A Geoff Buys Cars Special is an automotive extravaganza which usually takes place at 8pm on a weekend evening… It’s a rollercoaster of chaos, beverages and banter, but usually ends up with at least one person becoming the owner of a classic car.
Here’s how it works, or, here are your questions about what the F it’s all about:
Q: Are you actually giving away one of these cars for £10?
A: Yes. This as a way to get out of a BMW 728i that wasn’t selling, and it’s sort of snowballed from there.
Q: How do I get involved?
A: Buy the relevant listing in my shop! It used to be on Etsy but now I have a website, can you believe it?! Fair play if you’ve been here since the Etsy days! Then make sure you answer the highly skilled and complex question at checkout, as after all.
Q: How many are sold in total for each giveaway?
A: Traditionally I always set it so there is effectively one for every member of the Geoff Buys Cars – The Insider Group, a private group for car chat. When this started there were 400 members, so there would be 400 entries. There’s now more than 2,000 people in that group, but I haven’t grown the odds, it makes it more fun. Depending on the giveaway there are between 250-1000 entries, it always says on the entry page. There’s not a chance in hell that a Geoff giveaway would sell 1,000, so your odds are pretty good generally.
Q: How can I watch the live broadcast?
It’s always on the Facebook page and it usually starts at 8pm, however I’ve never yet managed to be on time for a giveaway, so do expect some twists and turns throughout the night and don’t ever expect a quick turnaround. Imagine chaos, add a spoonful of unpredictability and a fake beard, and prepare for anything… You’ll be fine. Many people have survived the broadcasts in the past, if you’re unsure, hold hands with a regular.
Q: Are these cars real?
Yes. I have a car buying problem, I can’t help myself.
My cars are never perfect, but they are almost always rare and unusual. I try to share as much information as possible on the cars so you can decide for yourself which one you want. Usually they are on YouTube, or you can find them on the Geoff Cars page.
Q: How are you going to choose the new owner?
A: Every person who has bought in the store for the relevant giveaway will have 1 line on my spreadsheet per purchase. If you bought 10, you have 10 lines. Each line on the sheet is allocated a number sequentially, I then randomise that range to give each entry a random number out of the total available.
I’ll use a Google random number generator on the live feed to choose a number between 1 and X, X being the number of lines on the spreadsheet. That number will link to a name, and that name will be the new owner. Sometimes I do it a bit differently, once I drove to the shop and asked a passing cyclist to give me a random number between 1 and 300, once I asked a stranger at a petrol station.
Q: How does the live feed work? Do I have to watch it?
A: I’m usually live on the Geoff Buys Cars Facebook Page from about 8pm on the night of the giveaway, so long as i’m not at a kids birthday party or I can’t find my mobile phone (both have happened before) but you’ll hear from me via email. You should get a Facebook notification that pings up saying ‘Geoff Buys Cars is LIVE‘ and then you can watch online.
If you can’t watch online it doesn’t matter, just make sure i’ve got your contact details for if you are the winner. It’s sort of laid back chaos, but there is method to the madness. The one where I gave away a Saab 9-3 Convertible was about two hours long… Most people who check in are there for the long haul. Grab yourself a few beers and strap yourself in for an amusing evening as I bumble my way through some banter and a live giveaway.
You don’t have to be watching online either – that wouldn’t be fair, so if you can’t make it, don’t stress, just keep an eye on your phone or email in case I get in touch with you!
Q: Can you split my entries so they aren’t jumbled together?
A: Around 7pm on the day of the giveaway I close the sales, which gives me time to get the data ready. All the names will be randomised, so if you have 10 entries, you won’t take up a block of consecutive numbers, it will be split throughout the number range.
Q: Can I allocate my entries to just one car?
A: No, it’s one big spreadsheet, but the person who is chosen can then decide which car they want to keep. (some of the draws have more than one car to choose from).
Q: My postcard / magnet / product hasn’t arrived before the live feed, is that a problem?
A: Not at all. If you have purchased, you’re on the spreadsheet. People can purchase any time up to 6pm on the day of the draw. Some draws don’t have a physical product, like the Tropical Special. It’s really about the purchase itself, not the product. The spreadsheet is king. If you’re bought via the shop, you’re on the sheet. That’s the bit that matters. In the old days I used to send postcards out but it’s a lot easier doing digital only.
Q: How is it if someone in another country wins? If i’d won, i’d have no problem flying to the UK and drive it back to Norway myself😁
A: If someone in another country wins, then either i will drive the car to them or they can come and collect it! I’ll work together with the new owner to see what’s best to do. Sean won the Saab 9-3 Convertible, and he lives in Spain, so we put it on a truck from Shiply to his parents house ready for when he gets the time to drive it from there to Spain.
Q: How do I get the car, do you deliver?
Delivery isn’t included, but it depends where you live. Usually people come and collect the cars from me, the sooner the better, but if you want to pay me to drive it to you, or pay for a trailer, we can work it out. Usually after the live feed I have a quick chat with the winner, then i’m exhausted, so it’s generally the day after when the true logistics are arranged!
Q: What happens to the car the winner doesn’t pick?
A: It gets rolled off a cliff and into a lake live on camera.
No, in all seriousness, it depends which way the draw goes. If it’s anything like the last few, whichever car ISN’T chosen will then immediately break, cost me a fortune and be stuck on my driveway whilst I try to arrange a plan for it. They’re all different.
Q: Hey mate, are you up for a bribe, or can I just buy one of the cars?
A: Sorry, no, this is a Geoff Special, not some dodgy cash for mates Tory contract.
I’m a YouTuber not an MP, so I have to do it properly as there is a lot of public scrutiny on YouTubers and they can’t get away with blatant, public corruption as easily as say, the health minister.
You’re paying for a postcard, or a product, or a Whatsapp or Text Message, and I’m giving away a car, randomly. And that’s that.
Q: It said item unavailable when I tried to order a postcard??
A: I just checked and all seems to be fine? refresh the browser?
If not then try on a different device? shut down your machine and try again? shut down the main power to the house and try again? try on a neighbours machine? (you’re not allowed in their house so best be sly about that). shut down the power to the main transformer that supplies the street and then try on a machine in someone else’s house in another street? (whilst also noting the point about being sly)? if none of that works, write a cheque, tear it off the book, slot it down the centre of a 12 pack of corona, tape the bugger up and send by courier. Other beers are acceptable but let’s be honest, Corona is just so in season right now.
I love Volvos and I have a problem