Flea-Market Lessons

Zander Jaruk
Oct 11, 2017
2 min read

We’ve been selling at the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market for six months now and have learned a great deal. The biggest consideration, oddly enough, turned out to be the weather.

One of our best days for sales was on a day when the weather report was for rain, and we got it. Most of the vendors stayed home, as did most of the buyers — despite its being a holiday weekend — but the buyers who did come out out did so with the attitude of, “I came out here in the rain and I am not going to go home without buying something!” Even though the site was soggy (and we learned that a pop-up that keeps off the sun and has vents so the wind won’t send it flying isn’t as waterproof as we’d prefer), the buyers who braved the weather and squished their way to us seemed delighted with what they found. Although it wasn’t the biggest sale of the day, I think my best sale of the day was a golf umbrella to a mother who had two damp, miserable tween girls with her. They perked up considerably once they got under that umbrella!

We’ve learned that sales are slower on humid days. Something about high humidity inhibits buyers. Maybe they feel so sticky and distracted by discomfort that they don’t want to spend money. It’s almost as if the humidity is gluing wallets shut. Hot and dry — but not too hot — is most likely to increase sales.

We switched from plastic bins to wooden sales boxes — mostly wine boxes we’ve picked up at estate sales over the years. They fit our image better and are easier to stow in The Big Red Car. Valerie has reorganized them, and we’re now set up with Dry Weather Boxes and Wet Weather Boxes. The latter contain items that won’t be hurt, if they get wet. When the weather prediction is bad, we simply leave the Dry Weather Boxes home.

Unusual Offerings also seems to be catching on as a brand. People are starting to look for us and seem to like our set-up. Every weekend, buyers tell us we have the classiest look of all the sellers on the field. Many of them also like the fact that each of our items carries a price tag. Folks who don’t want to haggle can decide if they want something enough to pay the ticket price; folks who do haggle have a starting point. It’s a win-win for everyone.

In six months, we’ve gone from flea-market newbies to experienced sellers. We’re not seasoned veterans yet, but we’re getting there. Nobody gets rich selling at flea markets, but we do have fun!

If you’re in the New Milford, Connecticut, area on a Sunday from mid-spring to late fall, stop by to see us at Elephant’s Trunk. We’ll be happy to make deals for the treasures you’ll find on our tables and racks.