Car boot sale advice - updated 2013

trolleyrun

Went to my first car boot sale of the season and made over £100! Very happy with that, as we tend to do as many per year as we can (although we refuse to go when it's raining ). This is our holiday fund, and from the left-over money from last year, we're well on our way

We were pretty hard line with the hagglers early on, and it paid off. Our prices are pretty cheap anyways. One chancer thought I'd agree to sell him 4 pairs of wellies for £2!!! I told him he was having a laugh

Happy days!

peaceandfreedom

trolleyrun wrote: »

Went to my first car boot sale of the season and made over £100! Very happy with that, as we tend to do as many per year as we can (although we refuse to go when it's raining ). This is our holiday fund, and from the left-over money from last year, we're well on our way

We were pretty hard line with the hagglers early on, and it paid off. Our prices are pretty cheap anyways. One chancer thought I'd agree to sell him 4 pairs of wellies for £2!!! I told him he was having a laugh

Happy days!

It's odd isn't it - that same person will probably happily part with much more than that for a pint in the pub afterwards. I do think that people's sense of proportion goes out the window at a car boot.

Good result today for you though. I went booting today but bought rather than sold - a couple of DVDs for a quid each.

London_Mum

MoaningMyrtle wrote: »

Great sticky, a piece if advice for seller is if you have any valuable/ collectable items, keep them in the front on the floor, until you are ready to get them out. This is what I do to deter the initial flurry of what can be quite intimidating buyers - I park up, get out, open the boot and then lock th car so they can't get in, I've had the vultures/muggers/traders open the car doors to see what I had whilst I was in the boot. Also, load the car with your table/clothes rail on top so it is first out of the car.

Prices here for items are:

Paperbacks 20p
Hardbacks 50p - £1
Clothes 50p - £1.00 (Coats £2.00-£3.00)
Shoes £1.00 - £2.00
Boots £2.00
Small kitchen electricals £2.00 - £3.00
DVDs £1.00 - £2.00
CDs 50p - £1.00
Baby equipment variable on age and brand
Furniture up to £20.00
Costume Jewellery - up to £1.00
Bags £1.00 - £2.00
Watches £1.00 - £2.00
Childrens clothes 50p - £1.00

Prices can be much higher in some areas, especially in London.
To be honest in my local carboot I haven't seen prices as low as these on clothes, shoes, boots. But that's London...

Branded toys can be sold for a higher price, so if you know what's popular at the moment (from childrens tv ads) you can get a good price.
Often I see popular toys sold cheaply only because sellers have no idea that they are latest trend.

London_Mum

peaceandfreedom wrote: »

Have just come back from a car boot sale where we cleared a profit of £140. I thought I'd pass on some tips to add to those at the start of the thread (haven't read the whole thread, so apologies if this repeats some existing tips).

• I disagree about pricing up most goods - a high price for something might put people off. Best to let them look at the item and have a chat about it before asking the price.
• For smaller things, such as books, where they are all the same price then yes, state a price on a large notice.
• It is a good idea to have 'rummage boxes' where everything in the box is 10p, or 20p or 50p etc. People love having a rummage and they will often keep picking things until they owe a round number. You can put all kinds of stuff in these - hairbands, costume jewellry, purses, random bits and bobs, based on their value.
• Cuddly toys and beanie babies sell very badly at car boots but we shifted loads today. Put this kind of thing on the ground or at a low level because kids are drawn to them and will ask Mum/Dad/Granny to buy them. Also be aware that lots of people buy cuddly toys for their dogs to rip to pieces so perhaps that treasured teddy is better off going to a children's hospital!
• If your stall goes a bit quiet and there's at least two of you there, one of you should go around to the front and start picking up stuff and generally behaving like an interested customer. This never fails to attract more people.
• Hang around for as long as you can because having made all that effort to be there, you might as well wait until almost all potential customers have gone. We made two big sales today just as we were about to pack up and go home. They were people who had looked at stuff earlier and then came back after they'd had a think.
• It's fine to experiment with pricing. Start high at the beginning of the day and then if you really want to shift stuff, drop your price after a couple of hours.
• If someone makes no comment after you give them a price, they have no real interest in the item. Most people who buy your higher-priced items are aware of what they'd cost new and are prepared to part with a fair price for good second-hand goods. People who are just hoping for a ridiculous bargain will move on quickly.
• On the other hand, if some kid has only 30p left of their spending money and want to buy something that costs 50p - sell it to them for 30p. You want to get rid of the item and you'll make a kid happy.
• Make some signs highlighting some of your best gear. People do read these and come over to see stuff they haven't spotted in passing.
• The first post on this thread is concerned a lot with theft - I've done a lot of car boots and nothing has ever been nicked. And I have DVDs, CDs and PS3 games on display. Be vigilant but don't treat people like they are going to steal your stuff.
• Have a chat - people like a nice chat even they don't buy anything. One of the reasons I enjoy car boots is the chat and the banter. And people chatting at your stall make it looks busy, thus attracting more people.

Loads of great advice, fully agree with the last bit - have a chat, your stall looks busy and attracts more people!

I also love 'rummage boxes' , just as you said, where everything in the box is 10p, or 20p or 50p etc. I end up buying lots of unnecessary stuff for my daughter because you don't have to ask how much it costs, just pick the stuff and pay.

London_Mum

trolleyrun wrote: »

We were pretty hard line with the hagglers early on, and it paid off. Our prices are pretty cheap anyways. One chancer thought I'd agree to sell him 4 pairs of wellies for £2!!! I told him he was having a laugh

You should've punched holes in each of them, then they would be worth £2 for 4 pairs, for growing plants or something... :rotfl:

London_Mum

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Originally Posted by mazz1953
Be aware that when you first pull in and start to unpack the car, buyers will rush you , they will try rummaging in your boxes and some will try to get in the back of the car, looking for bargains. This is usually referred to as getting mugged . This can be quite intimidating and you can get items damaged or stolen in the process, so try not to do the boot sale alone

Great advice, thanks.

cyclamen_2

London_Mum wrote: »

Prices can be much higher in some areas, especially in London.
To be honest in my local carboot I haven't seen prices as low as these on clothes, shoes, boots. But that's London...

Can you give me any idea of prices? Thinking of doing a car boot sale (Wimbledon Greyhounds) soon and not sure what to aim for. Mostly books/DVDs/bric-a-brac/kitchen bits and a few clothes.

Thanks!

John_Pierpoint

I cannot comment on prices at Wimbledon, but they have to pack it tightly, in theory you will only get a boot to sell from - rather than the whole length of the vehicle - however on my visits I have managed to improvise a bit more selling space.

On one occasion, I managed to get the end of an "isle" , which was not bad news as I had a pole and hangers and could hook signs & stuff up the wire netting, as well as having an L shape counter.

I also have a two leg "table" that spans the bonnet & straps to the rear view mirrors. It allowed me to use both ends of the car on one visit and on another to let people have a browsing area for larger items and books.

Wimbledon has a wide variety of customers, including some people (such as migrants) to whom price is the primary driver.

Try to arrive early or get put round the back.

bargainsneeded

Any one know if burnage or holly lane are up an running yet in manchester please?

Tina20

Hiya! Great thread, I'm planning on have a look round some local car boots now.

I'd like to get some bits and bobs to sell on ebay, maybe start a shop on there. What kind of stuff should I look for? What sells best on ebay that I could pick up at boot sales?

thanks!