I am going to go to a flea market on Saturday. I think flea markets can be a good way to find items that are less than full price, however, I also plan to sell items there. It is really hard to set a value on some items. I mean I have an IPod and a charging alarm clock I haven't used for years, but I doubt I could get more than 10 dollars for both at a Flea Market..so I don't think I should sell them there. I mean, I could let them go for 30, but I don't think there would be any buyers. I guess, just selling elsewhere would be the thing. I mean it is kind of sad to think I paid probably over 200 dollars when I think of the combined price,in fact, I know I did. Maybe I will try the higher price tag,,,
In the olden days, what I know of flea markets are the low prices of their wares. But now it is not so. A flea market is a showcase of quality food and other items with a higher tag price. For instance the ground beef that is sold for 300 pesos per kilo in the supermarket and ordinary market, it is 350 pesos per kilo in the flea market because their beef is fresh and butchered on that morning. With seafood, the lobster sells for 600 per kilo but guaranteed fresh than the 500 per kilo of iced lobsters in the ordinary market. But for some discounts in the flea market, the trick is to let yourself be known by the vendor/owner of the stall. Once you are known to them, you get an automatic discount whenever you would buy.
Yes, I think you have a point there Corzhens. I don't go to flea markets often enough though to make myself known to the vendors. The one that I go to has inside and outside spaces. The people inside are usually the professionals or semi professionals that make their money with their stalls. There used to one inside I really liked that had all kinds of spices, but I don't think that woman is still there. I think I am going to price my items, a little bit high because i could always come down in price if need be.
Discarded stuff at a flea market to sell can make a lot of fun. In contrast to sales or auctions online home PC, you have at a flea market contact with people, can ask for a haggle etc. Unless the flea market takes place every day of the week, shoppers realize they need to make a buying decision for the weekend sale event ends.
Well, I overslept and wasn't able to take all the things to the flea market that I wanted to. so I didn't make much money, but at least I got some stuff out of the house and into the car..most will go directly to the thrift store. I will try the flea market again, when I am a bit more organized. I did see a tote bag/ purse that I really want though...so that is an excuse to go back! It was at one of the professional vendors stalls, so I am sure she will be there again.
If you feel bad marking down your prices very low, then try to sell it at Craigslist or Ebay first with your preferred price. At least you will not encounter that much hagglers there. Then if there still aren't any takers, then your best bet is to take those items to the flea market.
Well yes, that is the plan...for some of the larger items. The thing is that I have a lot of bric a brac around that might be useful to someone, but it is not to me. However, the thing with flea markets now a days, is that they have mostly been taken up with professional and semi professional vendors who make this a job of sorts. There are few if any amateur sellers that go. I can't really just have a yard sale, because I am so tucked back here in this subdivision, that I don't really thing people would make it here from the main road.
We don't have that many flea market or flea market events here as it's just not part of the culture and instead for second hand items we mostly just turn to online listings. What we do have that is similar is a lot of surplus and outlet shops that sell a lot of second hand items as well as brand new but rejected ones from abroad and those are open regularly to the public although in most cases in these stores you can haggle as you would in flea markets. I guess the closest to this in other countries would be dollar stores.
Some flea market owners claim that they often sell cheap items for higher than what they're worth. Often they say the reason is the fact that the cost of fixing up cheap items justifies the higher price. Nonetheless, they insist the price is still lower than in traditional stores.
@Ke Gordon Flea markets are a great way to some really good deals. I have sold some things myself at car boot sales in the past. What I have found though, for the seller it is not so good. The punters want to purchase everything really cheap and this makes me feel that it is better to sell something online as it would bring in more revenue.
Flea markets will be full of hagglers, so get ready to be inundated with cheapskates, lol so try to keep the items that you want to sell for a higher price and sell them online. In flea markets, the norm is "the lower price, the better" so you should just sell clothes there that you can sell for a very cheap price.
I have not been to a flea-market in some time though,but I am sure there are some great hidden treasures to be found. I would think some of the flea-markets would have some interesting items in them-like vintage furniture and antiques & collectibles. I would think you would have to go to the more of the upscale type of flea markets though to really find some great things.
