Flea Market Flipping Tips To Make Good Money

If you want to make money quickly, flea market flipping is one of the best options! 

Flea markets are places where dealers meet to sell their goods and where you can find great deals on various items. They have more of a village feel and are probably the most primitive way to buy and sell in modern times. People pull up in their cars, get their items out, and wait for you to come by and give them cash for their stuff.

Shopping at flea markets is undoubtedly a different experience than going to a local retail store and grabbing something off the shelf or buying things online and having them shipped to your door. You get more of a personal connection with the dealers as they sit out next to their booths and interact with you if you have any questions. 

I love shopping at flea markets and am glad they're still around today! Because you can find cheap items, it is easy to turn around and sell what you see on places like eBay or craigslist for more money. 

Getting the most money reselling things comes down to where you try to sell them. Because there aren't many people shopping at flea markets, the dealers have to price their items cheaper to be sure they sell. An item that sells at a flea market for $5 could sell for $100 if it's listed online, where millions more people are shopping.

What Is Flea Market Flipping

Flea market flipping can be boiled down to four words “buy low, sell high.” The idea is to buy items at a steep discount and resell what you buy at a higher price. 

I've been flipping for a couple of years, and last year I made a profit of over $10,000 doing it part-time. It's a great way to earn some extra money, and I wanted to share some specific tips on using flea markets to find suitable items for reselling. 

You can also find items for cheap at yard sales, thrift stores, and countless other places, but today we'll go over how to utilize your local flea markets as best you can.

Find The Best Flea Markets in Your Area

To become a flea market flipper, you must first know which flea market to go to! If you only have one in your area, you know where to go, but if there are several, pick a day to visit all of them and see what they're like.

You'll want to pay attention to how many people show up to sell and what items they have. 

If the flea market is located in a higher-class area, you may find people charging too much for you to make good profits when you go to resell. 

If the market is in a lower-class area, you may find that the quality of items to buy isn't great. This is why it's essential to go to all the flea markets near you and find out which ones you should start shopping at regularly.

Take Plenty of Cash

Chances are, you can only pay with cash for anything you buy at a flea market. 

Make sure you stop at an ATM on the way or the day before you plan to go. 

Take more cash than you think you will need because there's nothing worse than finding a killer item and not having enough money to pay for it.

Get There Early

Most flea markets open up early, and you want to be there as soon as they do. Getting there early is important because other people will shop as quickly as possible. If the dealers already have their items out, you got there too late. 

I've even heard of people buying a dealer booth to get in before the flea market opens and shop.

Some dealers might even walk around and see if anything is worth buying before setting out their stuff. If someone buys the good items before you get them, you may as well stay home. There's always a chance that someone won't notice the good stuff, but you'll do much better if you're the first one out there. 

Remember this old cliche: “the early bird gets the worm.” 

Don't Hesitate

Along with getting to the flea market early, it's essential to act quickly when you see something you want. If you're standing there looking at things, someone could purchase something you were interested in if you don't claim it. 

The flea market game is competitive, and unless you're the only one shopping, all items are up for grabs at any moment.

Develop a Keen Eye for Value

It takes some time to develop, but eventually, you'll be able to spot valuable items quickly. It may take digging through a pile of what looks like junk to find a hidden treasure. Don't just quickly walk by the dealer booths skimming over things. You might miss a good item if you don't look thoroughly.

Regarding furniture, you can make excellent profits if you're willing to do a little refurbishing. It would help not to let dirty or damaged items dismay you from purchasing. You'd be amazed at how well some things clean up with a simple cleaning.

A great way to find an item's value is by searching for it on eBay and setting the filter to “sold” to see what it's going for. However, this may be tricky while you're at the flea market. You may have to take a chance and hope your item is worth more than you pay. Sometimes you have to “pay for your education,” meaning you might buy an item that isn't worth any more than what you paid.

Negotiate

One of my favorite things about shopping at flea markets is that you can almost always get the dealers to come down a little on their asking price. If something is $20, see if you can get it for $15. 

As long as you do it politely, there's no harm in asking for a lower price. Kindness goes a long way in many life areas and is no different at flea markets. The more likable you are, the better chance you will get discounts on items you want to buy. 

Don't lowball the dealers, though. It isn't worth it to upset them, and they may not want to do any future business with you if you try to get them to go too low on prices.

Build Relationships

Buying things at flea markets is very personal. You have to talk with the dealers face to face to make the deal. If you plan on going to flea markets regularly, getting to know the dealers can pay off big time!

Tell them what kind of items you're looking for, and if you buy something from them, tell them you'll be interested if they come across any more of the same type of thing. You may even give out your phone number and ask them to contact you if they come across the items you're interested in. 

Building relationships is a great way to ensure you get value when you continuously go to flea markets. 

How Much Can You Make Flea Market Flipping

The sky's the limit when it comes to flipping things. If you want to make a side income, flipping is one of the easiest and fastest ways to earn extra money. 

Flipping can also be a great option if you're looking for a new full-time income source. The good thing about flipping full-time is that you can control your schedule and not answer a boss. The downside is that you're never guaranteed a paycheck, and you will have to cover things like health insurance on your own.

For a real-life example, Will over at Terminal99 on Youtube turned a flea market flipping into a full-time business so that it can be done!

It's up to you how serious you want to get with flipping, but the most important thing is to take action and develop a system to stay consistent. Over time, you can build a nice income with reselling.