Blog
A guide to earning money at boot sales
Jun
Reading Time: 4 minutes
A guide to earning money at boot sales
Welcome to the Frugal Column, where I aim to encourage you to live your best life without breaking the bank. You may follow my award-winning blog Shoestring Cottage and don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel. I’m also the creator of Extreme Frugality: Save Money Like Your Grandma.
Boot sale season is in full swing, offering opportunities to sell your old stuff and earn a living. If you happen to are latest to the concept, here is our guide to assist you benefit from the boot sale season this summer.
Listed here are some lessons I actually have learned about the way to sell your old stuff and earn a living at a boot sale.
Plan ahead
The important thing to earning money at a boot sale is to be prepared and plan ahead. Discover where the busiest boot sales are and control the weather forecast. A sunny day will bring out the hoards. Bank holidays are frequently particularly busy.
Take a friend and arrive early
Go along with a member of the family or friend. This may enable you to make use of the toilet without leaving your stall unattended, and maybe have a go searching yourself. It makes establishing easier too, as you are inclined to have dealers descend on you as you are attempting to unpack. Some people will make the most and steal from you when you don’t have enough eyes on them, unfortunately.
Arrive as early as you may, so you can get organised before the hoards descend and secure a great spot. I’m at all times amazed on the number of people that turn as much as sell hours later than lots of their potential customers, a few of whom could also be on their way home already! If possible, pack your vehicle the night before for a fast departure.
Go equipped
A folding trestle table or two will probably be essential to display your wares, in addition to a few deckchairs to take a seat on. It might probably be an extended morning and also you will probably be grateful for somewhere to rest your legs. If you will have clothing to sell, a sturdy clothes rail can also be a great idea. Individuals are way more more likely to buy items which might be displayed properly, reasonably than screwed up on the ground. They’re more likely to pay more for them too.
A tarpaulin could be useful for laying out larger items or footwear.
If you happen to don’t own any of those, someone could have them so beg or borrow.
Take a float
A float is a must, so start collecting coins upfront. One can find that individuals turn up with twenty-pound notes right originally of the sale. That is irritating, but you don’t wish to turn customers away because you might be unable to supply them change.
Don’t forget to have separate money on your stall fee as well, so that you simply don’t need to pay out of your float.
Once you begin raking in some profits, a money belt is the safest approach to keep them secure.
Take supplies and sensible clothing
Take a great supply of food and drinks, like a flask, sandwiches, chocolate and water. You should purchase things like cups of tea and burgers on-site, but there are sometimes queues on the refreshment vans.
It might probably be chilly early within the mornings, even in summer, so dress for a chilly start. Nevertheless, wear layers and take a sunhat and sunscreen so that you don’t burn when the sun arrives.
Offer reasonable prices
People anticipate finding bargains at boot sales, so don’t price unreasonably high to start with. For instance, it’s best to charge somewhat lower than a charity shop or eBay.
I often hear sellers say things like ‘These are selling for £xx on eBay’ to justify a too-high price. The reply to that’s that they need to get them on eBay then, with all of the fees and work involved in listing, photographing and packaging! If you will have more worthwhile things to sell, then a boot sale is probably not the place to get the very best price.
Don’t undercharge either though; you would like your efforts to be profitable. I often aim reasonably high originally of a sale, but drop prices if things don’t shift fairly quickly. Additionally it is value negotiating with the hagglers or offering a bulk price – £2 each or £5 for 3 on clothing, for instance.
I occasionally find that labelling dearer items is useful, but putting prices on every part is time-consuming and never that useful. People will happily ask for a price and this lets you get a feel for what they’re willing to pay and be flexible on the day.
Other things to think about
Take a supply of bin bags to clear up your unsold stuff at the tip. You might wish to deliver it straight to a charity bin. You might be obliged to clear up your rubbish too.
Occasionally, charities come around to gather up any unsold wares, so it’s value asking the organisers if that is an option.
If you will have some spare carrier bags, they could be useful to take. If customers can carry more they might buy extra!
Once you will have these basics in place you may sell your old stuff and maximise your profits. After that, just benefit from the process. It’s fun chatting to customers and to the neighbouring stallholders, so you may have a little bit of entertainment whilst making some extra money.
