as visitors about 20 times a year., we just used to rush around buying as we had an"Antique/Junk/Collectables shop in Bournemouth. When we first moved here we started selling the remnants of the shop after selling the premises.We did 6-7 the first year,no problems.Now we just do the one at St.Meloir to have a yearly clearout and meet a few people.

The main thing to beware of at VG's,is all the re-pro. virtually everything is copied these days and sold at the price to make you think it's genuine. As a result it seems the collectables market has died. WE are actually taking a load back to UK to auction as we are fed up looking at it all and it's time for a change.

Anyway,it's usually a good day out and you often meet like minded hunters.

Regards.

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<<My understanding is that in some areas it is acted upon more stringently than in others.>>

Like a lot of laws in France. I can hardly wait until our holiday in the Dordogne to see how well the smoking ban is enforced.

Most of the VGs we have been to look like the people are selling things they want to get rid of. We look for those small nativity scene figures (santon) to bring back to England. We have between 30-40 different ones and can usually get them for about 50 cents. But you usually have to go through boxes full of them to find ones you don't have.

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