What To Bring With You When Flea Market Shopping – All The Gear You Need 6

Flea Market Season Has Officially Begun!

In the last blog post, I mentioned that outdoor Flea Market Season is officially underway here in Minnesota – and I couldn’t be happier! Shopping at flea markets is always so much fun.

While we don’t have the large flea markets like the Rose Bowl Flea Market in California, or the Brimfield Flea Market in Massachusetts – we ARE lucky to have WEEKDAY flea markets! In our rural area, there is a flea market every Tuesday morning in one town, another every Wednesday in a different town, and another every Thursday in yet another town. We also have a weekly flea market every Friday not too far from us, and several weekly flea markets every Saturday a little bit further away. There are also LOTS of barn and homestead sales to stop at along the way, but I’ll save that for another article.

We typically go on a shopping adventure at least three times each week. So we always have our “flea market gear” ready to go at a moments notice!

Here’s what makes up our “Flea Market Gear“:

• Collapsible Heavy-Duty Rolling Utility Carts – one for each person (they double as a seat – but who has time to sit down at a flea market)! TIP: The carts we use (and love) are Pack-n-Roll Portable Tool carts made by Olympia (see photo below). They fold flat for easy “to-the-event” travel, have two heavy-duty wheels, and an extendable handle. My husband made a seat out of a wood board that fits onto the cube of the cart – very handy!
• Bungee cords – You never know what you’ll find. But I can guarantee it will be awkward to strap down to whatever you brought to haul it around with! You’ll be thanking me for this idea.
• Large Mesh Beach Bags – light-weight and strong, and they fold down to practically nothing, yet hold a lot of stuff! Perfect for smaller items, and the bags can be hung on the rolling carts, so no need to carry them.
• Wet Wipes – for quick clean-ups (digging through boxes is a dirty job!)
• Small Tape Measure – we like the keychain size, easy to take a long.
• Small LED Flashlight – sometimes you just need better lighting to read a makers mark or other fine details.
• Magnifying Loupe – a compact magnifying glass helps you see details that you might otherwise miss. TIP: A loupe is more compact than a magnifying glass, and because it folds closed, it also stays protected from scratches when carried in your bag. The loupe I use has a 30x and 60x lens and has a bright LED light that can be turned on or off as needed.
• Smart Phone – I like to take a photo of each item I purchase and then add a quick caption to the photo with the price I paid. See how I do this in my COOL TIP below. I also use my iPhone if I need to quickly research an item to see what similar items are worth, and to snap photos of our adventure. COOL TIP:  1- On an iPhone, go to your Notes app, then choose Notes under the “On My iPhone” heading.  2- In the lower right-corner, press to add a new Note.  3- Type the name of the item you just purchased, along with the price you paid, then tap the + sign in the lower right corner, then tap the Camera icon and take a photo of your purchase. The photo will be added to your Note. 4- Press the Return button a couple of times, and you’re ready to type your next purchase and add a photo of it. 5- Continue adding all your purchases to One Note, and when you’re done shopping, press the Done button in the upper right corner of the note to save it.  Pretty slick, huh!
• Small Notebook and Pen – in case you need to make a note, and you don’t want to use my smart phone tip above.
• Water Bottles – with all the running around, you need to stay hydrated!
• Snacks – when you don’t have time to stop for lunch, it’s best to bring along a snack bar, bag of dried fruit, or other easy snack that won’t melt. As my husband always says “It’s all about the snacks!”.
• ZipLock Bags – I like to bring several heavy-duty ZipLock freezer bags with us, stashed in one of our mesh bags. These plastic bags can be used to hold small items to keep them from getting lost, they make a quick garbage bag if needed, and can hold ice to keep you cool on those really hot days. COOL TIP: Ask a food vendor for a scoop of ice in your bag, then use the bag on the back of your neck, forehead, or chest to keep you cool. When the ice melts, you have extra water to refill your water bottles.
• Large Golf Umbrella – I found the coolest, extra large, bright orange umbrella and knew I had to have it for long days at a flea market! It fits easily in one of our rolling carts, and is large enough for three of us to get under if needed in the rain. It also provides instant shade on those hot sunny days when there is little to no shade to be found. And, the bright orange color makes it easy for my family to spot me in a crowd!
• Cash – this is obvious, but bring as much cash as you plan on spending. This way, you won’t have to stop at an ATM and pay higher withdrawal fees that some flea market venues charge.  Make sure you have plenty of $1s, $5s, and $10s – as this makes it much easier to negotiate the price you want to pay, AND have that exact amount to hand a vendor without asking for change back from them. COOL TIP: Obvious, but it’s best to keep your cash in a cross-body bag or front fanny-pack to keep it safe. I also like to keep cash in separate areas of my purse, so when I am paying a vendor, they don’t see a huge wad of cash.

So, there you have it! Everything you need to bring along with you on your next flea market shopping adventure!

We’d love to hear YOUR tips! Please feel free to share your ideas in the comments below!