P i t c h , H a g g l e a n d S e l l

P i t c h , H a g g l e a n d S e l lEvery week across London numerous car boot sales take place. The pitchers arrive with their collections of objects, some of them very personal; for others it’s purely business. Whatever their reason for selling, all the pitchers have one thing in wcommon; at the end of the day they all want to be rid of their collec-tion of objects. This book is a documentation of the people I met at car boot fairs around London and quotes from the conversations I had with them. We discussed their feelings towards car boot fairs in general and also their relationship to the objects they were attempting to sell.

‘All the money I raise from the car boot sales go towards my emigration to Bulgaria.’ ‘They’re mostly all my own objects and sometimes I put the prices right up if I still can’t bear to sell it - then hopefully no one will buy it!’ ‘As I come regularly you do start to make friends here - it becomes a social event aswell as a way to make money.’

Kim

‘As I have a disability, I cant drive. I love the car boot so much I bring a few bits down on a trolley my friend lends me every week just so I can do it.’ ‘Most of the objects I originally buy from this car boot and then resell.’ ‘I love the older objects like Art Nouveau books and being able to find them a good home.’ ‘I absolutely love the social side of the sale, that’s why I come here instead of using eBay.’

JJ

‘Today we’re selling all our kids’ old clothes. It is really sad to see them all go but we need the money to pay for new ones since they just keep getting bigger!’ ‘Coming to a car boot is so much easier than selling online - but the people are like hawks here so I don’t really enjoy any social side of it!’

Shanita and Elouise

‘I’ve been doing this professionally for about 25 years now.’ ‘I’ve always been in the antique trade and my motto is just to ‘Buy it and sell it’, simple as.’

Peter

Nick - ‘I really enjoy the whole process of a car boot. It started off with just a few personal objects and now I buy food just to sell here.’ Janet - ‘I enjoy buying more than selling. While Nick’s doing his car boot banter I’ll be off trying to find some bargains. He hates me when I do it though!’

Janet and Nick

‘Selling these items is an absolute last resort - they have become such a burden.’ ‘They are leftovers from my shop and I just want to be rid of all of them.’

Chris

‘This is my personal collection of items I’ve collected over twenty years.’ ‘I don’t want to sell them but it means I’ll have the money to pay the bills.’

Anonymous

‘Selling these clothes means more money to buy new clothes.’ ‘I really do have a clothing addiction; I have 30 - 40 pairs of designer jeans at home.’

Anna

‘I come here every week - not to sell my own stuff but to sell other people’s.’ ‘Today I’m selling this older lady’s objects who has just gone into an old people’s home.’ ‘It is kind of sad when you realise just how old some of the items might be.’

June

‘This is an accumulation of ten years of hoarding.’ ‘We don’t have any attachment to the items anymore - we really like the idea of recycling.’ ‘The monthly car boot fair is the only time we spend together as a family.’

Jenny, Emily and Richard

‘This is our family collection as well as some pieces that were given to Steve to sell by friends.’ ‘For me, the clothes are very sentimental. It reminds me of a time before I lost a lot of weight.’ ‘I can’t wait to get rid of them though.’

Steve and Brenda

‘I come here every week with my daughter to sell. We see this purely as a business so none of it is personal to us in any way.’ ‘Our aim is to drive home with an empty van at the end of the day.’

Anonymous

‘Since I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease I lost so much weight none of these clothes fit me anymore.’ ‘I can’t wait to get rid of them. It symbolises a new start.’ ‘I also bring the car with me since it attracts a lot of people to my stall!’

Cat

‘Every time we come here some of our things are always stolen.’ ‘We used to sell jewellery and other more expensive items but it’s not worth the money we lose.’ ‘The best thing and the worst thing about doing a car boot is the people.’

Julie and Keith

‘For me this is the major social event of my week.’ ‘By the time I’ve decided to bring them here - I don’t feel any attachment to the objects anymore - I just think of it as the money.’ ‘I also make my own jewellery to sell here which is my main hobby.’

Lorraine

‘We come here about twice a year and really hate it. Especially the social side of it.’ ‘The haggling is ridiculous, you’ll say an item is £10 and the customer will offer 10p.’ ‘This really is a last resort to get a little bit of cash for the clothes.’

Lucy, Eliza and Daisy

‘Clearing out the house and making some money helps us towards buying a new house.’ ‘With the kids growing up we really would like a fresh start.’ ‘I do feel really sentimental about some clothing - I’ve even got a few bits left in the car I can’t bear to part with.’

Elizabeth, Peter, Remy and Isaachar

‘Record collecting turned from a hobby into a job about 10 years ago.’ ‘For me it’s a complete labour of love.’ ‘I love to see the records being passed on to someone who really wants them.’

Nigel