Flea Market or Thrift Store?
Flea markets are typically open-air markets that can sell anything from trendy t-shirts, antiques, jewelry, artwork, and collectibles. Some flea markets have an indoor space for booths with electricity and air conditioning too!
Where thrift stores can be small and have a limited amount of inventory, a flea market usually has lots of open space and offer a huge amount of inventory. As a lover of antiques, unique items, and a self-confessed treasure hunter going to a flea market is less about shopping and more about going on an adventure!
Is a flea market a thrift store?
No, a flea market is not a thrift store. Thrift stores are companies that work for profit or are a non-profit/charity and run all the sales directly for the store.
You may find similar items at a flea market that you would find at a thrift shop or charity shop, but flea markets are usually outdoor markets that allow individual sellers to sell their own items.
The flea market itself is just a location and does not supply the products and items for sale. A thrift store acquires it’s merchandise by donations or buying inventory from other locations and sells it for themselves.
Some flea markets have indoor booths that are rented monthly to vendors that are available all the time. They typically offer tables or booths on a weekend or daily basis to individual sellers for a set rental fee.
For more information about thrift stores, check out “Are Thrift Stores Worth It?” and see the list of the best things to buy at thrift stores!
What is the difference between a flea market and a garage sale?
Flea markets are very similar to multi-family or community garage sale. You will have lots of individual sellers right next to each other and it a short distance from booth to booth.
If you don’t have the yard space or are not in a high traffic area, I always recommend taking your items to a flea market. This works well for those in apartments, condos, or townhomes too.
The local flea market in my area only charges $8 a day to rent a table outside. I can bring all of my yard sale or moving sale items and sell them for just that small flat fee. I get to keep all the proceeds from my sales.
Flea markets offer built in traffic and other similar sellers, so they draw a good amount of people coming and ready to shop. When you host your own garage sale you have to attract people to your location with signs or advertising.
Nothing is worse than setting up a garage sale at home, and no one showing up! This is where the flea market makes it so much easier and convenient to sell off your items.
Instead of donating the items to Goodwill for free, selling at a flea market is a way to make a little money and free up space at home. This could be furniture, toys, lightly used appliances, or treasures from your attic!
Why are flea markets so cheap?
Most flea market sellers are ones that just want to get rid of the items. They want to make a profit, but they also don’t want to haul all of their stuff back home again if it doesn’t sell.
Less than 20% of the sellers at flea markets sell every week, so they are not having to worry as much about selling costs and booth rental fees.
The booths that are located inside an indoor flea market don’t break down their space every week and pay monthly for their prime location. Some of these indoor spots can cost upwards of $1000 a month and include electricity to the booth.
These sellers are full-fledged businesses that sell items on a regular basis and are usually not the cheapest prices at a flea market.
The cheapest prices are typically found at the outside booths and tables. This is where every day people can rent a table or booth and sell their own items from home.
These booths will typically be full of items that are from estate sales, moving houses, downsizing, and just wanting to get rid of items that are taking up space at home.
The outside booths are also more open to bargaining and may be adjustable on prices. So, if you see a chair listed as $30, you may be able to haggle the price down to $25.
How do flea markets make money?
The flea market itself makes money off renting booths, tables, and spaces. The owners of the flea market may sell at one of the booths as well, but most of the time they are just renting spaces out.
Flea markets do tend to advertise well in order to draw customers and may offer specialty weekends and promote sales. Some flea market owners also have established refreshment and food offerings that also allow them to make a profit.
If a flea market has 100 outside booths and rents half of them every Saturday at $8 a piece, then they just made $400 a day by providing space.
They didn’t have to sell anything; they just collect the rental fees. Now most flea markets are open on the weekends, so they have the potential to make quite a bit of money each day of the weekend.
Unfortunately, depending on the area, flea markets can be very seasonal. Not many people go shopping on rainy cold weekends in the wintertime at flea markets unless they are located indoors.
Most flea markets make the most money in the Spring months and the fall months. If you are in an area that gets very hot in the summer months, a flea market may not do as well unless they are in the shade and can offer a way to beat the heat.
Some flea markets offer more curated vendors, where everyone only sells antique/vintage items or other time they only offer markets for artisans and handcrafted wares.
Some specialized markets are only open during select times, so make sure to check out their Facebook page or website to get all the information about when they are open.
If you want to find a flea market near you, the easiest way is to search on Google for “flea markets near me” and it will show you all the available options near you.
Flea markets are not just in rural areas, you can find them in suburban and urban areas too! Some places will call them farmer’s markets or artisan markets, but they are all closely related to a flea market.
Are Flea markets worth it?
Flea markets are totally worth the experience. Not only can you get some easy exercise walking all around the booths, but you can also see lots of cool stuff.
Some flea markets offer fresh flowers, plants, produce, and other seasonal offerings from local farms and growers. There are times you can get amazing deals on fruits and vegetables.
Our nearby flea market has a regular booth from a local beekeeper, and he seems to sell out all the time of his locally made honey. He also sells various bees wax products that are super popular!
Flea markets are just a fun place to explore even if you don’t end up purchasing anything. They can be great ways to gather ideas for things to do at home.
We regularly see people selling their homemade crafts and art. We have seen beautiful yard art displays, windchimes, home decor, and various fabric crafts.
You never really know what you will see at a flea market, and the potential to find a really unique item at a cheap price is always there.
When I go to thrift stores, I am typically looking for specific items to buy to save money. When I go to a flea market, I am more about the experience and not on a hunt for specific items.
I am all business at a thrift store and like to go by myself, whereas a flea market is a good fun day for the whole family to get outside.
For more information about buying secondhand goods, check out “What is the Difference between Thrift and Consignment Stores?“
