| Making money at flea markets |
|
|
|
Plumb started out selling medieval weapons -- swords,
maces, daggers and the like. It turned out to be a bad choice, as
he found out when he encountered flea markets that forbid all weapons,
even his.
Undaunted, he switched to miniature cars. Now he does
well, particularly at car shows, where he carefully displays his
wares on mirrored tiles and turntables to resemble a scaled-down
car show in itself.
"Finding your niche is really important,"
he says. "You want to find something that everybody likes and
is universally accepted, like cars."
Plumb says flea market vending involves a lot of work
behind the scenes. He spends much of his day on the Internet to
scout upcoming shows and sell his miniatures on eBay. He looks for
festivals that will appeal to car fanciers.
"Demographics are important. We don't do the
car show in Fort Wayne because of the large concentration of Amish
people there. I don't have anything against anybody, it's just that
Amish people are not interested in what we have for sale,"
he says.
Vendors at every level must keep a keen eye to what
they'll net, not gross. For the Plumbs, expenses include the space
rental -- theirs run anywhere from $135 to $190 on the car show
circuit to $1,100 for the 10-day Porter County Fair in Valparaiso,
Ind. -- and wholesale cost for the 250 to 300 cars they carry at
any one time, in addition to meals, gas and either RV space or lodging.
Like many vendors, the Plumbs also shop the markets
at which they sell, both to save money and pick up underpriced merchandise
to resell.
But don't expect the veterans to divulge the best
markets or sales tips to every greenhorn who passes by, says Plumb.
"A good portion of people who do this for a living
are kind of closed-lipped about a good fair because they don't want
any more competition," he says. "It's like protecting
your favorite fishing hole. Then again, there are all kinds of people
who, if they're not selling the same things you are, are a lot more
at ease about telling you where the 'honey holes' are."
After trying a season in Florida last year, where
competition was fierce and RV spaces expensive, the Plumbs are eyeing
South Texas this year.
"The only thing we have found that is constant
is change," says Plumb. "You have to be fluid, not only
with products but with the people that you have to work with at
these events, or you won't make it."
 |
Tricks of the trader |
|
|
|
|
Jay MacDonald is a contributing editor
based in Mississippi.
|
