1. Be prepared.
Before you go thrifting, explore the flea market’s website for a list of vendors and a map or chart that indicates vendors’ locations. Set a budget and create a list or gather images of items you want to buy. Snap a few pictures and jot down measurements of places in your home you want to fill with newly purchased pieces. Compiling this info beforehand allows you to plot a buying route that efficiently gets you to the booths you most want to visit while focusing your acquiring eye.
2. Stock a market go-bag.
Come prepared to wheel and deal with a well-stocked market go-bag. Treasure hunting requires stamina, so pack water and snacks. Roll up an extra tote to carry small buys, and keep a collapsible set of wheels in your trunk for rolling out heavy purchases. Plastic bubble packing material or towels can be handy for protecting breakables. Bring a tape measure to determine if your find will fit your space (and into your car). And don’t forget your mask. Most markets require them, and they’re always a good idea.
3. Think about transportation.
Make sure you have a way to get your finds home, which might mean arriving in a truck or knowing the location of the nearest shipping center. Clean out your vehicle to create empty space for toting your loot. Meet up with a friend who loves flea markets as much as you, so you have an extra car and an extra pair of hands available if needed. Check with market organizers or individual vendors about delivery services.
4. Dress for success
Dress in sheddable layers appropriate for a day’s worth of weather. Wear sunscreen and a sun hat or ball cap on hot, sunny days. Put on comfortable shoes to keep your feet blister-free as you trek down miles of aisles.
5. Fill your wallet.
Carry plenty of cash, but bring your checkbook as a backup. Many dealers take credit cards, but some are more flexible about prices when you pay cash. Have singles or small bills in your pocket to make quick deals on inexpensive objects.
6. Arrive early.
You’ll find the best selections right when the market opens (but you might score better deals toward the end of the day). Getting there early lets you move freely through the aisles before crowds gather, which gives you a chance to quickly peruse vendors’ wares. If you’re doing a speedy overview, jot down the locations of the booths you want to revisit.
7. Start in the middle.
Papier and Daunis suggest bypassing the beginning booths at the start of the day when they’re the busiest. By starting in the middle, you can talk to sellers and get more attention. Just be sure not to skip any areas.
8. Never pass by special stuff.
When you see an object that calls your name and sets your heart aflutter, buy it immediately. If you love it, someone else will, too, and that person might be standing right behind you. Replay the mantra “If you snooze, you’ll lose” as you shop to prevent regrets at the end of the day. Keep in mind that you can ask vendors to stash large purchases for you so you don’t have to lug them around. Remember to note where you left everything.
9. Assess worth.
Look for labels that translate into value. Baker, Drexel, Charles Eames, Henredon, William Haines, Kittinger, Verner Panton, and Stickley furniture pieces are beautiful and durable. Silver brands, such as Gorham, Oneida, Towle, and Rogers Brothers, and pottery makers, such as McCoy, Bauer, and Weller, are highly collectible. Check furniture joints to see if they’re secure or can be easily fixed; pass by too-rickety items (especially chairs) that are unlikely to support people or things. Look closely for dings, dents, and chips that adversely affect a piece’s appearance.
10. Dig deep.
Be willing to paw through piles of tarnished trappings and boxes of grimy odds and ends; your reward for doing the dirty work might well be a trove of buried treasure. Keep in mind that even rusty iron hardware, weathered wicker, and slightly bent metal signs can be cleaned, repaired, repurposed, or renewed to create something that is functional and aesthetically pleasing.
11. Meet the dealers.
“Don’t look at your conversations with vendors as merely transactional. You’re building a relationship with someone you’ll probably see again,” Daunis says. Introduce yourself to dealers specializing in your gotta-have items to foster mutually beneficial relationships for future flea market visits. Listen to the stories dealers share about their wares; knowing a piece’s history will make you love it more. Ask dealers about specific items you’re seeking; if they don’t stock them, they are likely to have a friend (who has a friend, who has a friend) who sells what you’re looking for.
12. Do your research.
Look up what similar items are selling for online, and never pay as much as Etsy or other curated online shops are charging. Start by offering about half the online retail price. Have your cell phone handy so you can quickly tap into websites like eBay to check whether vendors’ asking prices are reasonable.
13. Negotiate nicely.
When bargaining, do it in a positive manner. Have your goal price in mind, but always ask their price first; if you’re comfortable with that, then buy. If not, offer them what you’re willing to pay. Vendors expect some back-and-forth, but if you can’t come to a consensus, thank the dealer and move on to the next vendor. Don’t haggle just to haggle; if you’re not serious about the purchase, you’re wasting time and probably irritating waiting buyers.
14. Stay until closing time.
Most vendors don’t want to cart their entire inventory home. You can find great deals at the end of the day, especially when you have cash in hand. Head back to check on pieces you bargained for earlier in the day but were ultimately unable to afford to see if the dealer is more willing to negotiate the price. If you can’t reach an agreement, ask the dealer if you can leave your name in case she’s willing to part with the piece at your price at a later date.
15. Know when to buy and when to skip.
“Some people seek out certain collectibles or brands. For us, it really comes down to if something makes us happy,” Papier says. From there, keep in mind their buy vs. skip rules:
Rugs: For rugs, some wear is good, but tears and holes aren’t. Other nonstarters: stains and smells. Upholstered furniture: Vintage upholstered furniture is high on their list, but it has got to be in great condition or easy to re-cover, like a bench. It can be expensive to re-cover something like a sofa. Wood furniture: With wood furniture, there’s a fine line between aged and junky. Patina or a few dings are OK, but pass if something is really wobbly or has chipped veneer. Look inside drawers for dovetail joints, a sign of quality. Flipped furniture: Always skip transformed furniture. Don’t pay for someone else’s idea. Trunks: Always buy a great-looking trunk. Besides extra storage, they work as nightstands or coffee tables. Give them the smell test: Musty odors? Skip it. Lighting: Jump on unique light fixtures. Rewiring is cheap and easy to do with a kit, and it’s a cinch to replace bad or missing shades.
