Selling your items at fleamarkets

[Whitelinen]

I did not find a similar thread, as the only thrift shop/flea market thread seemed to be about what you have purchased. I am looking for advice and stories about selling items. If there is a similar thread, feel free to merge.

I have recently made a big clearing and have wound up with a big paper bag full of clothes, some bags and shoes, jewellery and accesories, records, dvds, magazines, a framed poster, books. . .I am in need of money and have been thinking about selling all this at a fleamarket.

I would like to know of your experiences selling your stuff at flea markets etc. What is the best strategy, what should the prices be?

If you have sold your items at fleamarkets, tell about your experience

 

[Whitelinen]

Isn't here anyone who's sold their old clothes etc at flea markets?

 

[Luxury's Lap]

Hi WhiteLinen - you might want to check with flea markets in your area, but I was under the impression that you had to rent out the space at the flea market in order to sell things. I don't think many people on here have so many things to sell, as to outweigh the cost of renting a space. You might want to try selling the things to a consignment shop or something like that.

 

[Whitelinen]

I've already got the place, and the rent is only 25 €/day. I'm going with three of my friends, so the price is very low when we divide the rent. I always thought it was very expensive to rent a table, but that does not seem to be the case. This fleamarket is one of the biggest and well-known ones in the area I live, and in regards to that the cost of renting a table is very low.

I'm more interested in how to make my items sell - what should the price range be? How should I present my items? Are there tricks to attract a customer? All sorts of tips, what-no-to-dos and personal experiences. I'd love to hear others sharing their stories But thanks for answering!

 

[ChrissyM]

Interesting thread...
I've never personally sold anything at flea markets but it sounds like a good idea..

I guess as a buyer/customer I would say that presentation is important.. make sure everything is clean and neat and also I think keep the prices easily visible--maybe with stickers or tags of some sort

As far as pricing goes I wouldn't go too high on the items, or make it clear that you are willing to haggle/bargain, or whatever it's called--that's typical of flea markets right?

And also be open and friendly--smiles are sure to bring people your way and people will appreciate the positive energy... they'll be more likely to buy from you if you're nice--especially if they're on the fence about an item

 

[adi]

As far as pricing goes I wouldn't go too high on the items, or make it clear that you are willing to haggle/bargain, or whatever it's called--that's typical of flea markets right?

i think this is one of the most important ones, esp. with us finnish people since seem to have some sort of problem with how much we are willing to pay on certain items a good strategy is to put yourself on the place of the buyer. think about how much would you be willing to pay for a bag or a pair of boots? the thing is with fleamarkets, that people go there to find good stuff with low prices, so if a bag costs 20 € they tend to leave it there. i usually haven't gone higher than 10 € with my stuff, but the quality of an item can put the price a bit higher. i mean 15 € for a well-kept vintage boots is still a bargain.

oh and don't put all items on sale at once. they rags are much more easily go through when they are not filled with stuff. like in clothing stores, if the rag is too full you don't even wanna touch it. since you have three days, you should have plenty of time to fill up the rag when it's starting to get too empty.

i'm pretty sure you've done this already, but check all the items and repair them if there are any broken seams or heels. if you don't have any time to do that, you have to remember the flaw in pricing, since it would be unfair to ask high price for something that isn't in its best shape.

remeber to smile and be friendly

 

[Whitelinen]

Should I add more items to racks as the others get sold?

Thanks for the advice I'm in no hurry, we still haven't decided on the date.

 

[ChrissyM]

^^ I think you could definitely add stuff to the racks as things get sold--but as adi said, don't overfill them..

i think if the racks are too empty it might look like the stuff that is up there is the stuff that nobody else wanted--which you probably don't want either