1st car boot of 2012

[biggs682]

we are off to first car boot of 2012 in half an hour so i want to come back with some bike related bargains , will add finds or buys upon our return

 

[gavroche]

car boots dont start till Easter here.

 

[gbb]

Off to Brampton this morning, its early yet so there prolly won't be much there, but you never know....

 

[Arch]

End of March for the York Racecourse car boot...

 

[biggs682]

what a load or cr//

only a couple of bso's

 

[Leedsbusdriver]

You have to get there early to get the bargains.Turning up at 09.30 is too late because by then all the traders have gone through the entire car boot and picked off the best buys.

 

[gbb]

Nah, same for me, just the usual crud . That's half the fun. you never know.

 

[Arch]

Nah, same for me, just the usual crud . That's half the fun. you never know.

Exactly. It's like a treasure hunt.

We were saying this morning, when the Racecourse car boot starts up again, do I take my new trailer down behind the bike on the off chance. Or leave it at home, knowing that will mean we're bound to find a large unmissable bargain that means going home to fetch it!

The beauty of the racecourse one is that it's free to get in, so if you don't get anything, you've lost nothing but the calories you expend walking round.

Mind you, the breakfast baps at the catering van see to those....

 

[MontyVeda]

Car boot sales; the best place to flog off all those unwanted xmas gifts!

15 years ago they were full of pale blue foot spas and facial saunas, 10 years ago it was the George Forman Grill, or Lean Mean Fat Reducing Machine... i never was sure which was its proper name?

What is it this year? oversized exercise equipment?

 

[biggs682]

there was plenty of exercise machine just no bikey stuff worth buying , picked up a few good books tho

 

[Maz]

Anyone sold at a car boot before? Might give it a go to clear out unwanted stuff around the house.
What stuff sells well?

 

[Night Train]

Anyone sold at a car boot before? Might give it a go to clear out unwanted stuff around the house.
What stuff sells well?

I tried once. I am no good at face to face selling. Despite having a load of power tools and electrical accessories there were almost no sales in a car boot that was mostly DVDs, women's clothing and baby toys. I nearly made back the pitch costs at the end of the day and only walked away with a tiny profit as I was sharing a pitch, and costs, with a friend.

Dad used to car boot but always spent more then he made and returned with more stuff then he got rid of.

 

[GordonB]

The contents of car boot sales are 99% cr*p but it's the 1% that makes them worth going to if you know what you are looking for. My daughter has made a healthy little business from buying sterling silver jewellery, which is often overlooked, cleaning it using silver dip and an ultrasonic cleaner, repackaging it in little muslin bags and selling to her school friends either to wear or to give as gifts. She also sells at village fairs and generally makes a profit of several hundred percent. She's been doing this since she was about 10 (15 now) and her friends love her for it, as no doubt do the recipients of the gifts. Now and then she has a spectacular find, like the ring she brought home one day to find it was an engagement ring, 18k white gold with a fairly large diamond in it, or the pendant that turned out to be 18k white gold studded with diamonds. Paid 50p each for them...........and she had the nerve to haggle the seller down from a quid! Until recently I gave her £3 per week pocket money and she would generally turn that into £10 to £20 by buying and selling. Probably one of the most business aware young ladies you could meet now, which is not bad thing. Car boot sales have taught her more about buying, selling, customer service, marketing and communication than I could ever teach her.

We do two per weekend if the weather is nice, it's a great reason to get up early, this weekends finds included a mint condition Griffin and George chemical balance (one of those you used at school in my day) that I want for my home microscopy lab, loads of books (we don't buy new books, just cbs ones then donate to charity shops), some designer label clothes that Beth bought, a mint Silva compass for Beth's Duke of E expedition, and a genuine art nouveau period copper and brass pierced gallery tray (needs cleaning and a bit of restoration but easy to do) bought for five quid, seen similar ones at antiques fairs selling for over a hundred.

I've bought bike bits at many boot sales, last year I got Campag Record front and rear mechs, Campag aero seat post, several sets of Cinelli bars, pair of DA 10 speed downtube shifters, pair of Campag and Wolber Profil 18 wheels, pair of virtually new Alexrims 700c hybrid wheels (gave them to a mate as they were 135mm oln), mudguards, water bottles, cages etc. Didn't pay more than 5 quid for any item, usually about a pound.

Don't know what we would do without car boot sales, ebay and auctions!

Gordon

 

[Kiwiavenger]

i love car boots, warhammer stuff is what i mostly go for! bad painted models, strip them off and paint them then re-sell! ive built up a massive pratchett collection through car boots and the wife has a load of fantasy books. we then either charity shop them or put them on fleabay.

i need to do one or two more soon as looking to move so need to get rid of dead weight round the house

 

[gbb]

Today, at the Skylark carboot (my first visit...and last, it wasnt that good)..i got me a pair of Bluemels 26 inch MTB mudguards, brand new, still packaged....£1
Must be at least £15 in the shops....shame i havnt got a MTB

Even worse..i already have a brand new pair of MTB mudguards (not bluemels tho) in my cupboard, brought at a carboot last year for...£1

Sucker for a bargain