Fleamarkets
Chapter 5
IDENTIFY POTENTIAL BUYS
Check out the flea market first by making a fast
sweep through the entire market, Checking out each area to identify what each vendor has in stock. Never go to the first one and start searching or looking at items.
In time you will be able to instantly identify certain types of antiques or collectibles, when this takes place you want to cover as much ground as possible to make
sure there are not any areas that need immediate attention. If I am working two or three flea markets on a Saturday I will first map out the route I want to take to
each one and then make sure I am prepared with my kit and plenty of dollar bills and quarters.
Since the markets will only stay open for a certain amount of time and I hate to take a change on losing out on good deals I will be at the first market as early as
possible which is usually between eight or night O:clock. Some flea markets are laid out in long neat rolls and some are a maze to get through, I find it is easier
to set up my route to hit the neat flea markets first and then hit the jungles last. I always try to park close to the entrance if possible as I like to keep my
purchases in the car and not pack everything I buy around the market, more work but there may be an old man there who has some antique toys
for sale and the price is right if the toys are real. He has his booth setup in the middle of the market. If you start at the very first booth and spend your time
going through each one in most cases the toys will be gone by the time you get to right spot or you have run out of time trying to keep up with all you have bought.
OPPORTUNITY USUALLY ONLY KNOCKS ONCE.
After you have made the sweep of the market and have identified the areas that need immediate attention go to the first area and start dealing with the owner on the
items you identified as possible antiques.
DEALING WITH THE VENDOR
If you are serious about hunting antiques and collectibles you have to learn how to read people, not to be able to cheat them, this is not about cheating anyone,
but to make the determination if you can deal with this person. Can I bring him down on his price, or will he stay firm for now. Does the person have good enough
stock to keep people at his booth all day or does he just have one or two good pieces.
Most people who sell at weekend flea markets will have one or two good pieces and the rest will be common items that will be bought by the lay person.
Look over the items you are interested in and bring the owner into a conversation about the pieces. Ask him were they came from and how old are they.
If the person knows they will usually tell you If they are vague about the items history or don't seem to want to talk which is unusually for a flea market vendor,
just ask the price and make an offer.
ALWAYS MAKE AN OFFER.
Never pay the asking price right off. One technique I use is to keep looking at the item after the owner
has made his final offer and saying I don't know over and over, he will usually make another offer to make the sale unless he is to busy or to independent.
If the owner rejects an offer and stands firm on his price, you can rely on another technique to get the items if they are priced to high. Make a note of the place
were the booth is located and return to this booth late in the day when he or she is closing up shop. This will work only if you really want the items it is hard to
stay at one flea market all day. I have visited several flea markets in one day and marked some
to return to near closing time. Usually a good offer will buy the items you want. It is pretty hard to pack up items that have a standing offer on then No technique
works every time, so he prepared for some defeats along the way.
KNOWING WERE TO LOOK
Most flea market vendors will have a number of tables set up with their wares displayed on top of the tables and usually there will be items displayed on the ground
or floor. You can make a fast visual inspection of the items on top of the tables and then start on the items on the floor or ground. This is the area that will
bring out the treasures in most cases.
NOTE
The one thing about hunting antiques and collectibles is to keep up with what is being collected. There is always something new that everyone is collecting.
READ the trade magazines. The stuff on the floor is considered to be low price items most of the time. Ex. Small transistor radios from the fifties and sixties
were moving good a few years and still are today, I knew this and keep the item in the back of my mind I was in the Eastern part of Kentucky at a road side flea
market and happened upon an old bucket with four of the radios in it.
All had leather covers and were in good shape. For two dollars I bought the radios and the bucket. As usual I had to take the junk (bucket) to get the radios.
Another area to look is behind the tables or in the bed of the pickup trucks the owners come to the flea market in. Sometimes the will have an item they have been
packing and unpacking for weeks with no one paying any attention to it so he just leaves it packed up or laying in the truck or van.
Give every area a good going over before moving on to the next area.
THE BEST TIMES TO HUNT
There are times when you can buy items that would normally be priced to high and that is a wet and rainy day or there is slow foot traffic
through the flea market both are related. The vendor has come out on a rainy day and opened up his booth, it is a Saturday and rain is in the forecast for Sunday too.
A bad situation for the vendor but an excellent one for you The vendor is going to make overhead regardless of how cheap he has to sell.
BE THERE.
WEEK DAY FLEA MARKETS
There are some areas of the county that will have flea markets that only setup during the week. One I am familiar with and like to visit is on Wednesday of every week.
A unique market as they vendors will be setup by 6:OO in the morning and usually by twelve or one O:clock the vendors have packed up for the day and this is a very
high traffic market. KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR THIS TYPE OF MARKET. Be there early and make that fast run through the area locating the items you are interested in then
go back and haggle.
FINALLY
The flea markets have been covered in this book and if you use just one of the techniques described you will increase your changes of taking home that one of a kind
or just a item that you had to have and you bought it at your price. So start planning your next trip and remember the nevers' and the do’s and have a good time.
After all that should be the reason we all hunt antiques.
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