Digital rivals outsell car boot sales

CAR boot sales - remember them? If you are among those who have very recently been to one, then I apologise, but it seems to many people that they are becoming a thing of the past.

As a seller, I've been to two that I can remember.

The first was when I was a preteen who felt like he had outgrown his toys and thought that getting a few quid for them sounded like a good idea. My mum was holding a car boot sale for some reason, and some of my things were included in a little section of table which I managed myself.

Among the items which I sold were my treasured Star Wars figures, which probably would fetch a much higher price now had I not flogged them for £1.50 each. Oh dear.

The second time was when I was an adult and unburdening my life of items so I could go travelling. I am glad to say I neither remember nor miss any of the detritus sold that day such as household goods, CDs and old movies on VHS cassette tape.

As wonderful as it is to declutter your life of all that stuff which you don't really use any longer but don't want to throw away, becoming a car boot sale seller is a stark reminder of how much it can feel like shops are overcharging us.