Booked a table for a horse car boot sale!

[Green Bean]

First time selling at a car boot sale this weekend, any tips please? Is having small change a thing, do people come with change expecting vendors to not have masses of change?
Didn't realise how much stuff I had until I started pulling it out of cupboards and the shed. And this is after I sold my excess rugs on FB marketplace!

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Take somebody with you to watch for light fingered browsers unless you have eyes like a hawk. I had one woman try to walk off with a roller after casually slipping it over her arm. Blatantly obvious as I watched her do it but acted all offended when I called her out.

Attach easy to read tags with the price on everything otherwise you will spend most of your time telling people what the item costs but be prepared to negotiate. Sometimes it’s better to come home with money rather than the items.

Make sure that within reason the items you are selling are clean and in good repair.

Good luck.

 

[sjdress]

Don’t expect big money for anything, I did one recently and all the cheap stuff sold really quickly. Yes they will expect you to have change.

 

[Vodkagirly]

Label sizes clearly eg if everything is 6'6 and a sign saying that will attract people looking for that and save people looking for pony size from pulling everything out!
Likewise if I can see a price I might impulse buy something that I wouldn't ask about
I couldn't believe how dirty some stuff people were selling was, definitely more attracted to stands where stuff is clean.

 

[Catbird]

Definitely watch for sneaky people - we did one and people tried to 'help' us get boxes out of the boot and we realised they'd taken some things in the confusion
Grouping similar items together in a box/on the table and labeling them is good as the easier it is to see what's what, the more likely it is to go. I don't mind rummaging about for things but get bored after a while and want it easy
Also have an idea of how much you want for things rather than winging it. Can always discount left over bits at the end if you don't want to take them home
Oh, and take food and drink along as it can get v busy and impossible to take a break!
Good luck!

 

[Cowpony]

Definitely have someone with you to help, especially when setting up/ packing away, as there will be times when you can't be in two places at once. Take lots of change - everybody brings notes. A bum bag works well because it's always with you and secure.

Set up your pitch so people can see everything - nothing worse than everything piled in together so as a buyer you don't know what they have. If you have clothing, a small rail with everything on hangers works really well. Size, price, other information (rug weight, with/without neck etc) clearly on labels. Helps you too, as you won't need to pull things out of bags to check.

Most important, engage with people passing/approaching your pitch! Smile, say hello, ask what they are looking for. There's nothing more off putting than going up to a stall and having the sellers either chatting to each other and ignoring you, or studying their phone and ignoring you. It happens a lot at tack sales, and I just walk away from stalls like that!

Price things realistically. Saddle cloths and lorinery go for peanuts, so don't ask £25 for a numnah, because you won't get it, even if it still has labels on. At £5 or £10 it is more likely to sell. Be flexible/inventive with your pricing. I was buying some bandages at £3 but neither of us had change, so the stallholder offered 2 packs for £5. Win/win!

 

[Kaylum]

Ran lots of them and sold at them.
Don't bother putting prices on things puts people off as what you think they are worth they won't pay.
Take lots of change with you.
People will haggle with you.
If you take normal stuff like everyday bits bunch them together for a job lot otherwise they don't sell. Expect a couple of quid for them.
Think about the weather fly rugs fly masks are selling well but they aren't selling for much.
Dealers pay for stalls to get in early so they can buy the best stuff before everyone else.
Get there early for the best pitches.

 

[Birker2020]

First time selling at a car boot sale this weekend, any tips please? Is having small change a thing, do people come with change expecting vendors to not have masses of change?
Didn't realise how much stuff I had until I started pulling it out of cupboards and the shed. And this is after I sold my excess rugs on FB marketplace!

Good tip here, don't spend more money on the table, food and coffee than you make in sales, that's what me and my friend did! We came away with zero but at least we'd emptied the car

 

[tda]

There is one very close to us soon, but the hassle of getting all the stuff out and recleaned (dusty) is putting me off...and I have absolutely no idea what anything is worth

 

[PurBee]

We did a few carboot sales, but best advice i learnt is dont undersell for very silly prices just to clear your table and get home with an empty car! Keep cheap and attractive for what the item is, but not silly cheap.

We had several steven king first edition paperbacks we let the lot go to a guy for a tenner. When we took a break and had a wander round the stalls, we saw the books on the guys table for a tenner each! We had no idea he was a stall holder himself, and thought we were selling to a steven king fan for a dream bargain good deal…..but we’d made another trader good profit!

 

[Jambarissa]

Ive done 2. First one was a car crash, I wasn't prepared to let good stuff go for peanuts, had a fair bit stolen and found the whole thing exhausting.

Second time I only took cheaper stuff and divided my plot into price zones £1/£2/£5. That worked really well, got the bargain hunters and the kids with only a bit of money.

I put anything of value on ebay instead at a reasonable buy it now price and it all sold quickly.

These days I think about the time and stress versus the money I'd make and gift it to charity but I realise some people actually find the whole thing a good day out!

Main tip is to take a big bedsheet and put it over your stuff while you're setting up to help deter the light fingered, and don't do be pressured into selling to others (usually traders) while you're still setting up.

 

[Snowfilly]

I go to a lot of sales to buy, if there’s no labels or prices I generally don’t bother asking until the very end of the event because there’s plenty of stuff that is labelled and it’s less time consuming to find what you want.

Labels should have size and price, or at least stick things in a £5 box, a £10 box etc.

Have something to lie rugs and and the like on so they don’t get muddy / sandy.

Take twice as much change as you think.

Have the stuff in fairly clean condition, it doesn’t need to be show ring but I’ve seen leatherwork with white mould on!

Be prepared to haggle if someone wants to buy lots of items and you want the space, decide if you’d rather have the money or the room!

If you’ve got things like Le Miuex, labelling the colour correctly really helps.

Don’t wander around the rest of the sale, see a really blingy bridle and a new jacket and buy them both for more than what you’ve sold all night (in my defence, it was a really good bridle!)

 

[MereChristmas]

Take a tape measure.
Don’t expect to sell anything unless it is for farthings.
I have done about half a dozen equine car boot sales and made a profit over the table fee and my car fuel just once.

 

[Snow Falcon]

I've done a couple and ran one. I label everything up sensibly with size. No point in stuff sitting there unsold. I have plenty of change and put up offers like 2 for £5 etc.

 

[SantaVera]

You'll need change. Regular car boot customers will decend like vultures as soon as you open a car door and won't wait for you to put things out. If you have price labels put onto items at home the day before. If you can take at least one other person with you to watch out for pilfering and serve customers while you get things out onto display so much the better. Most sales are usually in the first half hour.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I must say most of the equine car boot sales near us are a waste of time most of it on offer is only fit for a bonfire.

 

[Lucky Snowball]

First two I bought more than I sold. More recently i wanted space in my tack room so I sold for any offer which was made. Went with the car stuffed full and came home with just one bag and nearly 100 pounds. Lots of happy people. Sold nearly new leather boots for a fiver, two well used bridles 5 each, saddle cloths 1 pound etc. no one even looked at brand new clothing still in the bag.

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Love a horse gear car boot sale.

I will only buy if it is clean and in working order. Prefer stuff that is labelled with size if there are not tags on it.

Wouldn’t dream of haggling - I’m such a soft touch and always feel awkward waiting for change so usually just round it up and say, don’t bother with change, I feel like this is really good value anyway.

I get there early, with my list of things I want and usually get them all.

Best deal I got was two high quality surfboards. Yes really! Lady bought them along to sell off chance someone would want them. My twins were big surfers in their teens and I was too tight to buy the high end boards for them. Lo and behold there were two at the horse car boot sale that a lady was selling as her teens had moved out and the surfboards were taking up room in her shed. I was the best Mum ever that day when I came home with them.

Can’t believe people steal stuff! Really?! That’s just horrible.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Love a horse gear car boot sale.

I will only buy if it is clean and in working order. Prefer stuff that is labelled with size if there are not tags on it.

Wouldn’t dream of haggling - I’m such a soft touch and always feel awkward waiting for change so usually just round it up and say, don’t bother with change, I feel like this is really good value anyway.

I get there early, with my list of things I want and usually get them all.

Best deal I got was two high quality surfboards. Yes really! Lady bought them along to sell off chance someone would want them. My twins were big surfers in their teens and I was too tight to buy the high end boards for them. Lo and behold there were two at the horse car boot sale that a lady was selling as her teens had moved out and the surfboards were taking up room in her shed. I was the best Mum ever that day when I came home with them.

Can’t believe people steal stuff! Really?! That’s just horrible.

I was a bit shocked at that! Stealing from private sellers at a boot sale!