Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Step1
The first rule of flea market selling is like real estate: Location, location, location. Get a good spot where shoppers will see your stuff coming into the market. Be prominent. You can also make the best of a poor location by using spacing strategies. Widen your aisles or put tables on the sides of your space, inviting shoppers to stroll through. The more space they have to interact with your merchandise, the better.
Step2
Find good markets. Avoid the "dead markets", desolate areas of failing malls or small towns. Find the ones that are bustling on a Saturday morning, the large and well-known community clearing houses where thrifty shoppers flock to just after dawn to get whatever they need.
Step3
Stay available in your space. Keep good, predictable hours and stay within your space to handle any questions or guide shoppers toward a purchase. Flea market vendors who are always stepping out experience a big drop in sales, while those who stay involved with customers can build valuable return sales.
Step4
Clean up your merchandise. Nobody's going to go ape over that hurricane lamp with an inch of dust on it. Making your merchandise presentable will increase sales. Tag items prominently; put higher-dollar items in good conditions on front displays. All of this is the difference between a lagging business and a thriving one.
Step5
Fine-tune your pricing. Always pay attention to what a certain item can bring or has brought. Your shoppers are smart, thrifty people: they've abjured Wal-Mart in favor of buying used goods from you. On the other hand, you still need a profit margin. Working within the parameters of supply/demand will get you a better volume of sales, and ultimately, that's what you want.
