How to Harvest Junk and Sell It at the Flea Market
Check to see what junk you already have around., Expand your junk supply., Choose what junk to take on a given day., Wake up really early the day of the flea market., Pay for your selling area. , Prepare for the onslaught., Sell your wares., Haggle...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Check to see what junk you already have around.
Junk can come from a number of sources.
Try finding things that you yourself no longer have any use for.
Anything will do; it is amazing what people will buy.
Look around.
Would anything be worth more to you in the form of cold hard cash? If the answer is yes, put these things aside.
Don't be too concerned with what the items are.
If they fit in a box and are not complete trash, by the end of the day you may be able to recover a dollar or two. -
Step 2: Expand your junk supply.
After you rummage through everything you own for anything you can part with, look further.
A large supply of items is necessary for any junk selling endeavor.
This part is largely up to the individual.
Offer to help your friends and relatives clean out their garages for them in exchange for some boxes of their junk.
Visit garage sales late in the day.
Offer low prices for junk in quantity.
Check local dumpsters or shop on the curbside during extra trash day in your town. , You should now have a pretty good sized collection.
Depending on the amount of junk you have you can pick and choose what you want to take.
Writing the contents of each box on the outside will make this step easier.
Again, it's hard to determine what kind of junk people will be in the mood to buy so throw as many boxes as you can in your transportation and strap it all down.
It is best to do this the day before as hopefully you will have quite a bit of stuff. , Try to be at the market by 5:30 am, or an hour or two before the flea market opens.
More than likely there will be a line of trucks that all have the same lots of stuff strapped to them. ,, As soon as you park and begin to unload your junk, a crowd will inevitably swarm around you of people trying to buy your stuff for really cheap before you've even set up shop.
They will grab at your stuff like crazy people and yell out numbers while manhandling all your boxes.
They may be trying to stun you into selling them really good stuff for cheap.
It is up to you how you use this whirlwind.
You may make a lot of sales during this initial frenzy, but be wary of getting flustered and saying yes to too low a price.
Also, watch for people stealing things when your back is turned.
It will help to have a partner so that one person can do business while the other unloads. , Things will even out as people arrive throughout the day. , Selling junk is great because you never really price anything until someone asks, you might have an idea, but it's all relative.
Give discounts for buying more things.
Fill a box with toys and sell handfuls or bag-fulls for a dollar each.
Barter with people.
The key to selling junk is quantity over quality and one dollar is better than no dollars. , If you have a goodwill clearance center nearby, try there.
There will be a crowd and you might have to fight for the good stuff but you can get a cartload of stuff for cheap.
If you buy junk to sell, make sure that you know about what price you can get selling it.
Keep your purchase price low. -
Step 3: Choose what junk to take on a given day.
-
Step 4: Wake up really early the day of the flea market.
-
Step 5: Pay for your selling area.
-
Step 6: Prepare for the onslaught.
-
Step 7: Sell your wares.
-
Step 8: Haggle and deal.
-
Step 9: Use your profit to invest in more junk.
Detailed Guide
Junk can come from a number of sources.
Try finding things that you yourself no longer have any use for.
Anything will do; it is amazing what people will buy.
Look around.
Would anything be worth more to you in the form of cold hard cash? If the answer is yes, put these things aside.
Don't be too concerned with what the items are.
If they fit in a box and are not complete trash, by the end of the day you may be able to recover a dollar or two.
After you rummage through everything you own for anything you can part with, look further.
A large supply of items is necessary for any junk selling endeavor.
This part is largely up to the individual.
Offer to help your friends and relatives clean out their garages for them in exchange for some boxes of their junk.
Visit garage sales late in the day.
Offer low prices for junk in quantity.
Check local dumpsters or shop on the curbside during extra trash day in your town. , You should now have a pretty good sized collection.
Depending on the amount of junk you have you can pick and choose what you want to take.
Writing the contents of each box on the outside will make this step easier.
Again, it's hard to determine what kind of junk people will be in the mood to buy so throw as many boxes as you can in your transportation and strap it all down.
It is best to do this the day before as hopefully you will have quite a bit of stuff. , Try to be at the market by 5:30 am, or an hour or two before the flea market opens.
More than likely there will be a line of trucks that all have the same lots of stuff strapped to them. ,, As soon as you park and begin to unload your junk, a crowd will inevitably swarm around you of people trying to buy your stuff for really cheap before you've even set up shop.
They will grab at your stuff like crazy people and yell out numbers while manhandling all your boxes.
They may be trying to stun you into selling them really good stuff for cheap.
It is up to you how you use this whirlwind.
You may make a lot of sales during this initial frenzy, but be wary of getting flustered and saying yes to too low a price.
Also, watch for people stealing things when your back is turned.
It will help to have a partner so that one person can do business while the other unloads. , Things will even out as people arrive throughout the day. , Selling junk is great because you never really price anything until someone asks, you might have an idea, but it's all relative.
Give discounts for buying more things.
Fill a box with toys and sell handfuls or bag-fulls for a dollar each.
Barter with people.
The key to selling junk is quantity over quality and one dollar is better than no dollars. , If you have a goodwill clearance center nearby, try there.
There will be a crowd and you might have to fight for the good stuff but you can get a cartload of stuff for cheap.
If you buy junk to sell, make sure that you know about what price you can get selling it.
Keep your purchase price low.
About the Author
Jean Perez
Enthusiastic about teaching practical skills techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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