• 66 things to bring

What Should I Bring to a Flea Market

Small bills, a tape measure, a backpack, water and the measurements of your space: what to bring, part by part.

What Should I Bring to a Flea Market

  1. Small billsSellers open with little change, and exact money ends a haggle neatly.
  2. Coins for parking and the gateSome markets charge a little to park or to come in. Have it in your hand.
  3. Cash in two pocketsPay from the small fold. The rest stays out of sight while you bargain.
  4. Payment card, as a backupSome sellers take cards or phone payments. Ask before you agree a price.
  5. Bag worn across your bodyBoth hands stay free to lift things, turn them over and carry them.
  6. Sturdy toteFor small finds, so they are not put down on a table and forgotten.
  7. Shopping listWhat you are hunting for, with the thing you want most at the top.
  8. Top price, decided at homeWrite a limit beside each thing on the list, and stick to it at the stall.
  9. Pen and a small notebookNote the stall and the price of anything you want to think over.
  10. Map of the market, if it prints oneMark the stalls to come back to. By the third row they all look alike.
  11. Your phone number on slips of paperA seller who cannot meet your price at nine may call you at closing time.
  12. Pouch for receipts and sellers' cardsYou will want the name of that stall when you come back next month.

Next step A long drive to the market? Pack the carDraw a hobby to shop for

All 66 things to bring

Money and bags 12

  • Bag worn across your body Both hands stay free to lift things, turn them over and carry them.
  • Cash in two pockets Pay from the small fold. The rest stays out of sight while you bargain.
  • Coins for parking and the gate Some markets charge a little to park or to come in. Have it in your hand.
  • Map of the market, if it prints one Mark the stalls to come back to. By the third row they all look alike.
  • Payment card, as a backup Some sellers take cards or phone payments. Ask before you agree a price.
  • Pen and a small notebook Note the stall and the price of anything you want to think over.
  • Pouch for receipts and sellers' cards You will want the name of that stall when you come back next month.
  • Shopping list What you are hunting for, with the thing you want most at the top.
  • Small bills Sellers open with little change, and exact money ends a haggle neatly.
  • Sturdy tote For small finds, so they are not put down on a table and forgotten.
  • Top price, decided at home Write a limit beside each thing on the list, and stick to it at the stall.
  • Your phone number on slips of paper A seller who cannot meet your price at nine may call you at closing time.

To carry things home 16

  • A few sheets of bubble wrap Light to carry, and the difference between a teapot and half a teapot.
  • A friend A second opinion, and a second pair of hands for the far end of a table.
  • Backpack Two straps carry a morning of books and china better than one.
  • Bungee cords or rope To tie a chair to the cart or hold a trunk lid down on the way home.
  • Car measurements, written down The width of the trunk opening and the length with the seats folded.
  • Cardboard box or a crate Small breakables ride home upright and together.
  • Empty trunk Clear the car out before you leave home. You cannot buy what will not fit.
  • Folding cart with wheels Your arms give out before your money does. The cart takes the heavy finds.
  • Old blanket for the car Lay it down first, so table legs do not mark the seats.
  • Old towels or newspaper Wrap glass and china before they go in the bag.
  • Plastic sheet Wrap a damp or dusty find before it meets the car seat.
  • Roll of tape It seals a box, holds a lid on and keeps a drawer shut for the ride.
  • Sticky notes that say "sold" and your name Ask the seller to keep a big piece under one while you fetch the car.
  • Two spare bags, folded flat They weigh nothing, and you always fill them.
  • Work gloves For rusty iron, splintered crates and the underside of anything.
  • Zip bags for small parts Screws, keys, knobs and game pieces stay with the thing they belong to.

To check what you buy 21

  • Batteries in the common sizes Ask to try the radio, the clock or the toy before you buy it.
  • Cloth tape for clothes Lay the garment flat and measure it against your own numbers.
  • Headphones with a cable Plug into a radio or a record player and hear whether it plays.
  • List of what you already own The pattern, the issue numbers or the missing pieces of the set you are filling.
  • Measurements of the space at home The doorway, the turn of the stairs and the wall it will stand against.
  • Old CD, to test a player Ask first, then try every button.
  • Paint chip or fabric swatch Match a color at the stall and not from memory.
  • Phone with data left To look up a maker or a pattern, and what one sold for, before you pay.
  • Photos of the room it is for A picture of the wall or the gap settles "will it go" faster than memory.
  • Pocket magnifier or a loupe For small stamps and makers' marks, such as the 925 of sterling silver.
  • Pocket ultraviolet light Uranium glass glows bright green under it; that is the test for it.
  • Power bank and a cable It shows whether a thing that charges still does.
  • Reading glasses The mark is always small, and always underneath.
  • Screwdriver with swappable tips Open a battery door, or find out that a loose leg is only a loose screw.
  • Small bottle of water, for a leak test Pour a little into the vase or the watering can before you pay. Ask first.
  • Small flashlight Look inside drawers, under chairs and down the neck of a vase.
  • Small magnet Solid brass does not pull a magnet. If it snaps on, expect iron or steel under the shine.
  • String cut to the width of your doorway Quicker than a tape when your hands are full.
  • Tape measure Measure before you bargain, not after you have paid.
  • Wet wipes Wipe a patch of grime to see the surface under it. Ask the seller first.
  • Your own measurements Chest, waist and inseam, written down; few stalls have a fitting room.

For a long morning outdoors 17

  • Alarm set for early The widest choice is in the first hour.
  • Bug spray, for a field in summer Long grass at seven in the morning has its own residents.
  • Closed shoes you can stand in Fields, gravel and dropped nails: this is not a morning for sandals.
  • Flask of coffee The gates may open before the coffee stand does.
  • Gloves and a warm hat, in winter Markets run in the cold too, and sellers are glad of a buyer.
  • Hand sanitizer Everything you pick up has been picked up before.
  • Layers It is cold when the gates open and warm by the time you leave.
  • Light rain jacket An umbrella takes a hand you need for carrying.
  • Meeting spot, agreed at the gate Pick a landmark: "by the furniture" describes half the market.
  • Opening days and hours, checked that week Many markets are seasonal. Read the market's own page before you drive.
  • Pin dropped where you parked A field of cars looks the same from every side when you are carrying a mirror.
  • Snack in your pocket So that hunger does not send you home before the far rows.
  • Sun hat An open lot or a field has no shade between the stalls.
  • Sunglasses Low morning sun, and rows of chrome and glass to bounce it.
  • Sunscreen Put it on before you leave. You will be outside longer than you planned.
  • Tissues For dusty hands, and for a portable toilet that has run out of paper.
  • Water bottle The line for drinks is longest when you are thirstiest.

How it works

These 66 things a buyer should bring to a flea market cover money and bags, carrying gear, tools to check what you buy and what a long morning outdoors needs.

Read the full guide

If you bring only five things

Small bills, a tape measure, a bag with two straps, water and the measurements of the space you are shopping for. With those you can pay any seller, check that a piece fits and get it home.

Check it before you pay

Plan as if you cannot bring it back. Measure it, look underneath with a light, and try every drawer, switch and zipper. Hold a magnet to anything sold as brass. Then name your price.

  • Walk every row once before you buy anything big, then go back for it.
  • Ask the seller to hold a paid-for piece while you fetch the car, and photograph the stall so you can find it again.

Questions and answers

How much cash should I bring to a flea market?

Add up the top prices on your list and bring that, mostly in small bills, with a card as a backup. Set the limit at home: prices change from stall to stall.

What should I wear to a flea market?

Closed shoes you can stand in all morning, layers to take off as the day warms up, a hat, and a bag worn across your body so both hands are free.

Why bring a magnet to a flea market?

To test metal. Brass is not ferromagnetic, so a magnet that sticks to a lamp or a handle sold as brass has probably found plated iron or steel. The test takes a second and harms nothing.

What should I not bring to a flea market?

Large bills that a seller cannot change, a bulky handbag, anything you would hate to put down and lose, and a car that is already full.

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