How to Sell Used Clothing at the Flea Market

Melanie L. Marten
Flea market vendors sell a wide variety of both new and used merchandise. Used clothing is one of the more popular things to sell. You can make a lot of money selling used clothing at the flea market, as long as you know what to sell, what to look for, and how to display and price the clothing. Read below to learn more.

Used Clothing Flea Market Sales - Choosing the Clothes

Children's used clothing sells a lot faster than adult used clothing, unless you have a particular brand or popular style. People are more apt to purchased used children's clothing because kids grow out of clothing so quickly.

Choose the used clothing to sell by the quality and style of the clothing. Do not attempt to sell items that are completely out of style, unless you are clever at marketing them as retro. Basics like jeans, good quality coats, and baby clothing are good choices.

Used Clothing Flea Market Sales - What to Check For

Before offering any of the used clothing for sale at the flea market, you must check for defects and damage. Remember that the quality of the clothing will reflect on you. If you sell bad merchandise, word will get around the flea market and people will stop coming to your table.

Check every piece of used clothing for obvious stains. Small stains in out of the way places are acceptable in most cases. Also check for rips, seams or hems with broken stitches, and worn sections. Working zippers, buttons and snaps, and waistbands, collars, and cuffs must be checked carefully.

Used Clothing Flea Market Sales - Displaying the Clothes

The best way to display clothing for sale at the flea market is to hang them up and use garment racks. Things like t-shirts, sweaters, and jeans can be folded neatly on your flea market table. However, if you have a large quantity of used clothing for sale, you can create discount bins that people can dig through. Hang your best used clothing up or display it on your table, but toss all the sweaters and t-shirts in a rubbermaid tub or an old baby playpen.

Used Clothing Flea Market Sales - How to Price Used Clothes

Pricing used clothing at the flea market depends largely on the market and the quality of clothing you are selling. Most flea market shoppers are looking for super bargains. Do not try to sell a pair of used jeans for ten dollars unless they are a super name brand. You are competing with thrift stores.

Business suits, dresses, and coats will be your most expensive used clothing items. The next tier - items that could be priced from five to ten dollars - would include jackets, top quality jeans, name brand clothing, and complete outfits. Any single items should be one to three dollars. It is a great idea to have special super discount sales to bring people to your flea market table and shift unwanted goods as well.

Published by Melanie L. Marten

Melanie Marten is self-taught and self-employed. Besides freelance writing, she dabbles in website design and owns dozens of websites and blogs. Work is squeezed in between parenting two boys, homeschoolin...   View profile

6 Comments

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  • Emily 11/8/2008

    Try selling or buying or swapping your clothes, accessories at myclozet.

    http://www.myclozet.net

  • Opher Ganel 3/4/2008

    Interesting article. Not quite my thing, but I can see how for some it would be a profitable way to spend a weekend.

  • julz 1/10/2008

    Flea Markets are one of my favorite places~!

  • J P Whickson 1/8/2008

    Really good article. I have noticed that if you find clothing in a garage sale the price is half of what a flea market is. Wonder why.

  • Secretsides 1/3/2008

    These are great ideas.

  • Lisa Riggs 1/3/2008

    Thanks for the great tips! Wishing you a very happy and healthy 2008!

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