As a regular car boot shopper I thought it was about time I became a seller again. About once a year my Mum and I do a car boot sale and clear out the items from our house that we no longer use (or never used and can’t remember why we own!) and it’s actually a really fun morning out together.

 

I wanted to share with you guys some tips on how I think you can make the most money possible at a car boot. Whether you’re a regular looking for new ideas, or a newbie who is daunted by the whole thing – this should definitely help you. Comment at the end with any other tips you have and I’d love to add them!

Getting ready

Once you decide you need a clear out I’d recommend putting a date in your diary for about one month’s time. Once you commit everything else will work around it and then you won’t let the summer slip by without getting round to it! Once you’ve set this up, decide on a space where you’re going to build up your stash of things to get rid of. Then, over the next month put a couple of things on the pile everyday. I find it easiest to clear out in small chunks like this, rather than taking on the whole house in one go! It’s also worth having a look in places you don’t often go – e.g bathroom cupboard, attic, under your bed, beside table, and you’ll soon find lots of items you never use that can be sold.

If you’d like more Spring Clean tips check out my blog post on the 30 Day Declutter Challenge to see what I learnt from an epic clear out journey.

A couple of other bits and pieces you’ll want to prepare: a cash float, carrier bags, marker pen + paper + selotape, and some snacks!

On the day

When you arrive at the sale you’ll find that as soon as you open your boot you get swamped by collectors trying to get the best deals. Lots of them will quickly move on if you don’t have what they want, but if you DO then prepare to stick to your prices and be strong! They’re looking for a bargain and if they’re interested in something that probably means others will want it to so be tough on your pricing.

Similarly, don’t worry if sales are a bit slow at the start – all the collectors come early so if your things are more suitable to average people (e.g. shoes, baby clothes, dvds) then you’ll be waiting for the later people to arrive. Keep calm and keep your prices!

Display

It’s nice to have things prettily arranged, but I think the most important thing of all is to have big, clear prices. I like to write with a big market pen on A4 paper, then you can easily change it throughout the day. Price as many thing as you can, either individuals or as a whole (e.g. “clothes £2 each”) and separate things out into chunks – e.g. £1 table, £2 table, £5 rail etc – it makes it simple for both you and customers.

 

 

Afterwards

Of course towards the end you’ll start slashing your prices to get everything sold, but don’t be too over zealous. We had a few things that got no interest at all, and then suddenly sold right at the end when the right person came along. If you’ve got a strong feeling about how much something is worth to you then stick with it!

 

I also want to encourage you to not slash prices too far, as anything left over can be donated to a charity shop and raise money for them. It can be your good deed for the day to donate really good quality items for fundraising.

 

Similarly, anything that you think a charity shop won’t be able to sell YOU should take to the dump. It costs them money (and time) to throw things away so don’t offload your junk on them. Finally, remember they might be closed on a Sunday so don’t take them in until it’s open again. It’s no fun for a shop manager to arrive on a Monday morning to a door blocked with rain-soaked clothes!

Get in touch

If you’ve done a car boot recently I’d love to hear how it went and any tips you’ve got!