If you’re not a body builder like myself (ha!) then you might want to consider how you’re going to haul your flea market finds around. Most fairs require a good bit of walking, and even if a vendor will hold your purchases for you, eventually you’re going to have to get them to your car. I like to do one of these things when I go shopping at a vendor event:
Bring a strong back along to do my heavy lifting (aka my husband). This is the easiest way, but I understand that this is not always an option. So, my second piece of advice would be…
…Come prepared to wheel and deal. Bring something with wheels along on your excursion–anything from a portable shopping cart with wheels to a radio flyer wagon will work. It’s just easier on your back to roll your purchases out to the car instead of lug them around all day long. Maybe a suitcase with wheels? Heck, one year I rolled my empty baby stroller around the Country Living Fair just so I wouldn’t have to carry my stuff. You should have seen the looks I got when people tried to determine if there was an actual child underneath all the heaps of rusty old junk I rolled out of that place. It was a fun conversation starter.
The next year I hired a porter to carry my stuff out for me. This was the easiest way I’ve found, and usually worth every penny. Ask around when you arrive and find out if they are offering a porter service. Sometimes there are boy scouts to carry things out to your car.
If all else fails, grab some girlfriends and take their extra pairs of hands along to help carry all your things to the car. Shopping is a lot more fun with friends, anyway.
Let’s move along to the next tip- navigate the slideshow by clicking here:
That was one of the most entertaining posts to read on a Monday morning! I couldn’t wait to hit the next arrow to see what came of the little cat fight over the beehive. 🙂 It can get quite intense! We too played the haggling game in other countries. I can remember being in Cancun and the vendors would always wave us in with a “come see my store”. It sure was fun! Now, I have concrete tools to use to get the best price for what I truly love! And… it is good to know that I am not the only one who uses the word schmuck. Ha!
Wonderful and smart advice..any chance I can just shop with you 😉
I love this post! Great tips. I always run out of room in my car! LOL.
Great tips, Beth! I haven’t been to a good fair in a LONG time!
Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom with us! I love your stories, advice and especially the pictures!
What a lovely article full of great tips, Beth! 🙂 I truly appreciate a good buy! 🙂 I wanted to give your readers my two cents from the viewpoint of an artist who sells at art shows. I never mind when people ask if that is the lowest price I would take… ONCE. (Just like you said!!) 😉 I will tell them if it is indeed my lowest price- which it is 95% of the time… unless it is near break-down like you mentioned and I REALLY don’t want to take it home. But, what I don’t appreciate is the persistent asker. 😉 People don’t often consider the costs associated with creating my art. I have expenses for my materials, my electricity (YES, lots of electricity to run a kiln!), my insurance, my entry fees, my jury fees, my gas, and my TIME- not to mention 25+ years of experience! I am not selling things for Big-Lots prices (cheap store up north) because it is top-quality ART and I put my name on it! 🙂 I mean, if I can’t get my necessary fair price to make it worth my time to sell it, why would I bother? I will just keep the item in my stock and relist it in my Etsy shop! 😉
I love this! I am a huge fan of haggling and flea markets and all the rest. You are so right that it ends up making you want to haggle at unlikely places…but I have saved us money on brand new automotive parts, televisions, and other items, just because of the magic questions “is that your lowest price?” and “can you do better than XYZ competitor?”
Ah the sweet victory of scoring a deal!
Great photos and tips Beth!!
Great tips Beth! I have a hard time haggling with people – probably a lot because I have had my own booth and know what it’s like to try to make some money while at the same time selling things and making the customer happy too!
I’m so ready for the garage sale season here – I’m just itching to get out there and dig for treasure!
Great article! Yes, antiques dealers almost always have some wiggle room, but I have to throw in that us vendors who are selling as artists most often do not “haggle” at shows. Our items are handmade and priced so that we can make a fair wage, and many artists are already well underpriced. We love when shoppers value our work and understand that our prices are set to be fair to everyone. As Karan said before, I don’t mind if people ask (hey, you never know!) if that’s my “best price”, but I do expect that my first response is respected and hope that customers can find the value in having a one of a kind handmade piece. Can’t wait till the next Country Living Fair!
Beth — okay, I read this was a Southern accent and it was hilarious! I remember how scared you were before doing this event and how proud you were of yourself for meeting and BEATING your fears head-on. I was visiting an Atlanta friend when the 2012 CL fair was on and we had a blast, even without spending much money.
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I enjoy reading a post that will make people think. Also, many thanks for allowing me to comment!
I love your style. You have made a very nice generic house a very interesting home.
I love to take something and make it my own with design on the cheap as well. I love putting things together and see what I can make for seasonal and holiday decor.
I couldn’t agree more! I am about to participate in my first craft fair. I crochet dress up hats and have an established etsy shop. My craft fair prices are already going to be lower than my etsy prices. It kind of made my stomach turn reading about taking 35% or more off the listed price as a haggling price. That is a bit offensive to me since it takes a lot of work to make handmade items. Also, keep in mind that vendors have to pay to be apart of such fairs.
I hear you loud and clear, Sarah! I have been meaning to get back to this post and edit it so it’s more reasonable. What do you think is a good place to start negotiating? Do you ever haggle with your customers? As a customer I typically will ask if that is someone’s best price on a piece (it’s the yard-saler in me, can’t help it). Do you think it depends on the type of vendor booth? If it’s a bunch of old junky furniture that I’ve seen sitting in the same booth all weekend I don’t mind asking off at all, but if it’s a handmade item I typically wouldn’t expect it to be discounted that much. I’m going to rework the post and I’d love to hear your feedback!
I love your blog and can’t wait until the 68 and 126 hwy yard sales through Kentucky
Thanks for a great post! Unfortunately now I feel bad for haggling for a better price at my local Habitat for Humanity Re-Store! (It was kitchen cabinets that had no shelves – they actually knocked off about 25%!)
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