We have made the list of hot selling wholesale flea market items to solve the biggest dilemma, the most flea market entrepreneurs are facing. Piling unsold products is the worst scenario for any flea market retailer, and that is why you need to be very picky when choosing your merchandise.
We already dealt with a similar topic before, the list of 11 best selling products at flea markets will inform you about the items that sell well on open flea markets and local garage sales. While this list mainly revolves around used items and antiques, we have added a little bit more mass produced inexpensive products that can be purchased wholesale.
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Finding good wholesale offers online is easy. Try visiting your local wholesale flea market and arranging deals with the sellers. You can also order these items from your home. Check out Alibaba, the biggest Chinese wholesale market platform. If you are more into used items and antiques, try finding them on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Handcrafted items can be found on Etsy.
We have used three articles as sources for creating our list. Chron, one of the most famous small business online magazines has released an article that has defined the categories of flea market items that can be profitable to sell. They didn’t go into details, so we also needed to consult other sources. Still, the items that fall under some of the categories from the Chron’s article received additional ten points in our ranking.
The Flea Market Insiders is a very helpful website, for people who make a living out of selling flea market items. They gave us a great insight into the garage and flea market sale organization, tactics and strategies. They also created a short list of items that sell well and provide high returns for flea market retailers. Each item from The Flea Market Insider’s list has received ten points. Since their list also contains items that should be avoided, we have subtracted five points from each item that we have found on their ‘flop list.’
We used Brighthub as a basis for making our list of hot selling wholesale flea market items. By combining their items with the ones from other two articles we have created a unique list that contains both good copies and replicas of famous brands, as well as the inexpensive original products. Each item from the Brighthub’s list received a number of points (from 10 to 100) that is reversely proportional to their ranking.
The best way to check the accuracy of our list of hot selling wholesale flea market items is to visit your local flea markets and ask the sellers, what their best-selling items are. By doing this, you will find out which flea market products are popular in your area. If you want to improve your research, in addition to flea markets, you can also visit some of the most popular local box-stores.
10. Inexpensive jewelry
Score: 20 points;
Brighthub’s list ranking: #9 (20 points);
Choosing a high-selling inexpensive jewelry models is not as easy as most people think. There are many different styles and materials you can order. For example, hipsters and people, who are into alternative lifestyles would rather wear inexpensive, colorful necklaces and bracelets, as well as the handcrafted jewelry pieces, while other mainstream consumers rather choose the good copies of the expensive branded jewelry. Before starting your sales make sure that you have created a big jewelry stock that can target many 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.
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9. DVD movies
Score: 20 points;
Brighthub’s list ranking: #10 (10 points);
Mentioned in Chrone’s article (10 points);
On flea markets, DVDs are far from being an outdated technology. When searching for wholesale DVD deals, 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. This way you are disrespecting your customers and damaging movie distribution companies, which can lead you to an expensive lawsuit. 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.
Pixabay/Public Domain
8. Posters and prints
Score: 30 points;
Brighthub’s list ranking: #8 (30 points);
When choosing posters, stick to the images that spark peoples’ emotions. You can sell posters of famous singers, actors, athletes and even politicians, during an election campaign. Apart from celebrity photos, you can also print out 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 frame manufacturer and sell our posters and prints together with a custom made frame.
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7. Fruits and veggies
Score: 40 points;
Brighthub’s list ranking: #7 (40 points);
At number 7 on the list of hot selling wholesale flea market items we have fruits and vegetables that can bring you huge profits, especially if you chose to sell organic produce. 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 example, 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.
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6. Smartphone and e-reader covers and cases
Score: 50 points;
Brighthub’s list ranking: #6 (50 points);
Today everyone has a smartphone and several other easy-breakable gadgets. That is why smartphone covers and cases entered our list 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. 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 example, special lenses that enhance the work of smartphone camera and create DSLR-like images have been very popular recently.
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5. Baseball caps
Score: 60 points;
Brighthub’s list ranking: #5 (60 points);
Millennials and Xers like to express themselves with custom baseball hats that rank 5th on our list of hot selling wholesale flea market items. This has drastically improved the production and sales of these sports accessories. If you want to purchase baseball caps wholesale, try to find a retailer who sells them with custom inscriptions and designs. Make sure you find expressions, graphics, and images that are popular in your area before making an order. 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.
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4. Athletic footwear
Score: 70 points;
Brighthub’s list ranking: #4 (70 points);
Sneakers can be very pricey, 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. Shoppers know that sneakers from the flea markets are fake, but the latest copies are so good that it’s really hard to distinguish them from the original model. Many 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.
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3. T-Shirts
Score: 85 points;
Brighthub’s ranking: #2 (90 points);
Mentioned on FMI’s flop items’ list (-5 points);
At the third spot on the list of hot selling wholesale flea market items we have T-shirts that are one of the best-selling items at flea markets and on online marketplaces. Your initial investment in this business will range from $300 to $500. You can 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 manage to build a strong fan base, you can easily turn this flea market operation into a well-known clothing brand. Try 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. For example, in the next few weeks, you can sell custom printed shirts with coats of arms of ruling families from the Game of Thrones series.
Pixabay/Public Domain
2. Sunglasses
Score: 100 points;
Brighthub’s list ranking: #1 (100 points);
When it comes to sales sunglasses are similar to sneakers. Many 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. 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. 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. Now, let’s see the number one on our list of hot selling wholesale flea market items.
qwasder1987/Shutterstock.com
1. Inexpensive toys
Score: 105 points;
Brighthub’s list ranking: #3 (80 points);
Mentioned on FMI’s best-selling items list (10 points);
Mentioned in Chrone’s article (10 points);
Mentioned in all three sources (5 points);
Inexpensive toys are the winner of our list of hot selling wholesale flea market items. They are popular during the whole year, although you need to adapt your offer depending on the season and some special dates. For example, 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 want 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, because 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.
Pixabay/Public Domain
