Right, let’s get one thing straight before we start. There is no such thing as a lie-in if you want the good stuff at a Sussex car boot sale. I learned that the hard way, and I’ve got the bargains (and the bleary eyes) to prove it.

I’ve been doing the Sussex car boot circuit properly since 2024, sourcing stock for my little reselling business, and I’ve rummaged through more damp cardboard boxes than I care to admit. So this isn’t a list cobbled together off Google. These are the best car boot sales in Sussex as far as I’m concerned — the boots I actually rock up to, in the order they matter to me, with the real times, the real prices, and the honest truth about when you need to drag yourself out of bed.

And because the title promises it, I’ll be straight with you on the one thing most guides get wrong: when to arrive. It’s not as simple as “early.” Stick with me.

First, the season — because timing isn’t just about the morning

Here’s the bit nobody tells beginners. In Sussex, most of the good boots only run from roughly April to September. They’re on grass, they’re weather-dependent, and the moment the clocks go back and the fields turn to mud, they shut up shop until next year.

So your “when to arrive” question has two layers: which months, and which hour of the morning. Get the month wrong and it doesn’t matter how early you set your alarm — the gate’s padlocked.

Right, let’s go through them.

Ford Airfield Market — the all-year dealers’ paradise

Ford is the odd one out, and the one that keeps me going through winter. It’s on a concrete former airfield near Arundel, which means it runs all year round, whatever the weather — no mud, no cancellations. When every other boot has packed up for the season, Ford is still standing.

It’s open Thursday and Saturday from 8am, and Sunday from 9am for buyers, and entry is free (though the car park gets rammed, so leave yourself time). The catch? When you arrive, the stalls are already set up — these are largely market traders and house-clearance guys, not nervous first-timers emptying granny’s loft. So you’re going to pay closer to the going rate.

You’ll find the odd bargain, but Ford is a dealer’s paradise more than a steal-hunter’s dream. What you will find is volume, quality, and proper collectables. And watch out for the “runners” — the buyers who sprint to specific dealers they always buy from, desperate to get there before anyone else snaffles the same item. If you see someone power-walking with purpose, they know something you don’t.

For winter sourcing, though, nothing else in Sussex comes close. And as a bonus for anyone with mobility issues like me — it’s flat, hard standing, with proper disabled-access toilets. No grassy hills to wrestle.

Sayers Common — where the season kicks off

Once spring arrives, Sayers Common is usually the first of my favourites to fire back up, over opposite the Hickstead showground. It’s a Sunday boot, run by the Mega Car Boot Sale lot (they alternate with Poynings, so always check which venue is on that week).

For us stinky, dirty resellers turning up at the crack of dawn, entry is around a fiver. The gates open about 6.45am, but here’s the quirk — the cars often can’t unload until around 7.30am. So you’re standing about, coffee in hand, watching sellers reverse in.

And then it’s carnage. This is unloading-while-you-rummage chaos — punters digging through boxes and bin bags before they’ve even hit the table. You’ll hear the same dawn chorus from the same faces: “Any silver, mate? Any Lego? Any old video games?” It’s overwhelming the first time. Embrace it.

Poynings — gorgeous, but mind the hike

Poynings is the Sayers Common boot’s sister site (same organisers, opposite the Ginger Fox pub), and it’s a cracker — but I’ll give you fair warning. It’s on grass and it’s hilly, and the car park can be a proper walk if you end up parking at the far end from where you want to be.

If your mobility is anything like mine, that’s worth knowing before you commit. Beautiful spot, good stock, but it’ll test your legs. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Brighton Racecourse — big, busy, and a little secret

Brighton Racecourse is one of the biggest boots on the south coast — they reckon around 4,000 people roll through on a busy Sunday. It runs most Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays through the season, up on the Downs with the sea view thrown in for free.

Now, officially, buyers get in from 8.30am (about £2.50 early entry, dropping to 80p later). But here’s the little secret the regulars know: there’s an earlier-still entry — I’ve paid £10 to get in ahead of the general public when I’ve wanted first dibs. If you’re serious about sourcing, that tenner can pay for itself in one find. It’s hard standing too, so no mud-wrestling.

Shoreham Flyover — my absolute favourite

And now the big one. Shoreham Flyover is my number one, and it’s not close. It kicks off in late May (the last Sunday of the month, usually) and runs every Sunday through summer, just off the A27/A283 towards Steyning.

For us resellers, the gates open at 6am and it costs £3 at that hour. It gets busy — well over a hundred cars, sometimes more — and that’s exactly why I love it. The reason it’s gold is simple: it’s mostly private sellers, not dealers or market traders. Real people clearing real houses, who often have no idea what they’ve got. That’s where the magic — and the margins — live.

Want proof? This is where I had my best-ever return on investment. A chap had a network unit — a server rack component — sat in a box. He wanted a fiver for it. I paid up, took it home, listed it that same day with placeholder photos, and it sold for close to £400. Same. Day. That’s a Shoreham Flyover special, and it’s why I’ll always set the alarm for it.

For anyone with mobility worries, it’s also the easiest for parking of the lot — so if you’re picking one boot to start with, make it this one.

How I actually work a stall (the 10-second read)

Once you’ve picked your boot and beaten your alarm clock, the next skill is reading a stall fast, because you’ve got seconds before someone else is elbowing in. Here’s roughly what my eyes do on that first pass.

I scan for boxes still taped shut or only half-unpacked first — that’s unseen stock nobody’s picked through yet, and it’s where the untouched bargains hide. Then I look low: the stuff dumped on the floor, in the footwell, or still in the boot is usually the things the seller couldn’t be bothered to lay out, and they’ll often take next to nothing to shift it.

I’m hunting for the categories I know sell — electronics, anything boxed and complete, older toys, tools, bundles of “boring” tat that’s secretly worth a fortune in pieces. And crucially, I keep a poker face. The fastest way to triple a price is to gasp and clutch something to your chest. Ask the price flatly, nod, and move on if it’s not right. Half the time they’ll call you back with a better number.

You won’t nail this on day one, and that’s fine. I certainly didn’t. But after a few Sundays your eye gets quicker, and you start spotting the gold from three stalls away.

So… when should you actually arrive?

This is the question, isn’t it. And my answer might surprise you, because it’s not just “as early as humanly possible” — though that’s most of it.

I like to get there the second the boots open and the cars start emptying. There’s nothing like the fresh thrill of the hunt — scanning tables and floors to spot the goodies before the next reseller’s hand lands on them. My method is a fast first pass to scope every stall, and then, when I reach the far end, I turn around and do a slow, thorough up-and-down sweep of every single stall.

Why the double pass? Because some of my best finds have come two hours in. That server unit? Two hours into the morning. Sellers reprice as the day wears on, fresh boxes get unpacked, and the early scrum thins out so you can actually look properly. Early gets you first dibs; patience gets you the stuff everyone else walked past.

One honest warning for beginners, though. Sellers know the dawn crowd are resellers, so anything obvious — Lego, video games, recognisable collectables — gets a higher opening price first thing. I can’t count the times I’ve asked “is that your best price?” and been told, with a grin, “it is right now — it’s still really early.” Fair play to them. Come back at noon and that same item might be half the money.

A few things to chuck in the car before you go

Take cash, and lots of it. If you’re buying to resell I’d genuinely carry £200+ to every boot — you cannot haggle hard with a card. I also bring my card/phone for bank transfers on the bigger-ticket stuff; I recently did exactly that for a job lot of touchscreen tills, cash drawers and card machines a seller didn’t want to lug home.

Beyond that: most of these boots (bar Ford and Brighton Racecourse) are on grass, so wear boots you don’t mind ruining. Check the organiser’s Facebook or website the night before, because the grass sites cancel for rain. And remember the season — outside April to September, Ford is basically your only option.

My honest verdict

If you only do one, make it Shoreham Flyover — private sellers, real bargains, easy parking, and the site of my best-ever flip. If you’re sourcing in winter, Ford keeps the lights on. And whichever you pick, get there as the gates open, do two passes, and don’t be shy about coming back to a stall later when the prices have softened.

The bargains are out there in Sussex. You’ve just got to be up before the sun to beat the next person to them.

If you fancy seeing where some of these finds end up after a clean and a photograph, come and have a nose around our eBay shop and our Vinted — it’s all sourced exactly like this. And if you’d like the odd heads-up and a few promo offers, pop your email on the list and I’ll keep you posted. Now go set that alarm.