Authored by Emeka Justice in Shopping 
Published on 03-27-2009

In these hard economic times people are cutting back on their spending and looking for a way to make an extra buck. What better way to make extra money than selling your own stuff? Clean out the closet and sell clothes that you don’t wear anymore or electronics you don’t use. You’d be surprised at how much you can earn by getting rid of your old items.

This sounds simple enough, but how do you get started? First you need to decide what you are going to sell. You can sell your old items that you don’t have a use for, or you can shop at second hand stores and garage sales to find your merchandise.

Selling clothes can be very profitable at flea markets; sell your kids old clothes, clothes that don’t fit you anymore, or out of style clothes that someone else might treasure. Make sure that the clothes you sell are in good condition, no stain, rips, tears, or threads hanging. Also if the logo is faded or cracked it might not sell.

Another item that usually sells very well are used books; almost everyone reads for fun or knows someone that does. When selling books, you will want to price them at a very low price or they will not sell. People at flea markets are looking for a good deal and will not buy your books at the cover price. Price your books like you would at a garage sale. 25 cents or lower is a good price for paperback books. If you sell your books at this price you could make a large amount of money in just one day.

Other items that sell at flea markets are auto parts, collectibles, antiques, and jewelry. Remember to price these items lower than it would cost in a store because, as said before, people go to flea markets to find a good deal.

Now that you know what to sell at a flea market, you need to know how to sell them. First you will want to price your items lower than the store would price it no matter how new it is or how new it looks. Place large colorful signs around your merchandise to catch people’s eyes. Most people are just going to walk by the tables at a flea market, but if you have a large sign that they see, they are more likely to stop and look at what you have to sell.

Try using a bull horn or other type of amplifier to announce what you are selling so that people that are too far away to see what you have can hear what you have. Once your table is set up, walk a few paces out and look at it. Make sure it catches your eye and that everything is set up how you want it.

It can be very profitable to sell items at a flea market and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make money. Always check local second hand stores and garage sells. Check your newspaper for sales at stores and flea market opportunities. If you are willing to spend some time and some money, you can make flea market selling a substantial income.