16 Car Boot Sale Tips To Make Extra Cash
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As summer approaches and lockdown is looking like it will finally end, I’m sure there are lots of people out there that will be keen to get back to doing Car Boot Sales. After all, many of us have had lots of extra time to declutter and find bits and bobs to sell. Here are my Car Boot Sale Tips including how to price your items and what sells well at car boot sales.
Car Boot Selling Tips
When it comes to selling at a car boot sale there are lots of things to think about. First of all, you’ll need to get prepared by thinking about where and when to do a car boot sale. While it can be fun to do a car boot sale last minute, generally speaking, things will go a lot smoother if you give yourself a couple of weeks to get prepared.
1. Ask Around
Ask friends and family which car boot sales locally they think are best and why and how much they’ve made at them.
2. Pick Your Date Carefully
When it comes to car boot sales some dates can be better than others. Car boot sales at the start of the season are good because people haven’t been to one in so long.
Bank Holiday car boot sales tend to be very busy too as people treat them as a day out. If you live in an area with a good amount of tourism, the school summer holidays can be a great time to do a good car boot.
3. Timing Matters
Double-check the start time for sellers beforehand – you don’t want to be the last ones to arrive and be stuck at the end of the car boot where people may be bored or have already spent all their money.
4. Check The Weather
Generally speaking, the sunshine brings people out, so try and pick a sunny weekend if you can – although I know that’s easier said than done with the Great British weather!
5. Take your own lunch
The best way to make a profit is to not spend any of it! You’ll already need to deduct the cost of the pitch and fuel costs so don’t add to those expenses by spending a fortune on greasy burgers. Take a packed lunch and drinks to keep you going.
6. Wash & Iron Clothes
If you’re selling clothes, you’ll want to get the best price possible for them. If they’ve been in storage, get organised and wash and iron them during the week before the car boot sale.
They’ll look and smell better and you should get a better price for them. If you have a long mirror take this (and label it as not for sale!) so people can hold items up against themselves.
Having a hanging rail is the best way to display your clothes and stop them from getting crumpled – if you don’t have one ask around as friends and family may well have one you can borrow for the day.
7. Take Plenty of Change
One of my biggest car boot sale tips is to take as much change as you can. It is honestly astonishing how many people want to pay for a 50p item with a £20 note! You don’t want to miss out on sales because you don’t have enough change. Take a bumbag to keep it in so you never need to put it down or leave it unattended.
8. Bring Bubble Wrap
If you’re selling anything delicate make sure you take some bubble wrap and sticky tape. I save all bubble wrap from the parcels I get for this purpose!
9. Carrier bags
Make sure you take plenty of carrier bags too. While generally speaking people are much better at bringing their own these days, you wouldn’t want to lose out on cash because someone can’t easily carry something. If you can, take bags in a range of sizes to cover all eventualities.
10. Clean Books & DVDs
Things will always sell for more the better they look. Especially if they’ve been in storage give them a once over to remove any dirt or dust.
11. Take a Friend
As well as being good company, it’s always handy to have someone you trust with you at a car boot sale. They can watch your stall if you need to go to the loo and hopefully, two pairs of eyes should stop anything from going missing without being paid for.
12. Prevent Theft
As sad as it is, I know plenty of people who have had items stolen at car boot sales. For more expensive items, only display the box and keep the item itself locked inside your car. You could also choose just to display one part of things such as one shoe.
13. Dress well
While it can be tempting to rock up looking super casual and comfy, the better dressed you are the more likely people will think your items are worth more. First impressions count too, so don’t forget to smile and be friendly.
14. Clean Your Car
Having a clean car can make a difference too. If you’re selling directly from your boot rather than a table, give it a good vacuum the day before the boot sale!
15. Don’t go browsing
As tempting as it can be to go off for a browse of all the other stalls, remember you are there to make money, not spend it and to get rid of as much stuff as possible.
16. Mix Things Up
If you have a lot of items to sell it might be worth trying a few different car boot sales. Some might have a bigger footfall but charge more for a pitch, others may be smaller but cheaper for you to sell at. Lots of people go to the same car boot sales each week, so you’re more likely to sell by going to a different.
You also may find your items sell for more in more affluent areas, so it might be worth spending some extra on petrol and doing a car boot sale a bit further from to be in with a chance of making more profit.
How Much Does A Car Boot Cost?
The cost of Car Boot sales can vary dramatically. It can depend on lots of things including where you are in the country, how big the car boot sale is, who it’s run by and when it’s run too (for example, Bank Holiday Car Boot Sales are sometimes more expensive as they know they’ll be more people around than usual).
You’ll usually pay more for a bigger, more popular car boot. Of course the bigger it is there more people who are there to buy your stuff.
What type of vehicle you have can also affect the cost as typically vans are charged more than cars for a car boot sale pitch with trailers also being extra. Lots of places now offer online booking so you can book ahead, know how much it’ll cost before you go and be sure of space once you get there.
Dedicated Car Boot Sale places sometimes offer indoor pitches, which are dry and often come with tables provided or included in the cost. However, these usually cost more so it’s worth weighing up what’s best for your overall profits from the day.
When figuring out your profits from a car boot sale don’t forget to include the cost of your pitch and any other additional costs such as food and drink and petrol.
Example of Car Boot Sale Costs:
These are taken from the Cheddar Car Boot sale Website.
|
CARS |
£10 |
|
CARS/TRAILER |
£14 |
|
PICKUPS |
£12 |
|
SMALL VAN |
£12 |
|
SHORT WHEELBASE VAN |
£16 |
|
LONG WHEEL BASE VAN |
£20 |
What To Sell At A Car Boot Sale
Of course, you can sell pretty much anything you like at a car boot sale. However, there are a few things worth bearing in mind when it comes to how much profit you might make.
Car Boot sales are perfect for getting rid of lots of low-value items, such as books, DVDs, puzzles and games, toys and general brick-a-brack. Homeware also tends to do well, I’ve always found things like blankets, duvet covers and curtains sell.
If you have higher values items, these are probably best sold on eBay or Facebook marketplace if you want a good price for them. At a car boot sale, people seem to expect everything to be very cheap and will often offer well below your asking price.
I find car boot sale are great for making money on lots of low-value items at once rather than selling a few more expensive pieces.
What Are The Best Things To Sell At Cars Boots Sales?
There are lots of things that affect what sells well at a car boot sale, including the time of year, the area and even the weather.
Here are some of the best things to sell at a car boot sale:
- Toys, games, teddies and puzzles.
- Books and DVDs.
- Plates, Mugs, Cups and Glasses
- Photo Frames, Wall Art, Canvas.
- Ornaments
- Clothes and Shoes
- Tech – Phones and Consoles are often sought after but remember you’ll likely get better price selling elsewhere.
Choosing Prices For Car Boot Sale Items
Making money from car boot sales, while it sounds easy can be a bit hit-and-miss. It’s definitely better for getting rid of lots of low-value items in one go than making a big amount of money, although of course, it all depends on what you have to sell.
Car boot sale prices are usually around 50p – £3 an item and typically items don’t sell for much more than this unless they are branded or unopened and brand new and even then it can be a tough market. People will haggle so if you have a price in mind it’s okay to be firm and stick to it.
Personally, I’ve found it pretty tedious going through everything and labelling it with a price when people haggle anyway. I tend to take boxes and write on the front with a sharpie ‘Everything £1’ or ‘3 for £1’. I found this works really well for books, DVDs and CDs.
You could also divide your table into price sections for ease. This also allows your companion (if you take one!) to know what price you want if you’re popped to the loo or gone for a little walk around.
For items that I want to get a certain price for, or attract attention to I’ll use a big star-shaped piece of card with a price on it. This works well for bigger items. If I’m selling clothes I’ll use a rail and divide it up into price sections just using paper.
If you’re keen to get rid of everything on your table then you might want to think about reducing prices at the end of the day, for example, reducing everything to 50p or 20p. You can always put items you’d like to get more money for in your car to sell elsewhere another day.
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Final Tips For Selling At Car Boot Sales
Here are a few final car boot sale tips that should help your day run as smoothly as possible.
- Take a chair! It can be a long day if you don’t have anything comfy to sit on during quieter periods.
- Picnic Blankets can be great for displaying extra items in front of your tables.
- If the weather is looking changeable take an umbrella and tarpaulin to cover your wares should you need to.
- Make yourself a ‘Car Boot Box’ which includes Sharpies, labels, wet wipes, suncream, sellotape, pen and paper, scissors and any other little bits and bobs you might need.
- I’ve seen people recommend packing the car up the night before to save time in the morning. If you have a garage or live in a secluded area this is fine, if you don’t have off-road parking then it’s not something I would recommend doing!
- Pack your tables, ground sheets etc last so they are the first things you unpack when you arrive at the car boot sale.
- Count your float before you go so you can figure out your profits at the end of the day.
- Don’t expect to sell everything, it’s very rare everything goes so you should expect to take some items home with you.
Disclaimer: If you’re earning more than £100o net per year from your side hustle (excluding matched betting, cashback and selling your own items) then you’ll need to register with HMRC and fill out a tax return. This includes buying items from car boot sales, charity shops or Vinted to resell for a profit.
Do you have any car boot sale tips you would add to these?
