Blog

Back on the road...

Posted: 13/09/18 (12:53pm)

I'm back. We got home early yesterday morning and both had to hit the ground running. After just 4 hours of restless sleep we were both up and working, Sue off to meetings and me off to the workshop. 
I spent a few hours at the workshop putting the finishing touches to a restoration project and the rest of yesterday was spent packaging and arranging the delivery of the items that sold while I was away. It is surprising how long it takes to properly package, book delivery, print off labels and complete customs forms in triplicate before finally delivering the packages to the depot for collection by the courier. It was after 5pm when I finally finished and (as everyone who has had to work after returning from holiday in the small hours will know), by then I was stumbling around like the Walking Dead with about the same conversational ability.

I have just added a lovely little George III blue and gilt Royal Navy dirk to the website and already it is reserved. That was quick! And that was also the last piece of new stock that I have. I am awaiting the arrival of two swords from Canada and also an auction delivery from here in the UK but I will have to get out and about to source more items. To that end, I am off on a road trip tomorrow and will be away for at least the next 3-4 days. My first stop will be about 300 miles down south in Northampton, where I will view and may buy what remains of the sword collection that I mentioned in an earlier blog. Whether or not that sale goes ahead I will be attending an auction on Saturday in the Cambridge area and may stay down south for another auction on Monday - it really all depends on how well I do on Friday and Saturday.
Finding new and interesting stock for the website is time consuming and can be expensive too. Fuel alone for this 700-800 mile round trip will be over £100 and so will a few nights B&B accommodation. Not to mention the hours on the road and spent sitting in auction rooms. Even calculated at minimum wage, the hours will add up to a few hundred pounds.
Basically this stock buying road trip will cost me about £500-£600 all in, not including the cost of any items I buy. As long as I come home with good stock items it will all be worth it...