It has been said that another man’s trash is another man’s treasure. To this day I wonder why people buy any of the junk he makes at different places, especially car boot sales. Even so, ours is not to reason why but to take advantage of the situation to make money on trunk sales. There are two ways to make money: one is to become a seller and wonder why someone would buy broken items from you just because the price was right, and the other is to buy stock that you can sell privately on Amazon and eBay. I will cover both ways in this article.
BECOME A SELLER
People who sell items from the trunk of their car are known as Car Booters. They usually sell items from home after a cleanup. Some buy stock from various places in bulk to get a good price. As a vendor (or booter) with items to sell, all you need is a car, a folding table, a few bags, and a few coins for customers who want change. Boot sales are often advertised in local newspapers, and even online if you search for terms like “Manchester Boot Sales”.
It is not necessary to reserve a plot for your car, just show up. There will be people who will tell you where to park your car and set up your table. There is a pitch fee that will be charged to you at some point during the morning. In most places, you’ll be there from 7 am to 1 pm, unless you decide to leave early.
The way you present yourself and your actions is the most important thing. Take some time to organize your inventory on your table well, as you want to catch the eye of passing customers. It’s a good idea to have boxes full of general trinkets that customers can rummage through, as many of them love to do so as a kind of windfall. It is important to have a good variety of items on display so that the customer has many options.
Shippers generally do not price their shares. The general idea is that the client asks the price and you respond with your first offer. The reason for this is that customers like to haggle over price. For this reason, you need to decide how much you are willing to let go of the item and still make a profit. If it’s an item you haven’t been able to sell after a few initial sales, you can let it go as cheaply as possible.
Remember that not all customers are going to be nice. You will get people who are cheeky and offer you next to nothing. Politely decline their offers and explain that you cannot sell the item for less than your lowest price. They soon give up and leave you to sell that item to a more generous customer.
BECOME A BUYER
Boot sales are popular places to visit in the summer. The thrill of walking down an aisle of cars displaying priceless treasures in the hope of picking up that special something. Most vendors (or car shippers) are selling items after a home cleanup and are willing to let it go for a ridiculously low price just so they don’t have to take it home again. Things like movies can be bought for 50 pence and decorations for 20 pence, even retro computers and games have been bought for a bargain price. You can buy just about anything at a car trunk sale, things that have been stored in attics for years gathering dust that could be valuable to a collector.
If you’re buying to sell privately, the first thing you should do is look at places like Amazon and eBay and see what kinds of items you should be selling. Get an idea of the items and the prices they go for, and set a limit for how much you’re willing to pay for something. It’s a good idea to list the things you’re looking for with their top price, which you obviously want to be as low as possible.
When it comes to casual car thieves, remember that many of them want to get rid of as much as possible, especially since it costs them around £10-£15 for the pitch. Ask questions like, “Will you give me a good price for these books if I take ten?” If the books cost a pound each, you could offer eight pounds for ten of them. There’s a good chance they’ll agree because they’re making eight pounds in one go, which they might not have made that day if they’d been sold separately.
CONCLUSION
As long as you become a buyer or a seller, boot sales can be quite profitable either way. Some people will buy anything, even in poor condition, as long as the price is right. Items can be picked up cheaply, cleaned and repaired, and sold for a higher price elsewhere.