Did you know? These items are banned at a French vide-grenier

Summer is often a time for people to declutter and sort through old items to make space in their home. 

The items you are left with after a deep clean and declutter could be taken to the tip or sold on second-hand sites, but many people opt to hold a garage or car boot-sale to sell them and make a bit of extra money. 

Known as a vide-grenier in France (or officially, a vente au déballage) there are several rules over how often you can engage in the practice, where, and the paperwork you need. 

However, there are also regulations on which items are forbidden from these stalls. 

Below, we cover these rules. 

What are the forbidden items?

New products 

One of the major rules is that ‘new’ products cannot be sold. 

The point of a vide-grenier is to get rid of older items in your home, so it makes sense that new items cannot be put on your stall.

Article L310-2 of France’s Commercial Code bans selling new goods, and states that only “personally-owned and used goods” can be moved on. 

In practice, this means selling items in their unopened and original packaging is banned. 

If you have an unopened item you wish to sell, you must take it out of its packaging and check it works – this is enough to count it as being ‘used’. 

If caught selling new products, fines can reach up to €3,750. 

The rules are explained in more detail in our article here. 

Food items 

It is also prohibited to sell food items made or grown by yourself. 

Home-made jams, cured meats, spreads, biscuits, and pies are forbidden, even if treated and stored correctly (for example in sterilised jars). 

This ban also applies to raw goods such as fruit and vegetables, foraged mushrooms, eggs from your chickens, etc. 

The only exception is that fresh fruit and vegetables grown in your garden – that is less than 500m² in size – can be sold.

These rules are largely in place due to a lack of hygiene regulations for home-made goods, and to prevent the accidental spread of an illness such as botulism.

The lack of labelling on these goods, which is required for food sold by professionals in shops or food markets, is another reason.

It also protects farmers and grocers who sell items at stalls such as weekend markets. 

Home-made goods 

In a similar vein, home-made goods and crafts are also prohibited from being sold. 

Jewelry, knitwear, paintings, wood items – anything that is crafted by your hands cannot be put on your stall for sale. 

This is because all of these items are considered artisanal goods, and to sell them you must be registered as a professional craftsperson to do so. 

This entails signing up with Urssaf, declaring income tax returns and engaging in a special tax regime for the items sold, as well as opening you up to official inspections. 

Again, you can offer these free of charge to friends, but not sell them unless you are officially registered to do so. 

Alcohol, tobacco, medicine and flowers

It will come as little surprise that certain heavily-taxed goods such as alcohol and tobacco are forbidden from being sold at a vide-grenier.

Medicines are also prohibited for health and safety reasons, and old or unused medicines should be returned to a pharmacy as opposed to being sold on or thrown out. 

Other forbidden items include: 

• Weapons, including non-functional and decorative ones 

• Counterfeit goods 

• Items made from protected animals or animal parts (ivory, skin hides, etc)

• Animals 

• Plants and flowers, except lily of the valley on May 1

You also risk a €3,750 ban if found selling any of these items.