Our First Car Boot Sale – What We Learned, What We Earned, and Why We’d Do It Again!

Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a thorough clutter clear at home – wardrobes, cupboards, drawers, and even the garage. I found all sorts of bits and pieces that we no longer needed or used. Normally, I donate things to charity or pass them on to friends, but this time I thought, why not try a car boot sale?

I’d never been to a car boot before, let alone done one myself, so I thought it would be an interesting experience. My eldest son was also curious and wanted to sell a few of his things for some pocket money. I had always felt bad when he was a little younger that he wanted to have a lemonade stand or set up a car washing business in the neighbourhood, but as he was so young at the time I wouldn’t let him. A car boot seemed like a good opportunity for him to release his entrepreneurial ambitions on the world!

Setting Up and Getting Organised

We went into it with very realistic expectations — if we made back the £10 pitch fee, we’d be happy. Anything unsold would be donated to charity anyway, ensuring that nothing went to waste. We had already identified a local car boot site near our house, as we had driven past it several times before. If going further afield, then websites such as Car Boot Junction can help to find car boot sites or searching on facebook.

The day before, we sorted everything into piles, bagged or boxed it up, and got it ready to load into the car. I watched a few TikTok videos on car boots to get some tips and realised I needed some sort of table. I didn’t really want to put everything on the floor on a groundsheet. I borrowed a small picnic table from my mum, plus a decorator’s step we had in the garage, to use as a makeshift trestle table. I found an old blanket and tablecloth to cover the surfaces with and make them look a bit more inviting. I already had an Ikea clothes rail at home so I took this with hangers to display clothes on – this worked really well. 

Finally, I set aside a small jute bag with some essentials in it — a bumbag with loose change (I wanted to keep the money on me rather than leave a float on display), some wet wipes, sticker labels for pricing, and a marker pen. I also packed a small waterproof mat to put larger items or boxes on at ground level.

Since the site opened at 6am, we loaded the car the night before — didn’t think the neighbours would appreciate the noise at that time of the morning on a bank holiday weekend!

The Day of the Sale

We set off nice and early with our thermos flasks of tea and cereal bars for sustenance. When we arrived, we paid the £10 pitch fee, and were directed to our spot. It was overcast and windy, which immediately became a bit of an issue — lighter items were blowing around before we’d even finished unloading!

Interestingly, even before the gates opened to the public, other sellers were already circling and asking if we had specific items (computer games, ceramics, trainers). It felt a bit like a treasure hunt. We quickly realised that seasoned sellers know exactly what they’re looking for and were hoping to snap up the best bits early — possibly even to resell at the same car boot for a profit?

Once we’d set up, we actually felt really proud — everything looked decent and we were excited to make our first sales.

A Very British Obstacle: The Weather!

It was busy in the first hour, with lots of footfall and interest. But just after that, it started raining. And here’s where we hit our first lesson…

We had no plastic covers or sheeting to protect our items. The books, clothes, and soft bits started getting soaked, and we had to rush around packing everything back into the car boot. It was chaotic but kind of funny — it added to the experience and didn’t dampen our enthusiasm too much. Other, more seasoned sellers popped plastic sheets over their items and calmly sat in their cars while we scrambled around like amateurs!

Next time? Clear polythene sheeting or even bin bags to throw over items would save a lot of stress — and prevent soggy books and damp clothes.

We ended up sitting in the boot waiting for the rain to ease off. Once things quietened down, we wandered around to look at other stalls — and this turned out to be one of the highlights. There were so many creative setups and brilliant bargains. We picked up loads of ideas for next time. One thing we tried later in the morning was putting a box marked “FREE” at the front. It got loads of attention, and interestingly, a few people who grabbed a freebie ended up buying something too. That worked surprisingly well! Buoyed by this we tried other marketing strategies such as ‘buy 3 for 2’ or ‘buy 3 for a pound’, My son was in his element at this point coming up with strategies and seeing what worked.

Lessons Learned from Our First Sale

Some things sold well. Others didn’t. Here’s what we noticed:

• Books & DVDs: No interest at all in the DVDs and luke warm reception for our books
• Soft toys: Surprisingly popular – buyers were looking for JellyCat or similar high value items
• Slippers and shoes all sold well
• Baby clothes: No interest in the baby clothes – may do better as a bundle by age?
• Sticky price labels: A disaster in the rain — the ink ran and the labels left a mess.

Things We’ll Do Differently Next Time

• Bring a wider folding table or invest in a proper trestle if we are doing regular car boots.
• Pack a basic wet weather kit: plastic sheeting, brolly, a small towel to wipe wet things down

Top Tips for Your First Car Boot Sale

Here’s what we’d recommend if you’re thinking of trying it yourself:

• Load the car with tables and any clothes rails or groundsheets on top where possible, so you can set up straight away, as the ground may be wet
• Bring plastic sheeting or tarpaulin in case it rains.
• Take a bumbag or crossbody pouch to keep money on you — safer and easier.
• Label items with prices — people seemed to like this rather than having to ask.
• Know the value of your items — a quick google image search can help if you’re unsure.
• Bring a thermos, snacks, wet wipes and a small towel in case of rain
• Take some heavier items to hold down lighter ones if it’s windy.
• Find out where the toilets are early — we only spotted them as we were leaving!
• Pack a fold-up chair — standing for hours can be tiring.
• Have carrier bags or old shopping bags ready – customers often don’t bring their own and will appreciate it.
• Avoid pricing things too high — people come expecting bargains. Bundle things or offer multibuy deals.
• Don’t forget sun cream or a hat — unpredictable British weather can also mean unexpected sunburn!
• Take coins for change — a surprising number of buyers only have notes.
• End-of-day discounts — be prepared to drop prices near the end to avoid taking stuff home.

So, Was it Worth It?

Absolutely, yes.

We made £100 just from clearing out miscellaneous bits and had a really fun morning doing something different together. It gave my son a little taste of running a stall, and everything that didn’t sell went straight to charity — so nothing was wasted.

We’ll definitely do another one in the future. And next time, we’ll be even better prepared. If you want more car boot sale tips, then this article from Money Saving Expert is really comprehensive.