Shake Your Booty!! Shake Your Booty Sale!! (Car Boot Sales)

Member Name: adambrown400

Product:	Car Boot Sales
Date:	04/08/09 (134 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: To get rid of your junk

Disadvantages: You come home with the same or more junk

Quite why car boot sales are a more popular discussion on dooyoo than say 'domestic violence' and 'compensation culture' is beyond me, I suppose it's a way to make money - which is very similar to dooyoo itself.

Car boot sales have become very popular over the past few years and many people I know use them to sell and to buy stuff. I for one have done both - sold and bought at boot sales. My local sale is at Lushington Hill in Wootton on the Isle of Wight. Although, I have been to many different ones here on the Island - two of which I will describe.

When looking through all of your junk and deciding what will sell is important. Firstly, I have seen many boot sale traders stall looking like they have just undone their bins bags and tipped the entire content of their household waste onto their table and expect to sell it. I kid you not, I cannot believe the nerve of some people and what they think is acceptable for sale. It's amazing that the EU hasn't stamped down on traders at boot sales for the quality of their wares-, as I'm sure they'd be horrified.

As I said, selecting things that will sell is important. Don't expect everything to sell either. I've been to many sales and come back with almost as much junk as I took there, taking a very paltry amount of money. I have found that DVD's and books sell very well. Baby clothes and toys are also good money makers. Probably the worst sellers are videos - no one buys videos any more, not even for 10p. You may as well throw them away or give them to a charity shop.

I have seen some people make a lot of money from clothes, but I have seen some real skanky clothes for sale (including on one occasion - pants). Pricing your items fairly is also a must. I might be worth labelling all of your items as well with a price so that your customer can see what to buy.

The two boot sales on the Island that I have been to are quite different. The first, at Lushington Hill in Wootton starts at the ridiculous time of 7am. Why do boot sales start so early? So you have to get there at some ridiculous hour to set up. At this sale, the public are let in at the same time as sellers and you get the age old problem of people crowded round your car firking through your stuff before you've even set up. On one occasion a man was seen IN my car before we had set up! I told him to sling his hook, or words to that effect.

Bartering and haggling is also a must at boot sales, although some people do offer you silly money for quality items. These people are usually taking the mickey - offering you 5p for a new DVD - and then saying 'its all the money I brought!' Don't be ready to sell straight away, if it is a good item then wait and you'll get the right price for it.

The other boot sale that I sometimes frequent is at Brickfields Horse Country, a stables and showground in Binstead here on the Island. This one is much more professional and is on at a decent time - 5pm. You actually get a good half an hour to set up your stall before the public are allowed in, so theres no problem of anyone firking around in your car when you are trying to set up. The only problem with this boot sale is that you are obliged to stay to the bitter end and your car is usually penned in like a game of Tetris. This can be difficult if you have to be somewhere later on - so make no other plans for the rest of the day!

I've bought some real bargains at boot sales in the past. When I was younger I used to collect Star Wars figures and I picked up quite a lot back in the early 90's when Star Wars wasn't as popular. I also have bought quite a number of James Bond novels, including a very rare first edition of Goldfinger for an amazing 50p. A similar copy I saw in a Christie's catalogue went for nearly £500. I still have it now.

Boot sales are a great way of making money, but can be incredibly depressing. The time when everyone starts to pack up is a very sad sight - especially when you realise you've only made £1.50 and it has cost you £5 to go and that you've wasted your entire day! I'm sure people have made vast sums of money at boot sales and it would be interesting to see in the comments box exactly how much people have made in the past.

That's my opinion on boot sales, quite good if you've got the right stuff to sell, terrible if you're selling your old pants.

Summary: One man's junk is another man's treasure