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Flea Markets: Bringing People Together
Yes there is a lot of junk at flea markets, but there is also something special about them. Flea Markets bring together people from all walks of life selling anything from a used kitchen sink to a Picasso.
Part of the beauty of flea markets is it is one of the only places left in America where you don’t need a lot of money to get you a lot of stuff. Capitalizing off consumerism, Flea Markets are the epitome of America.
The Business of Flea Markets
Many Different Types of Vendors
You primarily have people that specialize in liquidating overstock merchandise that frequent the larger flea markets. They sell anything that retail stores have a hard time getting rid of including out of season clothing, cosmetics, and home goods.
There are a diverse set of sellers that come to flea markets that may specialize in a certain collectible or antique category. People sell antique books, military memorabilia, political memorabilia and other highly sought after antique categories. But you also have businesses and individuals that specialize in more modern collectibles such as comic books and sports memorabilia.
Here are some very common resellers you will find at flea markets:
Junk Removal Resellers
Home, estate, and business clean out services use Flea Markets as an alternative to landfills and recycling centers. Instead of paying for the fees of disposing it at the local dump or recycling center they try to sell it add a very deep discount to the public.
Storage Locker Buyers
As seen on the television show Storage Wars, people can buy abandoned storage lockers as a full time job. These individuals will sort through the higher profit items and sell them online or to specific buyers. But the majority of the merchandise has little value. Instead of paying for disposal fees at their local waste management facility, they also sell lower value or bulkier items at Flea Markets.
Niche Businesses
Any type of business you might see at a local craft fair or farmers market, may also show up to your local flea market to draw up some business. Anything from handmade jewelry, to homemade honey and jam can be found at certain Flea Markets.
A Rise in Collectibles at Flea Markets
There’s also a rise in pop-culture “cool” vintage clothing and sneaker resellers that can be spotted at your local flea market trying to sell you a vintage 90’s soccer jersey for $250, a Grateful Dead T-Shirt for 500 bucks or a pair of Nike Basketball shoes for $1,000. These open air buying, selling, trading environments make Flea markets a local gathering spot for internet resellers to network and make deals. Beyond clothing, you have other collectible resellers such as video game, comic book, sports memorabilia, trading cards, and vinyl record dealers that set up shop at the local swap meet. These individuals use Flea Markets to promote their business and gain visibility in an environment that sees a ton of foot traffic.
