Car boot sales

The car boot sale, run properly.

Sellers clear a loft and go home with cash by lunchtime. Buyers find the thing they never knew they were looking for. No need to book, just turn up.

No need to book Just turn up on the day, pay at the gate and back into a space. No deposit, no forms.
Sellers from 4.30am Gates open early so you have time to pick your spot and set up before the buyers arrive.
Food sellers on site A range of food sellers at every sale, with a good variety of choices from early morning.
Everyone welcome Kids and dogs included. Bring water and a bowl for the dog, there is little shade on site.

What we do

A Sunday morning that has worked for forty years.

A car boot sale is the simplest good idea there is. People bring what they no longer need, other people take it home, and everyone goes away better off than they arrived.

We run sales that are properly organised: stewarded rows, level ground, clean facilities and clear rules that protect buyers and sellers alike. The atmosphere looks after itself.

A packed car boot open on a frosted field at first light

Why a car boot

Everybody leaves with something.

Sellers clear the house

A loft, a garage, a spare room back. Cash in your pocket by lunchtime for things that were only gathering dust.

Buyers find the good stuff

Nothing online gives you the moment you spot the thing across a field. You cannot search for what you did not know you wanted.

Nothing goes to landfill

Every boot that empties is a skip that stays empty. It is the oldest kind of recycling and still the best one.

Two ways in

Selling, or having a look round.

For sellers

Turn up, back in, open the boot.

There is no booking system and no deposit. Arrive, pay at the gate, and a steward will point you at a row.

  • Sellers can arrive from 4.30am
  • No need to book, just turn up on the day
  • Pay at the gate, first come first served
  • One pitch is one vehicle and the space behind it
  • Bring your own table, a float and plenty of bags

For buyers

Bring cash and come early.

The best things go in the first hour, and the best prices come in the last one. Both are a good morning out.

  • Cash is king, in small notes and coins
  • Food sellers on site with plenty of choice
  • Kids and dogs both welcome
  • Haggling is expected and half the fun
  • Wear boots, a field at seven is wetter than it looks

On site

Sorted before you arrive.

A field is only a field until somebody thinks about the morning properly.

  • Toilets with hand washing
  • Parking on site
  • A variety of food sellers
  • First aid on the ground
  • Stewards directing traffic
  • Level ground for setting up
  • Room for vans and trailers
  • Space to get a pram through

Got a field?

All new venue ideas welcome.

We are actively looking for new sites. If you know somewhere that could hold a proper car boot sale, we would like to hear about it.

Playing fields, showgrounds, big car parks, anywhere with room to park a few hundred cars and a sensible way in and out. Bring us the place and we will look at it seriously.

Tell us about it

Landowners, get in touch.

No forms and no fuss. Tell us roughly where it is and how much room there is, and that is enough to start a conversation.

Email a venue idea 07553 195055

Before you come

The things people always ask.

No. There is no need to book, just turn up. Pay at the gate, back the car into a space and open the boot. That is the whole system and it has not needed changing in forty years.

Sellers can arrive from 4.30am. The earlier you are through the gate the better the spot and the calmer the set up, and you will be ready well before the buyers come through.

Yes, everyone is welcome. Just remember to bring the essentials for young children, and make sure you bring water and a bowl for your dog, as there is little shade on site.

Dogs on leads and cleaned up after, please.

Yes. Food sellers will be at the venue selling a different variety and choices, open from early on so sellers setting up can get a bacon roll and a proper tea.

Bring cash. Most sellers are somebody's mum with a biscuit tin for a till, not a card machine. Small notes and coins go a lot further than a fifty.

It goes ahead. It is a field in England, so we would never open otherwise. Very bad weather or soft ground can stop a sale, and if that happens it gets posted as early as we can manage.

Household goods, clothes, toys, books, tools, the lot. There are things nobody may sell at a car boot, and the full list is on the trading policy.

Set an alarm you won't regret.