When you hear the phrase ‘Flea Market’, you probably don’t think of making money. Flea markets are places for bargain buying, but did you ever think of how the people selling are doing financially? Probably not. What would you say if we told you that you could go to the san antonio flea market and make extra money? Here we’ll give you the way to growing a great little flea market business.
How to Set Up Your First Flea Market Business
The first thing you need to do prior to setting up your first flea market booth in the san antonio flea market you need to have products to sell. Though it’s not a traditional shop, you will do better if you look like one. If you are known for selling a particular product or many products in one category, you’ll do much better than if you sold random items. People who frequent flea markets are great at laser-guided shoppers. If they get to know you and your products they’ll come, and they’ll refer you to friends and family. These types of shoppers are typically popular in bargain-hunting groups and you’ll get a crowd of regulars eventually.
Selling New Goods
Every flea market is different. Talk to the sales department, and they’ll direct you through the proper channels. Flea markets are a bit different from farmer’s markets and this is an important thing to know. Make sure you are in a flea market and not a large farmer’s market-style setup. The difference is in the way they may charge you. Farmer’s markets may ask you to pay a booth fee and or a percentage of your sales. Flea markets don’t typically ask for a percentage of your sales.
Typically, you’ll pay month to month on a table. If you have an actual room that you can lock and walk away from at night then you’ll probably need to sign a lease. Each flea market is different as far as what they’ll ask for. It’s a simple process and should be cheaper than a storefront in a mall.
Selling Used Goods
In the first section, we discussed selling new goods and being known for one product niche. Not everyone wants to sell or has the opportunity to sell new goods. So, here we’ll discuss selling used goods and where to find your stock.
First, here’s a good rule of thumb. Make sure your used goods are clean and well-presented and you’ll fetch a decent price for your goods. Keep them in categories and small to medium items in clean and colorful containers. If you have an eye-catching table you’ll get people coming to check it all out
Where You’ll Find Your Stock
Finding used goods is easy. Finding used goods that will sell is a bit more challenging. You need to think about what your market is looking for. One of the easiest ways to do that is to look at the location of the flea market you want to sell goods in. Is it in a grouping of flea markets?
If you can get a booth in one of those locations, the traffic is much more favorable. If you observe the other booths and surrounding flea markets you can gauge what you should sell. Are they selling car parts and furniture or are they the clothing and knick knacks kind of places? If it’s a hodgepodge kind of flea market, then see what booths seem to have the most people.
Off the Curb and Yard Sales
Go to Craigslist and get on the alerts for yard and garage sales in your area. Nowadays, people will put out curb alerts for stuff they put out on the curb. Conversely, you can drive around on bulk trash day and find the items you can clean up and sell. When you visit yard or garage sales don’t be afraid to haggle for the price, after all, you need to make a profit too.
Search your house and go to thrift stores. One hint for thrift stores, you are allowed to haggle a bit too. They don’t want to keep the stuff they have and always want fresh items. Make them an offer on a group of things. If it’s broken and you can fix it, ask them for a discount. You’ll get the hang of it.
You’ll be able to make either a decent full-time income or some extra cash as a side-hustle as well as meet some great people and have some fun!
