Toys Trade Your Way to the USA

I'm Saira Khan, and I'm a successful businesswoman.

I started trading when I was just a teenager.

Now, I'm looking for the next generation of budding entrepreneurs

who are fantastic at trading and know how to make a profit.

I'm looking for Britain's best young traders.

Will you do three for £2?

Can I interest you in 50p for the jumbo swords?

-Yes.

-No.

-From over 1,000 applicants, 14 teams

have made it through to the heats.

-Would you like a pick-and-mix fruit dessert?

-Very nice, lovely.

They'll be tested in a range of tough trading challenges.

I don't know how I'm going to survive this cheese challenge.

I think you look amazing.

Each team will be given £75.

They must decide what to buy...

I think we need to look for a cheap teapot.

..Negotiate the lowest prices...

-It's a deal.

-£8.40.

You drive a hard bargain.

Nice doing business with you.

..And then they must sell, sell, sell.

-£10.

-Go on, glitzy glam.

The team that takes the most money wins the challenge.

But only the teams that top the leaderboard could be

in with a chance of competing in the grand final in New York.

USA. U-S-A!

Watch them in action, listen out for my top trading tips,

and one day you too could trade your way to the USA.

It's time to meet today's two teams, both from Essex.

It's Trendz versus Sky Limit.

We're Trendz and we're going to trade our way to the USA!

School friends Joyce,

Linda and Astrid have got one big thing in common - image.

We're called Trendz because we care about our image and the way we look.

I spend a long time doing my hair because I want to get it perfect.

I think I'm the person that

should be selling things to people because I can talk for hours on end.

I'll sell you this buy-one get-one-free, 10p off, no, 20p!

HIGH SPEED GABBLING

I like acting because it's a good way of expressing myself.

Off the stage, now. Next!

Acting actually helps me with trading because it helps me

make the person believe that the thing I'm selling to them

is the best thing in the world.

I love street dancing.

I do R&B, I do gospel, I do all sorts of things.

I'm dying to do ballet.

It gives me the energy

that I use to run up and down and grab my bargains quickly.

And the girls have got a secret strategy for selling.

We're good at trading because if we don't get our way,

we can do puppy dog faces and the owner will give in.

Ooh, sneaky tactics, Trendz, but will it be enough

against your opposition?

We're Sky Limit and we're going to trade our way to the USA.

Best friends Kajal, Laraib and Hiba are no strangers to trading.

We used to go to the Sunday market and we used to sell things like

hair clips, jewellery.

My name's Laraib and I really like photography.

I've got a good eye for detail and

I think it'll be easy for me to spot a bargain.

My name's Hiba and I love reading.

I love escaping into a book and forgetting about myself.

My name is Kajal. I love using the computer.

I'm usually looking around for the best bargains online.

And the girls even practise trading with each other.

Say if I like something that Kajal's bought and I've

got something she likes, we don't mind trading with each other

because it's fun and you get what you want.

So it's the swap shop traders of

Sky Limit taking on the image-conscious Trendz.

Which team will take the most money and win today's challenge?

Today, our teams are at a great big car boot sale in Essex

where there are hundreds of stalls.

Let's reveal the trade challenge.

You're trading challenge is to make as much money as you can

from selling toys and games to people on a day out at the seaside.

But first you've got to buy products for your stalls, so I've brought you

here to Sadler's car-boot sale.

There are over 400 stalls here and you can buy anything

from board games to consoles.

The boot sale is packed with bargains and

there will be tons of toys and games and lots of haggling to be done.

Trendz and Sky Limit will have to search for the best things to sell

on their beachside stalls tomorrow.

Southend-on-Sea is a sunny holiday town in Essex

and there will be thousands of visitors looking for fun in the sun.

So today, at the boot sale, it's time to get buying.

There's £75 for each team.

Haggle hard and be quick because there are loads of people here

already trying to bag a bargain, OK?

Get on with it.

Trendz are straight off the starting block.

Excuse me, how much is that?

£2.

-Or a pound if you want it?

-Yes, a pound. £1. Thank you.

A boogie board for a pound? That's a good buy for a beach stall.

-Oh! Water guns.

-But where are they going to get the water from?

-The beach. Excuse me! How much for the guns?

-£2.

No! We need to get it lower.

It's 10 minutes in and Sky Limit still haven't bought anything.

Compare, compare?

-Yeah, look around and compare.

-Come on, Sky Limit.

You've got to chase those bargains!

-We're going to find the products somewhere else - cheaper.

-Cheaper.

You could sell them separate or as a pack.

They're walking past some bargains here.

I just don't understand why they're not buying them.

-Here you go.

-But there's no stopping Trendz from bargain spotting.

They've just found a huge inflatable ball.

-How much is it?

-£3.

-Can we get it at a lower price?

£2.50?

-We could do, yeah.

-Yeah, all right. £2.50, please.

They just need to find a way to blow it up.

And now they've found some rubber rings.

If we get three, can we get them at a bargain?

Do it another £2.50, for three.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

What was the deal on all of this?

There was three rubber rings, and they're meant to be £3,

but we got them all for £2.50.

The ball was meant to be £3, so we got that for £2.50 as well.

All right, and how much do you think you're going to sell this for?

£5. It's very big and it's a family ball as well.

Yeah, it's a great idea. I just hope it's not got a puncture in it.

Me too.

I like the way Trendz are thinking about where

they're going to be selling.

The things that we're going for are inflatables and beach things.

We're going for water guns, too, because when the kids get hot

they can always just spray water on themselves and have fun.

30 minutes into the challenge,

and I think Sky Limit are about to buy something.

They've spotted a toy rocket.

That's £1, then.

-Thank you.

-One, two, three, four.

-Thank you, bye.

-So it was £1.

Did you haggle?

No, not necessary.

Why wasn't it necessary?

We thought it was quite cheap already.

Sky Limit, you've got to negotiate, whatever the price.

There's always room to bargain.

Excuse me. Would you do three for £2?

Trendz are really haggling.

Astrid is a natural born dealer.

-Would you do two for a fiver?

-Did you say please?

-Please!

-All right, then.

Thank you. 'We haggle the sellers'

so then we get it for a better price.

But what are Sky Limit looking at now?

That's a board game. Do people play those on the beach?

-And how much is the Me To You bear?

-£1.

-85p.

-80p.

THEY GIGGLE

85?

A good tip in business is think about where you're selling

as well as who you're selling to.

Your location can determine whether you're going to make

a profit or a loss.

We weren't thinking about the place we're going to be, so we need to get

something to do with the beach, something people would need

and they must have forgotten at home or something.

Oh, sunglasses.

Sky Limit decide sunglasses are a good idea.

Not toys or games, but a top buy for a sunny day.

If we buy six, how much can you give it for?

£3.90. I'll go to £3.90.

That's six sunglasses for £3.90.

-Kites!

-Next, they find something that could fly off the stall.

-How much are the kites?

-Kites are £1, the little ones.

-Each?

-Each, yes.

What if we buy like three?

Three? You still won't get them no less than £1.

How much will you give 10 for?

-10, you can have them for £8.

-It could be time to negotiate.

The trader's giving them the chance to buy in bulk, 10 for 80p each.

-Three for £1.50.

-No!

-£1.70.

-No.

-Oh, please!

-No!

Or I can sell you 30 for 12 quid.

No, we can't buy that many.

-Well, see.

-30 for £12 - that works out to just 40p each. What a deal!

-Two for £2.50.

-It's only 50p.

Thank you very much!

They've bought just two kites for £2.

10 or even 30 would have been a much better bargain.

My top tip to all you traders - when you're buying products,

try and buy them in bulk because you get a much cheaper price for them.

Trendz find the same trader.

-How do they get on?

-How much are the kites?

You can have 10 for eight quid.

-OK.

-Yes, please.

Or you can take 30...

for 12 quid.

No, we'll have 10 for £8.

Trendz do buy 10 kites for £8.

That's 80p each compared to Sky Limit's two for £2.

But neither team got the best bulk deal of 40p each.

What's happening? It's midday,

the hottest day of the year, and the stallholders are packing up.

The boot sale is closing early. How much money have you got left?

-£20.

-You've still got £20 left?

Everybody is packing up. Go!

Would you like a carrier bag?

Thank you.

Trendz spot some fishing nets. Will they catch the customers?

Can we get five for £4?

-Yeah. Go on, then.

-They get five for £4 - a £1 discount.

It's a race against time now before the end of the boot sale.

-Quickly, how much is it altogether?

-That's six and two, eight quid.

£8 for the five of them.

-Yeah.

-Two, four, six, eight, 10.

-That's 12.

-OK, quickly. Thank you!

-£2?

-£2 for all of them?

-£1.50.

-Yes.

-Go on, then.

-Trendz just got a great deal there,

a huge bag of balls for £1.50.

-And Sky Limit are going back to the kite trader.

-How much are they?

That lot - six quid for the lot, take the lot.

Get it, get it!

£6 for a stack of kites? A great bargain. And just in time.

The buying is over.

-I think we're done.

-The deals are done.

What have the two teams spent that £75 trade fund on?

Trendz bought a lot of beach toys -

the boogie board for £1, fishing nets and water guns.

They've also got lots of balls and inflatables.

Sky Limit bought loads of kites, water guns and sunglasses.

But they've also got the board games and that cuddly bear.

That could be a risky strategy.

So, both teams have bought a big variety of toys and games

to stock up their beach stalls.

Now it's all about who sells best at the seaside.

Only one team will win and still be in with a chance of trading their

way to the USA, and being named Britain's best young traders.

Let the battle commence.

It's the selling day. Today, we're in sunny Southend-on-Sea.

It's baking hot and there are thousands of visitors

looking for fun on the beach, a ride on the fair, a walk along

the longest pier in the world.

Trendz, how are you feeling?

We're very excited to be here and we're going to be walking

-away with our heads held up high.

-Fighting talk.

Sky Limit, how are you feeling?

We're very confident and excited, and we just want to wish

Trendz good luck. With competition like us, they're going to need it.

Woo! I gave you £75 to buy toys and games,

and today you're at the seaside because this is where

you're going to sell all the items that you've bought.

Now, whoever takes the most money today is the challenge winner.

The winner gets a chance to go to one of our semi finals,

and if you win that you'll be trading in New York.

May the best trading team win.

They have just three hours to sell. The pressure is on to get set up.

The image-conscious Trendz are working on a tidy

but colourful-looking stall. Your stall is beginning to look nice.

You perhaps need more stuff on there, don't you?

What are you doing blowing that thing up?

-Trying to get it good.

-You're going to be there all day, aren't you?

Worth a try.

'You're going to need a lot of puff to get that blown up, Astrid.'

Trendz are doing well. They're taking time to make sure their stall

looks nice, colourful, and I just hope they get their pricing right.

I think we should sell the boogie board for about a tenner,

because we only bought it for £1.

It's worth £10 and we bought it for £1, that would be very good.

Yeah, we bought it £1, and it's very light

and comfortable and loads of people will enjoy it.

If Trendz do sell that boogie board for £10, it'll be a £9 profit.

We'll be about 10 minutes

and then you can buy some things, yeah?

Sky Limit's strategy is to go

big on the advertising with lots of posters.

-Sky Limit, how are you getting on?

-Fine.

-We're trying to prepare our stall.

-OK, prepare your stall.

Still lots of things in packaging here.

Yep, we're just getting ready

with posters so that people are attracted to our stall.

They're working hard to get set up.

Who's going to show off their products the best?

Both teams have bought lots of kites, but I wonder how many are

going to have them out on display and take advantage of the wind.

It's time to trade.

Teams, start selling.

Sky Limit aren't ready and they're still talking prices.

£4 at least.

Maximum around six.

Because there's lots of customers walking by, they don't seem to be

grabbing the customers. They're focusing too much on their stall.

Over with Trendz, and there's interest in the boogie board,

and they want £10 for it.

We just made our first tenner!

That's brilliant.

Trendz have made their first sale.

They bought the boogie board for a pound and sold it for 10 quid!

We've got the upper hand now. They ain't sold anything.

Don't speak too soon, Astrid.

It looks like Sky Limit are now ready for business.

And just in time, too, as they sell an inflatable beach ball.

We're really happy. It was just there on display

and the girls got attracted to it, so we're happy with our first sale

because it's the price we wanted.

And it looks like Sky Limit's advertising idea is working.

Someone is interested in that cuddly toy.

Awww!

Got to pay! You've got to pay.

Go and give it to the ladies.

Thank you!

-Sky Limit, how are you getting on?

-Quite well.

OK, so have you got a strategy?

We attract the children and then the adults.

Kids first. When kids get stubborn, they get what they want.

So get to the kids first and then to the parents.

'That's good tactics, Sky Limit.'

Over at Trendz' stall, they need to work fast to win over the crowds.

Come and buy something!

It's getting busy now and there are a lot of customers.

They've got to grab those customers if they want to make a sale.

So Trendz decide on a new approach -

go straight to the customer. They head out to the beach.

Thank you.

It's looking like a great strategy.

Trendz bought five of these fishing nets for £4,

and they're selling them for £1 each.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

Joyce, we've only got one left.

'That's good going, Astrid.'

'But you'll need to sell all five to make a profit on those nets.'

Would anyone like to buy a fishing net? Thank you.

'And the last one is sold.'

Trendz have made just a pound profit on the nets, but it's not stopping

Astrid's enthusiasm.

We've made so much money just by

walking along saying, "Do you want to buy this, do you want to buy that?"

And everyone is buying it. It's really good.

We're halfway through the selling challenge and both teams still have

a lot of things left.

-Got any green ones?

-Yeah!

Sky Limit haven't found a buyer for

that board game, and they've also got lots of water guns.

Water guns, we bought loads of them. I think we should start...

£1 each, and the bigger ones around £2.

Time for a customer-grabbing tactic.

Attract their attention by making lots of noise.

Water guns! Mini water guns!

We think having a water fight is a really good idea because...

It attracts more attention.

People see how much fun we're having.

We're having fun and selling at the same time.

-Good profit.

-'The tactics got them customers.'

But Astrid can shout as loud.

-Water guns!

-Water guns, £1!

She's on their turf, undercutting their price, and

Kajal isn't having any of it.

With one hour to go, the stalls are quiet.

But just along the promenade, the funfair is packed.

So both teams decide to get out selling.

Excuse me, would you like to buy something?

Astrid and Joyce are loaded with kites and looking for customers.

But they aren't having much luck.

Would you like to buy any water guns or bubbles?

Not at the moment.

Hiba and Laraib are pushing those sunglasses.

Mini water guns, only 40p.

'And they head straight for people eating their lunch.'

You can't get a better price than that.

'Smart thinking, Sky Limit.'

OK, thank you.

That wind is blowing and I think both teams have been

missing a trick.

Finally they start to demonstrate their kites on the beach.

My top tip is when you're selling, try and demonstrate your product

because it helps the customer to buy and you can close that deal.

Thank you.

Although both teams have kites, Sky Limit have lots more, and they're

selling them for lower prices.

There's bargains.

Would you like to buy a kite?

Come to our stall. Kites, 70p.

-How much is a kite?

-70p.

-70p, all right.

-Thank you very much.

We've sold quite a lot but we really need some more customers.

We've got to win this.

Get your beach essentials here.

Low, low prices.

With just 10 minutes to go, both teams pick up the pace.

Finally someone is interested in that big bag of balls

that Trendz bought for £1.50.

If they'd divided them up,

and sold them separately, they'd have taken more money.

Now they sell them for just £1.

-I'll take two kites.

-Thank you very much.

It all has to go soon.

Pushing for sales, Sky Limit are asking the customers to

make up their own prices.

We'll sell them to you as cheap as you want.

Make us an offer and we'll sell it to you.

Fun to play for the whole family.

And look, they've finally sold that board game for just 50p.

With just minutes to go, both teams offer rock-bottom prices.

Everything 10p!

10p! Everything 10p!

10p! Everything 10p.

I want it, I bartered for that one.

Selling time is over.

That's it. No more selling, no more taking money, please.

Your stall is closed down. No more selling. It's finished.

Sold out.

'Wow. Trendz have sold out, but they had

'lots of things at very low prices.

'Sky Limit had higher prices but are still left

'with stock on their stall.

'It's been a tight competition.

'But who has taken the most money and which team could still be in

'with a chance of trading their way to the USA and being named

'Britain's best young trader?'

Trendz, Sky Limit, the trading challenge is over.

You've both worked incredibly hard and done very, very well.

What was your highlight?

My highlight of the day was when they bought the body board,

because we bought it for £1 and sold it for 10.

That was amazing profit.

The highlight of my day was when people was buying

masses and masses of kites.

They was giving us such a good price for it.

Fantastic. What about Sky Limit? What was your highlight?

My highlight was when we were working as a team and we sold loads

of stuff together, and when little children came up to us,

we interacted with them and made them buy stuff.

The moment of truth has arrived.

Who has won

the trading challenge?

Sky Limit, your takings were...

£77.31.

Trendz, your takings were...

£73.49.

Oh my God!

We're really happy. We feel sad at the same time as well because...

We're now friends.

We were kind of close to them but kind of got to know each other.

You've got to give me a smile and a high five for taking part.

Sky Limit, you are today's trading challenge winners.

Well done, and enjoy.

So, Sky Limit have won, making £77.31. That's a £2.31 profit.

Let's look at the leaderboard.

Remember, only the four winning teams who take the most money

make it into the semi finals.

Sky Limit haven't made it through.

The top four teams are Prosperity, Aspire, Sapphire and Impulse.

They're still in with a chance of competing in the grand final

in New York and being named Britain's best young traders.

Next time on Trade Your Way To The USA,

there's a strange whiff in the air.

It stinks so bad.

Our two teams take on the task of becoming cheese connoisseurs.

It's sort of nutty, yeah.

And battle it out at a farmers' market.

-Bread with cheese.

-You want to buy some cheese?

But who will gain enough wedge to be crowned winners?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd