Car boot sales in London
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By Maggie Davis
Posted: Tue Aug 1 2006 
Wimbledon car booters eBay vs car boot
Car boot sales offer a very different shopping experience from eBay. From a seller’s point of view, eBay can be hugely profitable – there will always be someone interested in that limited edition Matthew Williamson-designed Coca-Cola bottle or those Biba boots – but at a car boot sale people expect to get bargains. A car boot sale is the right thing to do if you have an attic/car load of junk to get rid of, whereas eBay is better for the odd unwanted designer item. If you’ve got more than 20 things to sell, it will be hideously time-consuming putting them all on eBay. That said, some people make a living on eBay by shopping at car boot sales. It’s amazing just how many first edition books, rare records and pieces of antique china you can find. In the chaos of a car boot sale they may look cheap and worthless, but dust them off, polish them up and get them photographed nicely and you could make a lot of money on the internet. On a recent trip to a Wimbledon car boot sale I found a first edition Enid Blyton book, ‘The Adventures of Pip’ for £1; a set of original Spice Girl dolls (pictured) and a handmade leather Victorian photo album both a fiver each. Any one of these items would sell on eBay for at least five times that. Feature continues
AdvertisementIf you like that, you’ll love this: jumble sales
Alerted by a thicket of pensioners bristling at the entrance I wandered into my first jumble sale by accident. Deep in the basement of the Sally Army on Hackney’s Cambridge Heath Road I discovered an Aladdin’s cave of musty clothes, broken bric-a-brac and age-old children’s books, most for under a quid. The fact that jumble sales have an esoteric aura – to find listings you have to scour local papers or look for posters outside church halls – merely adds to their appeal. To date my best buys include a cream satin blouse with a pussy-cat bow, 50p; a grey wool tailored jacket, £1.50; and a set of ceramic Midwinter storage jars, £1.
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110 comments
Battersea Car Boot on sundays is the only sale worth getting up for.Its not the same old tat week in week out like many others.Ive bought fantastic textiles there which i coudnt find in new shops at bargain prices.There is a really nice busy buzz to this boot too.
You want to go to Battersea!!! They guarantee you a space when you book and give you a time slot to get in, soooo civilised , well organised and MEGA BUSY, we make at least £400 everytime we go there.. .At Chiswick you need to be in the queue at 3AM to get in!!! who wants to queue up for 4 hours? MADNESS!!!
BATTERSEA BOOT IS THE BEST IN LONDON!!!
they've just put thier prices up but now there are less sellers there is also less competition for sales and that equals MORE MONEY for meeee!! I'll go to Battersea forever, it's the best/
Does anyone know where the Chiswick carboot sale is? plus details day, time etc.
Lyn
enjoyed article! anyone recommend se london or kent sale for vintage clothes.
theres a really good bootsale in taplo on a sunday and irene carvers bootsale in uxbridge is very good! denham have a great one every saturday!
im looking to do a car boot this sunday anyone know anygood ones have been told of 1 in finchley but i cant find any info on it.
Hello,
I live in norbury, london and am looking to do a car boot sale asap. Woulld anyone out there recommend one happening soon and isn't more than half an hour away please!
Thank-you.
I am looking to do a car boot and am thinking about the one in Burnt Oak or Battersea but not sure which to choose? They seem the best two options. I have a lot of stuff to get rid of - clothes, cosmetics, crockery, allsorts. Any suggestions?
The holloway market is complete garbage,i never seen so much cheap,overpriced merchandisings for sale.
I buy a Pda and it dont work,the black man who sells is no longer there.
time for shut down and do the community favor
Without a dubt, the best car boot anywhere in West London is Denham/Uxbirdge. It's just off the A40 and Oxford Road, Uxbridge. Absolutely massive and held on Saturdays in a field so Spring/Summer dry ground only. Visited by thousands each week with sellers from all over London and the Home Counties. Recommmended.
plz, anyone knows where is the nearest car boot market to, i am in northolt, & wht the procedure to get in there & sell my stuff.
does any 1 know the adress of the grenwich car boot sale ..which was in south wark road..many thanks.
I have read the comments made re: Holloway and I think some comments are very unfair! I have found some great stuff and really cheap buys! Most of the stall holders are really nice people! Yes it does get busy but thats a car boot for you! If you don't like the Frenzy stay at home!!!!
can someone advice me on which car both sale would be best for seliing a load of new unwanted kids suff ,all things are new i just want to get rid of the stuff to save on storage cost
I was surprised to see BATTERSEA BOOT was not featured in this article! It's Easily one of the best Boots in London. Every Sunday afternoon at Battersea Tec' College. It's a great Boot, busier than most and most importantly it's RELIABLE! they open every week rain or shine!