23-05-2025
'Car boot queen' says you can flip these 9 items for hundreds of pounds
Cheap items found at car boot sales can actually be worth a lot of money.
Car boot sales are a treasure trove for savvy shoppers, if you know exactly what to look out for. Among the mountains of used toys, mismatched mugs, and bric-a-brac, there are hidden gems that buyers can resell for hundreds of pounds online.
Netvouchercode' s Ellie Macsymons, who has been dubbed the Car Boot Queen, said shoppers can often pick up a little treasure that sellers don't realise is actually worth a pretty penny. She said: "Car boot sales are the perfect place to spot a deal.
"Often sellers don't know what kind of treasure they have right under their nose, and often sell luxury items for a fraction of their price. If you know what you're looking for, you could resell some of these items for hundreds of pounds, giving you an extra boost coming into summer.
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"If you're new to flipping items, start small by buying things you can test easily and know a bit about. As you gain experience, you'll start spotting those lucrative gems more quickly. And remember: always check sold listings on eBay to get a realistic idea of an item's value, not just the asking price.'
Ellie has put together a list of the top 9 items you can find at car boot sales that could actually make you money in the long run.
1. Vintage Pyrex Dishes
Those colourful patterned dishes your nan used to cook with? They're hot property right now. Patterns like gooseberry, butterprint, or snowflake can fetch impressive prices among collectors and retro homeware fans. These dishes can resell for anywhere from £30 to £150 depending on rarity and condition. However, watch out for chips, cracks, cloudy glass (often from dishwasher damage), and faded patterns can all reduce the value significantly.
2. Retro Gaming Consoles & Games
From Game Boys to Sega Mega Drives, vintage gaming is booming. Enthusiasts and nostalgic millennials are snapping up working consoles and original games. Even common titles can fetch £20–£30, while rare ones can be worth hundreds. vintage consoles can resell for £40–£200+, with rare games up to £300+. Even just the packaging can sell for £100+ on resale sites. For the full resale value, make sure consoles aren't missing power leads or controllers and check game cartridges for corrosion or heavy scratches.
3. Branded Vintage Clothing
90s and Y2K fashion is having a moment. Look out for denim jackets, branded hoodies, and old-school trainers from labels like Levi's, Adidas, Burberry, or Ralph Lauren. Such brands can resell for £20–£150 depending on the brand and piece and often car boot sellers don't know what gems they're holding onto. Keep an eye out for fakes which can be common at car boots and markets, especially with designer labels. Examine stitching, tags, and quality carefully and avoid anything with stains or obvious damage, unless it can be cleaned easily.
4. Mid-Century Furniture & Decor
Small furniture items like teak side tables, magazine racks, or atomic-era mirrors can be snapped up cheap and sold on for a tidy profit, especially to buyers into interior design or vintage styling. The roof is the limit with vintage furniture, but can sell to the right buyer from £40–£300+. Watch out for damage to veneers, signs of woodworm, or newer mass-produced items that just look retro which will heavily effect the resale price.
5. LEGO Sets
LEGO holds its value incredibly well, especially themed or discontinued sets like Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Architecture collections. Even bulk bags of random bricks can go for good money. Sets and boxes of well-kept LEGO can be sold for £20–£200+ depending on completeness and theme. However, things like missing mini-figures, incomplete instructions, or knock-off bricks (real LEGO has the brand name stamped on every stud) can make them essentially worthless.
6. Vintage Cameras
Film photography is more popular than ever, and so the demand for vintage cameras like Olympus Trip 35, Pentax Spotmatic, or old Polaroids have skyrocketed. Just a quick scroll on TikTok will show a new wave of influencers sporting their retro film cameras or camcorders. Enthusiasts and collectors alike are hunting for usable gear and often the easiest place to find this is at car boot sales. These finds can resell from £25–£150+ but watch out for rusty battery compartments, sticky shutters, or broken lenses. If it's a Polaroid, make sure the film type it uses is still available.
7. Rare or First Edition Books
Old books might not seem like big earners, but first editions, niche cookbooks, out-of-print art or photography volumes, and certain children's books can be surprisingly valuable. These gems can resell for £20–£500+. Ideally books should include their dusk jackets (better yet if they're preserved in plastic, but then the seller might know their value) and make sure they don't have torn pages or heavy wear. Ex-library copies are usually worth less.
8. Designer Handbags or Accessories
It's rare, but not impossible to find genuine designer pieces at car boot sales, especially older styles people assume are worthless. Think Mulberry, Coach, even vintage Gucci or Fendi. Vintage designer handbags can resell anywhere from £50 to £400+. Remember, counterfeits are a huge problem for designer pieces. Look for serial numbers, logo placement, stitching quality, and branded hardware. If it looks too good to be true, it might be.
9. Royal Doulton, Wedgwood, or Denby Ceramics
Classic British ceramics are still popular with collectors and stylists. Look for teapots, dinner sets, or figurines, especially limited editions or discontinued ranges. The number of times someone picked up an unassuming ceramic piece at a car boot sale and then found it was worth five figures on shows like Antiques Roadshow is endless. These pieces can resell for £30–£200 depending on condition and pattern. Crazing (fine cracks in the glaze) will lower the resale amount, as will missing pieces, or heavily used sets.
