Shoestring Cottage

Money Environment Home & Health

  • Home
  • New to Shoestring Cottage? Start here
  • About Me: My best life on a shoestring
  • Fifty Ways to Save Money Now
  • Favourite Frugal & Healthy Recipes
  • My Frugal Bookshelf
  • Work with Me: Shoestring Cottage Media Pack
  • PRIVACY POLICY

How to find the best boot sale bargains

2nd July 2017 by shoestringjane@outlook.com 9 Comments

Share on Facebook Share
0
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Pinterest Share
0

I had a mixed experience looking for boot sale bargains yesterday. We went to two. The first was rubbish. Hardly any stalls and those that were there were mostly traders, selling old tools and out of date food.

Boot sale bargains
Boot sale bargains

 

We moved on quickly to the next, another small Saturday one. We often find boot sale bargains here and today was no exception. It is possible to buy really decent stuff at a Saturday or mid week boot sale, but Sundays or bank holidays are best. They tend to be much bigger, with more buyers and sellers.

I am trying my best to make a bit of extra money this month and my best chance is by selling on eBay. So I needed more stock. But how do you find the best boot sale bargains?

Find the real boot salers

I tend to look out for the real boot salers rather than the traders; those who have had a good clear out and just want rid. This is where you will find the best boot sale bargains! These tend to fall into two camps. The super keenies who arrive with the dealers at 6 am and those who turn up at 8 or after looking a bit confused and dishevelled.

You can tell the real boot salers straight away. They will be selling a true mix of goods rather than specialising in one thing, as the traders tend to.

Get there early

I do not join the greedy dealers who try to root through people’s bags as they are setting up. This is just rude! However, it pays to try to arrive early. You can get a good look at the early risers things and by the time you get through those the stragglers have set up too.

Identify the right kind of seller

Because my interest is mostly in ladies’ clothing I tend to watch out for younger female sellers. They often buy stuff they never wear and get bored with clothes quickly so I can get brand new or barely worn items from them. However, husband’s selling their wives things are good too. They can be clueless on price and often sell everything cheaply for the same amount, even if is is designer with the tags still on!

If I find a genuine person having a good clearout of their clothes it’s not unusual for me to spend a lot of time and money in one place.  Yesterday I spotted a lady with a stall full of great Marks and Spencer’s clothes, many still with tags. I bought 6 things for £20. The total value from the shop would have been £180 plus! I will get these listed and on eBay as soon as I can.

You will soon find the type of person to watch out for if you are interested in, say, children’s stuff or computer games.

Cheap household items

The traders stalls are worth a look for some items. You can find some well priced healthy plants, for example. Toiletries, cleaning products, bin liners, etc are also good value. Fruit and veg can also be worth a look, but with so much fresh produce in the garden now I didn’t bother.

Are you on the look out for boot sale bargains either for yourself or to resell at a profit? What are your best buys and your tips for finding them?

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: MONEY Tagged With: Bargain-hunting, Making money

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
« Five Frugal Things I have achieved this week, 30th June 2017
Need to make extra cash? Great blogs to help you earn more money. »

Comments

  1. Kirrie says

    2nd July 2017 at 16:38

    Guess when I go I look for middle aged couples with stalls that look like they are cleaning out mums house. I love kitchen bits , especially old solid cooking pots, little ones. I Collect signed paperweights some are worth a lot!. Everyone seems to have given grandma one at sometime, but sell them for a pound or 2.
    Lots are worth £50 to £100.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      2nd July 2017 at 18:50

      I shall keep an eye out! Signed by who?

      Reply
  2. Kirrie says

    2nd July 2017 at 19:11

    Any paperweight that has Caithness glass scrawled on the bottom worth at least £50 !.more intricate higher price!.

    Reply
  3. Kirrie says

    2nd July 2017 at 19:19

    Look out for the paperweights that look like they are filled with hundreds of little bits of coloured rock!. Have had 2 . Sold them 1 £150 and £220. Signed in bottom Caithness glass..one was 50p, other £1.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      2nd July 2017 at 20:32

      I will be looking out for those! Thanks for that Kirrie

      Reply
  4. Kirrie says

    2nd July 2017 at 20:58

    Signature must be erched in the glass!. Not pen!.

    Reply
  5. s says

    2nd July 2017 at 21:10

    The early bird often gets the bargains. Most sellers are open to polite and reasonable haggling. Being aggressive or descending like gannets on a newly arrived car is intimidating. I look for vintage soft furnishings (you can never have too many cushions!),pictures and china. My china is mismatched and chipped but much loved and used every day. I avoid white van man and prefer to rummage on the independent stalls. You comment regarding “clueless husbands” made me smile – just this morning at Ardleigh I bagged some lovely china for pennies when the husband had been left in charge of the stall…..

    Reply
  6. jane says

    3rd July 2017 at 06:55

    Hi Jane, our local one (Doncaster football stadium) wasn’t up to much this morning but was VERY busy which made it almost impossible to get a good look at the stalls. There were also lots of people on mobility scooters blocking stalls and shopping trolleys being dragged along behind people. It wasn’t the best day for finding any good bargains off the real boot sellers but I did get 15 sachets of shampoo for 50p which I will be using some of to take on our upcoming holiday instead of taking a bottle of shampoo and also 2 bottles of my Maybelline 24hr foundation for £5 a bottle instead of the usual price of £9.99 each from the trader that sells everything you could want in health and beauty. Hubby was after some new slippers but we couldn’t find one stall selling any, probably have more luck in the colder months.
    take care jane xx

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      3rd July 2017 at 12:17

      Sounds like the organisers made the walkways too narrow! That makes it all feel too busy.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • ECO FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE
  • FRUGAL CHRISTMAS
  • FRUGAL FOOD
  • FRUGAL GARDEN
  • FRUGAL HOME
  • FRUGAL LIFESTYLE
  • FUN AND TRAVEL
  • General
  • GENERAL POSTS
  • HEALTH AND WELL BEING
  • MAKING MONEY FROM HOME
  • MONEY
  • SLIMMING WORLD

About Me

Would you like to take control of your finances, pay off your debts and save for the future? At Shoestring Cottage we aim to show you that you can live a good and happy life on less than you think, you can get off the consumer treadmill and you can live more simply and healthily and not feel deprived.
We are also moving toward a less wasteful, more sustainable lifestyle and believe frugality and sustainability go hand in hand. Read More…

Copyright © 2021 · Delightful theme by Restored 316

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.