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-   -   Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July (https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=147764)

GrahamN 30th Jun 2018 9:17 am

Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July
 
This auction has unfortunately had to be cancelled.

Subscribers to the auction catalogue mailing list will receive full details shortly.

A Radiophile teaching workshop will instead be held at Gnosall on 21st and 22nd July with a starting time of 9:00am each day. Cost is £30 for one day, or £50 for the two days. More details can be found on the Radiophile website where you can also book your place.

https://radiophile.co.uk/workshops.php

YoungManGW 30th Jun 2018 7:15 pm

Re: Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July
 
What's the griff Graham?
Regards,
Richard

M6SPW1974 11th Jul 2018 1:49 am

Re: Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July
 
I could not attend the last auction as i very recently moved QTH up to Cumbria & have had too much going on recently in my life otherwise i would of attended but we all got an email explaining why..basically Chas asked for volunteers to help out at the forthcoming sale on the 22nd July,not one single volunteer & yet again the usual suspects (especially those that rule the waves & make £1000's of pounds out of valves) failed to volunteer,just like they fail to help pack up etc which i have witnessed on many occasions for the past 10 years of auctions that i have attended,hope it comes to bite them in the butt one day when their cash cow has gone,shame they cannot repay Chas with a little help with all the money they make out of the auctions he organises,yet i see the usual ones with valves they have purchased at ludicrous asking prices on ebay,no ebay seller names needed as i think most will know the ones that i am referring to,sad,very sad!! in my opinion they should be ashamed of themselves as Chas & Jo are getting on now & are very nice genuine people who should not be taken for granted,common respect & a little help in their time of life is all it needs! as otherwise i would not blame them at all if they packed in soon,lets face it who else at their age in life could be bothered as most should & would be well retired by now,just Chas's passion for the hobby keeps him going i am sure.

Mark James 11th Jul 2018 9:09 am

Re: Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July
 
I could not agree more. I have never seen the traders who are purchasing/selling many of the lots help with setting up or clearing up. The work is done by volunteers and the traders are making the money! For them not to step forward at this juncture would be a disgrace.

John KC0G 11th Jul 2018 3:44 pm

Re: Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July
 
I have not seen the email, but the problem is not just with the clearing / packing up after the auction. There is also a problem with the setting up too. A friend, who is not much younger than Chas, helped set up at the Gnosall auction on June 24th. He did not get home until 9.45 pm. Google maps tells me that he lives 19 miles away. and almost all of that is on A roads. And so he had stayed until about 9.00pm. Most, if not all, of the other help had left at 5.00 pm.

Boater Sam 11th Jul 2018 5:09 pm

Re: Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July
 
I left at around 5:30 by which time everything was laid out and numbered except a collection of books. Phiiip was sorting through these but it was taking time and he wanted no extra help as he had his system. Why it took so long I do not know.
Unfortunately by the time of the auction next day the books had been muddled up again causing some problems with portering.
After the auction everything that could be put away was done quite quickly, leaving just the tables which Chas was still occupying. There was however some unsold items to be removed. I left my lot of earphones by mistake too. Sorry Chas, I intended to collect them at the July auction but now I don't know when I will get them.
I felt that the help was quite numerous that weekend compared with some previous auctions.
Sam.

M6SPW1974 11th Jul 2018 11:51 pm

Re: Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark James (Post 1057943)
I could not agree more. I have never seen the traders who are purchasing/selling many of the lots help with setting up or clearing up. The work is done by volunteers and the traders are making the money! For them not to step forward at this juncture would be a disgrace.


Best is pal a couple of auctions ago at Gnosall the main man who buys all the valves was supping Peroni lager hiding behind one of the pillars as he normally does & did'nt help in the slightest despite the snow,yet at the next sale
at Cotes Heath he did'nt attend but had placed bids on "certain" auction lots of valves which i would'nt mind thinking he had been informed of the certain lots to bid on,i fully understand Chas wanting best prices for lots of valves,but this certain person has no "ethos" to the sale & is just exploiting Chas as a "cash cow" who does not let any body else have a look in at bidding at valves, he was even whining to Chas at the Gnosall sale in December about what he paid (as if he dont make enough!!!) ,not good & if only Chas could see the smoke for the mirrors & if it was me i would "f**k him off" as he contributes nothing at all but,grab-grab-grab,a very selfish & greedy individual,no names needed.

M6SPW1974 12th Jul 2018 12:22 am

Re: Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July
 
1 Attachment(s)
Quote:

Originally Posted by John KC0G (Post 1058038)
I have not seen the email, but the problem is not just with the clearing / packing up after the auction. There is also a problem with the setting up too.

The problem is and has always been after the auction ends. The main buyers (especially those of the valves) seem to scarper like rats, or that is what I have witnessed for the past 10 years of Radiophile auctions that I have attended, here is what Chas recently had to say....

stevehertz 12th Jul 2018 9:04 am

Re: Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July
 
This is all well meant, heartfelt emotional stuff. Correct me if I'm wrong but this is a commercial auction that people, whether buying or selling, have to pay for in some way. Yes, it's meant to be a nice, cuddly, hobby based auction but that doesn't matter, there will always be money focused traders there just as there were at BVWS Harpenden so called swap meets in the 70s. It's no good keep moaning about them, or blaming them, they are there legitimately, and as far as I know there is no stipulated requirement for them to roll their sleeves up. If people want this situation to change then there has to be organizational changes that make them do so. That or put up and shut up. It's no good keep blaming others. This auction has been running for some 30 years now (I attended the first one) and you would have thought by now that its smooth, hiccup free operation would be second nature. I'm sorry for my strong words, but being able to stand back and look at the bigger picture, not to mention having been the organiser of events as part of my job in the electronics industry, I'm afraid that's how I see it.:'(

GrahamN 12th Jul 2018 9:27 am

Re: Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July
 
I wasn't going to comment on this thread as it was really an informational post to let people know of the cancellation. However, I feel that I should perhaps make a few comments, particularly after the last post from stevehertz. While technically it is true that the Radiophile magazine and auction services are commercial, in practice I doubt anyone here would be prepared to do the work Chas does for so little reward. With the takeover of Radio Bygones, he will be losing money for at least the next 2 to 3 years and probably longer - this was not an attempt to build a publishing empire, but an altruistic attempt to keep supporting the hobby.

In the same vein, the auctions are only marginally profitable after the hire fees for the hall and what money is made supports the magazine publishing. I have discussed with him various options, but he is adamant that he doesn't want to charge the sort of fees that he really needs to in order to make a reasonable profit. For that reason he relies very much on volunteer helpers and his own hard work.

There was an attempt a while ago to get someone to run the auctions, thereby freeing up more time for Chas to concentrate on the magazine, but it wasn't successful for various reasons, and Chas therefore does the majority of work himself.

In essence, it is really up to people whether or not they want the auctions to continue. I'm sure Chas will try to keep them going for as long as he can, but without practical assistance in at least the physical aspects, I'm really not sure how long that will be.

AC/HL 12th Jul 2018 12:13 pm

Re: Radiophile Auction - Gnosall 22nd July
 
As the auction didn't happen, and everyone is well aware of the fact, there is little more to add to this thread. Chas is adamant that nothing will change, so again there is nothing to be gained by speculation here. Hopefully, future auctions will be a little better supported by volunteers now that the problems have been aired.


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