Car Boot 2026.

I.ve spent hours standing in the cold and wet and not really selling much,So now I prefer to send it all to charity shops .

We do one every year and I’m getting it ready this week.
I price everything and do better that way as some people don’t like haggling. We do an afternoon one where sellers get an hour to set up before buyers are allowed in. I got fed up with the early ones where buyers pounce on you before you have even opened the boot. Good fun. I love them.

I used to enjoy going to car boot sales but having decluttered I am not about to add anything more! Good luck with your sale.

I’d never again do one alone, as I had several items stolen when distracted by someone asking questions.

I priced low, because the last thing I wanted is to have to load it back into the car and unload at home.

The most I’ve ever made is about £100 at an equestrian centre, and that included selling an old but decent saddle for £40. Not sure I’ll be bothered to do one again, and I no longer go to browse as a buyer, only if I’m looking for something g specific like a tool or a particular book!

mokryna In France brocantes, and, certaainy, vide grniers are organised by the council and held on public roads or in market places.

In the Uk car bootsales are organised by companies for whom this is a a business and are held on private land where there will be rental and other costs. We generally pay £10 for a selling space and a couple of £s to get in and reckon it is a good bargain.

I enjoy going to the French equivalent brocante or vide grenier. All the local towns do them, as well as certain quatiers within a town, with great bargains and they are free to enter and browse!
Last Sunday the neighbouring town blocked off a certain part of the main road, cars were forced to do a loop, and the crowds came. Music played and the Resturant’s did a roaring trade.
I have been disappointed on some of the English ones I have visited, to be charge, why do they do this, as here it is the stall holders that pay?

Yes pce612 of course you are correct. But, as far as I understand, mine and all the other posts on this thread so far, are relating to outdoor car boot sales.

Is a ‘car boot’ sale indoors (no cars) not just a jumble sale???

We did at least 6 last year, as we were downsizing and also clearing the last of the stock from our antiue stall.

We currently have a storage facility with stuff waiting for this years boot fairs in our new location, but DH's health emans it needs to be a warm day and we need DD's help.

We have done some over the years but at the last one we did people wanted stuff for next to nothing so we use Freecycle now or take things to the local BHF charity shop.

I haven't done one recently but I used to do several every year.

I always made sure I had plenty of change before I started.

It seems obvious but the people who bought stuff over in bin bags and dumped it out onto the ground never seemed to sell much. I had a table and a dress rail as well as boxes of clean sorted items. The clothes and soft furnishings I sold were always washed and ironed and either folded neatly or hung up.

I was once given a mink coat to sell at a charity boot sale. It created a great deal of interest but I was determined not to let it go for under £10 and it was unsold at the end of the day. Shortly after I took it to a shop that specialised in selling fur coats and they gave me £60 for it which I passed on to the charity.

Most of the time it was pretty good natured but occasionally buyers were rude to me if, for instance, I didn't want to sell an unused saucepan for 2p.

I always took unsold stuff and any rubbish home with me at the end of the day as it is not fair to leave it behind for someone else to clear up and can get you banned from a site.

I've done a number over the years. Found it to be a good day out, both selling and browsing other stalls. My first time was an eye opener when I sold a vase after some negotiation. I later spotted it on the buyers stall at double the price. I stopped doing car boots as I got fed up of people wanting to pay as little as possible and haggling to get 20p, 50p off - FGS. What I could never understand was why do folk go to carboots without carrier bags and then getting stroppy with the seller for not having bags to give away. It got to be too much trouble so stopped but I do see the attraction. I hope you have a productive and dry day Calendergirl

Been to a few but never been the seller.

P.S. And picnic chairs to sit on.