We sell at an indoor flea market.
We price the stuff with our booth number at the top of the tag, and the customer pays for it at one of the cash registers at the front of the store. The flea market has 5 to 10 employees manning the cash registers and walking the floors at any given time.
The nice thing is that we go and restock about twice a week, and our stuff sells while I am sitting at home. No baby sitting the booth, or missing out on weekend festivities because I am sitting in a hot field in the blazing sun at an outdoor flea market.
Booth rent is $150 a month at the indoor FM. A single Sunday at the local outdoor FM is $25. After you do the math, $150 for the indoor FM is a good deal considering I get 30 days of selling instead of 4 Sundays...and I can sleep til noon if I want to, and my stuff still sells...and someone else is ringing it up.
Another good aspect is the weather. Rain or shine, cold or hot, this FM is open everyday except major holidays.
This is a good outlet for stuff if you don't want to list it. Selling for $15 on ebay? It will sell easily for that at my FM, generally speaking.
I don't have to stand and dicker over every dollar. The buyer either pays the price that I marked the item, or they don't get the item. Simple as that.
The bad:
Theft. Not really an issue for us, but stuff is going to get stolen. I hate it with a passion, but it is the cost of doing business. I am careful NOT to put items there that would kill me if they were lost. Lots of thieves steal the dumbest stuff in the world. A few months ago, a guy was arrested for trying to steal two blue mason jars worth a whopping $3 each. Go figure.
Breakage. It is going to happen. Last year, some kid picked up a boxed train car, and upended it. The car came out, and it smashed all over the floor. Good thing I only paid $4 for it. Accidents do happen, and then again, you also have hill jacks who just don't care about your stuff.
Limited selling. This is not a place I try to sell high end Lionel train engines, Civil War rifles, or gold coins. See above.
Lack of negotiating power. Everyone wants to feel like they got a good deal, and since I'm not there in person, I can't make any deals.
I could write a book on this topic. Hope this helps.
You are correct Indoor set booths are a better alternative to the every weekend type in a parking lot;
I used to refinish furniture and take the pieces to a major local flea market at a small airport in NYS
Would oak tables, dressers and such into a truck haul them , unload early Sat AM , all sorts of lookers, back in the truck late Sat afternoon, back out of the truck early Sun AM , stand around Then by magic at about 3 pm Sun , people would appear , Dresser marked $400.00 , " I will give you $225.00 , Do you take a check ( this was back in the early 90's , so no cell phone instant scans " ------------ " Why carry it back in the truck " " Can you deliver it "
After about 5 months of that . The local auction house guy , who had a great following said to give him a try --- His commission was 15% , if I recall
He would auction once a month. display the stuff, If it was worthy place it in the monthly ad,,, Display it for 3 days at the preview,, and always have a good sale pitch when the bidding started
End of the auction ( I always seemed to get more than my FM asking ) The buyer paid him , he charged the buyer a 10% buyers fee and me 15% 7 days later I would pickup a check from him minus my 15% drawn on a local bank
He also did 2 BIG auctions , one on JULY 4th and one on NEW YEARS DAY , heavy advertising , people had to pay a seat fee to get in, great catalog
If I brought something in that was worthy, he would say , we really need to hold this for one of the big auctions , which we did many times and would get crazy prices from the city buyers
Anyway those were the days ! Indoor standing will always beat parking lot markets but AUCTIONS beat them all
Good Luck
