Share your finds- Flea market, yard sale, thrift store, auctions, estate sales

[Sandy D]

I pay anywhere from 30.00 a month to 150.00 per month for booth space.
Most charge 8-12% commissions which is not bad considering all you do is price tag the items and they take care of the rest.

One huge one I am in I have 2 booths on a corner and sell the dickens out of stuff.

Some malls do not get much traffic so do your homework to see if they get the traffic. Traffic is a must.

Lesson learned is if you get too small of a booth people go right by it. If you get too large of a booth and do not fill it people will walk by it as well.

[Sneakee]

Originally Posted by rsot

Box coffee presses?

Rsot - I meant new-in-the-box (nib) coffee presses.

Some can cost quite a bit. I got mine for $3 each and can sell them for $20. But some can be worth a lot more.

[Sneakee]

Originally Posted by Sandy D

I pay anywhere from 30.00 a month to 150.00 per month for booth space.
Most charge 8-12% commissions which is not bad considering all you do is price tag the items and they take care of the rest.

One huge one I am in I have 2 booths on a corner and sell the dickens out of stuff.

Some malls do not get much traffic so do your homework to see if they get the traffic. Traffic is a must.

Lesson learned is if you get too small of a booth people go right by it. If you get too large of a booth and do not fill it people will walk by it as well.

Good thoughts. You must be talking about some kind of "special" mall though right? Like an antique mall? I never see antique booths at normals malls.

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by Sneakee

Good thoughts. You must be talking about some kind of "special" mall though right? Like an antique mall? I never see antique booths at normals malls.

Yep a dedicated 'space' with just antiques laid out like a (proper) mall.
Maxed out my cards at them in Ohio in mid 2007.

Antiques, collectibles and auctions at Heart of Ohio Antiques

and several months before that just as much damage in Louisiana LOL.

Antique Malls or Stores in Louisiana (LA)

Good times

[biggunn]

Originally Posted by Sandy D

I pay anywhere from 30.00 a month to 150.00 per month for booth space.
Most charge 8-12% commissions which is not bad considering all you do is price tag the items and they take care of the rest.

One huge one I am in I have 2 booths on a corner and sell the dickens out of stuff.

Some malls do not get much traffic so do your homework to see if they get the traffic. Traffic is a must.

Lesson learned is if you get too small of a booth people go right by it. If you get too large of a booth and do not fill it people will walk by it as well.

Yea, my bubble got burst today.. I checked into this at a HOT antique mall in my city... 1 year waiting list for a booth.

[Sneakee]

You must do a bunch of traveling GB. So very jealous.

I've never been to an antique mall but I have seen billboards for them while on the highway. Stupid me, I always thought it was a a tourist trap. You know, like you get off the exit and then you are around a bunch of Made in China "antiques".

I think I'll be taking a trip this weekend to a local antique mall. I have to see what all the rave is about.

[biggunn]

Originally Posted by Sneakee

Good thoughts. You must be talking about some kind of "special" mall though right? Like an antique mall? I never see antique booths at normals malls.

Mall is just a term used here.. An antique mall is more like an indoor flea market for only antiques.

[GTB]

we call them markets

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by Sneakee

Good thoughts. You must be talking about some kind of "special" mall though right? Like an antique mall? I never see antique booths at normals malls.

Yes, special "antique malls".

Many good ones all over the US.

Many have failed and went down in the last several years.

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by GreenBean™

Yep a dedicated 'space' with just antiques laid out like a (proper) mall.
Maxed out my cards at them in Ohio in mid 2007.

Antiques, collectibles and auctions at Heart of Ohio Antiques

and several months before that just as much damage in Louisiana LOL.

Antique Malls or Stores in Louisiana (LA)

Good times

Hope it was in my booth GB.

I sell in one of those malls and in fact sell a ton of stuff.

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by biggunn

Yea, my bubble got burst today.. I checked into this at a HOT antique mall in my city... 1 year waiting list for a booth.

Many smaller malls were hurt by the bigger malls and combined.

Therefore if the mall is a hot one the dealers already knew and will not give up the space.

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by Sneakee

I think I'll be taking a trip this weekend to a local antique mall. I have to see what all the rave is about.

That rave is more then 20 years old as I have been selling in antique malls for more then 20 years.

The malls were extremely hot in the late 1980s and into the late 1990s.

In 2003 I sold the most I ever sold in one year and have not touched that 2003 sales since then. Even though I do well if I could sell every year like I did in 2003 I would be a millionaire today.

From 2009 on malls have actually went down in sales every year as the economy has effected peoples cash for buying things like this.

But, with some changes, a larger booth and better location and some pricing fixes I am on the roll of selling record numbers of items for the first time since 2003. Hope it continues.




TIP of the day-

Good antique malls are hard to get booths in. If you see several open booths do not rent in that mall.

[yotano211]

The only thing like that in Vegas is the Out Door swap met. Bu they sell all kinds of stuff.

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by yotano211

The only thing like that in Vegas is the Out Door swap met. Bu they sell all kinds of stuff.

There is a huge and I mean huge Flea Market in Canton? Texas.

Went there many years ago and it was unreal. Could not go through it all in one day.

[biggunn]

Originally Posted by Sandy D

Many smaller malls were hurt by the bigger malls and combined.

Therefore if the mall is a hot one the dealers already knew and will not give up the space.

Sandy.. You mention that you have 2 booths on a corner at a nice antique mall where you do very well. Do people like you in those kinds of antique malls offer consignment deals? Is that usually allowed? Something like 30-40% maybe? I have plenty of items I pick up for $5-$10 that are worthy of a $250 price tag.

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by biggunn

Sandy.. You mention that you have 2 booths on a corner at a nice antique mall where you do very well. Do people like you in those kinds of antique malls offer consignment deals? Is that usually allowed? Something like 30-40% maybe? I have plenty of items I pick up for $5-$10 that are worthy of a $250 price tag.

In that mall they wont allow you to sell other peoples items.
Too much trouble with it in the past.

People coming into the mall and taking whatever they thought was theres right out of the booth without contacting the booth owner etc.

[biggunn]

Originally Posted by Sandy D

In that mall they wont allow you to sell other peoples items.
Too much trouble with it in the past.

People coming into the mall and taking whatever they thought was theres right out of the booth without contacting the booth owner etc.

That makes sense.. I mean basically the plan is to sit a bunch of my antiques in a booth with top dollar price tags. So they can roast and maybe get a sale or two while they are selling for less on ebay.

[Sandy D]

Certain item bring lots more money then on ebay and some do not.

Juggling act knowing where to sell items. I actually try to sell the better items in a mall, if they do not sell the first month or two I bring them home and put them on ebay.

I work my booths, never dead products sitting collecting dust. I move items around, put fresh items in the booth etc.

Many do not work their booths and therefore pay the price.

[Sneakee]

That reminds me of an episode of "Hoarders: Buried Alive". There was that older guy who was a hoarder but he hoarded a lot of antiques and vintage items. He actually had a booth at what I think you guys would call an antique mall. The owner of the mall said his prices were way too high and his merch was not fresh. So many customers just would walk right passed.

I don't think he really sold anything...

Actually, in a way, it can be the same way on Ebay. Sometimes I'll stop relisting something for a while so it looks fresh again.

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by Sneakee

That reminds me of an episode of "Hoarders: Buried Alive". There was that older guy who was a hoarder but he hoarded a lot of antiques and vintage items. He actually had a booth at what I think you guys would call an antique mall. The owner of the mall said his prices were way too high and his merch was not fresh. So many customers just would walk right passed.

I don't think he really sold anything...

Actually, in a way, it can be the same way on Ebay. Sometimes I'll stop relisting something for a while so it looks fresh again.

I see this all the time. Older people who are still stuck in the 1980s when you couple more then triple anything you touched.

Not the case today.

Helps me a lot because they overprice about everything.

Means more sales for me!

[yotano211]

Sandy, The Queen of old things

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by yotano211

Sandy, The Queen of old things

Now wait a minute.

Old things?