Boot Sales- tips please

We certainly have a high standard in my charity shop Monica a ‘small’ dent wouldn’t make much difference, having to hold a lever down to use an item would, but in that case we d probably pass it on to ‘Tools with a Mission’or suggest the customer does that
You cannot expect everything to be tickety boo condition in a charity shop or a car boot stall but it must be in usable condition and aesthetically pleasing .We PAT test all our electrical items.

Bluebelle Yours is the first charity shop I have heard of who will take things like those you mention. I asked in several shops and they were clear that they did not take goods with any damage, - like a small dent in the base of a table fan, purely cosmetic, or a sewing machine where the reverse lever had to be held down. Both these flew off our boot fair stall for £5 each.

On the other hand there was a charity shop in one local town, that had clearly been marked down as a place to sell quality, antique and special items, and much of the remaining stock from our small antiques stall went there and they were delighted with it and they probably able to put a higher price on it because it had positioned itself in that 'antiquy, recherche' sector of the market and could ask higher prices.

I very much targetted everything I sent to charity shop to profile the usual stock and community it was in.

Everything you quote Monica as things that ‘don’t sell at charity shops’ we sell at the charity shop I work at
Garden equipment, packets of nails and such like, brackets, small tools electric fans etc, golf equipment, cricket stuff
plants, everything I would suggest for a car boot we would sell
at the shop so I don’t think that’s a rule you can go by
However I agree that clothes books and toys aren’t the best for car boots either, I do think odds and sods, mens bits and bobs sell best plus plants and jewellery and trinkets ( especially if you have local ones )
They don’t seem as popular as they used to be our local one seems to have shrunk

We did them in our late forties when getting up at 5 wasn’t too bad. We generally made about £110 but were so exhausted by 3 o’clock that we got an Indian takeaway! Still made a profit. In my seventies now, I prefer eBay. Still hard work with the photos and listing the sizes but no early starts.

The boot fair we have been to recently has strict rules. Sellers on site at 7.00, buyers allowed in at 8.00pm. Anyone found buying or selling before 8.00 pm will immediately be banished from the site.

It works very well.

The first boot-fair we did nearly put us off for life! The minute we switched off the engine after being directed to our ‘spot’, we were surrounded by people trying to rummage our open boot while we were still trying to empty it! People can be so rude!
Eventually, we learnt to go with it. If someone offered a fair price for something we were still unloading, we would accept it.
You do need at least two of you though, as people will try to steal anything they can get their hands on, especially while you are setting up and can’t watch them all the time, so you need more than one pair of eyes.
You certainly need reasonable health and lots of stamina and, most important of all, a good sense of humour and loads of patience!
You are unlikely to make a fortune but they are great fun, and worth doing just for that!

Know the feeling. We barely covered our costs. People are only interested in rock-bottom prices which they then consider bargains. We also brought 60% back home. eBay here we come.

We do lots. Price everything then people don’t have to ask. They will try to knock you down anyway. Big sizes in clothes sell well. Practical household items sell. Men like to buy tools and equipment. Jewellery is very popular. Books - put a sign saying £1 each for hardback, 50p softback or 3 for £1. . Your best stuff will go straight away. So keep moving things forward because many people walk around twice. Take cardboard, sellotape and felt tip pens so you can write new signs. Put similar items together. You need a pasting table or picnic table as things higher up go better. Also put things on a waterproof ground sheet. Keep your stall looking interesting by moving stuff around so it still looks full. Take water, suncream and a hat.

We try and do one a year, but are now running out of things to take!

‘Vintage’ stuff seems to sell well.

Tools, garage items, books from my childhood, old bric a brac, costume jewellery….

I never put prices on, but have a good idea what I hope to sell the item for.

I think you need to smile and look interested when people stop and browse, but not be pushy.

DH and I work together, wouldn’t want to do one on my own.

This year’s car boot made £110, less £5 pitch.

That was very good, last year’s about £65.

Be prepared to sell cheap if you don’t want to take stuff home.

Take bags of old nails and bits of old metal. My SIL went to one and that's all she sold.

People are strange but one man's rubbish and all that...

M0nica

ps, boot sales are aalso great fun, for the people watching and chatting to other stall holders. All human life in all its extremes are there and we had some fascinating conversations with people wandering by, rootling in our boxes or whatever.

I think that depends on the boot fair. DD does boot fairs regularly on her own without trouble.

You need at least 2 of you otherwise stuff will be stolen as you are still unloading.

I used to do car boot sales regularly back in the mid-80s when they were a fairly new thing but I'm not well enough to do it all now.

ps, boot sales are aalso great fun, for the people watching and chatting to other stall holders. All human life in all its extremes are there and we had some fascinating conversations with people wandering by, rootling in our boxes or whatever.

We have just got rid of a lot of stuff at 4 successive Boot Sales.

The key to successful boot sales is choose your stock. Do not bother with clothes or toys. There is a surfeit of both at all boot sales and they do not sell unless you practically give them away. If an item would be accepted by a charity shop, it will not sell at a boot sale and should be donated to a charity shop.

Boot sales are for all the things that charity shops do not accept. We took garden equipment, stuff from the garage. DH came up with the idea of a 'rootle' box. A big plastic box full of random things from the garage , small tools, packets of nails, flanges and brackets. Men adore rootle boxes, they were all queuing up to have a rootle and things were flying away at anything from 50p to £1.

We took stuff that worked but was slightly damaged - an electric fan with a dent in the base. A lot of what we took quite frankly one would classify as 'rubbish' but it sold.

As I said, we did 4 boot sales, we cleared between £40-50 at each sale, £10 for entry, £10, for bacon buttys and coffee, (we had to be on site by 7.00am.), so we cleared around £120, from 4 sales, but we were not there for the money we were there to recycle and reutilise all sorts of old rubbish that would otherwise end up in a skip at the tip - and in that we were very successful. We stopped doing thm when we ran out of stock.

I ve never had much success at car boots gave u years and years ago I m trying to get rid of a lot of stuff too my trouble is as fast as I get rid ‘refill’

I’ve done a few and have found people want stuff for peanuts . Sometimes it’s worth it , just to get rid . However I’ve found the whole process overwhelming as I had people trying to get into the boot of my car to see what I had . I’m also sure things were stolen when I wasn’t looking .
These days I’d rather take it to the charity shop or sell clothes on vinted

Stuff goes for peanuts, 50p or less, or you can pit a sign saying ‘offers’.