Buying furniture from a truck in your neighborhood.

[Papa Deuce]

Inspired by the meat from a truck thread.

It hasn't happened yet this year, but EVERY summer since I moved into my home, an 18 wheeler truck will come to my street and try to sell furniture from the back of it. They always have some reason why they are selling it.


Anyway, they send a "crew" of about 3 guys to knock on everybody's door. They even bring a letter, which they claim is from the township saying that they have permission to sell it. So last year I asked to see the letter. The guy handed it to me. I told him I was going to call the police to see if it was legal.

The guy took off like a a bat outta .....

I wonder if that is why they haven't been on our street this year.

Have you ever had that? have you ever bought any furniture that way?

 

[java]

on your threatening to call.

We get that every couple of years. Generally it's the "we're from South Carolina and have extra stuff on the truck"

Really "What do you have"

Dining room set
Bedroom set
Matresses.

Oh too bad I need a sectional. When you come through with one of them come on back.

 

[Piecey]

I've never had them come to my door, but I see them in parking lots.

Last one I saw was in the mall parking lot, actually.

 

[Papa Deuce]

on your threatening to call.

Yeah, it was FUNNY! He was running down the street yelling "Go! Go! Go!"..... and then I actually did call the police.

 

[Starfish106]

*hijack

From one scrapple lover to another

That's good eatin'!

*end hijack

 

[dis-happy]

One of my most memorable "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore" moments in my life has to do with this. My dh and I had just moved from CA (where I grew up) to VA, and I was in SHOCK when someone knocked on my door asking if we wanted to buy a new living room set out of a truck. Yeah, like I would just wake up one day, spend several hundred dollars, and toss out all my old stuff because someone knocked on the door. I still think it's strange....


Second most memorable moment had to do with the checker at the grocery store in NC who kept telling me to move "the buggy" forward. I was looking all around for a baby stroller. Had NO IDEA she was referring to the grocery cart, LOL!

 

[Handbag Lady]

I'm from a mostly hispanic neighborhood in California. Often, a small truck would come around and they would sell patio furniture. Most of the men selling it were recently relocated fellows from down South.

My dad did cave and bought a set of chairs. The guys selling them swore they were well-made by hand, as he was a Mexican craftsman just trying to make ends meet in his new country, and wasn't the USA great?

Believe it or not, those chairs lasted well over 20 years. I wish I knew what the guy coated them with as they were left in the rain and the sun for years.

 

[Mickey527]

I'm from a mostly hispanic neighborhood in California. Often, a small truck would come around and they would sell patio furniture. Most of the men selling it were recently relocated fellows from down South.

My dad did cave and bought a set of chairs. The guys selling them swore they were well-made by hand, as he was a Mexican craftsman just trying to make ends meet in his new country, and wasn't the USA great?

Believe it or not, those chairs lasted well over 20 years. I wish I knew what the guy coated them with as they were left in the rain and the sun for years.

We used to live in Huntington, CT (a small part of a larger town) when I was growing up and I remember every summer the indian tribe that had a small reservation in the area used to come around with hand made furniture. The stuff looked like log cabin furniture, it was made of trees with the bark still on most of it. I can't describe it correctly but I remember it looked like log cabins.
I do remember that we had that furniture for many years, maybe 20 or more. My parents moved to a smaller house and threw it out. I would have taken it but they tossed it while I was away on vacation and I came home and it was gone.
I would love to find some of this hand made stuff again.

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

They even bring a letter, which they claim is from the township saying that they have permission to sell it. So last year I asked to see the letter. The guy handed it to me. I told him I was going to call the police to see if it was legal.

Such a letter has actually been around for years, it's called a business license!

I can think of no situation where a town will grant 'permission' to sell door to door, and just write it on a sheet of paper. You should post a pic of the sheet so we can all laugh at it.

Have you ever bought any furniture that way?

Heck, no!! I've been approached by several 'men in trucks', selling everything from furniture to car stereo speakers. They always look like meth addicts, and their 'truck' always looks like it came fresh from the auction. Not the knid of peeps I'd like to do business with.

 

[wdwmom2]

Yep, had one at my office just about a month ago. The truck had Thomasville written on the side. Looked real enough. Said they were to deliver to Pittsburg, but with the flooding there people cancelled their orders. Workers said that Thomasville didn't want to have the furniture hauled back to North Carolina. I didn't really believe them, but if they would have had a nice queen sized mattress on board that was cheap enough, I may have bought it!!!!! I need one right now!

 

[Robinrs]

Yep, had one at my office just about a month ago. The truck had Thomasville written on the side. Looked real enough. Said they were to deliver to Pittsburg, but with the flooding there people cancelled their orders. Workers said that Thomasville didn't want to have the furniture hauled back to North Carolina. I didn't really believe them, but if they would have had a nice queen sized mattress on board that was cheap enough, I may have bought it!!!!! I need one right now!

LOL, I've heard that line myself about 20 years ago when I bought a mattress!!!

 

[AnnaS]

Yes we have had them come to our door many times. Not much recently. We see them mostly parked with their furniture out in one of our shopping centers.

My neighbor has bought from them also when they knocked on their door. I think they say they are from S.C.

 

[aprilgail2]

They come around here all the time- we bought a dining room set from them years ago that is still in great shape- last year my neighbor bought their whole living room set that way. We actually love when the truck comes through- many people on the block go out to check out what they have.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

They never sell anything from a truck where I live. Of course it could be because the mayor lives down the street and the police chief lives up the street . When you buy furniture from a truck is it strictly cash or do they take checks. To whom do you make out the check...Thomasville? This is a whole new world for me. The only thing I had ever seen was people trying to sell perfume in a parking lot but that was years ago.

 

[crz4mm2]

Ask if they have a nice leather recliner (brown). If they do send em on over to IL

 

[Papa Deuce]

They never sell anything from a truck where I live. Of course it could be because the mayor lives down the street and the police chief lives up the street . When you buy furniture from a truck is it strictly cash or do they take checks. To whom do you make out the check...Thomasville? This is a whole new world for me. The only thing I had ever seen was people trying to sell perfume in a parking lot but that was years ago.

I have no idea, but I imagine cash only.

You have never seen the guys who sell speakers out of vans in parking lots? They claim they have these awesome speakers - worth over $1000 each - and they are selling them for like $200 a pair. They have one on display in the van.

If you buy them, sometimes you just get a REALLY crappy speaker - not even worth $100 a pair. Sometimes you get NOTHING. They put junk in a box to make you think you are getting a speaker, but you are getting junk.

 

[barkley]

Such a letter has actually been around for years, it's called a business license!

I can think of no situation where a town will grant 'permission' to sell door to door, and just write it on a sheet of paper. You should post a pic of the sheet so we can all laugh at it.




Heck, no!! I've been approached by several 'men in trucks', selling everything from furniture to car stereo speakers. They always look like meth addicts, and their 'truck' always looks like it came fresh from the auction. Not the knid of peeps I'd like to do business with.

the town we lived in had a law on the books because of this. there were too many legit and non legit buisness owners who were going door to door (and a problem with scam companies that sent around kids posing as local highschool students taking orders for junk that you had to pay for up front). so the town made all door to door sales to the public illegal unless you got a special permit. you did'nt nesc. have to have a bsns. lic (cuz we did have legit school fundraisers and some legit college students from the next town that sold stuff that did'nt require a bsns. lic) but you had to meet certain criteria and the local p.d. checked people out before they were issued.

the town sent mailers to all residents and clued them in-told them if anyone came to their door and did'nt show them the permit before launching into their sales pitch-they were'nt legit for selling door to door in town. residents were told to not even get into with the person, just to decline and shut the door-then call the local p.d. who would handle it.

i lived at the end of a cul-de-sac so i was always the first house hit up by these types-inevitably the illegal ones never made it more than 4 houses down before a police cruiser would show up responding to my or another neighbor's call.

 

[Robmom]

They come to my block too knocking on everyone's doors every year. I've never gone out to look, but I did hear that one of my neighbors bought from them before and was satisfied.

 

[hlane]

They always come selling art & decor from the model home that was just updated We've lived here for almost 4 years, they stop by about every 6 months with the same line and the funny thing is, the model home hasn't even been used for the last 2 or so years

 

[Pugdog007]

Yes they've come around here at least twice that I can remember. Why do they always claim to be from the Carolina's and who exactly are these people, going all over the country with this scam? Or if it's not a scam, why do they lie about where they're from?