Car boot prices

cocolgooh

I did a car boot sale yesterday and we assumed we would make some sort of money from doing it. We barely made anything. People asking the prices of items were automatically putting the items down every time we suggested a price. The sort of items and prices we had were:

a brand new still in the packet candle set with 50 candles and candle holders which we wanted 50p for (we thought 1p per candle that way)
some books, all either brand new or still in a very good condition (ie no signs of being used at all) for 50p each or 3 for £1
some baby clothes, all brand new, many with the tags still on them which we said 30p each or 4 for £1 (these were actually being sold for a friend so we couldnt negotiate any lower than that really)
some plants (tomato, courgette, pepper, some herbs, those sorts of things) 25p each
kids toys 5p each (things like key rings, note books, pens, action figures, mcdonalds toys etc)
clothes in various sizes for adults for 50p each (size 10 to 22)
bath sets for 50p each (they were brand new still sealed in their packets with tags still attached and would've been from £3 to about £10 in the shops)

i think we had some other stuff as well but to be honest i cant remember what it was now.

my question is, are these prices too high or were the people at the car boot sale not the sort of people that wanted to spend any money at all or something? because personally, i would've spent that sort of money on those items..

hermum

It sounds like the buyers were crap not your prices too high.

s_b

prices sound bargains to me
i used to do the boot sales as a business 20 years ago but found it was becoming tedious with people expecting things for nothing and wanting to rumble your stall before you had laid it out
havent been to a boot sale for a good 15 years since

McKneff

Next time, put your prices up a bit to accommodate haggling, every one haggles at car boot sales, Its not that they think the stuff is expensive, its just that they have to haggle. full stop
if you decide on something at 30p,, mark it at 50p, they get it for 30 go away happy, your happy because you get what you originally wanted.

Youve got to be as canny as your customers.....

Simple.

hermum

McKneff wrote: »

Next time, put your prices up a bit to accommodate haggling, every one haggles at car boot sales, Its not that they think the stuff is expensive, its just that they have to haggle. full stop
if you decide on something at 30p,, mark it at 50p, they get it for 30 go away happy, your happy because you get what you originally wanted.

Youve got to be as canny as your customers.....

Simple.

How would that work, if people were putting things down when told the really cheap prices?

marleyboy

Car boot sales have their ups n downs, its all a case of being in the right time and place. I have done a few car boot sales, some making me a healthy profit, others just about covering the fee, all of them selling the same junk I did not sell last time around.

You will note the first buyers are generally another car booter, some hope to profit by selling them on themselves, some grabbing that early bargain before others, this before the car boot sale is even officially open to the public.

Don't let one bad day get in the way of trying again, perhaps on THAT day it was raining, too cold or not baby season, there could be many factors to make it a bad day for sales, it only takes just one person to want that particular item, to get them sold, you will have a profitable day if you just keep trying.

soapyjoe

Your prices sound okay to me. We do loads of car boots and do quite well but people do want things for next to nothing.

Just a tip for another time, it's best to price everything up clearly before you go, as some people are embarrassed to ask in case it's more expensive than they want to pay. I myself have walked passed stalls where nothing is priced, not wanting to ask.

candygirl

Your prices sound v cheap to me.I go to car boots every weekend and never see prices like this:eek::eek::eek::eek:

cocolgooh

McKneff wrote: »

Next time, put your prices up a bit to accommodate haggling, every one haggles at car boot sales, Its not that they think the stuff is expensive, its just that they have to haggle. full stop
if you decide on something at 30p,, mark it at 50p, they get it for 30 go away happy, your happy because you get what you originally wanted.

Youve got to be as canny as your customers.....

Simple.

Those were the prices they could haggle with if they wanted to... We were perfectly happy to let things go for whatever people wanted to pay but they just weren't interested and wouldn't haggle if they didnt like the price

marleyboy wrote: »

Don't let one bad day get in the way of trying again, perhaps on THAT day it was raining, too cold or not baby season, there could be many factors to make it a bad day for sales, it only takes just one person to want that particular item, to get them sold, you will have a profitable day if you just keep trying.

It was a warm to hot day, wasn't raining and was the only car boot done in the area (well, within 20 miles). They have 1 car boot sale a year. Thats why I dont understand barely anything selling. They knew it was the only one but didnt want to buy things

soapyjoe wrote: »

Just a tip for another time, it's best to price everything up clearly before you go, as some people are embarrassed to ask in case it's more expensive than they want to pay. I myself have walked passed stalls where nothing is priced, not wanting to ask.

It was priced up.. The prices were on boards next to the tables with the items on. But people still kept asking, regardless of how we tried to display the price tag. We had a big board with the writing on it in marker pen but they just werent reading them for some reason.

Even if we said "well, make an offer then?" or words to that effect and they just glared at us and walked away, as if to say "stop bothering me".

Is it surprising I dont like the people where I live? They enjoy being as rude as possible. >.<

patricia50

cocolgooh wrote: »

I did a car boot sale yesterday and we assumed we would make some sort of money from doing it. We barely made anything. People asking the prices of items were automatically putting the items down every time we suggested a price. The sort of items and prices we had were:

a brand new still in the packet candle set with 50 candles and candle holders which we wanted 50p for (we thought 1p per candle that way)
some books, all either brand new or still in a very good condition (ie no signs of being used at all) for 50p each or 3 for £1
some baby clothes, all brand new, many with the tags still on them which we said 30p each or 4 for £1 (these were actually being sold for a friend so we couldnt negotiate any lower than that really)
some plants (tomato, courgette, pepper, some herbs, those sorts of things) 25p each
kids toys 5p each (things like key rings, note books, pens, action figures, mcdonalds toys etc)
clothes in various sizes for adults for 50p each (size 10 to 22)
bath sets for 50p each (they were brand new still sealed in their packets with tags still attached and would've been from £3 to about £10 in the shops)

i think we had some other stuff as well but to be honest i cant remember what it was now.

my question is, are these prices too high or were the people at the car boot sale not the sort of people that wanted to spend any money at all or something? because personally, i would've spent that sort of money on those items..

I wish I had been there, I would have been snapping up your bargains. Your prices were extremely reasonable. Don't let it put you off. I would try again somewhere else. They sound like a right load of miseries to me lol:)

hcb42

Hubby did one last weekend, we made £31 after the fee...disappointing, esp as we had a boot load of stuff left over.

I did wonder would it have made a difference if i had gone along to support him - i.e. two of us.

Last two we have done, which is over last few years have also been disappointing, but we have made £175 or so in the past so I dont know what it different..