How to grab the best bargains – or make some extra cash – at car boot sales

Whether you’re buying or selling, here’s how to be car boot sale savvy. By Vicky Shaw.

Be a car boot sale pro (Alamy/PA)

Car boot sales can be a fun and useful way to make your money stretch further – as well as being sustainable and helping reduce waste.

Maybe you bought items to pass the time during lockdown that are no longer being used. Selling them on could generate some much-needed cash for you – as well as being just what someone else is looking for.

If TV shows such as the BBC’s Bargain Hunt have given you a taste for car booting, Karl Baxter, managing director of Wholesale Clearance UK (wholesaleclearance.co.uk) has some tips for getting started…

1. Your mobile could be a valuable research tool when haggling for purchases

You never know what you could pick up at a car boot sale (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Archive)

“The seller will likely have set prices high, expecting to be bartered and have a final low sale price in mind,” says Baxter. “Use your phone to check how much the item was originally (or is on other resale sites), then try and pitch slightly lower and ask if the seller is doing any deals if you buy multiple items. There’s nothing wrong with being tenacious, as long as you’re polite.”

In addition, if you’re looking to buy a few items from the same seller, you could ask for their best prices for the items individually, and then once they’ve given these, ask if there would be a further discount for buying them all together.

2. Set your alarm clock to get there early (or stay until the end!)

Baxter suggests getting to the car boot sale as soon as it opens, which will help you bag the best spot if you’re selling, and help you find the best items if you’re buying.

“You’re most likely to make the most money at the start of the day, as people rummage through your stock as a seller, while buyers can grab a bargain at the end when sellers are discounting items to get rid of them before going home,” he says.

Car boot sales can be a great way to bring in extra cash (Alamy/PA)

It’s also worth taking time between setting up and customers arriving to look at other sellers’ stalls. “Try and spend a few minutes reviewing the competition and see what they’re selling and how much their items are,” adds Baxter.

“You never know, you might be able to grab a bargain on something you’ve always wanted, or even make an even bigger profit off an under-priced hidden gem yourself. Plus, you might be inspired by their pricing strategy and pick up some tips on best practices from seasoned car booters.”

3. Price up your items properly

Baxter advises: “You might not be too fussed about the items you’re selling, but they could be worth a lot to someone else. Ensure you check everything you’re selling by looking at their original selling price and how much other people are selling them for second-hand. If it’s not something particularly profitable, consider putting them in a bundle of similar products as this is likely to be more desirable.”