To ask for your car boot sale horror stories

[lostelephant]

I do a few car boot sales a year and I've spent most of my afternoon going through the garage looking for things to sell. Although its nice to make a bit of money, there always seems to be something that rubs me the wrong way!

The worst one was when I was unpacking my car, turned back around and a woman was actually sat in the back of my car rummaging through my CDs that weren't even for sale!

Please tell me I'm not the only one whose had bad experiences

[HennyPennyHorror]

That is normal at boot sales. In my experience anyway. People get torches and climb into your car in the dark!

[IceRebel]

People get torches and climb into your car in the dark!

So true, and they shout got any gold, Lego or vinyl whilst they're doing it.

[Islands81]

I remember someone on here posting that her DAD bought her a kind gift once from a car boot sale...it was a bikini hair trimmer with someone else’s pubes still stuck in it (not envy)

[SileneOliveira]

Only ever done one or two but it's the swarm of "professionals" who descend on you as soon as you park the car barking things like "Got any Lego?" or "Selling any ceramics?"

[PoliticalBiscuit]

A beggar who kept coming back to my stall with her son about an item I was flogging cheap. It was bordering on aggressive and her son had his bit well practised.

[Nanasueathome]

We took sleeping bags to sell one time and 2 women opened the back doors of the car, one on either side, and were both pulling at them. Like a tug of war
I remember selling a child’s anorak that was really expensive and I wanted £1.50 for it. It was like new, hardly warn and had cost over £50 and this was a long time ago. A couple came and looked at it with the intention of buying it for their grandson. They tried to knock the price down and I agreed they could have it for £1. They then had a discussion about it as the woman thought it would be too big and didn’t want to waste £1. After debating and arguing about it they finally walked away. I told my sister, who was with me, that it could be sold for £1 but if that couple came back they couldn’t buy it

[BlythesEyes]

If anyone tries to rummage through my stuff before I'm ready I always tell them everything is £50 an item...and repeat and repeat again..they soon go away until I'm set up.

[Isitweekendyet]

My Mum, DS and I once went carbooting to fulfill her dream of Bargain Hunt - never again.

DS was obsessed with life of pets at the time and saw a Max Happy Meal toy. I was willing to spend a couple of quid on it until I realised the guy was flogging it for a tenner. When I balked at the price he assured me it was a ‘collectable’. The meltdown from the toddler was worth the principle after I refused to buy it.

That and a five pound garlic press with a fraying handle were the highlight of the day:

[Witchofzog]

I love a good car boot and think I am quite a respectful buyer e.g. I always refoldd stuff etc, but some other people. Jeez! The ones who rifle through clothes with lit fags getting ash everywhere, the ones who barge people out of the way when they see something they like, the ones who want everything for 10p. It puts me off ever doing one

[rosydreams]

stuff like this really put me off a local car boot .When my family was struggling the only way we could stuff was at the cat boot.But you had to get their early.ebay sellers would take any nice kids clothes,shoes or toys and sell them online.Climbing into peoples cars to get to them.

So glad we found another carboot were this is not allowed ,the one i go to has rules.Were you have unpacking time then all sellers start sale at same time your not allowed to ask or go overs peoples stuff before then.This gives everyone a fair chance

[RandomMess]

We park up, lock doors go for a look around then come back when we're not the "new" row anymore. Much more civilised!

[Mydollymolly]

The ones who haggle you for an item, then when you go for a walk round they're selling it on their stall for more than you were asking for it originally! They get right on my thrupennies.
I was once selling a brand new, still packaged baby sling and a young woman came along asking if i would take less for it ( i wasn't asking much to start to ) She started on about how useful she would find it for carrying her baby and how expensive they are in the shops. I sold it to her for half of what i was originally charging because i felt sorry for her, only to find it on her stall when i went for a walk round at a higher price than i was charging originally! To be fair, she did look shame faced when she saw me and literally hid under her table!
On the rare occasion that i've had a boot sale, i have parked up, locked up and gone to find coffee before i even think about unloading to stop others from rummaging through and once or twice, stealing my stuff!

[lostelephant]

BlythesEyes I'm going to try that one this weekend

[SeaWitchly]

MyDolly my husband was taken in the same way at a car boot sale, only it was a breast feeding pillow not a sling. Young woman who gave him chapter and verse on her money issues and how she couldn’t afford this essential item. He felt sorry for her and let her buy it cheap, only to come across it on her stall later on.
It was an interesting experience selling at a car boot sale but both DH and I say ‘never again’!

[MitziTheTabbyIsMyOverlord]

This is tame, but for me it was choosing to get up so bleedin' early when DD was an early riser in any case.

Plus all the tat she just "had" to have (and that we later had to display in our actual house. In fact, I think we've still got some of her treasurers).

[stayhomeclub]

We used to sell at car boot sales all the time when we first got our house and were strapped for cash.

Every wants something for 50p. Anything actually nice won’t sell. That ten year old soda stream from the garage will definitely sell.

People would ask you to save something for them then come back and swear blind they’d paid you earlier. People would just walk off with stuff. Safe to say my ‘customer service skills’ nosedived and if we ever do one now I am quite hard faced. I’ve learnt that the only one who feels bad if you get mugged off is you so don’t let it happen.

[morallowground]

I once did a car boot sale and apart from the people trying to pull things out of my boots before I’d barely opened it, I had one woman tell me she loved my trousers, the ones I was wearing not a pair I was selling. She then said can I buy them for a night out that night. I laughed thinking she was joking and she got really serious and said I’ll give you £5 for them, can’t you take some of the jeans your selling and put them on and sell me your trousers. They were new trousers I’d just bought a few days before. I said no sorry they’re new, she then came back as she left to ‘give me once last chance’ to sell them to her. I declined

[BadLad]

Just the usual piss takers - offering 50p for something priced at over a fiver and getting annoyed when I said I'd rather throw it away than let them get away with such a low-balling offer.

[IceRebel]

morallowground Genuine belly laughs here at your story. It's not something i've ever encountered but I can imagine it happening. Some of the buyers are determined little buggers.

[BiBiBirdie]

Thieves
I'm not talking the odd tiny item you'd miss either.
Last year, the council allowed a weekly bootfair at our park on a Tuesday. It starts at 9am so is handy as it's about 2 minutes from our house, and means I can drop DS at school and then wander round.
Despite the day it gets quite busy.
DH had a day off work so we decided to do one there ourselves (we used to do them before DCs and used to have a laugh).
So we set up, and I had a big selection of kids clothes, I wanted rid so did 3 for a £1.
Was going well until I got driven mad by a woman about the clothes. She asked how much so I said you can have 3 for a £1.
"No" she said.
I asked what she meant by no? "No. 3 50p" was her response. I laughed and said no chance. She had picked up loads, including a barely worn winter M&S coat. Plonked the lot down and there was about ten items and says "no. All. 50p" whilst shoving a 50p in my face.
She was then joined by her friend who joined in driving me mad for a bit before she gave up and went to look at the rest of the clothes.
In the end I told both to go away, they kept on and on about 50p.
I then turned to the other side as a young student had spotted the big pile of PlayStation 2 games we had and offered £10 for about 5 of them, no quibble at all.
Turned back round and 50p and her mate had gone, along with a big pile of clothes and the coat. Cheeky thieving cows. I spoke to the guys running the place but not much they could do. I have no doubt the women had just come from the primary school on the opposite side of the road to the park.
Put me right off doing one there again.
People literally want something for nothing. The same sale anytime I asked for a pound, I was aggressively told 25p or 50p. Even a brand new Ted Baker man's coat which I was asking a fiver for I got offered a quid for more than once.
Even eBay is less stressful

[labazsisgoingmad]

personally id like to know how these people who boast of making three figure sums at car boots do it. we do one most sundays have a mix of vintage china clothes craft items plants etc yet we have never made above 50 quid and that has only happened once or twice its usually 20 or 30 quid max.
i quite agree that there are some cheeky people there is one lady she is foreign and it seems the only word she knows is 50p! i dread her coming round

[IceRebel]

id like to know how these people who boast of making three figure sums at car boots do it.

A family member does them once a year, and easily makes 3 figures. I think the most they've ever made was around £250

we do one most sundays have a mix of vintage china clothes craft items plants etc

If you do them every week with the same type of items, people will most likely recognise your stall and walk on by. The family member I mentioned above sells once a year. They have childen's toys, household items, clothes, games, tools, various sports equipment that has been outgrown etc.

[Oblomov19]

We do one every year. I've only ever done it with Dh and the 2 ds's. I get the ds's to be our 'look-out's', while Dh and I are setting up. Those people who come and rummage as you are setting up are so irritating, aren't they. Someone was in my boot, and I said 'do you mind. We'll be set up in a minute'. Rude twat!

I have utter respect for those that do it on their own - I seriously don't know how they do it.

[Oblomov19]

I do understand doing one annually and making a bit, £££,because that's what we do:

We too normally have quite a few expensive bits, to start us off : a lawnmower and a pair of bedside drawers, for example.

Plus tonnes of crap: ds's clothes and football boots sell like wildfire. Some new crap: Birthday present that the D esses have been given we haven't opened because they didn't want them.

Last time, we made a bit. And then Dh wandered round and spent most of it on a second hand bike for Ds2!!

[Oblomov19]

Dh and I now have a car boot sale plan! We sell everything. And what we can't sell I make 3 piles: pile 1 - of stuff to keep for the next car boot sale: and then the other 2 piles: i do a trip to the charity shop and a trip to the dump, on the way home.
Simples.