The end of the brocante/vide grenier?

[zeb]

My neighbour mentioned yesterday that the French Government are thinking of banning vide greniers.

Have any of you heard anything about this?

[Russethouse]

Now why would they do that ? Don't they often provide a little income plus often a 'fun' day for the commune ?

They have clamped down on some 'regular' sellers though, I think the days of unregistered 'antique dealers' using these events may well be over. In the last couple of years at least one largish fair has been cancelled as there were so few 'legal' dealers attending that they were not worth while

Same in the UK too, antique centres and fairs are often asked to give lists of their renters and at car boots officials wander around noting car number plates.

[Teamedup]

For several years I used to help organise one of the biggest in our area and ran the last one we had. AND then our Prefet made it such a bureauocratic nightmare that it became nigh on impossible for us to run. AND bang went our income for our association. We were a 'rich' association......... then!

The next county along allowed such sales resulting in their towns and villages taking on our Bourse aux Ski's etc where local assoc from our dept would rent their Salle Polyalentes.

 

I've seen a few things mentioned on this board that simply would not be permitted where I live at all. That the government is going to stop them now does not in any way surprise me.  

[andyh4]

Politicians, don't you just love them.

 

Here in Germany the equivalent to a vide grenier is a Sperrmulltag.  On this day all households would put their unwanted furniture and large goods (and sometimes not so large goods) out on the pavement, where they would be collected by the local authority for disposal (no money changes hands here).

The local politicians got upperty about the number of non-Germans (partly true but not totally) who toured the streets picking up the best bits and taking them away before the council collected them.   To be fair there were huge vans and cars with trailers touring the streets.  But the result was perfect recycling and half the goods never got to be collected by the council at all.

 

In step the politicians - no more Spermull - if you want stuff collected you have to make an appointment so that the council can organise a personal collection.  Result - instead of 2 collection days per year, there are teams otu every week picking up stuff.

 

And now the politicians complain that the costs of this service have gone through the roof!!

[Patf]

There was an article about this in Saturday's Times.Vide grenier sales are supposed to be for private individuals to sell their own stuff, and so no fees or taxes are imposed. But they have been infiltrated by businesses who are selling illegally. The brocante owners, who have to pay taxes etc are complaining and this is part of the reason for the partial ban which comes into effect soon. I think it says that some sales will be allowed but restricted to 2 per year per area. Pat.