1. What the badges mean
Every listing carries one or more of these labels in its header. They describe how the details were checked, not whether the sale will definitely run on a given day.
- Verified listing
- The venue, days, opening times and fees were checked against at least one primary source: the organiser's own website or social page, or a council, market or venue page. The source type and date of the last check are shown next to it.
- Confirmed <date> by <source type>
- The date of our most recent check and the kind of source used: the organiser, the organiser's website, a phone call, a site visit, the community or our own research. A listing is rechecked on a rolling basis, so the date moves forward each time it is looked at.
- Updated by the organiser
- The organiser manages the listing through their own account and made the latest change themselves. Organiser edits are still subject to the same checks as everything else.
- Unverified
- We could not find an organiser, council or venue source for the listing, so the details come from an older source or a reader report and could be out of date. Check with the organiser before travelling. The date of the last attempt to check is shown where we have one.
- Dates to be confirmed
- The sale is listed but has no upcoming date we can stand behind, usually because the organiser has not yet published the season or the schedule has changed. It is kept out of "on this weekend" pages until a date is confirmed.
- Temporarily paused
- The organiser has paused the sale, for example over winter or for a venue change, and it is expected to return. It is shown so you know not to travel, and is reopened when the organiser announces dates.
2. Expected and confirmed dates
Most car boot sales run to a pattern: every Sunday, every other Saturday, the first Sunday of the month. We use that pattern to work out the next likely date so the site can answer "is it on this weekend?". A date produced this way is labelled expected.
A date is labelled confirmed only when the organiser has published that specific date, for example a fixed season calendar, an added bank holiday date or a one-off event. Cancelled dates the organiser has announced are shown crossed out, and a sale that is paused or closed shows no upcoming dates at all.
An expected date is a good guide, but the weather, the ground and the organiser's plans can all change it. If you are travelling any distance, check the organiser's page on the morning.
3. Where the details come from
- Organiser websites and social pages. The primary source for days, times, fees and cancellations.
- Council, market and venue pages. Used where a sale runs on public land, a market site or a hired venue, and for licence and season details.
- Visitor correction reports and reviews. Readers report moves, pauses, closures and price changes through the form on each listing. Every report is checked against one of the sources above before the listing changes.
- Organiser accounts. Organisers can claim and update their own listing.
Every change to a listing is recorded with its source and the date it was checked, so a listing's history can be traced.
4. What "verified" does and does not mean
Verified means the details on the page matched a primary source on the date shown. It is not a guarantee that the sale will run on any particular day, that the fees have not changed since, or that a pitch will be available. Sales are cancelled for weather and ground conditions, sometimes on the morning itself, and organisers change prices without telling anyone. Please confirm with the organiser before travelling, especially for a first visit or a long drive.
5. Corrections
If something on a listing is wrong, use the "Help us improve this listing" form on its page or contact us. Tell us what has changed and, if you can, where you saw it. Reports are reviewed by the editor, checked against a source, and the listing is updated with a new confirmed date. Organisers who want to manage their own listing can claim or add it free of charge.
6. Independence and payment
Car Boot Directory does not accept payment for placement. Listings are free, no organiser can pay to be included, verified or ranked higher, and the order of results is set by distance, date and relevance only. The site is an independent project run by its founder and editor and is not affiliated with any organiser or venue.