How to Sell Items at a Flea Market or Antique Mall

Indoor flea market may give you a relatively hands-off sales opportunity.

Whether you are trying to make room at home or make a little extra money, selling at a flea market or antique mall can be both lucrative and enjoyable. Nearly every town has at least one of these retailers and large communities have many and some that specialize in certain items. To maximize your returns, you should learn how to find the right venue for your items.

Things You'll Need

• Price Tags
• Shelving
• Locked display case (if you are selling valuables or small items)

Instructions

1. The first step towards setting up your shop is to determine the right venue. Most indoor flea markets and antique malls handle the selling for you and only require that you be present to pay rent and update your merchandise. If you have a full time job or other responsibilities this may be best for you. Most outdoor flea markets require you to be on site and handle the sale of your merchandise. Though this can be a great way to spend a weekend, it also requires that you set up and tear down your booth on a daily basis. It is also important to choose a store that caters towards the type of merchandise that you will sell. Some stores specialize in period antiques and would not be the best venue for selling modern household items.

2. Once you have found a store that matches your needs you will be required to set up a lease. Most flea markets and antique malls rent booths month to month with an open ended contract that requires just 30 days notice for you to close. There are usually a variety of booth sizes to choose from ranging from a small display case to a large cubicle the size of a bedroom. If you plan to continue buying items for resale, a larger booth might serve your needs best, but if you are just trying to sell some items from your home a small booth would serve.

3. The next step is to set up your display. Unless you are renting a glass display case from the store, you will have to provide your own shelving and cases. You will be given a lot of freedom in how you choose to set up your booth as long as you don't extend into the hallway. If you are selling knick-knacks, books, household items and other smaller merchandise, you can use simple bookshelves to line the walls of your booth and put larger items on the floor. If you are selling coins, valuables or small items you can purchase or rent a glass display case with a lock in order to thwart shoplifters.

4. The next step is to price and tag your items. Most antique malls and flea markets require you to use your own tags with your dealer information. Each store is different in their required layout, but most require each tag to have your dealer number (given to you when you sign the lease) a short description of the item, and the asking price. The easiest thing to use are simple draw string price tags that can be bought at Walmart or any office supply store. To determine what price to charge for your items browse other booths in the same flea market, check eBay or any other website dealing with used items and find a fair market price.

5. For continued maintenance of your booth, you will want to check in at least weekly to reorganize and add new items as others sell. It is also a good idea to drastically change your layout on a monthly basis as many patrons of these stores will come frequently and only stop at the booths that appear new. You may find that your best sales come during the first few days of having the booth and the couple of days following a change in layout.

6. Most flea markets and antique malls will provide you with a detailed listing of your sales at the end of each month. Be sure to keep these and use them as reference for future pricing and inventory control. After a few months of observation, you will be able to either empty out your attic and basement or generate an easy stream of extra income.

Tips & Warnings

• Many shops will charge rent plus a percentage commission of your sales. If you are selling to earn money, be sure to add these costs into your pricing.

• Some shops will discount your items by 10 percent if a customer asks unless you specifically state that your items are priced firm. If you do not price your items firm, be sure to add this extra cost into your pricing structure.

• If you are selling to make a profit, ask the cashiers and owners of the mall or market what the hottest selling items are and try to find them at auctions and garage sales.

• Avoid overly duplicated items. If you see several booths that are all selling a certain item, do not dedicate too much space to selling the same item unless yours is priced lower or in much better condition.