Advice for Buyers

Buyers are advised to consider the following before visiting a car boot sale:
  1. Be careful when buying used goods, especially toys and electrical products. Many old and damaged products find their way on to car boot sales. Some may have lost their instructions and warnings, designed to ensure their safe use, whilst wear and tear may also have affected their safety.
  2. Old electrical products might have old wiring and damaged plugs that could be a potential fire hazard, or could give you an electric shock.
  3. Broken toys can also pose a danger, revealing sharp edges and perhaps making it easier for children to access battery compartments. These toys may also come without their original instructions, making it more difficult to decide what age the toy is suitable for – toys with small part are not suitable for children under 3 as they may pose a choking hazard.
  4. Watch out for fakes. Unscrupulous traders may think that car boot sales are an ideal venue for disposing of counterfeit goods as it is less straightforward for them to be tracked down when goods are found to be fake. Fakes may not just be shoddy, but can be dangerous too. Counterfeit DVD's are often of poor quality, some may even be blank! Computer software may not work properly.
  5. Remember also, buying from a private seller is not like buying from a trader. If you buy goods from someone who is in business, you have rights against the seller if they (the goods) are not of satisfactory quality, fit for the purpose or correctly described. If there is a problem with the goods you can return them to resolve the problem.

    However, if you buy from a private seller, the only requirement is that the goods are described correctly, so 'caveat emptor' or 'buyer beware' very much applies.

    If you think the seller may be a trader ask for a written receipt with the contact details on so that you can contact him in the event of a problem.