Cash-strapped Brits are looking to make some extra money and bargain hunters hope to pick up goods at a knock-down price. In the first half of 2009, the number of car boot sales across the UK that have been advertised on classifieds website, VivaStreet.co.uk, increased by 78 per cent compared to the same period in 2008; meanwhile, in the second quarter of 2009, generally a popular time for car boot sales as people spring clean, the number of ads compared to last year has almost doubled.
Similarly, online car boot sales directory, yourbooty.co.uk, has seen a significant rise in car boot sale numbers, with listings on the website already up more than 40 per cent in 2009 compared to 2008.
The specialist car boot sales website has also seen a dramatic increase in the number of visitors to the site, with almost 250,000 in 2009 to date compared to just over 100,000 in the whole of 2008, an increase of almost 150 per cent.
Across the country, people are clearing out their garages and decluttering their spare rooms to help supplement their incomes, and no more so than in Essex, which seems to be the car boot sale capital of the UK.
According to yourbooty.co.uk, Essex is the most popular county for car boot sales with eight per cent of all UK events. The next most popular county for car boot sales is Kent, followed by Yorkshire, Surrey and the West Midlands.
Essex also appears to boast the most car boot sale bargain hunters, with yourbooty.co.uk registering more people from Essex visiting the website, than from any other county.
Yannick Pons, CEO of free classifieds website, VivaStreet.co.uk, said: “Brits have always loved car boot sales, whether that’s rummaging around in the hope of unearthing a hidden treasure or the fun of making a profit out of a pile of unwanted possessions.
“However, with many households suffering in the recession, car boot sales have become more than just a fun day out. They have become a way of making some much-needed cash or finding essential items at bargain prices.
“We have seen a substantial rise in the number of new car boot sale ads and people viewing those ads on the website, and the recession is definitely a contributing factor in this surge in interest.”
July 31, 2009
source: harlowherald.co.uk