Spill the beans...on your car boot sale tips, tricks and steals

Sootzer

Have a backpack...it leaves hands free for looking.
Its good to be polite and smile as others have stated...you will have more fun and probably get offered better prices with friendly haggling.

SJR_2

If you're selling, take a clear plastic sheet (the cheap stuff that you can find in pound shops) to cover your table in the event of rain. Clear is best so that buyers can still see what you've got. Often the rain doesn't last long so it's not worth packing stuff away or leaving altogether.

latinaid

stevew8975 wrote: »

Also be aware of the same faces turning up week after week but never buying anything.

They are the HMRC spies, and they are kept very busy through the car booting circuit.

You only need to worry about HMRC if you are trading (ie. selling items which you have bought with the intention of selling them on for profit). If you are just selling items from your loft which you bought originally for your own use, then there are no tax implications. (The same applies to eBay, by the way.)

Things which sell well = tools (especially old ones), toiletries and cosmetics (even half-used ones).

Crowqueen

SJR wrote: »

If you're selling, take a clear plastic sheet (the cheap stuff that you can find in pound shops) to cover your table in the event of rain. Clear is best so that buyers can still see what you've got. Often the rain doesn't last long so it's not worth packing stuff away or leaving altogether.

Very good advice, particularly in what must be the wettest drought in living memory...:rotfl:

Hezzawithkids

mum2one wrote: »

unfortunately its not just £20 notes that are fake we got given a £10 note, the purchase was around £3.

A quick tip to check the notes if you dont have a pen, is look at the front of the note and near the top the wording bank of england run your fingers across this and this wording is raised, its the same on all notes whether its £5, £10, £20 or £50.

-
What to look for on a note

-feel the paper
-look at the watermark -should be see through
-the silver thread, - should be look likes ins running down as though its been threaded throu.

--
Thou some buyers can be a bit funny if you hold the note up to check it, which is what you would need to do to check the line, and paperwork
==

Also if your going to check the note make sure that your hands are above the table and its before you have the zip of the bumbag etc open, - if you do get a fake note the person may not realise its fake and accuse u of swopping it, x

Or you can get a counterfeit note detector pen from eBay for a couple of pounds. I see these being used all the time now in all sorts of places and I don't take offence if they use one on my notes, in fact I'm reassured that the company/trader is taking such precautions.

Nurnberg4slash

Haggle, haggle, HAGGLE! And why save haggling just for car boots? I'm terrible for it, my girlfriend tells me off all the time. haha! She's thinks I'm dead embarrassing, but she's not so bothered when I've saved us a small fortune in the past!

fatpiggy

I'm a really kind car - boot seller because I take a huge collection of carrier bags to give to my customers (reduces the mountain in my garage a bit too ) plus I always have plenty of float.
What REALLY bugs me is when they say gates open at 9am or whatever and the dealers are already going through the stuff at 8.30 and they are SO aggressive and pushy. I've had people try to open my car doors to get to what I've got inside. I'm always polite to people but not to rodents like them I'm afraid! The other thing that really gets my goat is the people who expect you to give them stuff for free or nearly free because they think I don't want to have stuff to take home again. WRONG!

fuertefan

Travelqueen wrote: »

I second the be polite rule.

I HATE the people that follow you as you're pulling your car up, and then try and rummage around in the back whilst you are unpacking. Most of the time its people asking for mobile phones, computer consoles and electric guitars though and I quite politely tell them to b*gger off.

Wait until the seller is looking a bit less harassed by these vultures and generally they will be more open to bargaining.

Be careful of the ones that dive into your boot.I have had several things stolen at this time,often from people who look very respectable.And saw a posh looking chap walk off with an an antique lamp from someone elses boot,who was too distracted to notice him and also me trying to bring it to his attention.

Pembroke

As a seller try to wear a hat on sunny days as sunglasses make you look shifty and disconnected.

As a cynical marketing plot I always used to have a bowl of water at the front of my stall with a note on it saying 'For your dog'. While the dog drinks the owner has to stand by your stall and it's great for breaking the ice.

I ALWAYS say good morning / afternoon to anyone who shows an interest in an item on my stall.

mum2one

pembroke - thats a good one with the water bowl neva thought of that!

def agree with the morning, afternoon, as they have to speak and hopefully will look and buy xx