Flea Markets Anyone Love em?

[Gypsyjoe#1]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, tahoma, geneva, lucida,]I don't know about the rest of you but I'm a flea market fanatic and just can't stay away from them. Love to look, see what bargains I can get, seems like there is always something different. Anyone else in here have a passion for them and goes to them whenever they can[/font]

 

[highdesertranger]

I like going to them and garage sales, rummage sales, Yard Sales, thrift stores, etc. I am not a fanatic but I do enjoy going. I mainly look for tools, and kitchen stuff. highdesertranger

 

[crackedpan]

:thumbsup: normally find something I can't live without, in fact found some treasures today!!

 

[Gypsyjoe#1]

What market did you go to to find that treasure if I may ask?

 

[crackedpan]

i'm in michigan, just yard sailing.

 

[wagoneer]

Just made $875 dollars on a flea market find. I am in San Francisco.

 

[crackedpan]

I'm in Michigan myself, quite a few flea markets in this state if you want to find them go to my website it lists all the flea markets in the USA. I don't know what part of Michigan your in, but I am up by Traverse City. Can't really yard sale I'm in a class "A" to big for most yard sales.

how do i find your website, i'm interested in the list of flea markets.
petoskey is just north of you, very small rv park (rustic but nice)(nice bathhouse, showers)  right on the water, great place to find michigan's petoskey stones and if you bike.. the city bike path goes past.

 

[RoamerRV428]

steer clear of them mostly.
too many people for my tastes
around my area most flea markets truly are JUNKY things being sold and being a minimalist I don't want stuff ever again in my life and I don't 'do shopping' for recreation or killing time as fun. Wander and shopping to me is torture HAHA

My passion is kinda finding festivals. When out and about I search the festivals in a state and see what is jumping. I can wander a little town festival and enjoy that kinda. I would rather spend money on good street BBQ food then flea market stuff LOL

 

[Gypsyjoe#1]

I love festivals also, I just attended the Cherry Festival last month and am at the Hempcon 420 Festival in Clio Michigan headed to Indiana to the flea market in Shipshewana then on to the Auburn Cord Duesenburg Festival in Auburn, so yes I also go to festivals and a lot of times they have flea markets at the festivals so I get the best of both worlds. Another great one is county fairs if it is in a small county so that it is not to large, don't like the big fairs or the State fairs, way to big. Prefer the small 4-H fairs where they are showing their animals and their crafts. By the way Wagoneer what was your find that you made $875 on? I would sure like to find something that I could make that much money on.

 

[maki2]

I do a lot of thrift store shopping. There are some flea markets around with some interesting items but no great bargains to be found at them. Even the yard sales can be overpriced.

But I do belong to some local facebook groups where neighbors give and ask for items. No money is ever exchanged. Sometimes I have received items worth close to $100.00 or more. I am not sure if the person does not know the value or just could not find a buyer for it on craigslist or just did not want to be bothered to try and sell it to strangers.

The most recent item I was giifted is 4 of the Nebo, LED light switch style battery operated COB lights. The 4 new ones would have cost $30.00. I had been wanting that very item as they are convenient, portable, and easy to use.

 

[Elbear1]

I thought they died out 25 years ago?

 

[highdesertranger]

never buy stuff you don't need. never pay what they are asking unless it's a screaming deal. I don't know about you guys I have scored some screaming deals on Snap-on and Craftsman tools. I paid less than a penny on the dollar on many of them, could have taken them straight to the pawn shop and made a killing. I have bought 50 dollar Snap-on wrenches for 50 cents.

when I see tools thrown in a pile I will go through the pile and pick out what I want, I always leave something in the pile then I ask how much. I will say ok but throw that in to. most people say ok because they have no clue what they have.

when scrap was really high I would but anything with an electric motor in it if I could get it cheap enough. I used to make 2-6k a year just on scrapping.

if someone is asking to much for something I tell them so. they usually come back with what will you give me for it. if it's junk Harbor Freight stuff, I tell them so.

people like Wagoneer who have been doing it for years know what to buy and how much to pay. he always finds the bargains everyone passes over.

highdesertranger

 

[Dingfelder]

Used to love it as a kid. It was something to do on the weekend. Long bike ride, seeing the world move by at just the right speed. Walk and it's too slow and boring; drive and it's too fast; you miss it. Bike and it's all right there and ready for you at the right speed. No time to get bored but plenty of time to look. Breakfast at the cemetery, the only cool place for miles, plenty of lush grass and shady trees. Nobody shooed me away. Then on to see all the interesting treasures, complete garbage, stuff I had never seen before and maybe couldn't even understand, and that was some of the best part of it. Back when you were a kid and a pocketknife made the man, an endless variety of them. And comics too; I got the first appearance of Wolverine for I think 50 cents. Still have it today. I loved browsing for hours, seeing all the detritus, hopes and dreams and things people from all over the world valued for at least a while and then had to make their peace with.

 

[wagoneer]

found a 80's drum machine that has a giant cult following for 25 dollars, sold it 3 days later.

 

[Gypsyjoe#1]

I thought they died out 25 years ago?

Maybe a few of them died out, but there are literally thousands of them throughout the USA. One in Canton TX to walk up and down every aisle you would have to walk 25 miles, Huge. I don't buy much, but there is nothing like the hunt for that next great find. It is at a flea market that I bought my MH 1994 Damon Challenger 30' with less than 40,000 miles just like new inside and out also runs great. You wouldn't believe what I gave for it, $4000 that is a flea market find if there ever was one. Last year bought a set of silverware for $15 turned around and sold it for the silver cha ching. No they haven't died out and if you enjoy them you can find some incredible finds.