8 Tips for Selling at the Flea Market
Whenever the weather is good and we are looking to make some extra cash, the hubs and I love setting up an outdoor booth at our local flea market. Sunday mornings are the best for us to have a "mini yardsale" booth as there are always a group of regular buyers and sellers of the same mindset. Our local flea market charges $12 for an outdoor booth on Sundays and you can come as early as 7 am and stay as late as 4 pm (but most outdoor vendors are gone by 1 pm). After we pay our fee, we usually have at least $60 but some weeks we get lucky and make more, it just depends on the crowd, where our booth is located and what we have to sell. All in all, we find it to be worth our time as we usually spend the money on a date night or something fun. If you are thinking of selling off your extra stuff at your local flea market, here are a few tips I've picked up.
1. Watch your surroundings. It goes without saying that you should be mindful of your surroundings, but I'm saying it anyway.
2. Get to know your vendor neighbors. Regular vendors know which people will try to rip you off, who never buys and who always buys. Introduce yourself and before long, you too will know all the secrets. (Also, if you go alone to sell, it helps if someone there is keeping an eye out for you.)
3. Set up a separate money table or area if possible. This lets you negotiate each item, examine each item before you sell it, and make sure nothing "accidentally" gets picked along with their purchases. My first week selling, I know I lost a few items before another vendor told me to handle the purchase away from my items.
4. Watch your money. Our last weekend selling we think we lost $20. I was so mad because I think I dropped it. The hubs blames himself saying he thinks he gave it to someone by mistake. Either way, we were very upset with ourselves. So keep a good eye on your money.
5. Bring a friend. Safety in numbers plus you have someone who can watch the booth if you need a break or want to go look at other booths.
6. Bring a chair, water, food, tent or umbrella, and sunscreen. If it's cold, bring/wear plenty of layers.
7. Find out in advance the rental system. At my flea market, you show up, grab any space not marked off and around 10 am, they come collect the fee. Your local market may require renting in advance. Also find out if you provide tables and covers/tents or if they do.
8. Scope out the market in advance. Our best day to sell a lot is Sunday, yours might be Saturday. Go one weekend to see what's best for you.
Hitting the flea market is a great money maker as well as a great way to get rid of your extra stuff, especially if you live somewhere that you can't have a yard sale or garage sale.
