Ebay or Car Boot

wacky_jax

Hi
Have loads of things to get rid of Electrical items clothes toys etc. Never used ebay and never been to a car boot. Any suggestions on which one is better to get rid of unwanted items?:rolleyes:

BeautyandtheBeast_3

hi and welcome!
never been to a car boot - the early morning starts tend to put me off! but i have had some success with ebay.
good luck xxx

moneymakestheworldgoround

Depends on the stuff and your location !!

Clothes etc.. might not sell too well on ebay unless you are prepared to take lots of photos, measurements, honest descriptions etc..

Some car boots dont let you sell electrical items anymore, but some do.

The ebay and paypal fees can cripple lower selling items.

I personally would either list it all on ebay, and whatever doesnt sell take to boot fair. Or take all to boot fair and then list better items on ebay.

Pros and cons for both I think. Prices can be lower at boot fairs, but cash in hand.

I personally hate selling on ebay, although I do ! I love car boots, but it isnt for everyone.

Locally, we have one on Saturday morning, one on Sunday morning then another on Sunday afternoon so we do the rounds on all 3 !!

Really up to personal preference - what do you like the idea of?

Katy_M_2

Hiya

I regularly use both ebay and car boot sales. Depending on what you've got to sell...one will work better than the other.

The problem with ebay is that you have to pay fees, you pay listing fees and also a percentage of the final selling cost. Also if you accept your payments via paypal you then have to pay paypal fees too. You also have the hassle of having to make the auction in the first place and do all the posting etc.

BUT....I have made loads off money off ebay. It can be great. Last week I sold 2 pairs of shoes and an old fleece and got £50 for the lot!

Ebay works well if you have clothes/boots by a good brand....because people will search for these specifically.

Car boot sales are good because you only have to pay an entrance fee...chuck all your junk on a table and it sells itself really. Its good fun if you can be bothered to get up early and get there in good time.

We did one 2 weeks ago and literally just sold CDs, records, old tools...basically just stuff that had been lying around and we got £100!! But people generally aren't willing to pay too much for stuff at car boot sales....so if you've got really good stuff that people would specifically search for...ebay can be good.

I love doing car boots AND selling stuff on ebay...getting addicted to it...I'll have nothing left soon

SELL SELL SELL!!

Let me know if you need any help with ebay or advice about car boots!

lisainglasgow

I agree with the above - it is less hassle to sell stuff at a car boot but I often put the better stuff on Ebay first - then if it doesn't sell it goes into the car boot box! Did a carboot on Sunday and did ok - Didn't have loads of stuff but made £40 profit after entrance fees, teas and coffee etc.

Katy_M_2

The main tip about car boot sales is don't stray from the path and look at the other stalls because BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN!

lisainglasgow

That's true, but what I would say is that if you do see something you like on another stall then see if they want something from you - we regularly swap with someone else for something we want!

Katy_M_2

Or you can be really sly and buy something off an another stall and sell it on yours for a profit.

Muhahahahaaaa!

lisainglasgow

I actually bought a singer sewing machine with an attached motor for £4 at one car boot. I then sold the motor on Ebay and made £4 profit. I then sold the actual machine at another car boot, but only made £2 - still an overall £2 profit!

Hope78

I agree, think it's personal prference. I usually list 'better' or labelled stiff on ebay forst and then carboot it. I've done a few carboots and while some of my frineds say "I'd not let it go for that" I'd rather have an extra few quid than clutter - plus I find it cleansing.

At carboots clothes do quite well and anything for kids flies (sadly I don't have any kids stuff) clothes or toys especially baby stuff! The one I do lets you sell electrical stuff and I've sold a portable tv and a hi-fi. Whilst with ebay I've found that my mum's larger size clothes sell really well.

My secret is to take all your own food/drink and don't leave your stall to have a 'nosey' at other stalls - I can even ignore the homebaking lady now.

Good luck!
Hope x

p.s at carboots clothes displayed on hangining rails sell much better i ended up investing in one for £5 from argos and it did the job just great.

moneymakestheworldgoround

Some great advice on here.

I would add, take a bowl for some water for dogs - in the heat, it makes owners stop, you can chat and normally sell stuff !

Free wrapped sweets for the kids

At one huge car boot, we take cans of pop - put them in an ice box and leave them until halfway through. Sell for 50p when the icecream van has sold out. Tescos do some great 2 for 1 on mulitpacks of cans. Can be worth walking up your aisle and offering to other stall holders too - if they are on their own, they cant leave to get a drink so will appreciate it !!

Items for 50p and £1 sell well. Some people like to rummage in boxes under the table, others dont so trial and error

I agree with Hope78 - Larger sized clothes are a definite seller

Kids toys

DVDs and videos

Old mobiles - normally dealers come round asking for them

Any jewellery - broken or not - again dealers come round

Pet items

Definitely take your own food and drink. A burger or a couple of teas really eats into your profit

I find pricing everything helps - some car booters prefer not to, but we sell 60% more when items are priced.

Also, I would advise people to talk to customers. It is amazing how many stall holders leave people to um and ah over something, is it expensive, does it do xy or z, what is it ..... I leave people for about 15 secs, then step in and offer advice or point out good points. It doesnt help in every situation but I do sell more than my partner who ignores people unless they want to pay !

Just my advice based on my experience !