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Selling at flea markets doesn’t just mean clearing out some junk from your basement and throwing it on a table. You can actually build a business around selling at flea markets. But you’ll need some flea market sales tips to really increase your profits going forward. Here are some flea market selling tips to make your next flea market sale a huge success.
Flea Market Selling Tips
Sell More by Providing Many Payment Options
Flea market customers have a huge variety of different payment preferences. Some want to pay with credit cards, some with checks, some with cash. If you can give customers options, you’ll be more likely to increase your sales over the course of each day. That means using a Square or similar credit card reader, allowing customers to pay with checks, and having enough change for people who just want to pay in cash. In addition, if you can offer layaway options, it can help your ability to sell some larger items that people might need time to gather the funds for.
Sell More by Creating a Facebook Page
Your business is likely to sell more if you actually treat it like a business. Today, that means having some kind of an online presence. And since so many consumers use Facebook already, that’s a natural place for flea market vendors to connect with potential customers. So give yourself a professional business name, add some photos and use Facebook to share information and connect with potential customers.
Sell More by Advertising in Advance
Social media and similar online platforms can also be helpful when it comes to advertising your offerings. For instance, if you go to different markets or locations each week or month, you can post on Facebook where you’re going to be each week and what types of new products you’ll have available. You can even pay to boost your posts so that you can reach even more people.
Sell More by Accepting Reasonable Offers
Bargaining is a huge part of running a flea market business. While you don’t have to accept every single offer that comes your way, at least being open to reasonable offers can help you increase sales and clear up space for new inventory. The longer you hold onto things, the less space/money you have to acquire new things to offer for sale, and the more your money is tied up in inventory that isn’t selling.
Sell More by Conveying Approachable Body Language
At a flea market, you are the literal face of your business. People will be more likely to stop and look at your products if you look friendly and approachable. And if they stop and look at your products, they’re more likely to buy. If you are sitting and do not smile or attempt to engage passers by, they will actually pass you by.
Sell More by Standing Out in the Crowd
Your booth can also be a selling point for potential customers. So don’t make it just look the same as everyone else’s. Choose that orange canopy instead of that gray one, and spend the money to have some large signage that you can prop up on top of it. Making your booth look nice and eye-catching can cause shoppers multiple rows away to notice your booth and make a point to stop by.
Sell More by Using Professional Signage to Convey Trust
A professional looking shop sign can also convey a sense of trust to your customers. Instead of just seeing a bunch of random items strewn across a table, they are more likely to see an actual business with products that are high-quality and valuable.
Have Business Cards Easily Accessible
Some customers at flea markets might not be ready to buy from you even if your booth looks great and your products are awesome. So you should give them an easy way to connect with you later. Provide business cards to passers by so that if they see something they like, don’t buy it, but return home and decide they want it, they can reach you and make the purchase. You can also offer shipping as an option so that those customers don’t have to make a return trip. In addition, provide your social media accounts so they can follow you from market to market each week.
Sell More by Appearing Regularly at the Same Markets
You can also garner repeat business even from those who don’t follow you on social media simply by being consistent. If someone collects a particular item that you specialize in, maintain a consistent appearance schedule so that they know where to find you when they’re ready to shop. That doesn’t mean you have to only ever sell your items at one location, but you could have a consistent schedule where you sell at the same market every Sunday or on the first weekend of every month.
Sell More by Giving Repeat Customers/Collectors Deals
Encourage that repeat business even more by offering deals to those loyal customers. If someone purchases from you every week or month, and they’ve done so at least three times, cut them a break and begin giving them good discounts. You may get a bit less for the item than you intended, but you will sell more in the long run because they’ll be sure to keep purchasing from you if they feel you’re treating them like a special VIP customer.
Sell More by Offering Discounts to Your Social Media Followers
You can also offer special discounts to your social media followers to encourage repeat customers. For example, if you’re selling at a particular market on Saturday, blast that out to your followers and provide them with a 20 percent discount offering if they mention your social media post. Followers who may not have intended to go to the market that weekend may be enticed to go if they know a 20 percent discount is waiting for them.
Sell More by Posting Images of New Items for Sale on Social During the Week
Throughout the week leading up to your flea market appearance, you can entice people on social media to shop with you by posting images of the items that you’ll be offering for sale. If they’re interested in something new they’ve seen on social, they’ll be sure to show up that weekend at the market to buy it.
Flea Market Photo via Shutterstock
[“source-smallbiztrends”]