10 Best Wholesale Items to Sell at a Flea Market

Do you want to start selling at a flea market? If YES, then here are 10 amazing wholesale items you can sell for profit at flea markets.

According to the National Flea Market Association, there are over 1,100 flea markets across the country doing more than $30 billion in sales each year. Flea market customers are known to be quite loyal and community-driven, forming a bond with their market and creating a sense of family.

If you are eager to enjoy America’s booming flea market scene, now’s an ideal time to start. Flea market sellers across the country are watching their businesses take off, focusing on budget-minded shoppers who still want quality goods.

Selling at a flea market can be a great side hustle, and it might be easier than you think. Note that the ideal time of year for both flea market shoppers and vendors is usually spring. But there are also plenty of locations across the country that offer year-long and seasonal markets.

A quick search for flea markets near you will reveal a comprehensive list of indoor and outdoor flea markets and auctions in and around your city.

Flea market selling isn’t without its challenges. Always have it in mind that it takes more than just savvy inventory management and good booth placement to make great sales. You’ll also need some people skills. Haggling is a natural component of the flea market environment, and sellers must learn to negotiate without being pushy.

Note that businesses rely on the fact that you can keep merchandise available, sell unique quality goods, and are able to squeeze a profit. You are expected to sell what you have and make money, per product.

Best Wholesale Items to Sell at a Flea Market

1. Inexpensive Jewelry

Choosing a high-selling inexpensive jewelry model is not as easy as most people think. There are many different styles and materials you can order.

For instance, hipsters and people who are into alternative lifestyles would prefer to wear inexpensive, colorful necklaces, bracelets and other handcrafted jewelry pieces, while other mainstream consumers may choose expensive branded jewelry.

So, before starting your sales, make sure that you have established a big jewelry stock that can target different consumer groups. If you choose to sell only one type of inexpensive jewelry, stick to the locations where your targeted consumers like to hang out.

2. Baseball Caps

Millennials and Xers enjoy expressing themselves with custom baseball hats. This has drastically improved the production and sale of these sports accessories.

If you intend to purchase baseball caps wholesale, try to find a retailer that sells them with custom inscriptions and designs. You have to make sure you find expressions, graphics, and images that are popular in your area before making an order.

Note that the alternative to this approach would be to order a batch of caps branded with logos of the most popular football, basketball, and baseball clubs, or inscribed with the widely known slogans.

3. Posters and Prints

When choosing posters, it is advisable you stick to the images that spark people’s emotions. You can choose to sell posters of famous singers, actors, athletes and even politicians during an election campaign.

Apart from celebrity photos, you can also print breath-taking nature or city landscapes, and funny or motivational photos or graphics. If you want to earn more money, you can also make a deal with a frame manufacturer and sell your posters and prints together with a custom made frame.

4. DVD Movies

In flea markets, DVDs are far from being an outdated technology. When searching for wholesale DVD deals, it is advisable you stick to the reputable sellers because that is the only guarantee that you will get top-quality recordings, without picture ad noise interferences.

Although selling the latest blockbusters seems like an easy way to earn lots of cash, don’t sell cinema recordings. Stick to the good old classic movie features and popular series. Since series production is currently at its peak, try to find good wholesale deals for the highly ranked TV shows.

5. Smartphone and e-reader Covers and Cases

In this age, everyone has a Smartphone and several other easy-breakable gadgets. That is why Smartphone covers and cases count as one of hot selling wholesale flea market items.

These rubber frames saved many expensive devices from breakage, and they can be very affordable if purchased wholesale. Note that you can find hundreds of different Smartphone case designs on Alibaba and other similar platforms.

Apart from phone cases, you should also sell glass screen covers and many other popular Smartphone accessories. For instance, special lenses that enhance the work of Smartphone cameras and create DSLR-like images have been very popular recently.

6. Fruits and Veggies

This highly profitable niche requires you to order products from certified producers, but their value can double or triple after you bring them to the city market or sell them online. Since fresh produce retail is one of the most popular niches, try to find a unique business model.

For instance, selling a healthy combination of fruits and veggies in a good looking and practical basket, together with custom made recipe books can bring you closer to the millennial crowd and big spenders. This retail model is equally successful when being implemented online or directly at the flea market.

7. T-Shirts

Your initial investment in this business will range from $300 to $500. You can decide to focus on branded shirts, copies of the most famous brands or the custom designed apparel.

The last tactic requires you to invest more money, but if you can build a strong fan base, you can easily turn this flea market operation into a well-known clothing brand. Consider finding a good freelance designer who will create your prints and a respected printing shop that will put them on shirts.

Adding messages, images and graphics that are popular at the moment and recognized by the consumers will drastically improve your sales.

8. Sunglasses

When it comes to sales, sunglasses are similar to sneakers. A good number of consumers would rather purchase a good copy of the branded model than pay four or five times more money for the original. Ray-Ban knockoffs are sold all over the web, and they are also a very popular on flea markets.

Have it in mind that the best time to sell sunglasses is the late spring and early summer. You can sell them online, at flea markets, on the streets or around popular beaches and pools.

Sunglasses can also be sold in winter, especially if they are a good copy of some famous and expensive brands. Also note that selling sunglasses in ski mountain resorts can be very profitable, because most people don’t carry around their pair during the winter months, and they can’t ski without them due to powerful sun reflection.

9. Athletic Footwear

Sneakers can be quite expensive, which is why many people find alternative ways of getting the top branded models. That’s why flea markets have become a haven for trendsetters who want to look sharp in the latest models and save their money at the same time.

Note that shoppers understand that sneakers from the flea markets are fake, but the latest copies are so good that it is really hard to distinguish them from the original model. A good number of them are made out of top-quality materials. Since copies of popular sneakers are sold at very affordable prices, you can order big product batches and easily develop a highly profitable retail operation.

10. Inexpensive Toys

Inexpensive toys are popular the whole year, although you need to adapt your offer depending on the season and some special dates. For instance, in winter you can sell plastic sleds and Christmas-themed toys, while in summer you can opt for water pistols, cannons and inflatable toys for pools.

If you intend to keep your toy offer competitive, don’t charge the products more than a few dollars. Although this sounds cheap, you will be able to earn lots of money, since you can buy several hundred toys for a hundred dollars or even less.

Place your stall on places that are regularly visited by children with their parents, and create presentations that will easily catch kids’ attention.