Car boot sale advice - updated 2013

tajna

Claire_Bear wrote: »

I'm doing a boot sale next Sunday, have had a quick whip around the flat and gathered most of the stuff I want to take, although will probably dig out more as the week goes on, and pester the OH to donate some stuff as well. However, the sale goes on from 9am to 4pm and I'm not sure I'll have enough to last me that long, are there any ways to bulk out your stall? Don't really want to spend a lot though :money:

Do you have to stay there the hole time?
I usually tend to leave as soon as I sell majority of the stuff.

You could ask around your family or friends if they have anything they would like to get rid of? Also, you could look in your local charity shop for any bargains?

Claire_Bear

I don't think you have to stay there the whole time, but I'd rather be there for ages instead of selling up in the first hour and wishing I'd had more stuff with me. I'm going to ask mates if they have any stuff, I live in a different town to my family and won't be seeing them between now and Sunday so can't pick stuff up. I'll have a scout round the charity shops, also asked on Freecycle but not had much response.

Claire_Bear

Was wondering if anyone has any ideas for little crafty items I could make quickly and cheaply that would sell well. Was thinking of maybe hama beads or something similar, does anyone know where I could pick a big tub of them up from? Or was considering making up little goody bags for kids with a few sweeties and lollipops, maybe a panda pop or a carton of fruit juice, glittery pencils, maybe some plastic jewellry and hair bobbles and a little toy (can't think what I'd put in a boys one ), reckon they would sell ok?

annie-c

Claire_Bear wrote: »

Was wondering if anyone has any ideas for little crafty items I could make quickly and cheaply that would sell well. Was thinking of maybe hama beads or something similar, does anyone know where I could pick a big tub of them up from? Or was considering making up little goody bags for kids with a few sweeties and lollipops, maybe a panda pop or a carton of fruit juice, glittery pencils, maybe some plastic jewellry and hair bobbles and a little toy (can't think what I'd put in a boys one ), reckon they would sell ok?

Unless you have a supplier of very very cheap stuff I doubt this would make much profit. Kids can pick up nearly new dvds, board games etc for not very many pennnies at a boot sale so it's unlikely they'd pay a lot for a 'goody bag' in the same setting. Drinks/sweets might be ok but you'd need to be sure you are allowed to sell these before laying out money for them as you won't have a traders license and the ones that do have a licence maight object.

bigfisher

Boot's have become an esential extra source of income for me. The only thing I would advise is to check you are allowed to trade in "new stuff" with the organisers.

kiwi_fruit

I was wondering what you guys do with unsold items that are left after CB sale? Leave for the next car boot, sell them on ebay like a bundle, chuck them in a bin etc..?

flipper_2010

bigfisher wrote: »

Boot's have become an esential extra source of income for me. The only thing I would advise is to check you are allowed to trade in "new stuff" with the organisers.

Boots as in the shop, or as in the footwear type? :j

annie-c

kiwi_fruit wrote: »

I was wondering what you guys do with unsold items that are left after CB sale? Leave for the next car boot, sell them on ebay like a bundle, chuck them in a bin etc..?

I did three boot sales in a row. After each one we sorted and started to dispose of stuff that obviously wasn't going to sell - eg no one was interested in rummaging through crates of books, so we packed 3/4 off to a charity shop and dispensed with the crates and just laid out the new and more popular titles face up on a blanket at the later sales where they sold better. We also added in new stuff that we had seen other people selling well, but that we hadn't originally thought to take, eg spare plumbing and decorating supplies, copper piping etc from the shed.

After the three sales we emptied everything out of the car and sorted it into three piles: bin, recycling and charity shop. We sorted and cleaned up the charity shop donations so that we weren't 'dumping' rubbish on them.

raebhoop

Claire_Bear wrote: »

Was wondering if anyone has any ideas for little crafty items I could make quickly and cheaply that would sell well. Was thinking of maybe hama beads or something similar, does anyone know where I could pick a big tub of them up from? Or was considering making up little goody bags for kids with a few sweeties and lollipops, maybe a panda pop or a carton of fruit juice, glittery pencils, maybe some plastic jewellry and hair bobbles and a little toy (can't think what I'd put in a boys one ), reckon they would sell ok?

I'm a sweet trader and would certainly object if I saw booters selling sweetie bags..I have to be registered with the local council to stock and sell food and have regular inspections from the health and safety brigade and trading standards.I don't object to competition, but only if it's a level playing field.

Most boot organisers run their own catering units as a monopoly...and they would object to the selling of drinks...they won't even let me sell them nowadays.

raebhoop

One point I'd like to make on here...

Do you have those leaflets posted through your door asking for clothing etc?...very often with the blurb that they will be passed on to the poor in Romania or some such destination.....Bunkum...It's a con...
Most finish up on car boots making a tidy profit for the racketeers.Don't get taken in by a business registration No. on the leaflet...only leave stuff if the leaflet carries a Number registered with the Charity Commission...very often the Sally Army or similar.If in doubt take the stuff to the charity shop of your choice.

Even when stuff is left out for a proper charity...it's not unknown for the crooks to cruise the streets looking for bags on doorsteps and steal them for their own profit.
Most car booters are respectable people trying to raise some cash from their own clutter, but there are always crooks trying to take advantage.