Selling car boots is a great way to make extra money or get things cheap.
However, they are often targeted by dishonest buyers and sellers.
Here, Rosie Taylor reveals some of the most common scams to watch out for and how best to avoid them. . .
COUNTERFEIT GOODS
MORE and more fake products are being sold at boot sales, Trading Standards has warned.
Common counterfeits include designer clothes and bags, perfumes, make-up and electronics.
The main problem with them is that they are likely to be cheaply made and fall apart quickly.
Electronic items may not work or even be dangerous, while imitation perfumes and cosmetics may contain harmful chemicals.
Victoria Wilson, cabinet member for trading standards at Staffordshire County Council, says: “We all love bargains and you can pick them up [at car boot sales] but you have to be careful.
“Buying fakes will definitely put you out of pocket. Not only does it encourage illegal activity and damage genuine businesses, it poses serious health and safety risks.”
She advises shoppers to check the packaging – misspelled words can be a sign of fakes.
And research the brands ahead of time to learn how to identify the real deal.
CHANGE SCAMS
CASH is king in boot sales, and that means you need to be on the lookout for change scams when buying or selling.
Common ones include someone confusing you and giving you a smaller note than you’re owed.
I fell for this in my first trunk sale as a dealer.
A few people caught my eye at my stand when a man tried to get me to sell him a pair of shoes for £8.
He gave me a £20 note, I gave him back the £10 and said he would come back later for the shoes and £2.
But when he came back an hour later he insisted I hadn’t given him any change before and he needed the whole £12.
It meant I ended up £2 and a pair of shoes down instead of £8 up.
My advice would be to never take any money until the buyer is ready to take the item and make sure you carry plenty of change on your money belt so you can hand it over immediately.
AMAZON IS BACK
You may see stalls at car boot sales offering mystery ‘Amazon returns’ packages for £1.
The sellers claim that these are unwanted items returned to Amazon that they are selling.
It can be tempting to spend a pound to see if you’re getting a bargain.
But Maddy Alexander-Grout, founder of the Mad About Money app, warns that these are often not actual returns, but worthless items stuffed into old Amazon packaging.
“It’s usually worthless rubbish from people’s houses, so don’t get caught out with a mystery package as you’ll almost certainly spend £1,” he advises.
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
At one car boot sale I was delighted to find a French Connection dress, with label, for £2.50.
It showed that the dress cost £210 new and appeared to be in great condition, although I suspected it might have been worn once, with tags, as there were a few snags in the fabric.
I thought I would be able to sell it on Vinted or eBay for a decent price, but when I got home and turned it inside out to wash it, I realized it had definitely been worn as it had stains on the lining.
The stains weren’t noticeable when I bought it, but I should have realized there was a reason why something that looked like it was worth £210 was on sale for £2.50.
Check items as thoroughly as you can before you buy them – and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
RESALE CON
ANOTHER trick with car boots is that experienced dealers will swarm around your car when unloading, buy stuff off you cheaply, then take it to their booth to sell at a higher price.
Maddy Alexander-Grout has a warning about this classic scam: “When people want to buy from you before you’ve even unloaded your car, you might think you’re lucky.
“But if someone is trying to make you think an item won’t sell, so they’re doing you a favor by buying it, it’s probably because they want to get it out of you cheaply because they know they can sell it for more money. “
He recommends asking eager early buyers how much they’re willing to pay for the item, turning them down, and selling it later for a slightly higher price than what they were listing at the time.
STOLEN GOODS
It’s worth noting that criminals can use boot sales to offload stolen goods.
Signs of this may include stalls selling lots of brand new items of higher value such as tools, gardening supplies or perfumes.
Again, beware of prices that seem too good to be true.
Be aware that bikes and scooters can be stolen and don’t be afraid to ask the seller where they originally came from.
Reputable sellers will be happy to tell you if there is something original that their family no longer wants – if someone is pushy or gives very vague answers, don’t buy.
Surrey Police are advising anyone looking to buy items such as tools from car boot sales to bring a pocket ultraviolet light to check items for invisible markings such as a name or postcode.