Selling at Flea Markets

If you are lucky enough to have a good flea market or farmer's market in your area, you can make some extra money and have fun in the process. Some flea markets have buildings that are open year round which means you can set up a small store without having to pack up your merchandise at the end of the day.

The first thing you should do is visit the market several times.
  • Get a feel for who the customers are and which vendors are getting a lot of traffic.
  • Stop in the flea market office and ask some questions.
  • Find out what the rent rates are. There are usually many different sizes of booths with different rates. Most flea markets let you pay by the weekend with a discount for paying a month at a time.
​Unlike a traditional store, you will not have a lease. You may have to give some notice if you leave, but there is no long term obligation.
Ask the manager of the flea market if customers have been asking for products that no one is selling. That might help you decide what to sell. Be smart. If there are 10 vendors selling purses, don't be number 11. The office may have a wholesale catalog available to find sources for merchandise. Once you decide on what you would like to sell, you need a vendor's license which you can get at your county or state department of taxation. The license fee will vary by state but it could be as low as $20. You will be given information about how your state wants the sales tax filed. The rest is up to you.

For a small vendor, you won't need to have a credit card machine. Just get some receipt books so that you can give a copy to your customers and have one for yourself. If business is good, you may want a cash register that you can get at any office supply store and if you do a booming business or sell more expensive items, you may want to think about getting a credit card machine. Start small, don't invest a lot of money, meet people and have ​fun.