The last couple years have been tough economically for us all and there is no doubt that some great bargains can be found at flea markets and that there is money to be made selling at flea markets. It is estimated that there are well over 25,000 flea markets across the United States with sales over $6 Billion dollars….and this is for flea markets that operate on weekends only! Pasadena’s famous Rose Bowl Flea Market is said to have over 3,000 vendors with approx. 50,000 shoppers! Professional Flea Market shoppers are reported to arrive between 7:00 am -9:00 am in the morning with flashlights if still dark out when vendors are just setting up and are ready to treasure and bargain hunt.  You have got to watch”A Flea Market Documentary“. WOW!

1. Becoming A Vendor: First things first, in order to start selling at flea markets you need to get yourself setup as a vendor at a particular flea market. Check with your attorney or accountant on what is recommended by your state and the Feds as far as setting up a business name, business checking account tax ID number and anything else you need.  Also, check with the particular flea market on what paperwork and licenses they will need from you.

2.What To Sell: You most likely already have an idea of what types of merchandise or products you want to sell as you probably have visited flea markets before and probably visited the flea market your booth will be at a hundred times or so. You have developed a sense of what sells, what is “hot”, crafts that seem to sell well, antiques and collectibles that sell etc.. and you hopefully already have amassed several items to sell or have secured a method or contact for inventory be it a wholesaler or your local thrift store and neighborhood garage sales, or you have made up a bunch of crafts etc..

Also, a way to earn extra money is to sell beverages and snacks in your space. Nothing is better on a hot humid day then a cold drink! Have a cooler or if you have electricity a small refrigerator stocked with bottle water and soda pops and think about this for a moment – why not have some labels made up of your space name and logo and stick them on the bottles of water or if you sell bags of chips or granola bars then stick the labels on these as this is a great way to market your space!!

3. Pricing: Pricing – because you have spent a lot of time already visiting flea markets or have friends that are vendors at flea markets or have done your pricing research another way, you know what your pricing should be. Do not over analyze your pricing and merchandise, as right now it is most important for you to wisely “dive in” and get your booth setup and Start Selling!

TIPS TO ATTRACT HUNDREDS OF BUYERS TO YOUR SPACE

Many people will say that a great strategy is the key to attracting buyers. There is no doubt that you are one vendor amongst thousands of vendors so having the right merchandise and a good location is key.

6. Attracting Buyers: Be sure to have enough merchandise on hand. Nothing is worse than an empty looking space so be sure to have plenty of stuff to sell and either store the excess under your tables or in your car. Also, have around a total of $500 of change in $1, $5, $10, and $20. Keep bags, newspaper, sacks, and boxes handy so folks can easily and comfortably haul their treasures away.

7. Be an Expert: If you sell antiques and collectibles you will agree that the more you know about the items you are selling the more you will sell as your customers will see you as the EXPERT and people feel confident buying from the Expert and paying the higher prices as items sold by an Expert can command top dollar.

Engage in conversation with folks that enter your space as vendors with personality and the ability to story tell about their items will have more sales as shoppers enjoy being told as much information about what they are buying, and part of the enjoyment of flea markets is all the neat vendors you meet!

8. Setup: Setup your space to visually make sense and be comfortable. So, if you sell books then have them setup with spines facing out and neatly stacked so they are easy to read, if you sell clothing be sure to hang the items up on racks or have them neatly folded on tables and do put out items that are dirty or have holes as no one is looking for this. Have your pricing clearly visible. If you have access to electricity then have a couple fans plugged in to blow cool air as noting feels better on s super hot day then a fan blowing on you and when people feel comfortable they will spend more time shopping your space. Also, if you can arrange for some type of cover or canopy to shield from rain and sun it will not only make you the seller more comfortable but your shoppers too.

If you use signage make sure they are neat and easy to read and grab attention from folks passing by. Tie a bunch of balloons around your space to attract attention and have a drawing for a “free” prize every 4 hours or so and this will draw lots of attention to your space.

9. Hagglers: Be prepared to handle hagglers in advance. You should not be surprised if people start to haggle or negotiate with you. Many people feel that haggling is part of the Flea Market experience. Decide in advance how much you are will to accept on an item and be good-natured when dealing with hagglers. Remember that being flexible with your pricing can mean more sales for you!!

10.Tips For Vendors: A couple things to keep in mind when selling at Flea Markets is to have a receipt book and pen handy as many folks will ask for a receipt if they are a business. If you sell vintage or retro items that can be repurposed, make up a bunch of handouts that tell the buyer the types of crafts and projects these items can be made into and even have a free craft detailed that they can make.  Keep sunscreen nearby and even have some for sale, as you will be surprised how sunburned one can get walking around a flea market and selling at a flea market!!

We hope these tips and tricks have been beneficial to you and urge you to visit www.crazy4me.com in the near future, as we are finishing up a fantastic guide on Flea Market Bargaining and Haggling Tips!

Buyers and sellers are all looking for the same thing in the end and that is a “bargain”. The buyer is looking for a bargain item to add to their collection and the seller is looking for a bargain item that can be re-sold to the buyer for a profit.  Many people today still ask “Are there any bargains out there left to be had”? My answer is YES, you just need to know how to spot the bargain and have patience.

Treasure Hunting – as I like to call it requires lots of careful hunting, seeking, and searching to locate that bargain item.  Also, you have a lot of competition as you are not the only one out treasure hunting. With the popularity of online auction sites, antique & collectibles shops, more and more flea markets popping up regularly and shows like Antiques Roadshow, there are a lot of treasure hunters indeed. But, with that being said, all these venues for seeking treasure may actually make it easier to find a bargain…..that’s right, I said easier.

First, it helps to have an idea in mind of what it is you are looking for be it Furniture, Coca – Cola items, Black Americana, Marbles, Fine Art, Oil Paintings, etc…. Get to know what type of items are the most sought after by collectors and develop your keen sense of awareness so when you are out treasure hunting you can quickly scan the area you are looking in for that bargain.

Also, it helps if you can learn the pattern of when shops and stalls receive new inventory and wares and put it out for sale, being first in line to rummage about may indeed yield you a bargain.

Two of my all time best tips for treasure hunting in a antique shop/antique mall is to:
1.    Strike up a conversation with the booth(s) owner and let them know what types of items you are looking for and find out how often they rotate their merchandise. Also, if there is an item(s) you are interested in ask the booth owner if they would consider giving you a discount because you are ready to buy right now. Rental space is not cheap in top locations and if sales have been slow you might get lucky and receive a discount.

2.    Booths that are going out of business = bargains! Some locations mandate that booths sell x and bring in x in sales and if this does not happen then the booth must close up and leave. If you can be one of the first to rummage the going out of business booth you stand a fair chance of finding a bargain.  Usually these booths are in the midst of getting packed up and have 50% – 75% markdowns in the hopes that the owner does not have to haul all his wares away. I can personally attest to these going-out-of-business booths being a great source for bargains as 9 times out of 10, I do find bargains. Also, if you are in a booth that has furniture or cupboards with drawers and doors, open them and look inside as you NEVER know what may be in there or hidden under some paper and linens; I found a lovely Limoges of France pillbox this way!

Perhaps antique shops and malls do not appeal to you for your treasure hunting and you prefer the slew of 2nd hand shops, vintage boutiques, thrift stores, buy-the-pound shops, charity shops, or consignment shops and that’s great as bargains can also be found in these venues. I have found competition to be fiercer in these venues as folks are usually lined up bright and early waiting for the store to unlock their doors and then everyone makes a mad dash to get to the areas they prefer to treasure hunt (house wares, clothing, toys etc..) Sometimes folks are grabbing items so quickly and discarding what they don’t want just as quickly that the items get damaged in the process so the chances of finding a bargain are not only slimmer but, the chance of finding a damaged item that is a bargain are higher.
Did you know that you can actually negotiate for items in a consignment shop? If there is an item(s) you are interested in have the shop call the owner and see how much you can negotiate off the price. Also, in many thrift shops, and 2nd hand shops they have discount days where they mark all items with red tags down to 50% on Wednesday or on Sunday all items in clothing are 25% off (discount days differ from store to store). Also, if you are a senior citizen many of these shops will give you a Senior Discount every day or days deemed Senior Discount day as well as you can apply your Senior Discount to those 50% Wednesday red tag sales etc……  Bargains galore!!!

Quick comment on thrift stores and geographical locations: I have noticed that prices on the West Coast at Goodwill, Salvation Army, Value Village, Deseret Industries etc.. to be quite a bit higher on merchandize compared to these same stores in the South. I wonder how East Coast pricing compares.

Finally, the best place I think to get a bargain is online auction sites. Many sellers offer the “Make an Offer” option and you can negotiate without leaving the comfort of your home! Auctions end 24/7 so if you happen to be awake at say 3:00 AM and are the only bidder on an item that had a start price of .99 then wow – you will get one heck of a bargain!

Most important is to have FUN and Enjoy your Treasure Hunting endeavors!

Sports Card, Antique & Collectibles Show
Taylor, MI
2/5/2010 Fri Noon-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm
Gibraltar Trade Center North, Inc.

The San Francisco Arts of Pacific Asia Show
San Francisco, CA
2/5/2010
Caskey & Lees

Brevard Antiques and Collectors Club Meeting
Melbourne, FL
2/5/2010 10:30am
Brevard Antiques and Collectors Club

West Palm Beach Antique Festival Spectacular
West Palm Beach, FL
2/5/2010 Fri noon-5pm; Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 10am-4:30pm
Puchstein Promotions, Inc.

Serendipity! Antique Show
Fresno, CA
2/5/2010 Fri 10am-8pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm
Serendipity! Shows

Antiques Show & Sale
Wakesha, WI
2/5/2010 Fri. 10am-7pm; Sat. 10am-5pm; Sun. 11am-4pm
Transitions of Wales Ltd.

Urbana Antique Show
Urbana, OH
2/6/2010 Sat. 8amn-4pm; Sun. 10am-3pm
Urbana Antique Show

The Great Lehigh Valley Antique Show
Allentown, PA
2/6/2010 10am-3pm
Valley Rail Promotions

Ilustration Art
Dallas, TX
2/11/2010
Heritage Auction Galleries

Comics & Original Comic Art Auction
Dallas, TX
2/25/2010
Heritage Auction Galleries

Not seeing an event in your area? Visit here for a FULL list of events and locations.

Are you bored? Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out the many local antiques and collectibles and flea market events going on right now in your local area!

Claremont Avenue Collectors Fair
Stockton, CA
8/16/2009 5am-2:30pm

31st Annual Invitational Antique Indian Art Show
Santa Fe, NM

19th Annual National Toy Truck’ n Construction Show & Auction
Indianapolis, IN
8/21/2009 Fri. Noon – 6pm, Sat. 9am – 6pm, Sun. 9am – 2pm

Vail Antique Festival
Vail, CO
8/21/2009 Sat 10am-6pm; sun 10am-5pm

RAD Antique Market at The Yard
Park City, UT
8/21/2009 Fri & Sat 9am-6pm; Sun 10am-4pm

Find More Here