Just had relatives visiting so went for a day in Gib and then a night in Cadiz.
Stopped off in Tarifa on the way and whilst having walk around got car broken into. Rear window smashed and all overnight clothes which were in backpacks stolen. Worse still one of my guests left passport in car rather than risk losing it. That went too. Car was parked next to Guardia civil who had camera on car park but whilst working it was not recording. When reported an officer, he said ( in English) "cars are not broken into here!" Mine was. Spanish car nothing special and nothing on show.
Beware.
Pete

Bad luck - that's one spoiled day.

Denial that there is anything at all wrong in Spain seems to be a trait amongst the the GC.

I was asked by a Gibraltarian lady to take a load of clothes out to Spain - she collected them for a Spanish charity that distributes them for needy people.

I was stopped at the border and asked what all the clothes were for which I explained.

"There are no poors in Spain." says he...

One of my first times being stopped at a police control, the GC wanted to search the boot and look through the bags in the back seat. I was stupid enough to (politely) ask "for what reason?", so they made me get out of the car while they searched it, at which point I said "I don't think this is legal under EU law", to which I was firmly responded "Mallorca is an autonomous region with our own laws. This is NOT the EU".

I wonder if others like myself have ever wondered where the huge quantities of decent S/H clothes that are offered for sale at knock down prices on many non charity Spanish market stalls originate ?

No good news but sadly happening everywhere, i guess they take pot luck and are often hoping to fine more than just clothes in the bags

Double post

I had the thought that those clothes were purchased from overseas charity organisations in bulk but at a knock down rate. Perhaps from wealthier countries, UK, Germany?
Perhaps I am being overly charitable here and that they are maybe, siphoned off?
I understand that some of the so called "bend over boutiques"in Africa are run by "entrepreneurs".

We quite often see gitanos fishing clothing out of the recycling banks using a piece of wire. Maybe these end up on their market stalls?

I think some of the adverts and bags put through letter boxes in northern Europe are from firms who promise a payment to charitable causes = a pittance, if it pays at all. These firms then sell the clothes on to others for what they can get. Thus almost new clothes start appearing on stalls at cheap cheap prices.

Can't help thinking there's a rabbit off somewhere.
Such huge quantities available, most selling for next to nothing.
I doubt if so many could have been fished out of bins either.
It all looks very fishy to me.

Looking at it on the bright side, at least the poorer folk of Spain can keep themselves reasonably well clothed, even if they only have a few euros in their pockets.
Maybe the stuff has still arrived at it's originally intended destination, even if in a roundabout way.

What worries me most is the stolen passport and possible identity theft. Even though it has been cancelled, it had almost the full 10 years on it.
Pete

That would worry me too. Lost my passport while on holiday in the UK. What a nightmare to get a replacement. You have to make an appointment at the passport office in London. The jobsworth wanted to give me an appointment for three weeks hence

I hope your guests have an easier time than I did

A friend of ours regularly donates clothes to the people running one of the flea market stalls on the CDS. In Italy most of the so called "Charity clothes" collection Bins are part of a mafia operation which resells the good stuff in Eastern EU countries and rebins the rubbish into the national refuse collection system. Reported on state Tv in Jan/Feb this year, a multi million business.

Our car was done 3 years ago along with others in our street, around 7 am according to our neighbors. Window broken, covered by insurance but the radio and GPS were not covered. Pain in the arse to report it involving 2 visits to the police and various phone calls.