Car boot sales

[JulianHJ]

I feel soiled. For the second time in as many months I've attended a car boot sale. The first time was to assist my best mate's girlfriend, as she is selling everything she owns in order to go travelling for a number of years. Last night she called to ask if I could assist again, to rid herself of the last of her possessions. I decided on the spur of the moment to chuck a few unused bits together as well.

The minute we got there (each time) the car was surrounded. Like vultures spotting fresh carrion, they decended from every angle. Faces pressed to windows, questions shouted through the closed windows before the handbrake had even been applied. Had it not been for the fact I was half the age of these frenzied bargain hunters, I'd have been scared, very scared.

We opened the boot. Hands ventured - I lost my rag instantly and explosively. Yet far from taking offence the baying mob merely returned fire with another barrage of prying questions. With extreme caution goods were unloaded in stages, our eyes sharp for sniping hands and pilfered merchandise.

With most goods now on display, vigilance and a well-honed sales instinct took over. My property was almost entirely mid-high value electronics when new. My clients fought hard and for the most part I held my ground. Perhaps letting a Sony head unit and 10 disc swapper go for £35 was foolish, but the gleeful Arab purchaser was an adept negotiator. Besides, they'd have only rotted away in the loft, as I'd never install equipment that old-school into any vehicle, not even my sister's bumper-car of a Ford Scrote.

Three hours freezing me nads off for a net result of £150. Not bad all in all.

I had to have a couple of showers afterwards though.

[zetec]

I'd rather throw things away than attend a boot sale.

Urrghhh.

[wedge girl]

You would have got more on ebay and you could have stayed in the warm

[rich 36]

Used to enjoy the idea by going to these in the 90's
that i would unearth a vermeer, from behind some
star wars posters, perhaps even find a previously un-heard kajagoogoo cassette.
But sadly no, any way to many trinsitt vin type dealers flogging any old crap in the end

(probably from E-bay)

[v8thunder]

I think there are two kinds of car boot sale you tend to run into - the 'village' sale, and the 'pikey' sale.

The 'village' is held on the school playing field and will be full of over-chatty types in cardigans who seem to think no-one in the rest of the world has seen a slow cooker before, judging by their descriptions, and have full sets of 'Now' albums they think are still new.

The 'pikey' sale will be in a scruffy car park behind a pub, and will be full of dodgy-looking tattooed blokes selling pirate DVDs and home-recorded tapes on rickety trestle tables. There's a German Shepherd under the table and there mission seems to be to scare you into buying whatever they're flogging.

Car boot sales - good for a people-watching sesh, but I wouldn't dare sell anything at them.

[BMGM3]

I went to one of these 'stolen goods fairs' in Essex once . I can't believe I got up early to do this. It ranks high on my greatest errors of judgement list.

[polarbert]

v8thunder said:

The 'pikey' sale will be in a scruffy car park behind a pub, and will be full of dodgy-looking tattooed blokes selling pirate DVDs and home-recorded tapes on rickety trestle tables. There's a German Shepherd under the table and there mission seems to be to scare you into buying whatever they're flogging.

you forgot caravans that break when you tow them away! (ala snatch)

[wedg1e]

JulianHJ said:

Perhaps letting a Sony head unit and 10 disc swapper go for £35 was foolish, but the gleeful Arab purchaser was an adept negotiator. Besides, they'd have only rotted away in the loft, as I'd never install equipment that old-school into any vehicle, not even my sister's bumper-car of a Ford Scrote.

I'd have given you forty, just to put it in the Esprit...
I suppose it'll have to be this old Pioneer Centrate system then, with separate cassette, tuner, amps, changer....umpsupvolume:

[JulianHJ]

wedg1e said:

JulianHJ said: Perhaps letting a Sony head unit and 10 disc swapper go for £35 was foolish, but the gleeful Arab purchaser was an adept negotiator. Besides, they'd have only rotted away in the loft, as I'd never install equipment that old-school into any vehicle, not even my sister's bumper-car of a Ford Scrote. I'd have given you forty, just to put it in the Esprit... I suppose it'll have to be this old Pioneer Centrate system then, with separate cassette, tuner, amps, changer....umpsupvolume:

I know it was worth a bit more, but it was over 10 years old and I didn't want the hassle of Ebay etc...