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Thread: Car Boot Sales

  1. #1
    Join Date: Jan 2012

    Location: Manchester

    Posts: 480
    I'm graham.

    Default Car Boot Sales

    As a couple of you know, I am on a mission to sort out my garage. I am going down the "Home Office" route and as my garage is enormous it makes more sense to turn two thirds of it into an office and construct a garden shed for all of, well, garden stuff!

    The crap I have pulled out is quite astonishing so I decided to "do a Car Boot"!
    Like you do. Anyhow I did a bit of research and decided to go to one organised by the local Rotary Club as all of the proceeds were for a good cause and it was local and modest in size, and there was a decent Cafe on the site - Bacon Butties

    Anyhow, as I pulled up on my pitch allocated to me - Vultures descended. It was amazing, people were unloading the car for me just to see what I had. I sold three largish things before they were actually out of the car. The Boot Sale officially started at eight and this was 7.15 so i was caught completely off guard. Then as the morning wore on it became apparent to me that there were a number of people who were wandering about buying a LOT of stuff, I could see them going back to their cars and literally filling them with swag.

    So I started asking about. These people were actually at their wholesale outlet, not a Car Boot. They were buying up "stock" thenm travelling off the following - next - weekend to a massive Car Boot sale a bit further afield and resell this stuff. I was astonished. This is another economy, completely under the radar.

  2. #2
    Join Date: Jul 2010

    Location: North Cambs UK, Earth, Sol, Orion - Cygnus arm of galaxy

    Posts: 11,166
    I'm MadeOfDeadGiantStarsThatExplodedEonsAgo.

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    I used to get to boot sales as early as possible & snaffle up likely looking stereo & hifi kit.. Take it home, fix it & sell it

    I'd still be doing it now if I had transport, it was a handy second income
    Bests, Mark



    "We must believe in free will. We have no choice" Isaac Bashevis Singer

  3. #3
    Join Date: Jun 2010

    Location: Scotland

    Posts: 1,940
    I'm Tom.

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    You would be extremely lucky if you found any hi-fi at all at a boot sale around East Cornwall

    Last year I went to one near Polperro and the best item I ever saw was a Technics 1210 that was truly fit for the dump and nothing else. This clown was asking £300 for it and he said "they fetch an awful lot of money on ebay", but his rose tinted glasses seemed to have completely missed the lack of an arm, no mat, the plinth scratched to hell, a broken lid, the cue light busted off and the platter was almost white with corrosion. He was rather miffed when I offered him a straight swap with my ice cream because that was all it was worth

  4. #4
    Join Date: Dec 2008

    Location: Yorks

    Posts: 16,643
    I'm Nobody.

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    I've not been to boot sales for years, i noticed a change when things like on line auctions appeared. Believe me i've had some awesome finds on boots in the past..one of my best ones was Moog 'Mini Moog Model D' synthesizer, ARP 'Odyssey', rare silver faced model synthesizer, wait for it both from the same guy £75.00 the pair. EMS 'VCS-3 synthesizer £40.00.. Numerous amounts Vintage gear for next to nothing, i bought my old 'TD124' from a booty £50 i think it was...These days i very much doubt i'd pick anything of intrest up, people are too clued up these days..

  5. #5
    Join Date: Jul 2009

    Location: Hampshire, UK

    Posts: 3,662
    I'm Adam.

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    I'm a regular at mine! Last visit was the weekend before last and I came home with an original 1983 vintage front-loading Technics SL-P10 CD player for £5.

    Reminds me - still haven't tried it yet. Where did I put it?

    I have used them several times as a seller for general household clearouts but am finding them too much hassle for too little return these days. The last straw was someone at the last one I did openly laughing at me asking £15 for an immaculate Brabantia kitchen bin. I did manage to shut him up by pulling out my phone, finding the John Lewis website and proving to him that it currently retails for £109, but he still seemed unable to comprehend that I would ask more than £1 for it.
    Engineers: fixing problems you didn't know you had in ways you don't understand.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Nov 2010

    Location: Yorkshire

    Posts: 9,302
    I'm Andrew.

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    Very little gear appears on the Boot's around my neck of the woods but I have purchased loads of cheapo vinyl with some rarities. I managed a pair of Celestion ditton 15's with stands for £30. I've bought a couple of valve radios for a fiver but thats been about it.
    SS
    CD Teac VRDS25X(Audiotuned) DECK 1210 Mat Crystal Audio Mods MN Base/Bearing/Platter+Ebony armboard Feet Isonoe PSU Paul Hynes SR7EHD-27XL/DCSXL Ag DC lead/3 Stage Regs/Recap PCB+No Pitch/Strobe/Light ARM SME V(Kondo Ag Rewire&Tags) MC Cadenza Black FGS CABLES Arm Yannis SPD-4 IC Yannis 222 Litz+Ag bullets Power WAR PRE ATC SCA2 SPEAKERS ATC 50ASL STANDS Atacama PHONO Sugden Masterclass PA4 SUT Ortofon ST80SE POWER PSAudio P10

    VALVE
    PRE
    Croft Epoch(Modded) AMP Sondex S100 (Modded) SPEAKERS Tannoy 15"MG+RFC Warwick cabs+ Ref XO + Batpure supertweeters DECK Garrard 301 Mat Teunto Bearings 401(Bastin) Plinth Bamboo Arms 3009/3012 PSU Eagle+Tachometer MC Ag Meister II/FGS + Ortofon SPU MONO CABLES Arm Yannis 420.5 Litz+ SpeakerPC Tripple C+WBT-0681 Ag IC Oyaide FTVS-510 AgWBT 0110Ag Phonostages Paradise(4 Box Mega-Modded) / Croft Musicmaker



  7. #7
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,771
    I'm Martin.

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    The last boot sale I did I sold everything I took including the car...

    The 'descending vulture' thing is a bit of a shock the first time I must admit
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  8. #8
    Alex_UK's Avatar
    Alex_UK is offline Spotify + Facebook Moderator / Chilled-Out Wino and only here for the shilling
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Sunny Suffolk, UK

    Posts: 15,952
    I'm WrappingALilacCurtainAroundMyBobby.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    The 'descending vulture' thing is a bit of a shock the first time I must admit
    What really f***** me off about the first one I went to was not only the descending vultures rooting out the best stuff, but the fact that the pikey c**** NICKED most of the stuff - fair enough trying to get in for first dibs but then to steal it... I was livid, and the next time I went I took a big stick, a surly attitude and a rottweiler wife, then unloaded the car one box at a time - without problems!

    I have been to a few last year, but never found a thing hifi. (Odd bit of midi system and the like, but nothing "proper".) My father-in-law goes religiously every week and I've been training him up how to recognise vintage Tannoys and the like!
    Alex

    Main System: Digital: HP Laptop/M2Tech Hiface/Logitech Media Server/FLAC; Marantz SA7001 KI Signature SACD Player and other digital stuff into Gatorised Beresford Caiman DAC Vinyl: Garrard 401/SME 3009 SII Improved/Sumiko HS/Nagaoka MP-30
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  9. #9
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Ayrshire

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    I'm OneOfTheSevenModsWhoToldMarcoNotToLiftHarry'sBan.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post

    The last boot sale I did I sold everything I took including the car...



    At least you had the bus fare home.
    ATB

    David

  10. #10
    Join Date: Mar 2009

    Location: Elland

    Posts: 6,922
    I'm David.

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    We have started going to carboots for clothes for Connie ... I was put off the idea thinking it would all be crap but the standard of baby clothes at carboots in worcester is amazing
    on sunday we bought 5 items of next clothing in mint condition for £1 and a pair of Clarke's red patent leather shoes for £1

    I just go to find cameras, Ive found a few in the past, nothing that special, but i have made a profit on everything i have bought!
    not once have i seen a bit of hifi that i would concider hifi

    on the subject of vultures ... there is one who goes to the booty we frequent, he looks a little like he has evolved specifically for car boots! he has a hunch back that seems to allow him some extra reach over the surface of the tables and a long nose with a pair of reading glasses perched on the end that he uses to inspect things ... in fact, now i think about it he actually looks like a vulture!! definitely looks like a Terry Pratchet character ... from what i have seen he only buys gold! ... ill see if i can get a photo of him next weekend!
    CS Port TAT2 - Benz LPS - Funkfirm Houdini - DS Audio Vinyl Ionizer - CS Port C3EQ - Kondo G70 - Kondo Gakuoh II - Maxonic TW1100 MKII - Isol-8 SubStation Integra

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