I have spent my whole life going to flea markets and car-boot fairs. To me, a Sunday is not a day of rest; on the contrary, it is the start of my working week.

Over the years, as the demand for the second-hand markets has soared, I have fine-tuned my buying skills and gathered an assortment of 'tools' that assist me in my market moseying.

In this article, I will give you my top-tips for surviving a flea market or car-boot fair.

Money. Most people will have been to a cash point on the way to the market, and are unlikely to have much change. This means that many unprepared vendors will be out of change early on. If you can plan ahead, try to visit your bank to withdraw smaller denominations. Change is vital.

Early start. At one stage I used to get up at 4am and try to be at my first fair around 6am. In more recent years, I have found that many dealers are out at this time and that their attitudes can be less than

Every year, more and more people turn to the internet for their shopping needs. There is a whole world out there to browse and it can be hard to know where to look and who to trust. Both the buyer and the seller have responsibilities when entering in to a sales contract and I hope to offer guidance so that you (the buyer) can make smart choices and get the best deal from your online purchases.

Know what you’re after.

This sounds very straightforward but there is such variation in handmade goods that it is sometimes hard to find exactly what you’re after. Thi