Boot fairs can be a great way of getting rid of your unwanted clutter and making some money at the same time. Here’s what happened when we recently did two in two days.
After talking about it for what seemed like a lifetime, we recently did a boot fair. The thought of it had always felt overwhelming. Deciding what to take, getting it all together, getting up at the crack of dawn to set up and then the madness of people everywhere trying to barter you down constantly. I’d also been put off by my two previous attempts where we sold next to nothing. In my defence, they were only local ones with no real footfall, but even so, they were demoralising experiences.
I went with my two daughters, and we spent the day before deciding what to take. My eldest (21) just had clothes, lots and lots of clothes. My youngest (18) had clothes and then everything she’s grown out of: Dr Who, Marvel, Friends, Star Wars. They were all things we enjoyed together so I did feel sad seeing it all go but I guess nothing stays the same forever. I had a real mix of everything from old electrical items, my collection of 90’s Planet Hollywood baseball caps, stereo speakers, books, framed pictures and loads more. We loaded up the car the night before as were leaving home at 6.15am and it filled the car, almost floor to roof.
We were all excited and pumped up the next morning, even though it was 5.30am. The site opened at 7 and we arrived just before to a huge queue of cars in front of us. As soon as we started taking everything out the car, the hoard descended upon us. It was like something out of The Walking Dead, just without all the biting and more “How much for this?”
First out the car was a huge pair of speakers that someone had given me but weren’t compatible with my record player. It felt wrong to charge someone money for these so they were gone immediately to the first person on the scene. He was very grateful but also confused as he’d never had anything given to him for nothing. That gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside and also happy that I had a bit of free space now in my loft.
One of Katie’s old Jelly Cat cuddly toys was next and some of Jade’s clothes. I don’t think I’d ever seem them so animated and excited. As the morning went on, the crowds of people got bigger and we had a constant stream of people. There was interest in my Planet Hollywood hats but no buyers. By 10.30 though, both girls were done and ready to go home. That initial exuberance and energy had been replaced with “I’m tired” and “When can we leave?”
I was the opposite, mainly as I’d finally sold a Planet Hollywood cap to someone that wanted it for his honeymoon in Vegas. We stayed til the end at 1pm and finished off making £180 which we were happy with. A lot better than the £7.50 we made from the previous one. By far the most popular things had been Jade’s clothes, then then Katie’s cuddly toys and a few GCSE revision guides.
There was another boot fair the next day so we left the unsold stuff in the car and added a few things that we didn’t have room for the previous day. Unlike the previous day which was constant sunshine, Bank Holiday Monday was miserable with near constant light rain for the first couple of hours. This meant it was empty compared to Sunday. Approximately 50 sellers compared to around 350 the day before.
Strangely, I enjoyed this more as it was more of a challenge and each customer felt more precious. More clothes, another Jelly Cat and my Back To The Future advent calendar which had been sitting in the box in my office for 18 months. I hadn’t though had any interest in my old juicer, George Foreman grill, Ice cream maker or shredder, even at very low prices.
When we finished at 1pm, we’d made £170 but it felt like much more as there were so few customers and also that some of the stuff we sold had been hanging around in the loft since what felt like 1859! Overall, it had been a really positive experience and I’m excited for the next one. Here are some takeaways and tips if you’re thinking of doing one.
Make sure you have at least one person with you unless you have a very strong bladder.
Ask yourself what’s more important: making as much money for each item or getting rid of as much as you can. Going home with an empty car is the dream to aim for.
Set and agree what you’ll do with anything left over. Do another boot fair, give to charity etc. I gave myself a week to sell anything left on FB, Ebay etc then took whatever wasn’t sold to our local charity shop.
Have a clear idea in your head of how much you’d like for each item and the minimum you’d accept. Remember that everything you sell isn’t coming back home with you. Is it really worth holding out for an extra pound or two?
Boot fairs aren’t normally the best place to sell expensive items but you might be lucky and have someone there who wants exactly what you’re selling.
Consider special offers to give buyers an extra incentive. I did this for my Planet Hollywood caps and made them cheaper, the more customers bought.
99% of customers want to feel they’ve got a bargain. If you’re selling something for £2, you’ll probably be asked if you’d take £1. Try and let go of any desire to shout, “What is wrong with you, it’s £2!!!!!”