AIBU to ask for your experiences of car boot selling

[ToCarbootOrNotToCarboot]

We're due to move soon, and have a LOT of stuff to get rid of. Lots of good quality items, but things we no longer want, use or need, but could help raise some much needed moving funds if sold.

DH wants to just take the lot and sell at the local car boot. Easy to get rid of most of it all in one day. Sounded perfect initially, and I agreed.

But, I've really gone off the idea now, having heard a couple of horror stories from other people. Buyers dragging things out the backs of sellers cars before they've even had chance to set up, stuff being stolen, stuff being broken, ridiculously rude haggling, abuse and swearing when you refuse a ridiculous haggle. It all sounds extremely stressful to me, not much fun and the potential to lose money & decent items in thefts and breakages.

DH thinks these are one-off extreme or exaggerated cases I've heard and thinks we should still do it, before the car boot season ends at the end of this month.

What are your car boot experiences? AIBU and car boots arent that bad? Or is DH being unreasonable by still insisting we do a car boot on the backs of these other people's experiences and warnings?

(If you know of a good/civilised one I'm the South East, pls do let me know!)

Anything very good quality or branded sell on vinted. People offer very low at carboot sales in my experience.

We do have a few designer items actually, and I am worried about them being stolen. I won't let them go for cheap either.

Don't go with expensive.stuff; sell that on Facebook market place, Vinted or Ebay. People expect a bargain at a car boot sale. But that said, honestly, people buy any old shit at car boots - I do about one a year when we have a clear out. Stuff like a half used bag of tile spacers -.10p - sold. Saves it going to landfill. Definitely worth doing and I find them quite good fun.

Anything worth over £100 sell elsewhere.

i find the early start off putting but did well at the last one I did selling books, carpet offcuts, kids toys etc. didn’t make a fortune but it felt like free money iyswim

Don’t take anything worth any money. You won’t get more than £1 for anything.
Stuff that’s worth over £10 sell on vinted/fb marketplace.
Then take anything else to the car boot. Don’t even bother with designer stuff. You won’t sell it for what you want and you’ll get people offering you 50p for it.
They are good for getting rid of worthless tat. But not for anything else

I did a few several years ago to help out my sister in law get rid of some items after my BIL died. He had a taste for car mascots, badges and accessories so there were a lot of things but they did sell very easily.

Anyway, you'll probably get 'jumped on' as soon as you open your boot by dealers or other sellers looking for an easy £ win (worse if you're inexperienced)

Long day, crap if the weather is poor, no facilities etc. etc. Nice , warm, sunny day then no problem (apart from facilities, of course) Only the hardiest do it I think.

If you're in no real rush to sell then Vinted/Facebook/ etc seem to be the places to sell.

But if you do a boot sale then -
Bumbag for cash
Lots of notes/coins in small denominations
Keep more valuable stuff nearer you, with less valuable at the front
Only do it if two of you for loo/tea breaks as very risky to leave stand alone

Sure more experienced sellers will be along soon.

Yes people take stuff before it is even out.

Then will barter for stuff for pennies.

You will sell a few things and the time it took to pack it all up plus the car boot fee will not be covered by the money you make.

You will leave it in the car and take it to a charity shop first thing the next working day.

That's my experience.

Is your local carboot sale outside?

If it's inside then it's a great place to sell unwanted clothes, toys, books, household bits, although be realistic about the prices as people don't expect to pay much. If it's outside I wouldn't bother selling at this time of year as it will be mostly traders, and resellers. Very few genuine buyers want to be in a cold dark field at 6am.

Another option is to box up the bits you want to get rid of and sell it on FB marketplace as a carboot job lot. Plenty of people make a living selling at boot sales and buy job lots / bundles to restock their stalls.

I do boot sales most sat/sun make great money I sell clothes some designer items I buy too. It’s great fun and at the end all the rubbish just let it go for free it will all go

If you can get to Capital Car Boot in Pimlico or Battersea Boot - then you will get more reasonable prices. They have a more 'vintage vibe' (and buyers with more money) than other car boots.
But you still need to be vigilant about theft and other sellers trying to buy your stuff for pennies

Sister use to go park up lock car...go get a coffee and bacon roll then come back and unpack at leisure once all the "seagulls" as she called them had been through .. any gold, any Lego, any watches..

I am thinking of doing another one , although last time the kids spent all my profit's on Pokémon cards :)

I have a friend who car boots regularly, loves it and makes decent money doing it.

From what she tells me your DH is optimistic thinking you will take everything and be done in one day. You will struggle to keep track of all your items, get overwhelmed and it's too much. And yes everyone is looking to pay as little as possible or not at all

She does a bit once a week when she wants a clear out.

South East - there are a few that let you set up unhassled as a seller and have a strict 'no buying' until start time. Hayes Farm in Bromley or K&T Whitstable Bends spring to mind.

Season is almost over, though, as the winter weather starts. You might be better to set up outside your home, presuming there is room for people to pass by (mobility scooter or pram) and advertise as a 'garage sale' on your local Facebook group.

You may occasionally sell a designer piece for the price you want but it's more likely you will get a good price on fb marketplace or vinted. I don't take a lot of cash to BootSales as I'm wary of pickpockets - I buy vintage China and ornaments, books, art, cat bits & high end high street clothing if reasonably priced. I wouldn't buy anything designer without authentication & I would expect about 10% of original price to be your starting price. Which I would politely haggle.

Last one I did was at Landsdown in Bath before we moved. I had boxes for 50p, £1 etc and everything else with a price. Helps to have a table and a clothes rack for clothes. I sold a glass fry pan lid for 20p. Dog beds and other dog related stuff went immediately and a stair gate. It’s interesting what people will buy. People were asking if I had Lego before it started. Years ago I get over excited at my first car boot and sold my coat. There is camaraderie between stalls, pays to be organised.

Oh god, it's absolute hell.

Clothing, people expect to pay 50p-£1 per item (and will probably sell it on vinted anyway so you'd be better doing that yourself).

People will harass you and try to climb through your car as you're unloading asking if you've got any phones etc.

Hagglers are aggressive.

Expensive items either won't sell or you'll get less than half of what you would on marketplace etc.

I did an inside one made about £40 in total and then took the remainder to the charity shop. It was not a great use of my morning tbh. As others say people are looking for huge bargain.
Am tempted by the charity shop job lot on Facebook tbh

Standing in the freezing cold at stupid o'clock on a Sunday morning for less than minimum wage.

Having your once loved items being pawed over and being offered 10p for them.

If you are on your own no toilet break.

If it's in a car park you can't leave if you get fed up.

The smell of a burger van that makes you heave.

Having to go to a charity shop, tip or take the stuff back home because no one liked your once loved stuff enough to buy it for 10p.

Sister use to go park up lock car...go get a coffee and bacon roll then come back and unpack at leisure once all the "seagulls" as she called them had been through
Yup. Arrive, lock car doors, wait for next few victims cars to turn up and only then open the doors and set up.
And don't waste your hard-earned profits on coffee and bacon rolls. Take a thermos!

However, it does seem a bit late in the year for outdoor booting. Can you wait a bit and position it as a Black Friday / pre-Xmas garage sale?

I've done a few over the years. Used to enjoy it, now it's too much hassle and people nick stuff and want everything for pennies. I've just sold a few items at a local general auction. It's not even a proper auction house, he hires the community centre for a day a month and all transactions are cash. He charges 10% plus £1 per item, which is a lot cheaper than auction houses. I'm currently sorting stuff for the next one.

Doing one next week on our local second hand market
my best tip is have everything in big bags or plastic boxes and put your tables in last
on arrival set up tables, with car locked, then get out and unpack 1 or 2 boxes at a time whilst keeping rest locked in your vehicle
I find the death stare and a polite no works well with chancers
other dealers making cheeky offers I just tell them to come back nearer packing up time and see what is left
I always have a rough price in mind for most things
Anything valuable keep very close or take a picture of it and print off then blutack to car window
I normally expect to make at least £100-150 not worth bothering otherwise

OK, advice taken on board. Expensive designer stuff will not be going to car boot if we decide to do it. I'll be done for assault if anyone tries knicking stuff we worked hard to buy, even if we don't use it anymore! I'll sell that stuff online.

However, I'm still feeling like I don't wanna do this to be honest. The idea of people trying to rip through our stuff before we've even unpacked is already getting me twitchy. Aggressive haggling, selling stuff for pennies. It's not worth the effort, pitch fee and fuel tbh, imo.

Unfortunately, yard sales aren't really a thing neighbours want to get onboard with round here. A local villager asked if anyone was interested in either starting up an indoor car boot thing or a yard sale safari, and based on responses she said she'd arrange whatever the majority voted for. Loads responded positively to a car boot, but nobody wanted the yard sale. However, the organiser has decided she'd rather organise the yard sale safari, asking neighbours on one particular street to rent out their driveways to stallholders. But again, nobody is interested. The neighbours on that street don't want their drives taken up all day by stallholders, and sellers don't want to impose themselves on those neighbours. So that's all been a bit of a non-starter sadly.

I'll have a think. But have to make my mind up soon, as there's only two more weekends left to do it.