Secondhand rows

We don’t have garage sales in the UK (see “Favorite Flea Markets,” Sept. ’11, pg. 39), but most towns do have car boot sales, where people sell unwanted items from the boots (trunks) of their cars, usually displayed on tables by the vehicles.

Some of these are out of town, possibly on a disused airfield, and may have hundreds of vendors. Other, smaller ones will be in car parks of school playgrounds.

Whilst many stalls are run on a regular basis by part-time amateur dealers, most usually attract independent sellers who simply want to make a bit of money when clearing the house of unwanted items. Some prices might well be less than £1 (near $1.65), but always haggle.

You can find details regarding times and places in local newspapers, etc.

If you want more information about this or other matters in the UK (particularly in the London area, where my wife and I have lived for 45 years), please e-mail us c/o ITN.

PAT ERRICKER
West Wimbledon, London, UK