Shopping

Raising money for Notting Hill Carnival Club at Wimbledon Stadium car boot sale

Top tips

Get there early
If you are selling, you generally need to arrive well before the punters. That could mean waking at the crack of dawn and queuing for two hours, or simply rolling up at 11am if it starts late – check with each individual sale.

Take a wallpaper pasting table and fold-up chair
You can track down a table at most DIY stores for around £10.

Make sure you have enough stuff to sell
You’ll be surprised at what people will buy. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and that is never truer than at a car boot sale. If in doubt, take it anyway – someone might well want that sushi-making set your brother-in-law gave you. Feature continues

Have prices sorted in your head
And if possible organise your stall in some kind of price order. Items over a tenner at one end, things for a fiver in the middle and a £1 box at the end.

Have your wits about you
When the punters descend, it’s chaos. If possible, set up before they approach you. Sometimes this is impossible and you’ll have 20 nimble-fingered people riffling through your boxes. Don’t be afraid to tell them to go away until you are ready.

Buy a bumbag
This isn’t a time to think about fashion, a bumbag is an absolute necessity to keep your cash and mobile phone safe.

Take some spare change
About ten £1 coins and four £5 notes should be fine.

Don’t accept £50 notes
People often try to get rid of fake notes at car boot sales, so don’t risk accepting one.

Don’t go it alone
You’ll need moral support and back-up when the haggling gets tough and for those all-important tea breaks.

Novice car-booter Maggie sets up a stall

Things that sell well

Books Apparently the bestselling items at car boot sales, followed swiftly by…

Boxed toys, clothing, and CDs

Designer perfume and make-up But only if unused.

Electronics in good working order Boxed MP3 players, video games, mobile phones and the like, as long as you can prove they work.

Handbags For some reason, a good-looking leather, PVC, or glittery bag goes down a treat.

What to buy

Secondhand furniture is almost always dead cheap at car boot sales, so if you see something you love, buy it. You are unlikely to find it again.

China You’ll always find a lot of old tea sets at car boot sales that specialise in secondhand and antique. Look out for quality brands made in England like Royal Doulton. First edition books can be found at many car boot sales for next to nothing and can be resold on eBay for good money.

Designer clothing Always good if you happen upon a stall belonging to a fashion industry insider on a purge. Again, you can sell many designer items in good condition on eBay for a healthy profit.

What not to buy

Soft toys Just think about all the littlun's who may have thrown up on them.

Anything you suspect could be stolen If you purchase it you will be handling stolen goods, which is a criminal offence.

Secondhand lingerie Obviously.

Electrical equipment that you can’t test on site. Even if the vendor can prove something is working then and there, it won’t come with a guarantee.