Simplitudes

If you have to spend money, one of the best places to get the biggest bang for the buck, is at the local flea market.  It’s a place where vendors of all kinds set up their products in one place so potential buyers can walk around and see items both new and used at bargain prices.  One caveat though, be disciplined.  There is so many items to choose from, then you may end up spending far more than you had planned items that you hadn’t considered or genuinely need.

Make your day at the flea market and adventure, but plan adequately for it.  If the flea market is outdoors make sure you wear a hat and throw on some sunscreen.  Get there early for the best selection.  And bring a bag or cart so you don’t have to lug heavy items around with you for the entire day.

It’s also a good idea to have some fairly good walking shoes, since you will be spending a good deal of time on your feet and you don’t want your day ended abruptly because of pain.

Most people begin their walk through the flea market at the entrance, but you should do the opposite.  Begin your journey at the end of the market so that when your’re tired at the end of the day your close to your car. In addition starting at the end of the market will enable you to see booths that other people haven’t gotten to yet and thus have access to many of the bargains before others can scoop them up.

It is acceptable, and often expected that you try to bargain with the set prices the vendors ask.  It doesn’t always work, but you got nothing to lose by trying.  It’s up for debate whether the best time to bargain with the vendor is at the beginning of the day or just before the market closes.  At the top of the day, the flea market vendor often wants to break the ice with a quick sale, however at that time he’s fairly optimistic and hopes to sell out as many items as you can at the maximum price.

At the end of the day, most flea market vendors are more amenable to bargaining.  They’d rather sell at a discount and make a little money rather than pack it back up in their cars or trucks and make nothing at all.  Of course waiting till the end of the day runs the risk of your desired item having already been purchased by another.  You’ve got to decide just how badly you want that item and make your decisions accordingly.

There a couple of ways to negotiate the price of an item.  One way is to flat out asked the vendor his bottom price for the item.  Another is to offer a set price and hope he accepts your offer.  It’s often helpful to have that amount readily in your hand when you make the offer, as the sight of green paper to anyone trying to earn a living in retail, is very appealing.

Some people, willing to risk losing the item to another customer, hold off on making a purchase until they’ve scouted the entire market.  Often one vendor sells the same product for considerably less than another.  If you’re willing to run the risk of losing the item for the sake of the potential savings, make sure you write down the exact location of the original vendor because at the end of the day one booth looks the same as another.

Flea markets have great items at even greater prices, but beware they also sell well packaged garbage.  I’ve personally had experiences where I’ve bought cheap substitutes which broke the first or second time I used it, resulting in my having to buy the product again, often at the original retail price.