Up before the sun: a field guide to UK car boot sales

Check the organiser’s page or social feed the night before. Rain can cancel a fair, and opening times, entry fees and pitch prices differ from one site to the next.

Buying? Bring cash in small notes and coins. Sellers rarely have change for a £20 at seven in the morning, and a few pound coins settle a haggle faster than any speech. Pack sturdy bags, a tape measure and a torch if sunrise is late.

Selling? Price things before you leave with sticky labels, and load the car in reverse order so the items you want people to see first come out first. Take a float of coins, a folding table or groundsheet, and something to wrap breakables in.

Dealers and regulars tend to turn up while sellers are still unloading, and many will ask what’s in the boot before a single item is on display. That’s normal, so decide in advance whether you’re happy to sell early. A fair offer on a bundle can save you carrying it home. If an offer is far too low, “no thanks” is a complete answer.

If you’re buying, ask before you dive into boxes someone is still unpacking, and leave things as tidy as you found them.

The usual etiquette is to ask “would you take…?” rather than name a deliberately insulting price. Buying several items from one seller is the easiest route to a discount. Handle things gently, look them over properly, and test anything electrical if the seller can provide power or batteries.

A few things are worth passing on even at a bargain price: used child car seats and cycle helmets, because you can’t know whether they’ve been in a crash, and any branded item priced so low it looks too good to be true. Selling counterfeit goods is illegal.

By mid-morning the crowd thins and sellers start thinking about the drive home. Prices fall, and it’s a good time to ask for a bundle price on something bulky. The catch is that the items people queued for at seven will already be gone. Going early gets you choice; going late gets you the lowest prices. Decide which matters more to you.

If you’ve sold, take everything you brought, rubbish included, and leave the pitch as you found it. Leftovers can go to a charity shop instead of back into the loft. If you’ve bought, wrap fragile finds before the drive home and clean second-hand items before you use them.

This is general information, not legal advice. Private sellers are not shops, so you won’t normally get a refund because you changed your mind, but items should match how the seller describes them. Stolen and counterfeit goods can’t be sold, and electrical items should be safe to use. Some goods are restricted: knives, for example, can’t be sold to anyone under 18. Check the organiser’s rules and your local council’s guidance before you book a pitch.

This page covers the general routine. For what to expect at particular sites, blogora has written up the history, highlights and visitor tips for the Tunbridge Wells boot fair and the history, location and events at Macknade Boot Fair.