WITH the increase in living costs, experts believe car boot sales may see a surge in popularity.
Such events have always been a way to make extra cash, but in the current climate it may be more important than ever to sell unwanted items.
Andrew Wilson frequently organises car boot sales in Dumfries and Galloway, and he believes that they will soon supercede even websites such as Gumtree and the Facebook marketplace.
“Due to the increase in living costs, people are looking for ways to save money or try and make some extra money by selling their unwanted items. People may be downsizing houses and looking to get rid of unwanted items, or students looking for clothes or household items.” he said.
“The car boot sales are also popular as a social way of meeting friends or making new friends. The sale has a friendly atmosphere and for some it’s their only social interaction with other people. Many look forward to a Sunday walking around the stalls to find a bargain or for a chat.
“I think that selling through Facebook, Gumtree and Ebay attract a lot of time wasters too, and people would rather do face-to-face selling at a car boot sale which cuts out the time wasters to a certain extent.
“There has also been a rise in small businesses starting. People are baking cakes and other baking goods to sell, which have to be registered with the local council. Only registered food sellers are allowed to sell at our car boot sales, so we’re creating businesses.”
Alongside the positives of car boot sales in a social and monetary aspect, there is also the potential of a valuable find.
Andrew added: “The biggest find to date at our car boot sale was a Lalique vase which was bought for £1 and sold at auction for £32,000.
“The vase was bought for the plant in the vase as the lady did not know what it was worth, so you never know what treasures people will find.
“We as organisers also enjoy running the car boot sales, and we look forward to seeing our regulars every week.”
