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Friday

How to PREPARE for a Car Boot Sale! - 13 Helpful Tips


Very busy recently with clearing out some of our daughters things from our house while she was here for a short holiday from South Korea.






She was sooooo good about making decisions on the things that she had left behind in our Guest Room.

I should have taken pictures of the before but I didn't think at the time.

Anyway she had things in:
  • two sets of drawers, 
  • one hanging rail 
  • several bags and boxes piled up in another hanging area


Now she has things in:
  • one sets of drawers, 
  • half of one hanging rail 

Didn't she do well!!


She spurred me on so that I packed up quite a few things for the Church Car Boot Sale (as well as the things she was donating) and actually was able to go and help out at one of them.

Here again I should have got some pictures of the Car Boot Sale but hindsight is a great thing.


I do have some pictures of the things I decluttered and put out for the Car Boot Sale however.






Car Boot Sale

Before going to a Car Boot Sale it really is a good idea to be as organised as possible as well as making sure that the items you are going to sell are clean and not broken or chipped.

I was going with a friend but we were both taking our own cars and setting up our own tables.


# 1.   Make sure you go early, yes earlier than the organisers of the Car Boot Sale tell you to be there because the people who want to buy will come early and you really need to be set up first.


We parked the cars side by side and had our Church Charity Banner to tie between the two cars.


# 2.   If you are selling for a charity or special cause do make sure you have some kind of banner or sign up because some people will be a little more generous when they know the money is not just going into your pocket.  

Our church has been doing this for a few years now so we have a good banner and we also have some postcard sized cards with more info. printed for giving out.


I have two tables to take with me:  a large square one and a small, low rectangular one.





# 3.   Not everything you have for sale should be on the one table and two different heights is also a good idea drawing the eyes to look around more.


# 4.   A table always looks better if you have a cloth draped over it.   Yes you are selling things cheaply but presentation still draws people to look more closely.



Then I can also put some baskets on the ground too.


I put all the Dvds into one basket



I put all the books into one basket



I put small items that I could charge 20p for into a tin




I put items I could charge 50p for into a basket





# 5.   Not everything you have for sale should be placed on the table for everything to get moved around by the buyers as things will get hidden from sight and the tables will start to look very untidy very quickly.


# 6.   Putting similar items eg. the dvds into the same basket will draw the buyer to take a minute to look through each one.


# 7.   Smaller items are better in baskets, boxes or tins to have less items falling on the ground or getting missed under larger items and simply to keep the area neater.


I put all the clothes into one bag for carrying there and then they can be placed neatly on a table or hung up on a rail.




# 8.   Clothes should always be kept separate where possible so that people can spread them out and have a good look at them without hiding the other items for sale and a rail shows garments off better than having them all bundled on top of each other on a table.


I put all the kitchen, dining or ornamental things in one bag for carrying to the Car Boot Sale and then these would be placed on the table there.




I put all the candles into one lidded container




# 9.   Use sturdy plastic containers which can be placed on the ground giving another place for buyers to look instead of everyone at the same time trying to stretch over the main table.


I placed all the Christmas items in one bag together.

Yes I know it's only September but people are buying Christmas decorations already.




# 10.   Christmas items will sell at any time of the year but it is better to keep them to one side of the main table or on the smaller table so that they have a specific place and do not seem strange mixed in with other household items.


I had a brand new King size Sheet and a brand new pair of pyjamas to take as well




I had 3 large craft type bags and two handbags but only took this picture of 2 of the bags (all 3 large craft bags sold easily - should have asked for more money)




# 11.   Bags are always an attraction for the ladies to have a look at but remember to try to display them nicely and not just throw them into a bag or box as they are never seen to their best advantage in that way.



I also had a pile of hangers to use or to sell





I also made some notices on card to show the price of the items in certain containers




# 12.   Never go to a Car Boot Sale without some price signs.  People will buy quicker when they know the price (and maybe try to do a deal), whereas they may think twice about asking for the price of every object they are interested in.


All of this makes it easier for you to:

  •  pack the car to go to the sale, 
  •  unload unto the tables and ground for the sale, 
  •  pack the things away again into the same bags 
  •  lift the baskets back into the car.


Then of course when I got home again it was easy to unload the bags and baskets etc. into the garage to wait for the next one.

Of course there is the last very important thing that you must never forget and should have it prepared in advance.


#13.   Don't forget to have a float of money with you (and a safe place to keep it) to give 
your customers change from the nice large notes you hope they will be parting with 
and also of course to pay for your spot at the event.






A Car Boot Sale can be hard work but if you are friendly with the people who come to look around then they will be friendly too and make the event more pleasant.   Plus going with a friend means you can have a chat now and again and a break for coffee as you can take it in turn to look after both sets.
So it can actually turn out to be some Funwork instead of Housework for a morning.


The first time takes a lot of preparation but once everything is well thought out and good containers acquired each time afterwards is easier to prepare for and more importantly the prep time is so much shorter.

Then just think of the help this will be in decluttering and organising your home.