I love flea markets. They offer a sort of atmosphere that just says "back home." Well, they used to anyway. The last time I visited Shipshewana in Indiana and their world-famous flea market I was a little disappointed. It seems that rather than being the old down-home atmosphere it is now more commercial. I didn't like it.
But, as a person that is willing to give second chances, I'm going to return on Wednesday and take another look. I'll let you know what great deals I find and share them with you.
Tips on researching and finding the bargain...
- Make
a list of what you are looking for and prioritize it. The sheer volume
of stuff for sale can be overwhelming, so you will need to stay focused.
- Become an expert on what you want to buy. Who are the reputable manufacturers? Make sure you can tell the difference between the genuine article and a knockoff.
- Do your research before the event. Know what similar items are going for on eBay or Craigslist.
- Decide
whether you are buying for your personal enjoyment or for resale. If
the idea is just to enjoy it, it might be worth a little more to you
than an item you see solely as a business transaction.
- If
you are looking at an item to put into use in your home - a record
player or microwave, for example - make sure it works before you lay
down the cash.
- If you don't see what you want, ask a
vendor. Vendors can tell you about items you might not have seen, and
they often know what their neighbor vendors are selling.
- The final day of the yard sale or the end of a flea market is the time for the best bargains. You can get a lot for half off or more because vendors don't want to load up the trucks for the round trip. To that end, the bigger the item, the better chance you have for negotiating a good price on the sale's last day. Because big items take the most effort and storage space to pack up, vendors are motivated to unload them.
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