It sounds like you are doing well and hanging in there. Some days you just have to count having a good time as your main benefit. We sell at an outdoor flea market every Saturday (and most Sundays in the summer), and can support our family with that. We sell video games, but the principles are the same...have what people want and make other things attractive enough to make people want them! We have found that a good display and friendliness can sell almost anything. In our state you have to have a tax id number and pay quarterly taxes on your sales to the state, but that's not that big of a deal. And though you may not be making much money right now, remember that you are establishing yourself and that the biggest shopping season of the year is just beginning, so you will do even better! Good luck! It's great to be your own boss!

I found it funny what you said about skipping that sale because you felt wrong about it...we were going to skip our regular booth and go set up at a school fundraiser sale, several of our neighboring vendors did, but we felt wrong about it, so we just let them keep our booth fee as a donation. The other vendors didn't even make back the $20 they paid for the booth because there were 3 shoppers all day! We made over $300 at our regular booth that day, so we know to always go with our gut now!

A couple weeks ago, I bought a box of handmade Christmas ornaments, most of them made with plastic canvas but some were counted cross stitch, and almost all of them in mint condition, for $2. I tagged each of them, and sold just one at the bazaar, but I'm going to take them to my book booth that's losing money and display them there. I actually think they'll sell fairly well because that's advertised as a craft mall. In any case, I don't have anything to lose.

never mind

Had another show today, and did fairly well. Not enough that I could make a living at it, nothing like that, but I sold some books and had a great time. I plan to keep this up.

I had another show today, and this one did VERY well. :clap: My first customer was before we opened; he was the teenage son of one of the other vendors, and he apologized profusely for buying all my classical CDs. I replied, "That's what I brought them here for in the first place!" We later got to enjoy them, because he played some of them on his mom's laptop.

:)

Congrats!!!!

Keep up the good work!!!!

I had a booth at an antique/flea market mall for eleven months, up until the end of October.

I started out trying to sell boutique children's clothing- that bombed.

Then I added honey, thinking it would be a great seller to the tourists- nope.

Then I added books, tools, cd's/dvd's/video tapes, and odds and ends. Those items sold steadily, but not enough to pay the rent. In fact, the market was 55 miles from home, and many months I did not even make my gas expense :( I had to work three four-hour shifts a month in addition to paying the rent.

Then, finally, about the 8th or 9th month I was there I started buying garage sale "treasures" to resell in my booth. I finally made some $$$. Right about the time I figured out what would sell for a profit, the market owner announced that she would be closing the business.

I enjoyed having the booth, but don't know if I would do it again. It took a lot more time than it was worth. Now I am back to selling clothes and books on ebay, which still takes a lot of time, but I can work at it from home in my "spare" time.

It's an ongoing learning experience for me too. I got a check today from the booth that's not making money - $5.40 for 2 weeks. That's the one I will shut down in January.

I let the owners know that I wanted to shut the booth down at the end of the month, when the lease expires, and one of them called me today to ask if I would consider a smaller booth. I actually might, if it wasn't in a city 50 miles away.

several booths...
 

I have in the past had booths in several different antique malls. Never sold antiques, tho. I sold hand crafted, artisan type items - baskets & gourds (I'm a basket maker and gourd crafter), and had other artisans who made pottery, word carving, wood turning, quilted, and handwovens, who placed their items with me on consignment. Also had specialty coffees, jams/jellies, and soaps that I bought from wholesalers.

I did best in antiques malls that didn't allow people to cram their areas full with stuff piled on the floor, and also didn't put up those cheesy, particle board dividers, but where the vendors would use furniture to define their spaces.

Right now, I don't rent space, but have my stuff on consignment at a primitive shop, an art gallery, and a nice antique shop where she has a classroom in the back where I can do classes.

One thing I believe helps sales is that people have enough to look at and pick from, it is organized in some way, displayed to appeal to the senses and encourage them to pick up the items, and also roomy enough so that their eyes have a chance to "rest" in between items. Every inch doesn't have to be covered with stuff!

Just today, I stocked my booth that's doing well with some books that I know will be useful for homeschoolers, and also books that will be on high school and college reading lists, and have also put ads up on Craigslist. They've had responses from this.

More than one person has expressed surprise at finding something like this at an antique shop. FWIW, I also have some old classic books, 78 albums, vintage magazines, etc. in that booth too.

I did take all the CDs out, because those just aren't selling, and will take some of them to an all-purpose consignment shop in my neighborhood. I got most of those CDs for 10 cents each, so no big loss if they don't sell there.

The lease for the first booth, the one that wasn't making any money, will expire on Thursday, and I went there today and emptied it out. I did it today because we're supposed to get heavy snow tomorrow.

I'll try to sell those books at the fairs I go to this spring. We'll see what happens!

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I know many who do this. Our local Lyons? or whatever club has their clubhouse used as a Flea Market once a month. It's called the Grange Hall, it's just 1/2 mile from us.

They've went back to holding it just once a month. Sellers complained because twice a month was too often. And it seemed they had no time to get new inventory, we'd see the same stuff. Now it's fresh.

They only charge $10 a table, or $10 a spot outside. What I like is they do not ask for a tax id# I think it's a great idea if the price is right and traffic is steady. Our flea market attracts low income folks for whatever reason, so most of the Sellers do not have expensive items. Much of it is antique, movies knick knacky items. It might be easier for you to offer a club to organize a sale once a month and you get a commission. The lady here who does it gets $5 a table and each weekend there is an average of 10-15 tables. She also has her own booth. I know she started out asking them to let her use it for free (at first) then it turned into a fundraiser for them. Just a thought

I live in the upper Midwest, so there won't be many flea markets or craft fairs until spring rolls around. I also plan to participate in some group garage sales - the kind where they rent tables to multiple people, and you get to keep all your money.

Oh ok. This one is year round, weather makes no difference except there are no outside booths. It appears there are 15-30 booths normally, I miscalculated. Hope it all works out, whatever you do :thumb:

Saw an ad today for a flea market on Saturday, and I called the place where it's being held, and they had one space left over! :dance: It's a fundraiser for the non-profit organization that owns the building; all the other vendors are people who are involved with this group, but they said I was welcome to participate. So, I'll just take all the books and videos that I emptied out of my non-money making booth to this event, and if I'm lucky, I will not bring most of them back with me, and bring back plenty of cash to boot. We should have good weather on Saturday, and the lady I spoke to said they had an excellent turnout last year. I got the impression that most of them just use it as their annual garage sale.

:)

I got the same bad feeling about the flea market this weekend that I got about the show last fall, so I ended up not going. However, the antique store where I have my booth had someone pull their things out, so I'm going to have a second booth there, and for only $20 a month more! I'll go there tomorrow and stock it.

:rock:

Update: I just rented a booth at a huge, well-patronized mall in a nearby town that I found out about via a flyer at my regular store. I have since discovered that some of the vendors have multiple booths, and my regular store even has a booth of their own! :goodjob: You know you're in a good place when the competition does business with them.

This is a great thread! I am learning a lot and getting ideas-thanks so much everyone who contributes!!