"When I started selling at the flea market, I immediately quit my day job": A candid conversation with a flea market seller
I recently met an interesting reader in the comments section of my articles. We had a rather unexpected and fruitful conversation about the behind-the-scenes of flea markets .
It turns out she has a lot to tell and some secrets to reveal. After all, she's been successfully earning her living selling at a flea market for several years now!
My impression of the article's heroine is that this woman embodies several aspects at once. She's a successful businesswoman, a fisherman, a mushroom picker, and simply a "true Russian woman" who won't mince her words and will even get into a fight to stand her ground!
Want to get to know her in person? Then get comfortable and read excerpts from our conversation!
Hello! Tell us about what brought you to the flea market and how? Why did you decide to sell there?
Hello! I've worked as a salesperson my whole life, albeit for someone else. But for the last three years, I've been working exclusively for myself – selling old things at the local flea market. And I regret not starting this sooner!
In the past, I disdained flea markets. When my husband needed work clothes and shoes (he's a construction worker), I'd rush to the store and buy expensive items that would fall into disrepair within a couple of weeks. It was constant. A lot of money was spent, but the results were disastrous.
One day, a good friend of mine (a former department store manager), who was already selling at a flea market, said, "Stop squandering your hard-earned money! Go to a flea market and buy a man everything he needs for work for little money!"
I listened to her and went. It was very uncomfortable at first. I was overwhelmed by the abundance of goods and choices, and most importantly – by the prices! I bought a whole bag of clothes!
And then I thought, if my friend isn't averse to this market and went here from a decent job at a department store, then it makes sense. Why shouldn't I give it a try?
So you started your business at a flea market? How did it go? How did you get started?
Yes, I decided to give it a try, and unexpectedly, it started working! At first, I put my unwanted household items up for sale. Then I started thinking about where to get the goods, since sales were going well, but I was running out of my own unwanted items.
Products that can be found on the counter of our Heroine / All photos courtesy of the author of the article Heroine
The answer came by chance! My husband brought home a bag of old things from work. He said the owner of the shed he was re-roofing had decided to throw it all out, and he'd taken it. That's how he realized you can find things that people don't need in sheds, garages, houses, and apartments.
My husband and I started working together to renovate properties before selling them. Often, the owners simply tell us to throw everything away—anything left over from our parents or relatives.
And we take it all to our warehouse. In the evenings, we sort and sort it all, clean and repair it, wash and iron it. And on weekends, we take it to the flea market to sell.
I quit my main job almost immediately, because the earnings at the flea market turned out to be higher, and I really enjoy the activity itself – I love it!
What's your day like at the flea market? What are the working conditions like and how do you interact with your fellow flea market workers?
We only go out to trade on Saturdays, because on Sundays my husband and I try to get out fishing or mushroom picking.
On average, you can earn 10,000 rubles per day at the flea market. A similar income can be earned from online flea markets and auctions. Over the course of a month, it adds up to a tidy sum!
You literally have to fight for a spot at the flea market. The first year, we'd show up at 2:30 a.m. to grab an empty spot. We've been busy improving it ever since—cleaning and taking out trash.
Now it's considered ours, but newcomers and the particularly brazen still try to take it. But I quickly put them in their place—simply throwing out their blankets and tags.
This is what the flea market where our Heroine works looks like / All photos courtesy of the author of the article Heroine
I curse and argue without a twinge of conscience – I've brought this place into pristine condition and make my living here. If you're up for it, do the same next door, but don't take my counter – I'll bite!
We have no amenities. The flea market is located right on the streets, under private houses. In the summer, it's hot, and everyone hides in the shade. In the winter, they run to sit and warm up on the heating pipes that run nearby.
There's no toilet, so everyone runs around. We rent a house nearby to store goods, so we run there. Two women bring tea and pies—they run their own business and divide the land.
By lunchtime, we're already starting to pack up. Laying out the merchandise and then packing it takes at least an hour. I barely interact with the other sellers—they just don't have time, because business is in full swing!
What can I find on your shelves? And my most pressing question: where do the prices come from?
We have absolutely everything: military uniforms, spinning wheels, Soviet chandeliers, lamps and floor lamps, nightlights. Postcards from the 1950s-70s and old photo albums. Dishes, bed linens and fabrics, pillows and blankets. Furniture and mirrors.
Retro clothing and hats from the 1930s and 1940s. Soviet soap and children's toys. Electronics and figurines. Vases and gramophone records. Embroidery and Christmas tree decorations. Beer mugs and jewelry. Knives, axes, and other Soviet tools. The list goes on and on.
Most sellers don't know the prices of the goods themselves – they speak on the fly, assessing the buyer's appearance and interest.
But I like order, so in the evenings I sit and search the internet for information about the item, checking the asking price on online flea markets. And I simply read the item's history so I don't look stupid in front of buyers if they ask.
Fragments of the collection of figurines and dishes at Heroine's mother's / All photos courtesy of the author of the article by Heroine
How do you feel about old things? Have you started collecting anything during this time?
Of all the goods I receive, I only keep the fabrics for myself—I sew bed linens. Of course, beautiful or rare tableware delights me. But I don't like other people's things, and I don't keep anything like that for myself.
But then my mom started collecting porcelain figurines! So I started giving them to her as gifts, and sometimes I even set aside some pretty dishes for her. Everything else is for sale.
What tips can you give us, ordinary flea market shoppers? Will you reveal the secret to finding the proverbial flea market treasure?
Don't hide your emotions! Be genuine and sincere. Never ask angrily, " Why is it so expensive? " Instead, say to yourself, " Oh, it's too expensive for ME! "
Then the conversation with you will be completely different. If I see that someone likes something, but the price is prohibitive, I will, without a twinge of conscience, lower the price or sell it on an installment plan.
As for flea market treasures, that's all subjective and arbitrary. For some, a rare porcelain figurine is such a treasure, while for others, it's an inconspicuous and inexpensive item that reminds them of their grandmother, for example.
In a word, vanity of vanities is all your fuss around rare, valuable or expensive rarities!
Hello! Tell us about what brought you to the flea market and how? Why did you decide to sell there?
Hello! I've worked as a salesperson my whole life, albeit for someone else. But for the last three years, I've been working exclusively for myself – selling old things at the local flea market. And I regret not starting this sooner!
In the past, I disdained flea markets. When my husband needed work clothes and shoes (he's a construction worker), I'd rush to the store and buy expensive items that would fall into disrepair within a couple of weeks. It was constant. A lot of money was spent, but the results were disastrous.
One day, a good friend of mine (a former department store manager), who was already selling at a flea market, said, "Stop squandering your hard-earned money! Go to a flea market and buy a man everything he needs for work for little money!"
I listened to her and went. It was very uncomfortable at first. I was overwhelmed by the abundance of goods and choices, and most importantly – by the prices! I bought a whole bag of clothes!
And then I thought, if my friend isn't averse to this market and went here from a decent job at a department store, then it makes sense. Why shouldn't I give it a try?
So you started your business at a flea market? How did it go? How did you get started?
Yes, I decided to give it a try, and unexpectedly, it started working! At first, I put my unwanted household items up for sale. Then I started thinking about where to get the goods, since sales were going well, but I was running out of my own unwanted items.
The answer came by chance! My husband brought home a bag of old things from work. He said the owner of the shed he was re-roofing had decided to throw it all out, and he'd taken it. That's how he realized you can find things that people don't need in sheds, garages, houses, and apartments.
My husband and I started working together to renovate properties before selling them. Often, the owners simply tell us to throw everything away—anything left over from our parents or relatives.
And we take it all to our warehouse. In the evenings, we sort and sort it all, clean and repair it, wash and iron it. And on weekends, we take it to the flea market to sell.
I quit my main job almost immediately, because the earnings at the flea market turned out to be higher, and I really enjoy the activity itself – I love it!
What's your day like at the flea market? What are the working conditions like and how do you interact with your fellow flea market workers?
We only go out to trade on Saturdays, because on Sundays my husband and I try to get out fishing or mushroom picking.
On average, you can earn 10,000 rubles per day at the flea market. A similar income can be earned from online flea markets and auctions. Over the course of a month, it adds up to a tidy sum!
You literally have to fight for a spot at the flea market. The first year, we'd show up at 2:30 a.m. to grab an empty spot. We've been busy improving it ever since—cleaning and taking out trash.
Now it's considered ours, but newcomers and the particularly brazen still try to take it. But I quickly put them in their place—simply throwing out their blankets and tags.
I curse and argue without a twinge of conscience – I've brought this place into pristine condition and make my living here. If you're up for it, do the same next door, but don't take my counter – I'll bite!
We have no amenities. The flea market is located right on the streets, under private houses. In the summer, it's hot, and everyone hides in the shade. In the winter, they run to sit and warm up on the heating pipes that run nearby.
There's no toilet, so everyone runs around. We rent a house nearby to store goods, so we run there. Two women bring tea and pies—they run their own business and divide the land.
By lunchtime, we're already starting to pack up. Laying out the merchandise and then packing it takes at least an hour. I barely interact with the other sellers—they just don't have time, because business is in full swing!
What can I find on your shelves? And my most pressing question: where do the prices come from?
We have absolutely everything: military uniforms, spinning wheels, Soviet chandeliers, lamps and floor lamps, nightlights. Postcards from the 1950s-70s and old photo albums. Dishes, bed linens and fabrics, pillows and blankets. Furniture and mirrors.
Retro clothing and hats from the 1930s and 1940s. Soviet soap and children's toys. Electronics and figurines. Vases and gramophone records. Embroidery and Christmas tree decorations. Beer mugs and jewelry. Knives, axes, and other Soviet tools. The list goes on and on.
Most sellers don't know the prices of the goods themselves – they speak on the fly, assessing the buyer's appearance and interest.
But I like order, so in the evenings I sit and search the internet for information about the item, checking the asking price on online flea markets. And I simply read the item's history so I don't look stupid in front of buyers if they ask.
How do you feel about old things? Have you started collecting anything during this time?
Of all the goods I receive, I only keep the fabrics for myself—I sew bed linens. Of course, beautiful or rare tableware delights me. But I don't like other people's things, and I don't keep anything like that for myself.
But then my mom started collecting porcelain figurines! So I started giving them to her as gifts, and sometimes I even set aside some pretty dishes for her. Everything else is for sale.
What tips can you give us, ordinary flea market shoppers? Will you reveal the secret to finding the proverbial flea market treasure?
Don't hide your emotions! Be genuine and sincere. Never ask angrily, " Why is it so expensive? " Instead, say to yourself, " Oh, it's too expensive for ME! "
Then the conversation with you will be completely different. If I see that someone likes something, but the price is prohibitive, I will, without a twinge of conscience, lower the price or sell it on an installment plan.
As for flea market treasures, that's all subjective and arbitrary. For some, a rare porcelain figurine is such a treasure, while for others, it's an inconspicuous and inexpensive item that reminds them of their grandmother, for example.