I recently decided to turn my love of thrift store shopping into a little business. I have always enjoyed searching thrift stores, consignment stores, flea markets and other secondhand venues for bargains and the occasional "steal". I have sold a few items on eBay and Etsy, but this is my first attempt to have a space in a real storefront at a flea market/antique mall. Unfortunately in the area where I wanted to have a space, there is a lot of demand, so I had to resort to being on a wait list for my top two desired flea markets. As far as the third place I inquired about, (just opened in Nov), there was a small shelf area available for $40/month. The good thing about this location is it is right off an exit on I-81, a major thoroughfare running N-S along the western part of Virginia where our home is. In addition, one must pass this flea market to go to Shenandoah Caverns, a major tourist stop in this area. I am hoping that this market will be an ideal place to set up shop, especially in the summer months when lots of folks visit the caverns. I especially like the owners who are very friendly and obviously love what they're doing.
My first task at hand was to figure out what items I decided I could part with. I have a habit of falling in love with my finds, even when I buy them specifically for resale. For example, I found this cute owl cookie jar at a Salvation Army Store that I was planning on reselling, but I decided I couldn't part with it, so it is sitting on a shelf in our home.
Once I decided what to put in my space I searched Etsy and eBay to see if I could find the items and see what other sellers were pricing them for. On eBay you can even search completed listings. I tried to price my items close to what I saw on the Internet but also decided that I want to make 2-3 times what I paid. And I have to consider what type of customers will be shopping the flea market (tourists).
For sellers, a good website that is useful for seeing what the demographics are for stores in your area is www.bundle.com.
I spent about 2 hours the first afternoon putting stuff on the shelves and I wasn't very happy with the result. The shelves are very high in between which is a waste of space. I decided to go back the next day with some items to give me some vertical space to work to work with. I still had a few things that ended up on the floor. Hopefully the next time I go back I would have had enough sales to move things around (I even had a few sales while I was arranging my space). The results:
If you sell at flea markets or consignment stores, do you find it difficult to part with some of your favorite finds?
My first task at hand was to figure out what items I decided I could part with. I have a habit of falling in love with my finds, even when I buy them specifically for resale. For example, I found this cute owl cookie jar at a Salvation Army Store that I was planning on reselling, but I decided I couldn't part with it, so it is sitting on a shelf in our home.
Once I decided what to put in my space I searched Etsy and eBay to see if I could find the items and see what other sellers were pricing them for. On eBay you can even search completed listings. I tried to price my items close to what I saw on the Internet but also decided that I want to make 2-3 times what I paid. And I have to consider what type of customers will be shopping the flea market (tourists).
For sellers, a good website that is useful for seeing what the demographics are for stores in your area is www.bundle.com.
I spent about 2 hours the first afternoon putting stuff on the shelves and I wasn't very happy with the result. The shelves are very high in between which is a waste of space. I decided to go back the next day with some items to give me some vertical space to work to work with. I still had a few things that ended up on the floor. Hopefully the next time I go back I would have had enough sales to move things around (I even had a few sales while I was arranging my space). The results:
If you sell at flea markets or consignment stores, do you find it difficult to part with some of your favorite finds?
A very nice start for your space! I like the added display boxes for making the best use of the high shelves. I'm like you I do keep some items I first intend to resell. Really if I weren't out looking for cool retro 60's items for my booth I'd never discover my next great collection....and heck I could never fit it all in my booth, so why not enjoy it at home...for awhile anyway!
ReplyDeleteGood idea Jolene! I do have a lot of things I could not fit in my space. So you're right, I can enjoy them at home for a time and then move them on so someone else can!
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