My first car boot tomorrow - advice needed

jackie_w

hello there,

Tomorrow I am going to do my very first car boot sale, and I dont know how to price things.

Im selling kids toys. They are in pretty good condition, and a couple of the things im selling are currently going on ebay for £10 plus postage. I was going to just sell them on ebay but thought, as I was going to the car boot sale I would just sell them there and see what happens. My Friend has said I wont get them sold for £10 as people want stuff for nothing. As Ive never been to a car boot sale before I dont know if this is correct or not.

Also, Im selling some childrens and adults clothes, shoes, bags, purses. How much do I sell them for? Some of the items are in very good condition. I was thinking maybe about £3 upwards, but my friend says people are looking for things for 20p. The clothes are from Next, Warehouse, Oasis, Dorothy perkins.

Is this right, because if it is, I dont think its worth my while going? the pitch is £20, my friend is taking her car, we are halving in for the petrol, so, I will be paying out approx £15 before I sell anything. if what she says is right, I think I will be lucky to break even, so Im not sure if its worth it.

Any advice would be greatly welcome.


Jackie

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

Can someone merged the other thread with this one please as i have already responded to the thread on the other board. Thanks

bookemdano

I'd stick to ebay. I did a car boot a couple of years ago and I vowed never again. Your friend is right, people do want something for nothing. I had people trying to knock me down from 20p to 1p......:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Pembroke

Ideally you would go to the boot fair you're aiming to sell at the week before and see what prices people are selling the goods you have in mind for, then you can judge whether you're likely to get £10 or 10p. Suggest it to your friend, it may help her with whether it's worth doing or not as well.

Doingmybest2bgoodhurrah

I agree that some people want something for nothing, particularly if they are looking to sell things on for profit.
I do 5 or 6 car boot sales through the summer with my mum & the way we look at it is that anything we make after covering our costs is a bonus. We have a really good laugh & don't take it too seriously. We have a good few hours spending time together & I think its a cheap morning out! We try not to let quality stuff go for peanuts & stand our ground if somebody makes a ridiculous bid. If you do this, they'll realise that you've seen through their cheeky attempt & either make you a more reasonable offer or will walk away. On the other hand, I'm sometimes glad to get rid of certain things & let them go cheaply because the space I regain at home is more valuable.

Be prepared to haggle, but if you really don't want to let something go for nowt then stand your ground, you can always take it home for another time or for ebay.

I do think that £20 is a bit steep for the pitch fee, but assume its under cover? I pay £7 for a pitch at an outdoor well attended & well established venue, but I suppose the organiser has less overheads in the warmer months.

Also, you will probably find that you will be beseiged as you are unloading & setting up by early birds looking for specific items such as jewellery, DVDs, mobile phones, vinyl records, perfume in original packaging to name but afew.

Take plenty of change, carrier bags,hand wipes & a genorous flask & get your thermals on if the venue isn't heated. Keep all money on you not in a tin - I've heard afew horror stories about floats going missing over the years.

Above all, have fun x

kerri_gt

Doingmybest2begoodhurrah sums it up well. I did a couple of car boots this year - and there are chancers than want something for nothing. I was asking 20p for some items and cheeky beggers were trying to offer me 5p!

I sold a number of clothes mainly - prices ranged between £1 to about £6 or £7 for trainers or coats. Again, some people want something for nothing. Fix in your mind what you are prepared to take for it and be prepared to haggle. Don't get flustered if someone walks away because you won't accept their offer - as said, you can always take it home for another day. I would say though, try not to think about what you originally paid for the item - my friend sold a lot of kids clothes and there was brand new dresses from monsoon and next which she sold for £1 - £3 each, and other baby clothes for 50p each. Thing is that there are usually lots of people selling kids toys/clothes. Its a balance between what you are happy to accept (sometimes something fair is better than it doing nothing sitting at home) and people trying to take the p*ss.

£20 is quite a lot, we pay £11 per car for an outdoor fair - I car share with my friend so it's £5.50 each.

Regarding being besieged by people when you arrive - this is common, either wait in your car until they go away, or just politely tell them 'no' to whatever they are asking.

Enjoy yourself, and just think, whatever you make is £ in your purse that you wouldn't have had. If there are items that might sell better on eBay - just list them on a 0p insert weekend.

Hope all goes well - I was really nervous for my first car boot but had a great time. Have fun x