Car boot advice

soolin

jon81uk said:

IftiBashir said:

wirdy said:

We always put out the slower-selling junk first & keep the choice items inside a box in the car until about an hour after setting up. By that time, the vultures have tutted & grunted at the meagre offerings for sale and cleared off to bother some other poor sap. Your choice items (tools, electronics, watches, electrical) WILL sell at a good price later on (quality will always sell) when you're not stressed out during the initial unpacking /setting up. This strategy has worked over multiple boot sales over the past 10 yrs. 

Never sold at a boot sale myself, but I thought it would be the other way round. Those who are genuinely more interested in purchasing would get there early to ensure they had first dibs at everything that's available before it sells. Those who are just browsing and not too bothered would come later in the day, when the 'good stuff' has already sold, to get last pickings and better bargains (from sellers who just want to shift stuff rather then take it back).
Then again, you've much more experience then me so whatever works!

The vultures that are around earlier are other stallholders who are looking for people who don't know the value of an item and are hoping to get something cheap they can resell for a profit. Even if you know the value they would want to haggle down, whereas the public are more likely to offer a fair price as they aren't trying to resell.

I did a fair few car boots before Covid but they were quite soul destroying. You get swamped when you arrive, some people will even try going through your car boot and boxes before you get a chance to unpack. They try and fluster you into taking silly prices, keep calling prices at you, adding things to their pile or even putting things straight into bags and saying ‘here’s £5 I’ve just got a few bits’. I’ve had stuff stolen as well as sometimes there’s so many people swarming round you can’t watch everyone. I think it’d spends on what you sell though, I used to sell off bits and pieces from my antique/vintage business and it attracted other dealers, I understand toys and electronics attract the crowd as well.

The last few times I went I would put the box of ‘good’ things in the passenger seat or under the other boxes, I’d get one box out at a time re lock the car, unpack it, then get a second box. It was very time consuming but it was the only way to cope, then once the car was unloaded properly I’d get the good stuff out so I could physically stand and watch it. 

It is not uncommon to see something you sold in the first melee for £1 being sold on a neighbouring stall later for £10! 

I don’t think I’ll do them again except to help out friends who want a second pair of hands on the stall. I either put mixed boxes up on marketplace , or just charity shop things.

Jerry_Cornelius

jon81uk said:

The vultures that are around earlier are other stallholders who are looking for people who don't know the value of an item and are hoping to get something cheap they can resell for a profit. Even if you know the value they would want to haggle down, whereas the public are more likely to offer a fair price as they aren't trying to resell.

Yeah, when i used to attend a particular Car boot several years ago, got to know some of the "regulars" whom i bought SciFi figures off for my collection, it was like a mini sopa opera between some of these stall holders; one would get to his spot then, before setting up, would go looking for the genuine car-booters hoping to get stuff on the cheap he could re-sell on his stall, another would get his wife to go looking round whilst he set up their stall, I'd heard stories of where they almost came to blows trying to bag the same item from a car-booter. Also, as i tended to get their later in the morning as i travelled by the earliest bus to the site, once they knew what sort of things I was after, they would get them first from the genuine car booters then sell them to me on their stall for an extra 50p or a £1. There was one ridiculous occasion when a regular had his daughter and son-in-law with them for the first time and they were getting rid of some of their stuff, some of which i fancied and bought, and they didnt want much either. I said i might be back to have another look, whereupon a few minutes later the stall holder caught up with me and said if i did come back, could I do it when they werent there, so he could charge me a bit more and get a bit of profit for himself! Needless to say when i did come back, they were there, and i was on my way out, so bought a few more bits for another good price. The stall holder didn't have a very happy face!

paulyuk6

An important point - if at all possible, DON'T come alone. Bring a friend or reluctant family member with you. I've had stuff stolen from my stall because I was busy talking to one person and didn't notice someone behind them picking things up.  So one person can be serving customers while the other one keeps an eye on the stand,

Pollycat

This thread was started in April 2022 and the OP last logged on to MSE in December 2023.

Useful generic advice though.

tattybogle2

Start saving any coins and low notes now - it takes ages to collect enough to make a decent amount to start with and you will need to give change att some point.

Pollycat

This thread was started in April 2022 and the OP last logged on to MSE in December 2023.

Useful generic advice though.

rchj4

As a car boot sale ' buyer ' I find it impossible when sellers put their stuff on the ground in front of the table . This means I can't reach the table to look at anything . I also hate books jumbled in boxes without the titles visible & CDs where you can't see the titles !

rab1047

kimp22 said:

Hi all I am planning on do a car boot to try get rid of extra stuff and try make some money to put on my energy bills. Any advice for me it will be my first and haven't really got a clue. 
I have a plastic paste table and big enough car to fit abit in. 

Kim

Be aware when you first get there and open your boot you will be swamped by bargin hunters and some of them will not want to pay anything. In other words watch for thieves!

Pollycat

rab1047 said:

kimp22 said:

Hi all I am planning on do a car boot to try get rid of extra stuff and try make some money to put on my energy bills. Any advice for me it will be my first and haven't really got a clue. 
I have a plastic paste table and big enough car to fit abit in. 

Kim

Be aware when you first get there and open your boot you will be swamped by bargin hunters and some of them will not want to pay anything. In other words watch for thieves!

Pollycat said:

This thread was started in April 2022 and the OP last logged on to MSE in December 2023.

Useful generic advice though.

Always a good idea to check the date of the first post.

MSE_Laura_F

There are some excellent, evergreen tips here that can benefit all future visitors to the thread. Let's keep it going. 🚗🚙