The British equivalent of a garage sale is primarily a car boot sale, where people sell secondhand goods from the boot (trunk) of their car in a field or parking lot. While the term "garage sale" is understood, it is less common than car boot sales or "jumble sales" (church/community fundraising sales).
Car boot sales are popular in the United Kingdom, where they are often referred to simply as "car boots", and also in parts of Australia and mainland Europe.
However, traditional selling methods such as car boot and garage/yard sales are still a common occurrence both here in the UK and America, so why not visit one of these events or try to organise your own? You never know what you might find!
A garage sale (also known as a yard sale, tag sale, moving sale and by many other names) is an informal event for the sale of used goods by private individuals, in which sellers are not required to obtain business licenses or collect sales tax (though, in some jurisdictions, a permit may be required).
Two different things in UK. A boot sale, ie car boot, is where you take your car to a (for instance) school playing field and pay a fee. Others do the same...the public come and buy. A garage sale is where you advertise you will be opening your garage to sell your stuff and the public drops by to buy.
American Style Garage Sales In The UK - How Do They Compare?
What do British people call flea markets?
In the United Kingdom, they are known as car boot sales if the event takes place in a field or car park, as the vendors will sell goods from the boot (or 'trunk' in American English) of their car.
The key to a successful garage sale is to make it easy for buyers to find and purchase items. This means organizing your items in a logical manner and properly pricing them. Group similar items together (e.g. kitchenware, toys, clothing) and label or mark prices on each item.
It goes all the way back to when horse-drawn carriages were the norm. The driver would sit on a chest that held his belongings, including – yes – his boots. The original name was "the boot locker", which in time became shortened to just "the boot."
A "car boot" is the British English term for the rear storage compartment of a car, equivalent to the "trunk" in American English, used for luggage and groceries, while "car boot" can also refer to a "car boot sale," a market where items are sold from car trunks. It can also refer to a wheel clamp on a vehicle's tire, known as a "Denver boot" in the US, or the protective rubber seal on a car's drive shaft (CV joint boot).
A jumble sale (UK), bring and buy sale (Australia, also UK) or rummage sale (US and Canada) is an event at which second hand goods are sold, usually by an institution such as a local Boys' Brigade Company, Scout group, Girlguiding group or church, as a fundraising or charitable effort.
So, instead, the British usually have what is known as a 'car boot sale', where they load all their possibly-sellable junk into a vehicle, and drive it to a field or other open area such as a school playing field hired for the purpose, along with several hundred other like-minded folk, and the public come along and ...
Australians say “garage” for the place where you get your car serviced, and for what you park your car in at your home. But places where you pay to park your car are called carparks, not parking garages.
In the UK, garage sales are less common. Instead, the most similar concept is the car boot sale, where sellers gather in a designated field, market or parking area and sell items from the boot of their car.
If you wish to sell anything from a front garden of a property to customers on the footpath you need a licence; or from a piece of land that is within 7 metres of the public highway and not enclosed, you will need a Street Trading (Private land) licence.
Bargain Hunting: London's Best Flea Markets. Discover London's top flea markets for unique and vintage finds. London's flea markets are a treasure trove of unique finds, vintage items, and unexpected gems.
A brocante is a type of market or fair where second-hand goods, antiques, and vintage items are sold. Originating from France, these markets often feature a mix of furniture, collectibles, art, textiles and various knick-knacks.
