Car boot sales in London
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By Maggie Davis
Posted: Tue Aug 1 2006 
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 continuesAdvertisementHave 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 buySoft 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.- Add your comment to this feature
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112 comments
FOR THIS SILLY MAN RICHARD.........LET ME JUST SAY .....I DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH KILBURN,...I DONT NEED TO GET A LIFE...YOU DO ..ALL I DID WAS ASK A QUESTION IF KILBURN WAS STILL OPEN....... I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF ANYONE KNOWS OF ANY BOOTSALES ON A SATURDAY ????.........AND FOR YOU RICHARD HAVE A NICE DAY ......MARCELLA PS THIS IS MY REAL NAME X
How many paranoid people are there on what is meant to be a basic comments site. I can't believe some of the comments I am reading mainly from organisers of one relatively unknown carboot. May I suggest that if anyone wants a good car boot sale they use their search engines and google them up like I do when I want to sell or buy. There are dozens of good boot sales out there. Let's put a stop to all this nonsense and self-promotion!!
Katie this is all about giving personal opinions. You have good experiences at the boot sale at princesss may and I haven't. What is strange about that!! The boot sale is never that busy and cannot compete with others I have been to. Get a life Katie - you definitely sound part of the set up at princess may - just take it on the chin.
I find Deena's comments really strange. Perhaps she is also another Car Boot Organiser? I have been a regular at Princess May for sometime. I find it, as a relatively new bootsale, a breath of fresh air! The organisers are polite and the cost, unlike other bootsales is very reasonable. The times that I have frequented this Bootsale, I have had a good day both financially and enjoyably. And now, that some indoor pitches/stalls are available, this bootsale should be a great success all through the year. I think it's well worth a visit.
we all khow you run kilburn marcella if thats your real name. Get a life
hi there can anyone tell me is there any good car boot sales on saturday apart from the ones in time out thankyou ...marcella
Yes i totally agree with Diana and mary. Everyone has their own opinion about boot sales - even if they are not rosy red. I have been doing car boots for years and have recently been to the one at Princess May - as a buyer and a seller. For me it was not good but that's just my opinion. I live in the area and thought I would give it a try because it's local. On my first visit (as a buyer) it did not seem very busy with sellers but one of the organisers asured me it was a quiet week and usually it was much busier (apparantly it has room for 80 or so cars). I decided to give it a try to sell and have been twice in fact - and both times it has not lived up to expectations. One week I only counted about 33 cars and that was a sunny day and there didn't seem many people through the door either. The organisers obviously want to entice people and will say what sellers want to hear just to get them in. Unfortunately it didn't do it for me which is a shame -I won't be trying a third time. I'll go back to my usual busy haunts.
quite right mary everybody is entitled to a fair opinion good or bad of car boot sales. but this moron parker thinks he has the right of free admission just because its a car boot sale. when he was told he had got to pay an entance fee to he got abusive and arrogant and made stupid threats, thats the problem mary his was not a review more a thugs view
Why the hell do people on this site seem to think that the reviews from sellers or buyers have to be rosy red???? if someone did not enjoy themselves at a car boot then they reserve the right to say it, i dont think anyone here is commiting slander no one has said dont go the that particuar boot sale and only a few have mentioned specific names, sorry but there is one thing that i can not stand and it is people who dont allow overs to voice their views on how there experence was. THIS SITE IS FOR REVIEWS AND INFO ON CAR BOOT SALES WHETHER THEIR ROSEY RED OR S**** BROWN. If he didn't like princess may then he just didn't like it!!
Gosh! I still go there and so do others and if i have any trouble there i will be straight on this site reporting it!!! With out a second thought!!
Dear Mr Parker
Its sad to read that you was not happy with your experience at the carboot, however you have aired you grievances for many to read and there may be some who choose not to go to that car boot. But I am amazed at your energy that you want to go down so many avenues to seek further revenge. You seem like a bitter highly sensative individual and if only you chanelled your time into helping so many individuals suffering around London.
I know the team at the car boot from a distance and they work enormous hours well before daylight arrives and are there hours after the car boot finishes cleaning the mess left by others. They also appear to have additional cleaning services which must cost a fortune. I have joined my husband on the odd ocassion as a booter and I have seen staff physically abused and also the same staff protect booters who have been attacked from members of the public and sometimes defused very dangerous situations. Chill out you see everything in a single tunnel vision.
i reckon that silly bugger l parker should come to my club and then see what would happen if he did not want to pay his entrance fee
what a stererotype Mr l parker is. just moan and report people for legally asking for the £3 entry fee before 9am. He is obviously extremely jealous of the people running the car boot sale. Its just him moaning because he does not have the initiative to do the same thing himself. I bet anything he does not mind going into his local supermarket and gettin ripped off. No, because they are not Multi-nationals, not like these hardworking ordinary people runnnig the car boot sale!
I'm a seller and I'm going to Brentside car book in Ealing this Sunday. i heard the weather is going to be good so I'm looking forward to a good day, i've been before and it was good.
Thanks Steve - that's all good to know - see you Sunday!
Hi Flic,
You need to arrive at Princess May Primary School on Princess May Road, London N16 8DF from 7am onwards. It doesn't matter if you don't have a table or a car. People sell their stuff on the ground ontop of a blanket or ground sheet. The cost is £8 for a walk-in pitch, which you pay on the day.
See you there!