London's best fashion exchanges
From car-boots to swishing: how to swap and sell your way to a better wardrobe
Skint? No room in the cupboard for your new sales buys? Take a lesson in making money and space with our guide to swapping, selling and exchanging your fashion faux pas.
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- The car-boot sale
- The exchange shop
- The swap party
- The online auction
The car-boot sale
The saying ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ never rings truer than at a car-boot sale. Accessories – especially designer ones – do particularly well here, so dig out those unflattering sunglasses, abandoned bags and poor-fitting belts, and grab your car keys…
Battersea Boot Sale
You’ll be sure of good footfall at this perennially busy south London car-boot. Its scale is vast, and sellers range from locals clearing loft junk to serious secondhand traders. You can pre-book a pitch online or arrive on the day and queue for a ‘walk-in’ pitch priced at £10 for a table-sized area.
www.batterseaboot.com Battersea Park rail. Sundays.
- Battersea Park School, Battersea Park Road, SW11 5AP
Capital Car-Boot
The salubrious central London location of this event means shoppers are willing to part with a fair amount of cash in return for quality vintage and high-end clothing. Retro garb is especially popular here, as is granny-style crockery and homeware.
www.capitalcarboot.com Pimlico. Sundays.
- Pimlico Academy, Lupus St, (Chichester St entrance), SW1V 3AT
Princess May Car-Boot Sale
Princess May draws an appropriately hip Stoke Newington and Dalston crowd at its lively sale for vintage and valuables. There's usually a great choice of costume jewellery.
50p entry (£3 before 9am).
www.thelondoncarbootco.com Dalston Kingsland Overground. Saturdays and Sundays.
- Princess May Primary School, Barrett's Grove, N16 8DF
Expert tips
Seasoned car-boot trader Mercedes Simpson (co-founder and director of Paper PR) shares savvy seller knowledge
1. ‘A table and rails are essential: they make for much easier browsing and you can often charge more if you have a tidy display.’
2. ‘Always have a float of change – there’s nothing worse than losing a sale because you can’t break a 20.’
3. ‘Don’t bombard people as soon as they approach your table. If people think you’re desperately trying to flog them your old rubbish, they will often walk away.’
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