You might not know it, but some vendors make a living selling items a few days a week at flea markets. Although some sellers hardly make enough to pay for their selling spot, if you’re smart and do a little research on your customers, a realistic goal is $150-1,000 a day. I know what you must be thinking, $150 and $1,000 is a big gap. There are a number of factors that play into these numbers; products, pricing, setup, population, and a vendor’s spot.
Products – The one thing I notice an enormous abundance of at flea markets is sports apparel. With so many vendors, hardly any of them are going to make real profit. The key in picking the right products is to start small and see what sells. Some ideas to get you started are used and new books, tools, car parts, coins, new and used clothes, cards, and collectibles. Once you’ve found a product that sells you can continue selling these products. If sales start to decline you might want to consider changing or adding new products to your line.
Pricing – A lot of people wonder, how much should they price their goods. First of all, you should look to buy your products as cheap as possible. You have a few options here; buy bulk wholesale prices online, garage sales, goodwill, and other flea market vendors. Obviously the most reliable inventory would be from buying bulk whole online, which may also be the cheapest option. When pricing you should keep the price lower than retail price. A good profit would be selling your profit for 40% more than what you spent on them.
Setup – Now this one might not sound as important as the rest and yet it is one of, if not the most important factor of being a successful flea market seller. You’re setup is what will drive potential customers to your stand. You should invest in banners, signs, and balloons. You might even want to buy a bell to get attention to your stand.
Flea Market Population & Demographics – Most flea markets have no problem driving in thousands of customers every day, but some do. Make sure you don’t just choose a market to sell just because it’s the closest one to you, as you may find that the one 10-20 miles away has much better business. You should also be aware of the demographics around certain flea markets. If you’re trying to sell bikinis and swimwear and the demographics of the area are mostly men and women that are age 50+, you probably won’t make many sales. Do your research, you’ll be glad you did.
Vendor Spot – I don’t think I’ve ever been to a flea market that didn’t have an indoor and outdoor setup. From what I’ve picked up from talking with people who sell at flea markets, indoor vendors seem to get the most sales. This is probably because the weather is either to hot, or to could outside. You should also try to get a spot next to a vendor you know is popular, as long as he’s not selling in the same niche as you.
