A information to earning profits at automobile boot gross sales




Moneymagpie Workforce


fifteenth Aug 2025

Studying Time: 4 minutes

Automobile boot gross sales are the most effective methods to lift some money out of your muddle. However, there’s a little bit of an artwork kind to creating gross sales and never getting overwhelmed within the bustle of a busy boot sale.

Plan Forward, Value Forward

Plan Your Show

Go along with a Pal

Have Spare Change

Costume Appropriately

Make a Submit-Sale Plan

Plan Forward, Value Forward

Take time to cost up your bigger or particular person objects earlier than you go to the automobile boot sale. It will show you how to persist with an affordable worth once you’re haggling, as an alternative of constructing up a worth on the spot once you’re feeling pressured. Issues like books may be block-priced, resembling 50p every, so make some indicators with these costs on to make it simple for folks to see.

Some objects would possibly want some further analysis. Classic garments, kitchenware, and toys would possibly promote higher on specialist marketplaces or eBay, so ensure you take the time to analysis affordable costs utilizing the ‘offered solely’ filter on eBay.

Plan Your Show

In your planning, ensure you know the way you’re going to show objects. Cling garments on hangers, utilizing a garments rail or laundry horse, as an alternative of leaving them in a rummage pile. Put smaller objects on a fold-out desk, and ensure any small objects of furnishings you will have on the market are clearly marked on the market (in any other case folks might imagine they’re for show solely).

Books, CDs, and DVDs promote properly at automobile boot gross sales, so be sure that they’re simple to entry. Line them up on a desk as an alternative of leaving them stacked up in containers, so folks can simply see the person titles. Get some floor sheets or a tarpaulin to put out on the ground, as it would defend objects from getting soiled and in addition assist present which objects are yours on the market.

Bear in mind to take some deck chairs to take a seat on, too. It may be a really lengthy day! It’s additionally helpful to take some service luggage: if folks realise they’ll purchase extra, they may! Additionally, be prepared with a pen and notepad. Generally, significantly for heavy objects, folks pays for an merchandise and ask to come back again for it on the finish. Take a be aware of their title and cellphone quantity, and put it with the merchandise saved in your automobile. It will show you how to remind them to return and accumulate it, and guarantee it isn’t by accident offered once more to another person!

Take a buddy and arrive early

Go along with a member of the family or buddy. It will allow you to make use of the john with out leaving your stall unattended, and maybe take a look round your self. It makes organising simpler too, as you are likely to have consumers descend on you as you are attempting to unpack. Some folks will take benefit and steal from you in case you don’t have sufficient eyes on them, sadly.

Arrive as early as you may, with the intention to get organised earlier than the crowds flip up, and safe a great spot. If attainable, pack your car the night time earlier than for a fast departure, and ensure you take loads of snacks and a Thermos of tea or espresso, because the meals vans won’t be open for a number of hours.

Take a float

A money float is a should, so begin accumulating cash upfront. You’ll find that individuals flip up with twenty-pound notes proper in the beginning of the sale. You need to have the ability to supply the right change, to keep away from somebody haggling a lower cost simply because you may’t give them a full fiver of change.

Don’t overlook to have separate money on your stall payment as properly, so that you just don’t need to pay out of your float.

When you begin raking in some income, a cash belt is the most secure solution to hold money secure. Maintain a small quantity in your easily-accessible float, and repeatedly prime up your cash belt because the day goes on.

 

Take provides and wise clothes

Take a superb provide of food and drinks, like a flask, sandwiches, chocolate and water. You should purchase issues like cups of tea and burgers on-site, however there are sometimes queues on the refreshment vans. 

It may be chilly early within the mornings, even in summer season, so gown for a chilly begin. Nonetheless, put on layers and take a sunhat and sunscreen so that you don’t burn when the solar arrives. You would possibly need to pack a parasol umbrella if the bottom is delicate like a area, or another type of sunshade. Simply verify the principles forward of turning up that you can be allowed to place a shade up. When you can’t, or the automobile boot sale is on arduous standing, take a sheet that may be draped over one facet of your open boot (behind your stall!) to provide some shade once you want it. 

Provide affordable costs

Folks look forward to finding bargains at automobile boot gross sales, so don’t worth unreasonably excessive. However, don’t underprice – be ready to haggle. Analysis costs beforehand on marketplaces like Gumtree, eBay, Vinted, and Fb to get a good suggestion of what somebody would pay on-line. They typically include further postage prices too, so worth your objects across the similar as costs discovered on-line since you’re already saving folks on the supply price.

Plan the post-sale clear up

Take a provide of bin luggage to clear up your unsold stuff on the finish. You might need to ship it straight to a charity store or charity bin on the recycling centre. You’re obliged to clear up your garbage, too.

Sometimes, charities come round to gather up any unsold wares, so it’s price asking the organisers if that is an possibility.

Upon getting these fundamentals in place you may promote your previous stuff and maximise your income. After that, simply benefit from the course of. It’s enjoyable chatting to clients and to the neighbouring stallholders, so you may have a little bit of leisure while making some further money.


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