Car boot sale advice

A question about : Car boot sale advice

For what it's worth, here is my advice for the car boot sales, based on my years of experience.

My advice to sellers.

I have been going to car boot sales since they started and I think the best ones are on from April to September. I have done quite a few car boots myself and from experience I would like to offer the following general advice to sellers.

Find out the weather forecast beforehand. The BBC website can give the local forecast a few days ahead.

Try and previously visit a car boot sale as a browser, this will give you ideas about prices etc and what the atmosphere is like.

Take a packed meal, as you will probably get hungry later and there the food vans are quite expensive.

It is a good idea to have everything priced previously, forget about what the experts say on the TV programmes. If the stuff is not priced some people assume that it is quite expensive and pass on.

Be aware that when you first pull in and start to unpack the car, buyers will rush you , they will try rummaging in your boxes and some will try to get in the back of the car, looking for bargains. This is usually referred to as getting mugged . This can be quite intimidating and you can get items damaged or stolen in the process, so try not to do the boot sale alone.

Do take reasonable offers on items, but don't be bullied into give things away for a song.

If you have any small items such as jewellery, display them where they can easily be watched. I have seen very respectable looking people steal off a stall, while the seller was serving another buyer.

If you are selling items that come in pairs such as shoes, display only one and keep the other in the car, otherwise you might find these getting stolen while your attention is elsewhere.

Let the buyers browse in peace, while keeping a discreet eye on them. Do not pounce on people and try the hard sell as soon as they pick up an item, it will only put them off. If they are interested they will approach you with any offers, queries etc.

Take plenty of change in a bum bag, I used to take around Ј30 including 2xЈ5 notes. If someone gives a large note for a low priced item usually Ј1 or under, do not give them all your change, instead offer to put the item aside for a short while, till they obtain change, if they do not return by the allotted time, redisplay the item.

Take plenty of carrier bags and newspapers to wrap-up fragile items.

Do bear in mind, that you may have to queue for the toilets (and some of these can be really gross), so ease up on the liquids.

Wear comfortable shoes, I wear a pair of trainers, Hush Puppies or Skips.

Have a smile, be polite and thank the buyers, no matter how little they spend.

Finally, it is a good idea to have had your dinner pre-cooked as you will probably be so shattered when you arrive home, that you just want the sofa or an armchair and not move for the next few hours.

Above all, happy selling !!!

My advice to buyers.

Try to get to the car boot sale as early as you can, because that is when the best bargains are available. Take a leaf from the dealers books, they get there when the car boot opens. Some boot sales charge extra (usually about Ј1 per person) for early buyers, but I think it is worth paying this to get the best bargains.

Wear a comfortable pair of shoes, I wear a pair of trainers, Hush Puppies or Skips.

Try not to have too much liquids beforehand, or you might be find yourself queuing for the toilets and these are generally gross.

Take plenty of small change with you, otherwise you might miss out on a bargain because of this. At a boot sale, I was able to get a really nice Royal Doulton china tea set for Ј3, because the potential buyer who picked it first, only had a Ј20 note and the stall holder was not willing to put the item aside.

Take a large holdall or shopping bag or even a shopping trolley for your bargains, otherwise you end up with lots of carrier bags and you can easily forget to pick them up at the stalls you visit.

Do not carry large handbags or purses with you. Leave all the credit cards, bank cards etc at home. Thieves and pickpockets target car boot sales. When I go to buy at the boot sales, I carry a small long-handled bag with my AA card, car keys etc, which I sling across my body. I then put my bum-bag with the change around my waist.

If you buy a bulky or heavy item take it to the car right away. If this is not possible, ask the stall holder to keep it for collection later, but do remember to collect it. Make a note of the car, the aisle position and align this to an object a tree or the burger van, otherwise at a large boot sale, you might not easily find the stall again. Do not rely on remembering what the seller looks like as he or she may have temporary left the stall and someone else is in charge.

If you buy any videos, cds or DVD, do check that the original disc is in the case. A couple of times I have got home only to discover that discs were missing or wrong.

If you plan to spend a long time at the boot sale, eat something before arriving or bring sandwiches with you as you are probably going to get hungry later and the food there can be quite expensive and unhealthy.

When you eventually arrive home, just make yourself a tea, coffee or whatever else you fancy (better still if someone else does so), sit in a nice comfortable armchair and relax and recover for the next few hours, while sorting out your bargains.

Happy bargain hunting!!!

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Best answers:

• I'll use this post as the basis for a sticky thread on car booting. Please feel free to add further posts offering advice and tips.
• Thanks Soolin, I am sure this sticky will be much appreciated.
• As the day goes on, I tend to knock the prices down aswell, I'd far rather have rid of it for cheap, than take it home again!
• Would anyone be kind enough to add some advice re: pricing for car boot items? It would be very much appreciated thank you
• Great sticky, a piece if advice for seller is if you have any valuable/ collectable items, keep them in the front on the floor, until you are ready to get them out. This is what I do to deter the initial flurry of what can be quite intimidating buyers - I park up, get out, open the boot and then lock th car so they can't get in, I've had the vultures/muggers/traders open the car doors to see what I had whilst I was in the boot. Also, load the car with your table/clothes rail on top so it is first out of the car.
  Prices here for items are:
  Paperbacks 20p
  Hardbacks 50p - Ј1
  Clothes 50p - Ј1.00 (Coats Ј2.00-Ј3.00)
  Shoes Ј1.00 - Ј2.00
  Boots Ј3.00
  Small kitchen electricals Ј2.00 - Ј3.00
  DVDs Ј1.00
  CDs 50p
  Baby equipment variable on age and brand
  Furniture up to Ј10.00
  Costume Jewellery - up to Ј1.00
  Bags Ј1.00 - Ј2.00
  Watches Ј1.00 - Ј2.00
  Childrens clothes 50p - Ј1.00
  Toiletries - 50p
  Perfume - Ј2.00
  Bric a Brac 20p-50p-Ј1.00
• Most of those prices are about right in my area too, but I think costume jewellery prices depend a lot on quality: though most are 50p-Ј1, some particularly nice pieces can be worth far more.
  Mazz, I agree with most of your advice, but I would add the following: take your own toilet roll or tissues in case you need to use the loo there, because they often run out, especially at busy sales.
  Whether buying or selling, take plenty to drink as well as food. This is especially important in warm weather and especially for pedestrian buyers: dehydration can make carrying shopping home exhausting.
  Quote:
• Hi, I wouldn't bother pricing things up. We never do, and i don't see many others doing it either apart from boxes of odd ends for 50p for example. Nobody seems put off by this, it gets people asking how much something is and then haggling.
  Maybe this is just the area we carboot in, i don't know.
  We take a small bottle of the gel hand wash (that doesnt need water) to clean hands and a loo roll, for the porta loo's!
  We take a flask of tea, for when it's nippy first thing, and then a packed lunch to nibble on through out the day/morning.
  Because we are a couple, it's easy for one to nip to the loo/have a wonder around/keep an eye out when it gets busy etc. (my dad is usually next to us selling from his car too lol).
  Don't under sell youself, but don't put a silly high price on things either.
  Most of all-be friendly, don't jump in and scare people off and enjoy the day!
  keely.
• I've had a sort out and want to do my first car boot. Have seen the guide prices earlier in this thread and they were about what I thought. However any ideas what I should ask for the following - all excellent condition:
  Philips 14" portable TV with remote
  Working laptop running Windows XP
  Quiksilver shopper bag
  Half a dozen Jaqueline Wilson books immaculate as only read once
  Almost new girls Adidas trainers
  Hoodies/jumpers all Gap, Adidas, Reebok
  Dolls pram Mamas and Papas brand
  dolls jet plane for Barbie and the like
  Also, with books and clothes am I best to chuck them in boxes and put a note on with the price so people rummage hrough?
• Be aware that when you first pull in and start to unpack the car, buyers will rush you , they will try rummaging in your boxes and some will try to get in the back of the car, looking for bargains. This is usually referred to as getting mugged .
  I have taken to covering my stock up with a blanket and not opening up and displaying my stock until the public are let in. Personally, I can't stand overly aggressive dealers- manners cost nothing, but rudeness can result in a sore nose!
• I have seen a big Black car arrive at a boot fair, Three or four guys jumped out and went all over the place buying a load of rubbish for about Ј1 a time and paying with Ј20 notes, after about 45 minutes they left in a hurry with pockets full of change and leaving behind a trail of FAKE Ј20 NOTES. You have been warned!!
• Hi Pandora - I would definitely not sell the laptop at a carboot - you will never get what it is worth, most buyers are after a bargain - put it on eBay.
  For the last two years I've been putting the higher value / quality stuff on eBay and car booting the (dross) rest!!
  You will get a much better total return that way.
• Does anyone buy videos @ Car boots anymore? I have a whol box full of them from freecycle and various places. Do you think they would sell at 25p each? Some good films there.
  I haven't done my first car boot yet, looking to do one before end of this month though.
• i've just got back from my first ever car boot, just sold bits from the house that we don't want....clothes, ps2/xbox/pc games, toys, bedding etc, made Ј71.00 after taking out the fee for the pitch, not a brilliant amount, but Ј71 more than had whan went out this morning. (it will pay the petrol for my trip to blackpool (I have leisure vouchers for entry to PB) and some spends as well
  I was told that it was alot slower than usual today as well. But this is the last one they are doing there this year wanted to go back & try & get rid more of my stuff
• today all they were after was perfumes, cameras & vinyl records if that is any help to anyone.
• Hi new to the site and also to car boot sales. Doing my first one on Sunday as an incentive for the kids to get rid of the copious amounts of stuff they calim makes it impossible to keep their large(!) bedrooms vaguely tidy!
  Kind of ok with flogging their stuff for whatever we can however I have a huge amount of vinyl lps and 12 inch singles and some evening dresses in fantastic condition which I don't really know where to start with? Any advice? The dresses were all quite pricey but I don't want alot for them just kind of some ideas really?
• Me and my partner did a car boot last week, and we as well had the people jumping on us as soon as we arrived. Yelling for mobile phones, ipods, jewellery,psp's (as if I would sell a psp on a car boot?!)
  We managed to shift a lot of stuff and made Ј160 which I thought was really good as all we had really was dvd's and clothes. I got rid of all of my clothes for roughly Ј1-Ј2 each. A lot of the clothes were good names whistles, miss sixty, ted baker. I had miss sixty jeans that I was selling for a Ј1 and one person said it was expensive. I have changed sizes so the clothes were usless , (all the good stuff etc new with tags ( mistakes!)I had sold beforehand on ebay), so I was glad to get something for them than to take them back home. Also, It dosen't matter what the label is your not going to get much more for it. ( unless obvioulsy you are selling lots of jimmy choos size 4 which if you are please let me know!.....)
  My advice is, even if you are trying to raise cash quickly for a holiday etc, only sell something that you really don't want. There is always something that you like but think you will get a lot for, the majority of times that never works, and you end up selling something that you liked for bext to nothing.
  If you are a one off car booter like me (i.e once every couple of years, unless you want to end up taking everything back home you will have to be prepared to let things go very very cheaply.
• I may have missed this advice somewhere else but does anyone know a good way of finding out what boot sales are local to you. The free paper in my area doesn't seem to list them??
  Thanks