carboot sales

messia07

does anyone else here go to car boot sales?

i think they are great places to buy interesting and useful items.

i find 99% of the sellers and buyers polite, honest and friendly but quite often you see "antiques dealers" (buyers) who have turned into gollum.. on a few occasions this year, ive had a few dealers snap at me for nothing..like i was stealing money from them.

i know its not a new thing but imo dealers spoil car boot sales.

forgotmyname

So your walking around a carboot minding your own business and dealers come over to you for no reason and snap at you?

Or maybe you maybe a silly low offer for something they deem worth more?

Daughter spotted a book on one stall, he wanted £4 for it. Not in perfect condition and with an ASDA 3 for £5 sticker on the cover. She politely said no thanks and he threw the book onto the tarpaulin he had on the ground behind him.

Strange way to treat your stock, wonder if he will get upset when he tries to sell it again and someone comments on the fact it looks like something threw it?

Sometimes people do take the "P" though. Seller wanted £30 for something and they offered him £5.

messia07

forgotmyname wrote: »

So your walking around a carboot minding your own business and dealers come over to you for no reason and snap at you?


Daughter spotted a book on one stall, he wanted £4 for it. Not in perfect condition and with an ASDA 3 for £5 sticker on the cover. She politely said no thanks and he threw the book onto the tarpaulin he had on the ground behind him.

that does happen, it seems some of those sellers dont want to even be there, maybe thats why they are angry?

ive noticed some sellers are really operating business at carboot now, selling items at shop prices.. i dont even bother looking at their stalls.

but its hard to describe, its more were all walking around buying but the "dealers" (the ones who only buy to resell) will push you out of the way to jump on sellers stalls and take all the good, interesting items.. they seem to be very aggressive.

CARTMANSMAMMY

We did a car boot sale yesterday as sellers. Most of our items were 50p or £1, clothes, CD's, DVD's etc wouldn't sell anything I wouldn't be willing to buy all in great condition some items unworn/unopened. no matter if the price was £1 people wanted to pay 50p or the 50p items wanted 2. Tight or what.

brewthebear

I usually if doing a boot sale say price is double what I want, then when they offer half I say ok then. That way I am getting the price I would have asked before all this knock em down culture arrived.

kazwookie

It's the 3p's that amuse me.

Pick it up
Put it down
and
P**s off


and the buyers, 'I got no money' then you agree a price and they come out with a £20 note!

luxor4t

kazwookie wrote: »

It's the 3p's that amuse me.

Pick it up
Put it down
and
P**s off

................)

Last time I did a carboot sale we had a lot of 4p's - they added
"Play about with it" after "pick it up".

Examples:
Turn every single plate, bowl, mug, ornament or even a plain, clear glass,upside down, to stare at the bottom. Then balance it on the very , very edge of the table.

Rifle through the pages of a book - because everybody uses £5 notes as bookmarks!

Screw up folded things.

Jigsaws.......:eek:......I always counted the pieces into a clear plastic bag and taped it securely before putting it into the box, but there was always someone trying to rip the bag open.

Pass a soft toy down to child in pushchair. Child is greasy with sticky food and has a runny nose. Once child has cleaned face on toy, parent replaces toy on the table.

Then the charmers:

Buys something small for 50p with a big note. Takes all your change, then wants a couple of bags and a box to put stuff from other sellers.

Stands right in front of your table and has a long conversation with three others. One absent- mindedly tries to sit on your table - which is a pasting table and not designed for a large backside.

Somebody's dog lifts its leg on the table leg, or on your car. Alternatively, the dog tries chewing a soft toy. Owner glares at you.I

DH refuses to do any more. Shame really.....

RFW

luxor4t wrote: »

DH refuses to do any more. Shame really.....

I've been to two carboot sales ever. Once as a punter, once as a seller.
I've been in retail and wholesale since I was a kid, buying and selling anything and everything and have never experienced anything as foul as a carboot sale. It really is the most demoralising way of selling anything. I don't like it much as a buyer as most things aren't priced and I really can't be doing with haggling over pennies, it makes my teeth itch!
Back in the day I used to run auctions and had several carbooters as customers. I wouldn't have called any of them particularly professional. The carbooters tended to be the worst buyers. They'd buy any old rubbish and complain about it afterwards.

luxor4t

When the kids were small (25 years ago) we'd attend the weekly open air carboot sale in air of the local hospital.

A nice walk through the park, the children could use their pocket money to buy books or small toys and I used to take a list of stuff the kids needed - next size up clothes, school equipment etc. I bought exclusively from people selling their own stuff - very few 'professional' sellers or market traders went in those days, in that place.

A couple of times a year, we'd fill the car with outgrown clothes, toys etc and set up a stall. Dealer-types would want things for pennies, but a refusal rarely offended and if It did, tough.

Usually more nice people than 3ps and 4ps or widdly dogs!


It kept the 'stuff' down at home and paid for petrol to visit Granny for a holiday.

Looking back, it was all very halcyon! I fear things have changed greatly since our last visit about 12 years back when there were wall-to-wall antique dealers and people lying for the same of selling something for 40p.

Deru

I go to boot sales but only as a buyer. Tried selling two or three times and while I did take about £100 each time, it wasn't worth it. Some buyers are nice and reasonable but many are too stingy to the point of irritating. There are regular / professional sellers that have the right stock who can make it worth while.

I usually just go as a buyer as you can sometimes find bargains. Crazy how you can buy something £20 in shop but randomly find the same thing for £1 at a boot fair by chance, just as an example.

Anyone go to any good boot sales around London?

mtc95

Quite a few negative posts on here but I've done a few as seller, maybe once every year or 2 years, and I quite enjoyed it each time. Almost all buyers were friendly and it's best to do it when the weather's good. I think it helps if you look on it mainly as a way of clearing out your unwanted stuff without taking it to landfill, and any money you make is a bonus. I tend to price our stuff cheaply, accept most offers, then quite a lot of it did go each time.

I wouldn't want it do it every week though ☺