Top 10 Tips for Flea Market Shopping
Over the past few months, I’ve received countless emails requesting advice for shopping at flea markets. Since the flea market season is in full swing, I thought now would be a perfect time to reveal my top 10 tips for flea market shopping!
There’s nothing that I love more than a good flea market. From things that are traditional and stylish, to interesting and unexpected, flea markets are a great place to find anything and everything you could ever want to decorate your home… and the best part… for a great price!
Hi, my name is Ashley and I’m a flea market shopping addict.
It’s true… on any given weekend, you can find me at a flea market, rolling cart in hand. Of course I have my select favorites that I frequent as often as my husband will allow, but I also love checking out lesser known, smaller markets just to see what treasures are waiting to be discovered.
Since moving to Europe, hubs and I have visited countless flea markets… the locations may change, the sellers may change, and the stuff may change, but the principles for turning your cash into gold {or vintage treasure}, and getting the most for you money is always the same. Well friends, today I am here to share what I have learned about flea market shopping with you!
1. Arrive early, and stay late
This is a big one… I consider myself to be somewhat laid back in everyday life, but when it comes to flea market shopping, I have been lovingly compared to {by my husband} a drill sergeant. The morning of a market, we are awake, dressed, and driving to the location well before the sun comes up. There are a few reasons I recommend doing this…
{scoping things out before crowds start rolling in}
No 1. Parking can often times be an issue, so it’s best to beat everyone else there and get a great spot. I can not tell you how many times hubs and I have had to schlepp furniture back to the truck when it was parked miles away… trust me, it isn’t fun, and it wastes valuable shopping time!
No 2. There are so many amazing flea markets here in Europe, but most of them only stay open for half the day. Since many of these larger markets {some sprawled out over an entire town} are only open for 5 or 6 hours, making sure that I’m the first one there, and the last one to leave, maximizes my shopping time!
No 3. Shopping early as vendors are setting up and late as vendors are packing things away are great times to snag a deal. There have been many times that hubs and I have completely filled our truck well before the crowds hit the streets mid-morning! We don’t have to worry about great pieces being picked over, because we are always the first ones there! And the absolute best time to get a great deal is when vendors are packing up what didn’t sell that day. I always take one or two more laps around right at the end of a market to see if there is anything that I can take off their hands. Since large pieces of furniture or heavy, awkward things are a pain to repack, sellers are usually willing to let them go for less than their original asking price.
No 4. Early morning and late afternoon are my absolute favorite times to browse flea markets. You don’t have to deal with pushy bystanders, bidding wars between competitive treasure hunters, passing chair legs and oriental rugs knocking you down, or rolling carts running over your toes… you know, all the pleasantries that come with large crowds.
By arriving early & staying late, you won’t be distracted by large crowds or miss opportunities for great deals!
2. Learn to speak the language
{“Combien?”}
Sure, most people in Europe speak English, even if it’s just a little bit, but when you are a serious flea market shopper, it is always a good idea to learn a few basic phrases in the native language. Knowing how to say “How much,” “Would you take,” “Excuse me,” “Thank you,” and basic numbers will get you a long way in the negotiation process. For whatever reason, Europeans think that all Americans are filthy rich. Sellers can spot Americans from a mile away and expect us to pay double what anyone else would. So it never hurts to make the extra effort to fit in. Odds are we aren’t really fooling anyone, but in my experience, the gesture is always much appreciated!
3. My flea market toolkit
You just never know what you may need and when you may need it, so it’s always best to come prepared.
When heading out for some flea market shopping, here are some things I never leave home without:
No 1. Pen and paper: I remember the very first market hubs and I visited… what an amazing day! We had a blast walking around the cobblestone streets, talking to all of the sellers, eating delicious street food, and feeling so giddy about all of the amazing European antiques we had just scored for next to nothing! We drove away with a moving van filled to the brim, and excitedly talked about our favorite finds from this very successful shopping trip. But then something didn’t quite feel right… we suddenly got a sinking feeling that we had forgotten something. We quickly ran through our list of purchases in our minds and totaled up how much we had spent, suddenly realizing that we had in fact left something behind… a small secretary desk that we had already paid for! But what were we going to do?? We had already been driving for an hour and surely all of the vendors had already packed up and gone home. Hubs quickly busted a U-turn and headed back, hoping that all was not lost. We pulled up to an empty sidewalk, which only an hour ago was a bustling market full of antiques and shoppers, searching for one last shred of hope. And there we spotted him, the older gentleman who had sold us the desk, standing next to his car and looking down at his watch. We jumped out of the van and thanked him over and over for waiting on us long after the market had ended and everyone had gone home… he had really saved the day!
I know that was a long story, but it was then that we learned a very valuable lesson about flea market shopping… always bring a pen and paper to jot down a list of your purchases that need to picked up at the end of the market, otherwise, you may pay for something and drive off without it! The majority of sellers aren’t as patient and kind as this particular seller was and will have no problem going home with your money in their pocket and an extra piece of furniture to sell… it was after all our fault we had left without it.
No 2. Map of flea market: It’s always a good idea to have a map on hand, especially for larger markets. Print or draw yourself a map to include in your flea market toolkit so that you will have a good lay of the land, and also make a note of where you made purchases that need to be picked up at the end of the day.
No 3. Large shopping bag: Typically in Europe, sellers will not hand you a bag to carry your new purchases in, so make sure you bring one. I like using large canvas bags that can be easily folded up and stuffed behind the seat of your car when not in use.
No 4. Rolling cart: This is my favorite thing to bring to any market because it holds a lot of stuff that I then don’t have to carry! It’s also a great place to stuff a few extra large canvas shopping bags for when you may need them!
No 5. Tape measure: You never know when you may need to measure an item… perhaps you are wondering if that gorgeous armoire for sale will fit in that little hallway nook, or whether that piece of artwork will fit over your fireplace mantle. When searching for a bed, it’s also a good idea to make a note of mattress sizes {full, queen, king}… you may have just purchased what looked to be a queen sized bed frame, but once you get it home, you realize it only fits a full sized mattress. Sellers don’t always know the size of the bed they are selling, and even if they did, European mattress sizes are different than ours.
4. Bring packing material
Since we are on the subject of what you should bring with you to a market, I would be remiss if I left out packing material!
{our truck completely filled after a very successful flea market run}
Small boxes, bubble wrap or newspaper, blankets, rope, and bungee cords are crucial when you are ready to pack up all of your flea market purchases. A large chandelier sits securely in an opened box, blankets are great for protecting furniture, and ropes will come in handy when you need to tie extra items to the top of your car when you bought a little more than space allows.
5. Make a list
This may seem like a simple and unnecessary step to flea market shopping, but there is some value in making a list of what you need come market day.
{sure, I am drooling over these massive crystal chandeliers, but let’s be real… do I really need another chandelier in my house??}
Some flea markets can be gold mines… tons of amazing things all for rock bottom prices, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed when trying to decide what to spend your money on first. I have come to find that shopping at flea markets can become a slippery slope into hoarder-land, especially at very large markets, and the best way to overcome that is by making a list! I always plan ahead and make a list of wants and needs before leaving for a flea market shopping trip. I will look through our house, maybe focus on certain rooms, jot down what we need and make note of pertinent measurements. Come market day, I can focus on my list rather than stop at every pretty thing I see. This has saved us a lot of time and truckloads of money!
6. Dress for Success
… flea market shopping success that is.
{sometimes it pays to look homeless}
I always dress down when flea market shopping… it’s common to find me in old sweatpants and a hoody, or plain yoga pants, tennis shoes, and an old t-shirt. I am not usually one for looking like a homeless person when I step out in public, but there are many reasons behind dressing the way I do at flea markets.
No 1. Comfort: Most of my favorite flea markets are no less than a few hours drive from us, so I like to make sure I am comfortable in my favorite road tripping clothing: sweats {and I’m not ashamed to say it}. In addition to the long drives, flea markets involve a lot of walking… a lot, so it’s best to wear a comfortable pair of tennis shoes. This may seem pretty obvious, but as a serious flea market shopper, I like to stay focused on the kill {aka the deal} rather than my aching feet! One last note about comfort… weather in Europe can be very unpredictable, so always have an umbrella and a jacket/sweatshirt on hand. If you follow rule # 1 {Arrive early, and stay late} than you’ll need a light jacket or sweatshirt for those early mornings anyway.
No 2. Flea markets are dirty. Yes, it’s true… rifling though people’s old junk isn’t as glamorous as you may think, so wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty, ripped, or stained.
No 3. Whether we like to admit it or not, people will size us up based on our appearance in a matter of seconds. I have found this to be especially true at flea markets. You won’t find many sellers that put a price tag on their items, and that’s because the price changes with each person who asks for it. Next time you are flea market shopping, notice what happens when you ask for a price… the seller will look you up and down, quickly sizing you up and coming up with the appropriate price for you. Sometimes if you listen carefully, you can even catch sellers giving different prices to different customers. Never give sellers a reason to up-charge you! Like most things in life, presentation is everything, so avoid dressing in your sunday best, carrying an expensive designer bag, and wearing lots of shiny jewelry.
This brings me to my next tip…
7. Negotiating Techniques
A good rule to remember is never accept a seller’s first price. Sellers purposely price their items higher assuming that buyers will haggle, and they will inevitably get less than what they were asking. Unless an item says “firm,” always negotiate!
{we make a great team}
Negotiating is like most things in life… it may not come naturally to you at first, but the more you practice, the better you’ll get! Over the past few years, hubs and I have tried a ton of different negotiating techniques… some work better than others, but the key is to experiment and find what works best for you! Here are a few that have worked well for us:
No 1. The easiest strategy is to just walk away. Sometimes this works and other times you may loose out, but when it works, it really feels like a victory! When a seller gives you a price, always haggle a lower price first. If you don’t like the best price they are offering you, simply say thank you {optional}, and slowly {but not too slowly} walk away. I have found that sellers don’t want to let a buyer go if they know that they are really interested in purchasing something, and will usually give in as you turn to walk away. I would say this technique works the majority of the time, and man does it feel great when they give in! Another thing I love to do if I’m really interested in something is walk away, but stick around for a little bit… you know, peruse the tables around the area, walking slowly from one place to another, and often times, the seller that I had just walked away from, will approach me saying we have a deal!
No 2. Offer a price without asking for a price: This is a favorite of my husband’s, but I find it to be somewhat of a gamble. If you really know what you are doing, and visit enough markets to know how much things should cost, then this will work great for you, but personally, I don’t use this strategy too often. It’s pretty simple, you just pick up the item you are interested in, and instead of asking how much, you offer them, say 10 Euros for example. But there’s always a chance that they were going to say 8 Euros, and you just offered them more… of course they are going to take it! So use this technique with caution!
No 3. Good cop/bad cop: This strategy works great for husband and wife teams. For us, good cop/bad cop started out as real discussions/arguments rather than a strategy, but as time went on we found that it really works for haggling down prices! I am ALWAYS the good cop, and Brennon is ALWAYS the bad cop. If I really want something, a chandelier for instance, I will plead with Brennon, who continues to stand firm that he does not want it {and it’s always great to throw in some reasons: we can’t fit it in the car, we don’t have enough money, there’s nowhere to put it in our house, we are about to move, etc… just email my husband at brennon@designeurlife.com for a long list of reasons}. The seller will then drop the price little by little as hubs & I are mid-discussion, until he says the magic price, and BOOM, sold!
No 4. Act like a professional: Sellers are usually willing to work with you on price if they know that you are a professional buyer or are exporting the goods outside of the country. I always have a calculator on hand so that when I’m mid-negotiation, I can whip it out and start pressing random buttons. The seller assumes that I am a professional buyer and that I’m crunching numbers. I will then let them know that the best I can do is 100 Euros, for instance.
You can also ask for the export price… some European countries {I know France for sure}, charge extra for antiquities. So ask for the export price, and sometimes they will take 10%-20% off the price! {just do it at the end of your negotiations!}
No 5. For my last and favorite negotiating strategy, I will refer back to tip # 1: Stay Late! Keep a mental {or written, if you follow my flea market tip #3} list of things you would like to revisit at the end of the market that you thought were just too expensive to purchase earlier in the day. Many times, as sellers are packing up, you can give it one last shot… if that item is still available, they will most likely be receptive to selling it to you for much lower than they would have earlier in the day. I have really hit the jackpot on numerous occasions with this strategy and it continues to be one of my personal favorites!
8. Beware, No photos
{notice the small sign on the window behind me}
There are a lot of sellers who don’t like people taking pictures of their loot. More than likely, you will see a clearly marked “No photo” sign, but be on the lookout, occasionally the sign will be hidden or no sign will be displayed at all. Then after you innocently snap a photo, you are in for a stern scolding, or even confiscation of your camera. I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say Brennon and I know the ramifications of violating this rule all too well.
9. Better safe than sorry
Most flea markets that we have visited are extremely safe, but there have been a select few that are in seedy parts of town, frequented by pick-pocketers and other sketchy people, so it’s always a good idea to be vigilant. To avoid being an easy target, keep some of these obvious things in mind:
No 1. Men should keep wallets inside their jackets rather than back pockets.
No 2. Women should carry a purse that wraps around their body, or carry no purse at all.
No 3. Don’t flash your cash around.
No 4. Don’t entertain beggars. {read more about safety from this flea market trip}
{counting my change before walking away}
Something else that may be somewhat obvious but worth mentioning is that you should always count your change! On more than one occasion, I have experienced sellers not giving me back correct change after I bought something from them. This is an easy way to swindle tourists in fast-pace transactions, especially those who aren’t familiar with the currency.
10. Be patient and go often
Not every market is going to be a gold mine, and sometimes you may walk away with nothing, but if you don’t find what you’re looking for, just keep trying! There are plenty of flea markets around Europe selling all kinds of things, so odds are, if you keep trying, you’ll eventually strike gold {aka vintage treasure}!
{flea market rummaging}
So that’s it! Those are my top 10 tips for flea market shopping… Are you ready to get out there and try some of these strategies??
For a schedule of European flea markets happening in May, click here:
Much luck to you in all of your flea market shopping ventures, and make sure you let me know how some of these tips work out for you!
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