I am thinking about selling at my local outdoor flea market (las vegas). I have a source for sunglasses at a great price, but never sold at a flea market, and don't know what to expect, I would also lug my ebay stuff there to...I guess my main question is how is the flea market business, ebay is getting so bad, plus it takes forever to list things....it is so time consuming, plus if I have 1 type of item, I don't want to saturate the market on ebay, whereas I can hopefully move a larger volume in one day, at a flea market.
posted on January 21, 2001 05:23:03 PMJoyce: My dad sells at flea markets and I sell on eBay. We are constantly trading out product. For example, I have currently have an inventory of leather-like coats that he probably couldn't give away this winter at the Florida flea markets. He has a bunch of my computer game software, books and other odd items with him now that I couldn't seem to give away on eBay.
As far as sunglasses go, he makes a pretty good living with them (and socks) at flea markets. He has a fairly portable display that keeps the glasses within easy reach and several mirrors so that potential buyers can try them on and see what they look like. You just have to watch out for theft.
He is retired and his winter flea marketing in Florida pays for he and my mom to live there for 3-4 months out of the year. He is a saleman from way back and enjoys making a little extra spending cash and being around people the rest of the year.
posted on January 21, 2001 05:44:19 PM
Jlady...
I am going to assume you mean the flea mkt "BroadAcres" on North Las Vegas Blvd..??
As thats the only game in town worth anything at all.
I am very much acquainted with Broadacres...
You will find 500-700 sellers there on a Sat and Sun..100 of them will be selling sunglasses...Probably for less than you can buy them or at least soooo low in $$$'s that you will want to scream...
If you think the competition on eBay is tough..Flea mkts are tougher..!!
A good suggestion is to go there as a 'looker' for the 2 days on the weekend and get a feel of whats going on...Saturdays are totally different days than Sundays as far as customers go...
posted on January 21, 2001 06:46:45 PM
I do a Flea Market every Sunday but it is up here in Canada so I am really not sure it would apply to your situation or not.
I think you might want to take MrBucks advice though and check it out before you take the leap into it.I think he is right in saying the competition is feirce!
I sell only collectable type items so I can't really speak for those who sell new merchandise but there is some Sundays I just about cannot take the offers that I get.Everyone seems to think because it is a Flea Market you are getting this stuff for nothing.Seems there is some type of "stigma" attached to these type of places.You will find that no one will want to pay you the price that is on the ticket and after a while it really starts to get to you.
All I can say is do as MrBucks says and check it out first and see if you can compete or not?It will save you alot of greif in the long run.
--------------------------------- If I had money I'd be rich!
--------------------------------- My Bit
posted on January 21, 2001 07:43:23 PM
I sell at the Flea Market from April thru October as it is an outdoor market.We start with Memorial Day flowers which nobody else even trys to compete with and we will sell around $10,000 worth of that alone.The only item I sell there that I sell on the internet is videos.But we do very well at the Flea Market.
posted on January 21, 2001 07:50:04 PM
I sell in flea market just weekends in the winter and 7 days a week during the tourist season. They are all the same but they are all diferent. Like was said earlier you have to go observe for a few days. One weekend can be very different from the next.
I sell sunglasses and do very well at them. I and one other person there also have the highest prices in the market on them. We also probaly outsell the rest of them in qaunity sold and profit just like on ebay display can make a world of difference.
I have been doing this for a few years now starting in the midwest and now on the east coast.
If you like let me know and I will post my email adress if you have any questions I can help with.
"IF YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR MIND, YOU WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE"
posted on January 21, 2001 07:53:58 PM
I tried my hand at flea market selling the end of last summer and was not at all impressed with the results. I find I do much better selling on eBay and don't have to sit and wait for someone to stop by my table for roughly 4-5 hours to make a few dollars. I saw many people looking but most people want everything for a buck or less. I saw many vendors just sitting there waiting/hoping to sell their wares, but many times, they go home disappointed. Sometimes, people who sell specialty items and are regulars do o.k., because they have repeat customers, and some vendors who sell collectibles do o.k., but for the average Joe selling attic/basement junk, it's not as profitable as it is on the net. I think you get more exposure in an auction environment and better chance of getting more money for your item. JMHO
[ edited by harvestmoon on Jan 21, 2001 08:02 PM ]
posted on January 21, 2001 07:55:58 PM
I do flea markets several times a week. I would never sell at one until I've checked it out first. We have many flea markets here. Each one is different as far as merchandise goes. What we take to one we might not take to another.
I would never depend on a small item like sunglasses to make any money. We sell everything from collectibles to the kitchen sink. I see other vendors just selling collectibles for instance and they have the same inventory week after week. But we have a large varied inventory that changes constantly. So people always look for us to see what's new. Some vendors have one stall which is usually two parking places. We have three stalls.
Give it a try. If it works great, if it doesn't you had a nice day outside.
