Any tips for doing a car boot sale?

[dooneby]

We're having to move house and I refuse to take all the STUFF we've managed to accumulate over the past decade.

I've managed to sell quite a bit on ebay and FB marketplace but for the majority of things (mainly outgrown kids toys) we're planning on going to our local car boot sale.

I did one as a teenager with my parents but can't really remember what we did. We were planning on going today to have a look around and see what prices people were putting on items before doing ours next week but I didn't realise it was today for another event.

If you go to car boot sales, either for selling or buying, do you have any advice or tips? I suppose I'm looking for an idea of how to price items. And what's the best way to actually display the price?? Tips on set up/display would be handy too!

We're going to have lots of toys, soft toys, kids books and probably lots of odds and ends of things I've bought and never used!

Yes, don't bother!

People want something something for nothing and you will end up taking a lot home with you.

As soon as you drive onto your pitch you will be mobbed. People will be taking stuff out of the car asking how much?

my advice is to get out, lock up and walk away till they’ve moved into someone else.

Also my advice is not to take a very hungover, possibly still drunk friend to help, she will only lie under the table groaning and then spend the takings on greasy burgers.

Remember to go to the bank and get a large 'float'. People give you a £20 note (frequently) for something you want £1 or 50p from.

Price things low if you're just wanting to get rid for moving. People only want to buy stuff if it's really cheap - they are the modern 'jumble sale'. Everything you don't sell should go straight to the tip imo otherwise it's a pain in the arse having to unload everything you wanted to clear out back into your house again.

Do not leave the car radio on, or doors open if this automatically turns on internal lights. If possible unpack, then lock car so it turns fully off. No fun to try to set off at the end and find you've run out the battery.

If you do it, do it in Cheddar. I was absolutely stunned at how polite people are there at car boot sales compared to my adopted home town where you need a gumshield and a shitty stick to beat them off with.

I will never do a car boot local again.

Pack a picnic including a bottle of squash you froze the night before. It will defrost during the day, and its cheaper than buying things from those burger vans.

Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat, and a large umbrella if allowed. Comfy seat.

To make it easier- have a whole table or box/container and everything there is £x price- then you won't need to individually price as many items. OR have say a red dot sticker on £1 items and a yellow dot on £2 items

I agree- that people will want to barter you down to absolutely nothing and you will be lucky to pay the pitch fees

I personally would spend the day with your family doing something nice instead. Check if local refuges/womens rescues can take toys or advertise them on olio.

Pack carefully. I use banana boxes from the supermarkets, they stack nicely in the car and are easy to unload. Take the lid off, scoop half the stuff into the upturned lid and voilà. Any boxes emptied by the end can be kicked apart and flattened for recycling.

Beware of the vultures. Easily recognisable, they’re the people who pop up beside the car before you’ve even turned off the engine. Usually after jewellery or old coins.

Be realistic. You’re not going to sell things for mega bucks. How cheap it goes depends on how much you want to take home again. Be prepared to haggle

I'm dreading it and the replies aren't helping 😂

I like the idea of colour coding for prices, or different priced baskets.

Set yourself a goal of money to make and have at least £50 in £5s and coins as your float.

don’t eat into your profits by buying drinks or food. Take your own.

keep eyes on your items at all times - so many thefts at car boots

If you want to sell most/all stuff, sell it cheap.

Sell your kids books for 10-20p not £1 like some try to at ours.
Clothes 50p-£1 each.

I've done them before and made money this way, and taken very little home with me.even gave stuff away at passers by at the end.

My dad and brother did a car boot years ago and said that people were trying to get into the car when they pulled up

I've always wondered if this was an exaggeration but seeing some replies maybe it wasn't!

Not just cheap but ridiculously cheap and you'll still take nearly all of it home with you... put up signs for your stupidly cheap prices, like 10p for each Beano magazine or 20p for each item of clothing. Maybe "All offers considered!" You still won't even get your pitch fee back in my experience, but good luck.

The best selling things I ever saw at a carboot sale was someone's old tyres. Still astounds me that.

You need to be organised. We've done a few. Dh sets up the table, blankets, clothes rail. He unloads, I watch. So that no one steals as you are sorting out your stuff.

Like everyone else. I was lucky to make back my pitch fees last time! So many charity shops and pound shops around and no one is getting rid of any decent expensive stuff it's all becoming chain store stuff as the older generation die off.
However if you have any cosmetics or toiletries you've used once or never - they go like hot cakes! So weird. And grim.

Every time I go to my local car boot sale I'm struck by how much utter crap people try to sell which really should just be taken to the dump! Rubbish old toys, totally worn out clothes, electrical equipment that's so outdated it's unusable. From my experience, if you want to sell your clothes don't just chuck them in a big pile on the floor, make sure people can see them. Be realistic about what is just crap and dump it, you'll save yourself a whole load of hassle!!

I've done a couple of car boots and made around £90 each time. Tips are take lots of change and keep it in a bum bag, people will ask for a bag to put stuff in, sell your stuff really cheap, nobody wants DVDs but vinyl is a good seller, use a clothes rail if you have one. Share the cost of the pitch with a friend and as it can get boring and it's someone to chat with! Good luck I'm hoping to do another one but it's hard getting up so early on a Sunday morning!

As others have said, have about £20 in silver and a few pound coins ready in change, use a bum bag. People will haggle everything to a cheap as possible so expect to sell nice toys for less than £5, books for 20-50p, puzzles for 50p, small figures etc for 10p-50p. When you get there get your paste table out and shut your boot while you put your table up. Put a tarpaulin on the floor for toys. Have a friend help, watch for people pinching things, have plenty of food/drink and don’t spend the profits on other tat! Good luck!

Lol to not spending the profits while we're there. There's a McDs right across the street and I've warned the kids they will not be getting one!

I'm thinking I might just stick with FB/ebay/vinted and see how that goes.