If you’re looking for a great way to either make some money on the side by flipping your flea market purchases on eBay, or just want to deck out your home and material possession collection with great affordable finds, you need to know what you’re doing. The flea market culture is not like normal buying and selling. You don’t just walk in, find something you want, make a purchase, and go on your way. This is not a game for the weak of heart and soul. When you want to get the most out of a flea market adventure, you need to take some of the following tips to heart.
Time is of the Essence
You do not want to have a leisurely breakfast at home, with some nice coffee and biscotti, then pack up your car and go to the market. If you’re walking across the desert and you see a river oasis, you don’t first take a nap, you run to the water! Same with the flea market, the earlier you go the better your chances are of coming away with some true gold nuggets. It’s not a crime to even get there so early that you have to wait outside in a line. And then, when the gates open, head to the furthest point of the fair grounds. There will be the fewest people there, and maybe you’ll miss an amazing opportunity near the front, but you’ll have first dibs on many more opportunities at the far side.
The Vehicle is Important
What you ride in is of critical importance. You don’t want to bring a sedan, first off, because that type of vehicle is impossible to load certain pieces of furniture into. Best off is some sort of open vehicle, meaning one without a trunk. A minivan is a good call, but might be too big for your everyday uses. If you look on www.downtownnissan.com and find the Cube on there, you’ll see that it makes a great flea market vehicle. As a big box, it can hold pieces of furniture and boxes of records, and it also gets fantastic gas mileage for your everyday uses. You can also see that the prices for these Cubes on http://www.downtownnissan.com are quite affordable, so your money can be better spent on flea market finds.
Know When to Hold ‘Em, Know When to Fold ‘Em
Part of getting a good deal at the flea market is knowing what an item is worth and knowing how to haggle the price to one within your range. If you eyeball something at a certain value, don’t let the guy selling it to you talk up its worth and convince you it’s actually worth more than you think. Go with your gut. You are in control and remember, they are looking at you as a dollar symbol, nothing more, no matter how friendly they are to you. If you try to haggle a price and they won’t come down to your level, just walk away. They’ll be disappointed, like a fisherman losing a game fish, and when you circle back around, you never know, you could get called over to get the deal you wanted initially.
