Car Boot Sale - any tips?

squeaky

..and mortgages have been with us a long time, and transport even longer... and families...

..I suspect that you can make some sort of case for almost anything being Old Style and as you say, freezing in a muddy field etc...

But we have a board for each of those areas and they really are often the best places to ask. Honest

narabanekeater

Be careful selling home made cakes and jams etc.
Any product that you sell home made needs to be made in a kitchen inspected my enviromental health.
Even ladies that cook for the womens institutes have to be checked.
They do patrol our local car boots as well

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi

Take carrier bags to put stuff in when you sell something. Some change will be needed as people say they never have the right amount and you end up losing money :mad:

Take a large flask of coffee-coffee/tea is about £1 a throw at some bootsales. Make a packed lunch: sandwiches, fruit, biscuits, crisps etc etc. Getting up to an early one (5-6am) can leave you starving about 9am. I dont trust the burger vans selling bacon rolls, sausages etc-always worried about food poisoning :rolleyes:

Normally when I get to one (about every 6 months) I make a list of items I need and have a look to see what I can find. Obviously the aim is to make money and not spend it..lol

Good Luck

PP
xx

sheng719

I have some old curtains and old sheets that I have recycled to some new stuff such as throw pillow cases and quilted covers...Does anyone think this would be worhtwhile taking to the boot sale? I have also seen people bring some old clothes to the boot sale and people actually buy them...what's the price to put into some clothes that are still in good condition?

hilstep2000

Watch out when you first get there for dealers! If you leave the boot open when you are setting up they will be rifling through boxes, and even nicking stuff, so take out one box at a time. Carrier bags, food for yourself and change. I did one a few weeks ago, and people are getting stingy these days, they really do want something for nothing! I only made £40, but it was better than nothing!

carol_a_3

I was reading an article in a womens mag the other week about doing a car boot and they recommended that when you arrive, get out and lock the car and walk away so the dealers wander off. The 10 minutes or so that you are away will not lose you many buyers and give you a chance to suss out the opposition. Then go back and set up at your leisure while they are doing their vulture bit elsewhere.

apprentice_tycoon

sheng719 wrote:

I have some old curtains and old sheets that I have recycled to some new stuff such as throw pillow cases and quilted covers...Does anyone think this would be worhtwhile taking to the boot sale? I have also seen people bring some old clothes to the boot sale and people actually buy them...what's the price to put into some clothes that are still in good condition?

I think that you could sell old bedding because people will buy them for pet beds at the very least.

I just remembered another buying tip, if you have walked around all the stalls once and fancy another walk around before you go (other things may have been put out) I think that it's a good idea to walk in the opposite direction so that you are approaching each table from the other side, you will spot things that you missed before.

chardonnay_2

we do a car boot every fortnight. the least we've made has been £100 the most £260. brill especially as we are just getting rid of clutter we've carried from house to house for years. most of which we hadn't even bothered to unpack!

our selling tips are

1. have a float we normally take bag of £1 coins (£20), bag of 50p(£10) and a bag of 10p (£5). you can get this from your bank. handy as most people come with £20 notes.

2. take your own pack lunch. most places have refreshments / food available but it comes off your profit. we make sandwiches and take a flask of tea and cans of juice. you could also take a flask of soup for the cold days and flask of hot water to make pot noodles etc, if you like them.

3. try not to come home with loads unless you went to get stuff. we've only bought stuff we needed that was nuch cheaper than elsewhere. majority of times we buy nothing.

4. stuff every spare inch of space of your car with stuff - make sure you get your money's worth for the fee. if you don't take it you won't sell it.

5. use all the space you are allocated some places give you a big space. we take two tables and two shelf units and use all the space under the table. hang things from your car and put stuff on the roof.

6. if you can, go the week before to see what it's like and how much space you will get to plan what display stuff to take. we invested in a roof rack which enables us to take more stuff. it just came off our profit but has been well worth it.

7. take a good variety of stuff to attract the most sales.

8. detach yourself from your belongings. you may have paid x for it but sitting in your loft it is worthless. ask for a fair price and be prepared to knock it dowm. some people love to haggle. people go to car boots for bargains they won't pay over the odds, especially for second hand goods.

9. take seats, you'll need them

10. price as much as your stuff as poss, it encourages buyers but make sure you don't price it too low to allow for the hagglers.

11. if you want to do it more than once to get some spare cash, let your relatives & friends know you are doing them. they will likely give you loads of stuff to get rid of for them and most won't want anything for it.

12. people will buy anything - don't dismiss it, take it you'll be amazed, it will probably sell first! lol

Str4berr3

Did a carboot yesterday only make 30 Pounds profit, There was no more car pitch spare as it was all taken, so we had to park the car outside then carry the boxes in the walk in pitch - got sucha backach after that!

Cant say that much of the other sellers are very nice, one, kicked my box as I had accidently put it there on his pitch.
one shouted at me as I had accidently packed on her pitch too. Dont know if these people are lying to get a good pitch.

September is meant to be the best time of the year for carboots. And it was busier this month then the begining of the August one I did.

chardonnay_2

also meant to say get there early to get a good space