Flea Market Merchandise

Flea Market Merchandise: "Valueable needles in an endless haystack!"

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The world of flea markets is a vast and ever-growing enterprise. A booth shuts down today, two more pop up tomorrow. An item you think might be rare from one vendor can be found twice from a vendor just down the hall. In this day and age, it's difficult to be a bargain hunter for flea market merchandise. With the advent of websites like eBay, combined with an endless supply of informational sites out there regarding various collectibles, finding a hidden treasure in the bargain bin is a lot harder than it used to be. Everyone and their brother has got something to sell these days, and with the internet bringing us all just a little bit closer, the things we once thought were rare turn out to be a dime a dozen in the worldwide spectrum. So, to help you avoid any confusion, here is a flea market guide to help you out along your quest for fanciful fortune.

1. BEWARE of the vendors who happen to have a price guide handy. In a lot of ways I would imagine that this pretty much goes without saying, however I still see people time and time again rummaging through such booths and muttering amongst one another, "This is worth a lot more than they're asking for..." Don't be fooled! Observe your seller closely! If he or she has a price guide near the check out counter, then chances are they've already looked up the going price for ALL of their items. Running a booth full of flea market merchandise has a lot of down-time, and in turn a lot of that spare time is spent trying to figure prices and values. And never, EVER, think you're getting a deal if they get the price straight from the book!

2. AVOID specialty shops! It's hard to steer clear of booths that cater specifically to your collectible interests, but if you're looking to catch a deal, forget about it. This sort of ties in with the whole price guide idea- if they specialize in it, they know how much it's worth.

3. KNOW what you're looking for. I know, I know... how are you supposed to find a "hidden" treasure if you already know what you're looking for? The idea here is to be knowledgeable of antiques in general. If you have a certain area of interest, read up on that particular subject so that you will know as much about it as possible. Knowledge is the one thing that gives anyone the advantage in anything they do, and that's especially the truth when it comes to flea market merchandise. "But what if I see something I THINK might be valueable, but it isn't necessarily something that I know a whole lot about?" you might be asking. Well, RESEARCH it. If you find a particular flea market item and get a "feeling" about its worth, go look it up! Take down as much information as you can about the item, go to a computer, and try to find some details about its worth or value. Most cell phones these days come equipped with a camera, so use it! If you have web access on your phone, use it too! The same technologies that have caused a saturation of sellers in the market are also the same technologies that can help you decipher whether or not your purchase is worth its weight in gold.

That's about it for this flea market guide. The important thing is use a little common sense. Junk will always be junk, and over-priced will always be over-priced... but somewhere in between you are sure to find what you are looking for!

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