In the UK Car Boot sales are the most popular way for people to quickly get rid of their stuff in return for quick cash. In the United States, I think Garage Sales are more popular. And, Yard Sales I have seen in both the UK and the States.

But the same principles apply to all three types of sale, except that Car Boot Sales take place in a designated place where a whole lot of other people also gather to sell their 'wares'; 'car booters' pay for their space; and customers come specifically to buy, shop for bargains and browse all the 'stalls'.

The whole thing works a little bit like a market where stall holders collect in a market place or hall and buyers come to browse the stall.  The difference is that you do not need any special licenses or equipment; in most cases, you do not need to book, just turn up in plenty of time, set up in the space that the wardens direct you to, pay your fee, and off you go!

Most car boot sale sites do not allow you to sell new or commerical goods, but some will allow those onto the site in a special designated 'market' area run alongside the car boot; however, those are more expesive because they are commercial.  If you have mostly second-hand and used items, the kind of goods that most car booters sell, the odd new item will not disqualify you as a 'booter' usually. 

To set up stall from your 'car boot' (this is the UK term for what Americans call the Trunk) will not usually cost very much, and some are even free!  Generally, though, I find that you will pay between £5 and £15 for a spot, so shopping around might be worthwhile.  Bear in mind though, that the biggest and most popular usually carry a fee.

On the bright side though, they rarely collect the fee on entry.  Usually they will let you sell for a few hours to give you time to 'earn' your entry. 

Whether you are going to go as a seller to a car boot sale, or whether you plan a garage or yard sale, you will have to have a thorough clear-out of all that stuff you've been holding on to but you never use.

If you are a hoarder, then you will have to overcome that 'might need this one day' impuse and be really disciplined. On the bright side, however, you will probably have an awful lot of stuff that you can use to raise cash.

However, even if you are not a hoarder and think you have nothing to sell, if you have a good clear out you might just be surprised.

Don't pre-judge the saleability of your items though. It never fails to surprise me what sells quickest and easiest when I go to a car boot sale; and it's rarely what i think will sell!

Even items that are not in the best condition will usually go fairly quickly; and some items that might not be bought first time around, will on another occassion.

With these types of sale it is often just a case of being in the right place at the right time for some items. My daughter had a plastic head she thought was a waste of time selling. On two occassions it was. But the last time we went to a car boot, we were surprised when right at the start, a guy came over and bought it without even haggling over the price. Apparently, his daughter was starting as an apprentice hairdresser and they had been desperately searching for just this kind of item! So you never know.

Even broken things (depends though, a broken mirror is not much use) like mobile phones, computers and similar will still appeal to someone who is looking for good spares/repairs items.

I have bags and bags of old computer bits that I used to save just in case I ever needed them, and there's old leads, connectors and cables in those bags too. I take them along and let people rummage for what they want. I always sell quite a bit - yet I almost threw them out at one point!

Clothes always seem to do quite well, and they seem to do better in rummage boxes than laid our on rails, which surprises me no end! So, unless it is a special item, I'd just put them in a box and let them rummage to their hears' content.

So the moral is, don't pre-judge!

If you're going to go to a car boot sale, you can usually find details of local sales in your local newspaper, or try searching online (that's where I found my biggest local, regular car boot sale).

I only do them about one or twice a year, when I have a clear out, and sometimes in-between, I'll keep a box in my spare room that I will put things in that I come across or no longer want, and wait until I have enough.

While attending car boot sales, I often speak to the other car-booters and many of them are regulars. Some of them buy-up house clearance; closure stocks; or even buy cheap bulk items from eBay to resell at the car-boot.

If you enjoy car-booting and decide to buy to sell or to become a regular, you may consider keeping records and declaring your income to the Tax Office as self-employed. In fact, it may be required.

If you are in full-time regular employment you may actually benefit from registering as self-employed even if it does mean declaring your income; because you will then be able to offset some of your regular expenses against tax and perhaps even qualify for a tax rebate on your regular income. Not bad!