FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
&
CONTACT US
Before contacting us please have a look through these FAQs and you may find your answer here.
If not, scroll down to the bottom for the contact form.
In the run up to sales we get an awful lot of very similar questions asking for us to confirm details about the day.
We have therefore created a list of these questions based on the things we are most commonly asked.
Before contacting us have a quick look at this page and you may save yourself (and us) a job!
IS THIS AN AUCTION?
No this is what’s known as a tabletop sale. Breeders book tables to sell their surplus birds and price them so you can just buy them without bidding.
DO YOU SELL BIRDS AT THE BIRD SALE?
Yes, it is a bird sale.
WHERE IS IT AND CAN YOU SEND ME THE FULL ADDRESS?
It’s at Milton Community Centre.
Details of the venue and the full address (including postcode) can be found on the ‘VENUE’ page.
WHEN IS IT?
It’s usually once every two months on the last Sunday of January, March, May, July, September and November. Occasionally this may vary to minimise clashing of dates, particularly in March where we try to avoid Easter, Mother's Day and the Newark sale.
A full list of all confirmed dates can be found on the ‘DATES’ page.
WHAT TIME IS IT?
Doors open at 11am, however if you book in advance you will be able to enter the trade area anytime from 8:30 and the main sale hall at 10:30Â without having to queue for your wristbands.
HOW MUCH IS IT?
Tables are £10 each and have to be booked and paid for in advance.
Entry wristbands are £5 each.
CAN I JUST TURN UP ON THE DAY AND PAY FOR AN ENTRY WRISTBAND ON THE DOOR?
Yes, you can, although you will miss out on priority entry and you will have to queue to get in at 11am. This is 30 minutes after the people who have booked in advance.
CAN I JUST TURN UP ON THE DAY AND GET A TABLE?
No, you can’t. We hire in and set up the tables prior to the day so if you do not book these in advance you will be disappointed. Also we are getting waiting lists for tables now so if you don't book early you are likely to miss out.
HOW DO I PAY FOR MY TABLES AND WRISTBANDS?
Go to the ‘BOOKINGS’ page and click the ‘Book Now’ button. You can pay by PayPal or credit/debit card.
Unfortunately, we cannot process orders over the phone.
HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER?
Although we are a membership-based sale, you do not have to actually go through a joining process. Membership is automatic as soon as you book wristbands online.
Details of our membership system can be found on the ‘MEMBERSHIP’ page.
HAVE YOU GOT ANY [INSERT SPECIES] AVAILABLE?
We are not a pet shop or bird trader; we are a sale day which happens approximately once every two months.
We do not stock birds to sell.
WILL YOU HAVE ANY [INSERT SPECIES] AT THE SALE?
We do not know exactly what will be at the sale until the day but we do ask breeders to send us a list of birds a few days prior to the sale.
These will be available to view on the ‘BIRDS FOR SALE’ page, usually on or around the Wednesday before the sale.
WILL YOU BE SELLING BIRD FOOD & EQUIPMENT?
Yes, the main trade area is occupied by Essex Bird Centre and they will have a full range of bird food and equipment on sale. You can see their range of products on their WEBSITE and even book what you need for collection on the day.
IS THERE DISABLED ACCESS?
Yes, the venue is on the ground floor and there is wheelchair access and a disabled toilet.
IF I BOOK A TABLE DO I GET ENTRY WRISTBANDS WITH IT?
No, wristbands must be booked and paid for in addition to your table(s). You are allowed to have two wristbands for the first table booked and one wristband for each table thereafter, e.g., three tables will allow you to buy up to a maximum of 4 wristbands.
HOW BIG ARE THE TABLES?
They are 6ft or 1.8m long.
More information about tables can be found on the ‘TABLES’ page.
CAN I BOOK A BREEDER TABLE AND SELL SEED AND EQUIPMENT?
No, you can’t. Breeder tables are for breeders to sell surplus birds, although you can sell very limited second-hand equipment as well.
Selling new equipment and bird foods are reserved for trade tables only and they pay a premium for those tables. As we are a medium sized sale we are limited to the amount of trade tables we can accommodate.
Details of what you can and cannot sell on your table can be found on the ‘RULES’ page.
CAN I RE-BOOK THE SAME TABLE(S) AT EACH SALE?
Yes you can. You can confirm the same table(s) at the next sale by paying before you leave the current one. We also hold tables for a limited time for people to re-book them online. If you do not re-book, your tables will be released again for general sale.
HOW CAN YOU GO AHEAD WITH BIRD-FLU EVERYWHERE?
The licence for bird sales allows them to take place providing they are not located in a disease 'Control Zone'. This is the 10k circle which is put around an outbreak and should not be confused with a 'Prevention Zone' which doesn't affect bird sales at all.
More info here.
WILL THERE BE QUAIL THERE?
At the moment no. All poultry and most ground dwelling species now have their own licence which we have decided not to apply for.
More info here.
If your query hasn't been answered here please use the form below to contact us.