Some questions on gate sales...

[palomino]

We're overrun with eggs from our ducks and hens, our wonderful neighbours only want half a dozen a week, and I seem to be scrambling and feeding more back to the birds than we are using ourselves - so I'm thinking of putting a sign outside to sell some. I'm reluctant to take them into work as I know some people would expect them for free, and it's hard then to charge other colleagues. We're on a straight lane half a mile out of the village, there's a fair bit of through traffic but almost no pedestrians. I'm sure they would sell but I'd love some advice!

1. We are the second cottage (of two) along a farm drive. Should I put a sign at the end of the drive with the eggs and honesty box on a table there, or just the sign out at the road, and leave the eggs outside my door? Buyers would have to walk past my neighbour's house, which could put people off, though the money would probably be safer there - or should I ask buyers to post coins through the letter box? Is it usual to leave a float of change for people who don't have coins?

2. We're out at work all day, what about wet weather... or when it's really hot? The front of the house faces south!

3. I always date the eggs in pencil when I bring them in. Can they be sold with a pencilled date on or should I leave them unmarked?

4. What is the oldest egg I can reasonably sell? I'd expect to keep the older ones and sell the freshest, but what's the cut-off point? We like them hard-boiled and I'm perfectly happy using them a couple of weeks old or more. I would display a notice saying they are best eaten within two weeks of purchase, but if there is no legal restriction on the age of gate-sold eggs, what is the moral position? Could I sell them up to a week from laying? Duck eggs too?

5. Is it better to box them up in trays of 6 (maybe 4 duck eggs), or display them in a large 30-egg tray so people can choose their own? What do YOUR buyers prefer? Is it ok to use big trays cut to size, or must they go in lidded cartons?

I hope this will work, I've sown so many seeds this year that if it's successful I'd love to be able to sell young plants, and possibly surplus produce too!

[alandbailey]

I have put out one sign offering free-range eggs and another sign offering free-range duck eggs. There is no through traffic in my road but a few pedestrians walking their dogs. I do not leave the eggs out on a table with an honesty box. I prefer people to knock on my door - I am retired and at home most of the time.
I hardboil my oldest eggs for my own consumption, and all the eggs I sell are 1 to 6 days old. I charge £1.20 per half-dozen for all my eggs.
I went overboard and bought too many seed potatoes ( I live alone) so I will try to sell the surplus - mainly first and second earlies. Otherwise I will boil them for my chooks.

[OverWyreGrower]

I sell my eggs to people at work for £1 a box.... currently selling between 6 and 8 boxes a week which is fine by me. Flat rate for everyone, as I'm not out to make millions - people know they won't get them for free!

We live on a long dead-end road, loads of people have hens etc, so we'd neve sell any from the gate

[palomino]

We've all had eggs for breakfast, including the dog and the hens, and we still have over 4 dozen hens' eggs and 20 duck eggs - not counting what they're laying today!

I have some new egg trays, but not conventional boxes. I'm concerned about dating them, should I wipe the pencilled date off before selling?

Must try and find something to put a sign on, no blackboards since the kids grew up. I think we have a laminator somewhere, I must hunt it out.

[Bramble-Poultry]

right - without infringing any law of this land - you can sell eggs direct to the consumer as long as you follwo the guidelines below:

- all eggs must be clean. therefore if any have a spot of poo or mud on it, clean it off. try not to use too much water as it will be absorb by the shell and taint the eggs.
- you can sell hens eggs direct to the consumer without having to date them or otherwise stamp them.
- ideally eggs have a shelf life of 28 days in the fridge, if kept out of the fridge i woudl suggest thatthe eggs you sell are no more than 7 days old
- if at all possible, if people are knocking on your door for eggs, then just keep the eggs on the kitchen side in trays and box up as the customer requires. If going for honesty box, then given the sunny position you have, i would make a small "stall" with a shelf and roof to shade it, and keep the eggs in their boxes within a polystrene cool box or similar to protect them from the heat / cold.
- duck eggs have no legislation to their sales at all, so you could even sell them to the local shop without the need for an egg packing number or similar. just remember that duck eggs are very porous and go off quicker than hens eggs.

we keep our eggs on tryas and box as the customer asks. that way they can choose the ones they want - even though there is no difference it adds to the "experience". we also sell seedlings and plants from over sowing. we tend to sow packets of seeds at a time and pot on the remainder. packs of lettuce plants (eight in a tray) £1.80 and people are happy to buy them and grow on. surplus strawberry runner plants are a good one too.

we find that the general public are happy to buy plants within their comfort zone - i.e herbs, lettuces tomatoes etc but things like jerusalem artichoke, potatoes rhubarb all seem to have the perception of being difficult for the average subrbanite (even though they are far from difficult) and therefore we end up keeping those plants.

so we always sow extra herbs and the like so that we have a few for the punters.

at christmas we always sell linked products, so we have spuds, sprouts, parsnips, cabbage, sausage, bacon and stuffing mixes, conviently located within sight when they collect the turkeys.....

[Snadger]

I made this honesty box from pallet wood. I had to add the hinged perspex lid after Magpies started pecking the eggs!

[Snadger]

Ooops.......forgot to add piccie!

[Glutton4...]

Get friends and family to save egg boxes for you. You can buy them cheaply on eBay too. I sell them, with the date pencilled on, via my Husband, to his colleagues. They're queueing up for them at £1.20 for six. I don't do freebies, except to visiting family.

[palomino]

Thank you so much for such brilliant advice! Snadger, building something so brilliant is WAY outside my scope, sadly, but I'm very impressed.

Today I couldn't decide on a suitable table that wouldn't get blown over in the gusty wind, and couldn't think of anything big enough to make a sign either. By the time I thought of using a redundant shelf out of an old kitchen cupboard it was late afternoon and not worth bothering. I'll aim for next weekend now, I hardboiled duck eggs for packed lunches and made a few quiches and sponge cakes to freeze. Down to 3 dozen, and 10 duck eggs, and my daughter is going to try selling some to her colleagues this week, she hasn't worked there very long and they won't expect them for free as my colleagues would

We're all at work during the week so people would have to help themselves, unless I only sell at weekends, and even then we're often out. I'll try and get a polystyrene box from work, that's a good idea to keep the eggs cool. That will mean boxing them up rather than leaving a tray for people to select their own. I wondered about slicing egg trays into sections and sandwiching the eggs between two cut pieces, with a rubber band, but this probably looks a bit mean.

Out riding today, my daughter pointed out a notice two villages away for someone selling chutney, perhaps I could also shift the 20 spare jars of Glutney (HF-W's recipe)! And I'll have lots of spare plants if all this weekend's seeds germinate. Mind you that is a big 'IF'...

[organic]

Re: your colleagues... might it be worth putting up a sign saying "Fresh, free range eggs, £1 for 6, talk to Palomino for details." or whatever way you want to word it (and whatever price).
You could have a few with you in case anyone wants them for sure and otherwise take orders for regular buyers.

That could be an easy and diplomatic way to get around the ones who'd expect freebies. You don't have to approach them directly and say "you can have some eggs... but it'll cost ya" with any politics that might bring about - but they'll still know you're selling eggs.

Of course - that's assuming the boss (if you have such a thing) will allow an ad like that on the notice board. Or maybe sending out a quick email might work.

It's a thought anyway.

[bargainhunter]

Last summer i couldnt keep up with demand for chook eggs - i have a stall outside the gate ( gate shut do not enter) and people were knocking on the door for them!

Going to set it up again this year, hopefully might have a few plants/produce to sell as well bit later.

As for your stall palomino, its trial and error to see what works best - but people do get the hang of it,
I date mine in pencil (for my reference 8 day old eggs boiled peel easiest to me)

Good luck

[tlck9]

we got a free sign from the wormer company verm x is something, my other half as a joke took it and put it up at work!!!

[kirsty b]

I sell my eggs at £1 for 6. Put prices up this spring as feed price has gone up. My workmates buy from me, and I bring them in when I am asked for them (work in a hospital, so don't like them hanging around as they can get too warm, not allowed to put them in ward fridge), other people just come and knock on my back door with their own boxes for me to fill or a bowl. Don't have a sign, its all just word-of-mouth.

Only give them to family for free.

PS - where are you? My lot love duck eggs, especially dippy ones with soldiers!

[palomino]

Re: your colleagues... might it be worth putting up a sign saying "Fresh, free range eggs, £1 for 6, talk to Palomino for details." or whatever way you want to word it (and whatever price).
You could have a few with you in case anyone wants them for sure and otherwise take orders for regular buyers.

That could be an easy and diplomatic way to get around the ones who'd expect freebies. You don't have to approach them directly and say "you can have some eggs... but it'll cost ya" with any politics that might bring about - but they'll still know you're selling eggs.

Of course - that's assuming the boss (if you have such a thing) will allow an ad like that on the notice board. Or maybe sending out a quick email might work.

It's a thought anyway.

Thanks, that is a really good idea! My daughter can do the same in her office, where they are just 'colleagues' as opposed to 'friends', and we'll see how it goes

[palomino]

I sell my eggs at £1 for 6. Put prices up this spring as feed price has gone up. My workmates buy from me, and I bring them in when I am asked for them (work in a hospital, so don't like them hanging around as they can get too warm, not allowed to put them in ward fridge), other people just come and knock on my back door with their own boxes for me to fill or a bowl. Don't have a sign, its all just word-of-mouth.

Only give them to family for free.

PS - where are you? My lot love duck eggs, especially dippy ones with soldiers!

Kirsty I've PMd you