With the cost of living soaring, there’s never been a better time to declutter the house and make a bit of cash from your pre-loved items - and a car boot is the perfect way to do it.
I recently took a car-full of homeware, clothes, beauty and knick-knacks to my local boot sale, and made a whopping £130 in a couple of hours.
Not only are car boots a great way to make some quick and easy cash, as well as rid your home of some things that have been gathering dust, they’re also the opportune place to bag a bargain yourself.
READ MORE: I tried a full face of Boohoo makeup and found a new favourite beauty product
With people selling items from as little as 10p, you could get a whole new wardrobe for under £20 or find cheap antiques ‘Bargain Hunt’ style. Personally, I’m always there for the cheap vinyl, adding to my record collection for £1 a pop.
There are a few cracking boot sales across Manchester, from Bolton to Manchester City Airport. If you’re looking to make a quick buck, offload your second hand goods, or pick up a bargain, here’s where you should be heading.
Rummage In The Range
Set at The Carlton Club in Whalley Range, Rummage in the Range hosts a monthly car boot sale on the first Saturday of every month. Their September sale will be held on Saturday, September 3.
The event is packed with bargains, food and drink vendors and stalls full of second hand goods, with a variety of activities to keep the kids entertained. Speaking of, the venue offers free entry for children, and charge £1.50 for adults. The monthly event is also dog friendly.
For sellers, stalls with your own table are charged at £22, or £25 if you need to borrow one. If you would like a stall, sellers are advised to email rummageintherange@hotmail.com.
Rummage in the Range said: “The idea is to provide a fun, old skool car boot sale to the wider local community and also provide an atmosphere where everyone is included and there is something for all ages and backgrounds.”
You can find details of all their latest car boot events here.
Bowlee Car Boot Sale and Market
Bowlee is said to be ‘one of Greater Manchester’s most popular outdoor car boot events’, and runs from April to August each year.
You’ll have to be speedy if you want to catch it this year, as the remaining dates will be held on Sunday, August 28 and Monday, August 29. There are currently no plans to extend the boot sale in September yet, the Facebook page claims.
Organised by Rochdale Borough Council, the sale is located at Bowlee Country Park, Middleton, and offers free entry for buyers with £2.50 parking.
The council said: “If it's time for a de-clutter, you can easily offload your unwanted possessions in exchange for cash, or explore and bag yourself a bargain. There's a huge range of goods available at one of Greater Manchester's most popular outdoor car boot events.
“Because it's run by us, you can be sure we've done all the right checks so you know you're buying and selling in a legal, safe environment.”
The car boot runs from 6am to 1.30pm, and you can find all the extra details you need to know on the Rochdale Borough Council website.
Manchester City Airport
Held all year round, the Manchester City Airport car boot - organised by National Car Boot Sales - runs every Saturday throughout the year.
The event, in Barton, opens to sellers at 9am and buyers at 10am, charging £1 per person entry fee, and has ‘thousands’ of buyers each week.
Pitches cost £12 for cars and £16 for vans, there’s no need to book and there are more than 400 spaces available. But unfortunately, you do have to bring your own table.
The car boot is pet friendly, with catering, loos and children’s rides on site, so you can make a bit of a day of it.
Traders looking for a regular pitch are advised to call ahead - the details can be found on the National Car Boot Sales site.
University of Bolton Stadium
Every Sunday there’s a National Car Boot Sales event held at the University of Bolton Stadium. It’s one of the ‘best and most attended car boot events’ in Bolton and the surrounding area, with more than 300 sellers and thousands of buyers.
Gates open at 6am for sellers, and to buyers at 7am, with £1 per car for buyers charged on the gate.
National Car Boot Sales said: “With its hard-standing surface and the best car boot toilets around means the car boot can run rain or shine. Come and grab a bargain from the hundreds of stalls or just turn up have a pitch, get ready to empty your sheds, garages and lofts and make money from old rope.”
Sellers’ cars are charged at £12, with £16 for vans, £3 for trailers and £20 for large vans.
Running from February to December, the pet-friendly event offers catering, loos and children’s rides and a bouncy castle. There’s also a meat auction, fresh fruit and veg, a cheeseman, plants, RAC stall, ice cream and retro sweet stall.
To find out more or book a stall, visit the National Car Boot Sales site.
READ NEXT:
- I pitted Charlotte Tilbury against 'identical' Revolution’s £10 viral dupe
- Ex-Boots employee shares hack to get £50 worth of No7 makeup for under £16
- Shoppers praise 26p ‘stickers’ that vanish spots overnight
- Shoppers ‘obsessed’ with £4 watermelon facemask with 800 five star Amazon reviews
- 'I tried the £5 Aldi Tan-Luxe dupe that could save shoppers £31'
