CASH FROM CAR BOOT SALES

One of the most popular ventures in recent years has been the car boot sale. Now almost all these areas have a year round selection of these potentially profitable events. Most are organised by charitable organisations, in all types of location - and you are sure to know of some locally. Whether arranged by charities or not they offer considerable potential for commercial market purposes.

Car boot sales are primarily intended for the disposal of household 'junk'. But they are also places where 'proper' market traders can find a good demand. Virtually anything can be sold at such a sale - so give it a try!

Perhaps the best use for the car boot sale is learning about the market trade - and making money in the process! You can then move on to bigger and more profitable regular markets if you so wish. A good way of starting is to book your car in at a selection of forthcoming car boot sales. These usually cost no more than 5 to attend - but you could usually recoup that dozens of times from just one short market. Maybe several hundred pounds in a weekend.

In many cases your stock for a car boot sale is otherwise worthless and will cost you nothing. Simply clear out all your household junk and take it along to form your stall!
Anything classified as 'junk' sells readily. You can also ask neighbours, friends and relatives for junk. In most cases you will be doing them a service and give you the items free - or you could share the proceeds of anything sold - in your favour.

When you sell what you already have it will be necessary to buy stock in to resell. Buy 'job lots' from second hand traders - also look around household effects auctions. One source of new stock is wholesalers - the ones who supply regular market traders. In some circumstances you could perhaps sell home made goods. Food, handicrafts, etc are all possibilities. In some cases a very high proportion of the selling price will be clear profit. Even several hundred percent in many cases!

Consider selling anything at a car boot sale. Books, toys, and records of all types are some of the fastest sellers. Interesting ornaments, curios and things in the 'antique' line always attract a lot of curiosity sales at high prices. The only thing you should aim to avoid is clothes. These take a lot of preparation, rarely selling well and at low prices.Don't bother with impressive displays for a car boot sale. Just pile everything into large cardboard boxes for easy transport. If possible make everything in the same box the same price to save individual price labels. When you arrive at a sale place everything on the ground in front of your car - buyers just can't resist a 'rummage' in the hope of finding a bargain!

Mark up the prices a little higher than you might think. Most people will then pay that price without question. If someone makes an offer, though, you can accept it and still make a good profit. Never take really low offers though - keep the item for selling at a future sale.

You will not need any special selling techniques or 'sales pitch' for an ordinary car boot sale. Good quality items sell themselves - and even low priced items soon build up into treble figure profits. Bearing in mind your overheads are very low this makes an excellent sideline income. Develop a circuit of car boot sales - maybe several per weekend - and you can soon earn a full time income in much less than part time hours!