Just want some opinions from the Rally old timers.
I'm sort of an organic health foody myself, and I'm personally a little concerned about getting good food and supplements on the road. So, I was thinking, maybe I could get a wholesale account from a vitamin company, maybe get some wholesale dried organic fruits and veggies, for myself, and maybe to sell at rallies and flea markets, etc.
What do you think?
Jane
fleamarketeer said
03:30 PM Jan 25, 2013
Jane,
I'm not sure what kind of "rally" you mean but I've never seen that type of thing at flea markets. I've seen cases of close date and out of date vitamins- a buck a bottle. There are also those that come out of banana boxes for about the same price. The products in banana boxes might be dated OK but are shelf pulls or dirty/damaged some how. So none of it is high end but it sells OK. It does get heavy.
I happened to talk to another vendor last night who has occasionally seen that type of thing set up indoors at markets. I would suggest you find out how much the product weighs, figure how large of a selection you would need and see how it works out with your RV's GVW. Make sure you can carry enough product to be profitble. Shipping can get expensive.
I like to move around a lot so resupply is tricky sometimes. I'll be in Lafayette, LA until Tuesday whether I want to be here or not waiting on a jewelry shipment at the UPS store. There was at least one CA jewelry wholesaler who required a vendor's license/permit from the state you're in before they ship there. I don't know it was a CA specific rule or just the policy of that vendor. It would be something to check though.
Your rallys might be different. The only ones that I've done are car rallys. Those folks bring their old cars, stand around scratch themselves and talk. They usually just buy food, tools, and car stuff.
Once in a while I have seen folks trying to sell diet or weight loss products. They give up fast. The crowd wants a deep fat fried twinkie or a corn dog not a $20 weight loss powder.
fleamarketeer
The Bear II said
08:26 PM Jan 25, 2013
I'm not sure if the health supplements would do well. I've seen booths setup at flea markets, rallies and fairs and didn't really pay attention to how busy they were. That probably means they weren't busy. I usually pay close attention to a booth anytime I saw a lot of customers at the booth throughout the day. Plus if you look at the crowd going by, not many seem to be real worried about their health.
I did watch a Watkins (spice and supplements) booth at Quartzite one year. They were setup across the way from us. They seemed to do OK...not real busy but would have people stop by for the samples and some would buy.
If you include a demonstration, you will increase sales (ex; Ginsu Knives, Slicer Dicer) to demonstrate the benefits of a couple of the supplements...more energy, glowing smooth skin, stronger fingernails...etc. It works for snake oil.
Hina said
12:20 AM Jan 26, 2013
I was kinda thinking that, but just thinking of ways to both take care of myself, and earn a little cash.
Fleamarketer, when you say CA, is that California or Canada? California can be crazy with the taxes, one reason why I want to leave. I've been buying a little at a time on eBay, "wholesale lots, free shipping". That's mostly jewelry, a lot averages maybe 20 pieces, average about $1.25 per piece, probably will sell for $5-$10-$15. No one ever asks for any sort of license. A lot of it ships from China, I prefer not to buy from China, but if you do, they actually ship pretty fast, like 7-10 days. So far, I have about 500 pieces, and it's in the back of the SUV. Not sure how much I'll need, I keep buying as I have an extra $100 or so.
I'm looking for other ideas for stuff to sell, eBay mostly has wholesale jewelry.
fleamarketeer said
02:01 AM Jan 26, 2013
Jane,
Sorry, I meant California. This was couple of years ago. The company had a better than average quality magnetic bracelet/necklace for a reasonable price. Reasonable means half of what I could get it for elsewhere. I went together with another vendor for better pricing and they started getting wierd about shipping to other states.
Pricing is difficult but you seem about right if you stay toward the higher figures. One problem is you'll find you often need to offer $10 each or 2 for $15/$16/$18 to increase your gross. There just aren't going to be enough sales if customers only buy one so you offer an incentive to buy more. There are only so many customers interested in jewelry at a given market. And there are a lot of vendors selling it. And often you won't get what you think it's worth. Like others, if I can't retail it for a reasonable profit, I wholesale it to another vendor who might have better luck. Then I turn the money, and my slight profit, into different stock.
Ebay is not my friend. I prefer straight from China purchases if I'm going that route. My favorites are still auctions, other vendors, and in person wholesale.
fleamarketeer
Hina said
03:20 AM Jan 26, 2013
Ebay has been easy for me so far with the jewelry, and I have discovered on wholesaler with some really unique stuff, who also has a website for direct sales. I've been looking on Alibaba.com also for stuff other than jewelry, but not sure what. Any suggestions on stuff that sells? I was thinking maybe unique baby clothes and toys, and dog sweaters and toys.
fleamarketeer said
05:24 PM Jan 27, 2013
Having something other than jewelry is a good idea. When you finally run into a Dollar Jewelry Vendor, you still need to make rent. The only things that sell well everywhere are guns and junk. Junk is too heavy and guns are often banned at markets or maybe even illegal for nonresidents without an FFL to sell. I don't keep track of gun laws.
There's no way to tell what might sell in a given area of the country. I bought a dozen bracelets each with seven Fleur de lis charms. I stripped them for the charms but don't remember selling one until I hit LA. Here I made them into earrings and necklaces. I'm running out. Necklaces with crosses are also doing better here. I stay away from logo'ed items because I'm not positve what's counterfit and what's not, but team items do well locally. For what it's worth, yesterday at Jockey Lot in Lafatette, LA there was a bust for some sort of electronics knockoffs. Police left with trailer full of stuff.
Dog stuff usually does well at the markets where I've sold. That's why there is at least one vendor taking 2 or 3 spaces with a box truck selling it at every larger market. They even do well at markets where dogs are not allowed. You can't compete on variety or price but there are often small booths selling home made dog treats. I've never been close enough to one of those to see how they did. I've seen hand knitted dog sweaters for sale too. I got half a dozen dog sweaters from a storage unit and they sold very fast for about half of retail.
Baby clothes?? I've started seeing little girls tu-tus in Louisana and they sold pretty well at Bonnie and Clyde. They're handmade with about $4 in materials and go for $20- $40. Clothes in general, except T-shirts, are a tough sell. And T-shirts are not selling as well as they did. They also get heavy fast because you need a selection of sizes and styles.
Unique is relative and fleeting. If you have some thing different and others see that it sells well, they'll have it next week. If you bought it- so can someone else. If you made it; they'll copy it and might well improve on "your" idea. It's reality; just accept it. I've seen some on various forums conceal their secret brilliant ideas. They buy themselves a couple of weeks IF it sells. It's more likely that someone who has seen something similar fail could have warned them.
Buying habits don't really make the move to different areas either. In northern states, blacks and hispanics make up well over half of my customers. I don't even bother with "Ozzie and Harriet" markets anymore. South of TN, my customer base changed. I'm still getting some ethnic traffic, but only 20-30% total. Vendor demographics look about the same. But here there's a much greater preference among customers to deal with vendors of their own race. Many of the products I purchased to appeal to the ethnic market just sit there. Customers still look, smile, and pick them up but don't buy often enough. I hope my shipment that arrives on Tuesday is heavy on "Leave It To Beaver" land!
Sorry I can't be of real help. I've just never been where you intend to sell.
fleamarketeer
nightsky said
09:30 PM Jan 27, 2013
Hina wrote:
Ebay has been easy for me so far with the jewelry, and I have discovered on wholesaler with some really unique stuff, who also has a website for direct sales. I've been looking on Alibaba.com also for stuff other than jewelry, but not sure what. Any suggestions on stuff that sells? I was thinking maybe unique baby clothes and toys, and dog sweaters and toys.
I was looking through a magazine while waiting for the truck to be serviced last week, and read that Americans spent $310 million on Halloween costumes for their pets! That really surprised me. It would be seasonal for sure, but maybe it's an idea?
Hina said
10:27 PM Jan 27, 2013
Nightsky, good idea! Children's and pet costumes should be discounted at this time of year, so perhaps I will look. Little girls and tutus is always a win-win.
Locally, I've been to the Sebastopol flea market, and White people sell old garage junk, and Mexicans sell new plastic junk. The lines never seem crossed, as far as what they sell.
I've been buying jewelry cuz it's small and portable, with a decent mark up. Dog sweaters are also small. Tutus are fluffy.... I did see a Chinese manufacturer that makes real feather dresses for little girls, as well as these sort of weird lace, tutu'esque jumpsuits.
Got some other ideas, like flags, but the problem, is cost, size and shipping.
Jane
fleamarketeer said
07:35 PM Jan 28, 2013
Jane,
Nightsky's post reminded me of an article a couple of years ago claiming Halloween was second only to Christmas in money spent on decorations. It was in a newsprint "magazine" called "Midwest Merchandiser". They also have "East Coast" and "Western" Versions. These are given away at many flea markets. I do read it when I pick one up and it is well written in a professional manner.
They also have a free group called "Provendor", "The Professional Vendors Association". I know one vendor who joined and she's a little ticked at them. It's an "association" just like Camping World's "Presidents Club" is really a "club". They use Provendor to collect information for and to benefit their real customers- the wholesalers who advertise in their magazine. In other words for $XX more they send a "alert" to Provendor members about a wholesaler's super duper sale. I think there's some quantity of spam involved but it might be worth it.
It's not a ripoff. The wholesalers are as legitimate as any others. The articles ARE usually related to one of the advertisers and likely paid for.
I just didn't think of it before. I prefer personal recommendations to find wholesalers. And I have a strong preference for being able to see a live person, maybe even the owner, face to face and shake hands (and of course mooch a cup of coffee).
fleamarketeer
-- Edited by fleamarketeer on Monday 28th of January 2013 07:39:53 PM
Edit by moderator: Activated links. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 28th of January 2013 10:13:00 PM
Just want some opinions from the Rally old timers.
I'm sort of an organic health foody myself, and I'm personally a little concerned about getting good food and supplements on the road. So, I was thinking, maybe I could get a wholesale account from a vitamin company, maybe get some wholesale dried organic fruits and veggies, for myself, and maybe to sell at rallies and flea markets, etc.
What do you think?
Jane
Jane,
I'm not sure what kind of "rally" you mean but I've never seen that type of thing at flea markets. I've seen cases of close date and out of date vitamins- a buck a bottle. There are also those that come out of banana boxes for about the same price. The products in banana boxes might be dated OK but are shelf pulls or dirty/damaged some how. So none of it is high end but it sells OK. It does get heavy.
I happened to talk to another vendor last night who has occasionally seen that type of thing set up indoors at markets. I would suggest you find out how much the product weighs, figure how large of a selection you would need and see how it works out with your RV's GVW. Make sure you can carry enough product to be profitble. Shipping can get expensive.
I like to move around a lot so resupply is tricky sometimes. I'll be in Lafayette, LA until Tuesday whether I want to be here or not waiting on a jewelry shipment at the UPS store. There was at least one CA jewelry wholesaler who required a vendor's license/permit from the state you're in before they ship there. I don't know it was a CA specific rule or just the policy of that vendor. It would be something to check though.
Your rallys might be different. The only ones that I've done are car rallys. Those folks bring their old cars, stand around scratch themselves and talk. They usually just buy food, tools, and car stuff.
Once in a while I have seen folks trying to sell diet or weight loss products. They give up fast. The crowd wants a deep fat fried twinkie or a corn dog not a $20 weight loss powder.
fleamarketeer
I did watch a Watkins (spice and supplements) booth at Quartzite one year. They were setup across the way from us. They seemed to do OK...not real busy but would have people stop by for the samples and some would buy.
If you include a demonstration, you will increase sales (ex; Ginsu Knives, Slicer Dicer) to demonstrate the benefits of a couple of the supplements...more energy, glowing smooth skin, stronger fingernails...etc. It works for snake oil.
I was kinda thinking that, but just thinking of ways to both take care of myself, and earn a little cash.
Fleamarketer, when you say CA, is that California or Canada? California can be crazy with the taxes, one reason why I want to leave. I've been buying a little at a time on eBay, "wholesale lots, free shipping". That's mostly jewelry, a lot averages maybe 20 pieces, average about $1.25 per piece, probably will sell for $5-$10-$15. No one ever asks for any sort of license. A lot of it ships from China, I prefer not to buy from China, but if you do, they actually ship pretty fast, like 7-10 days. So far, I have about 500 pieces, and it's in the back of the SUV. Not sure how much I'll need, I keep buying as I have an extra $100 or so.
I'm looking for other ideas for stuff to sell, eBay mostly has wholesale jewelry.
Jane,
Sorry, I meant California. This was couple of years ago. The company had a better than average quality magnetic bracelet/necklace for a reasonable price. Reasonable means half of what I could get it for elsewhere. I went together with another vendor for better pricing and they started getting wierd about shipping to other states.
Pricing is difficult but you seem about right if you stay toward the higher figures. One problem is you'll find you often need to offer $10 each or 2 for $15/$16/$18 to increase your gross. There just aren't going to be enough sales if customers only buy one so you offer an incentive to buy more. There are only so many customers interested in jewelry at a given market. And there are a lot of vendors selling it. And often you won't get what you think it's worth. Like others, if I can't retail it for a reasonable profit, I wholesale it to another vendor who might have better luck. Then I turn the money, and my slight profit, into different stock.
Ebay is not my friend. I prefer straight from China purchases if I'm going that route. My favorites are still auctions, other vendors, and in person wholesale.
fleamarketeer
Having something other than jewelry is a good idea. When you finally run into a Dollar Jewelry Vendor, you still need to make rent. The only things that sell well everywhere are guns and junk. Junk is too heavy and guns are often banned at markets or maybe even illegal for nonresidents without an FFL to sell. I don't keep track of gun laws.
There's no way to tell what might sell in a given area of the country. I bought a dozen bracelets each with seven Fleur de lis charms. I stripped them for the charms but don't remember selling one until I hit LA. Here I made them into earrings and necklaces. I'm running out. Necklaces with crosses are also doing better here. I stay away from logo'ed items because I'm not positve what's counterfit and what's not, but team items do well locally. For what it's worth, yesterday at Jockey Lot in Lafatette, LA there was a bust for some sort of electronics knockoffs. Police left with trailer full of stuff.
Dog stuff usually does well at the markets where I've sold. That's why there is at least one vendor taking 2 or 3 spaces with a box truck selling it at every larger market. They even do well at markets where dogs are not allowed. You can't compete on variety or price but there are often small booths selling home made dog treats. I've never been close enough to one of those to see how they did. I've seen hand knitted dog sweaters for sale too. I got half a dozen dog sweaters from a storage unit and they sold very fast for about half of retail.
Baby clothes?? I've started seeing little girls tu-tus in Louisana and they sold pretty well at Bonnie and Clyde. They're handmade with about $4 in materials and go for $20- $40. Clothes in general, except T-shirts, are a tough sell. And T-shirts are not selling as well as they did. They also get heavy fast because you need a selection of sizes and styles.
Unique is relative and fleeting. If you have some thing different and others see that it sells well, they'll have it next week. If you bought it- so can someone else. If you made it; they'll copy it and might well improve on "your" idea. It's reality; just accept it. I've seen some on various forums conceal their secret brilliant ideas. They buy themselves a couple of weeks IF it sells. It's more likely that someone who has seen something similar fail could have warned them.
Buying habits don't really make the move to different areas either. In northern states, blacks and hispanics make up well over half of my customers. I don't even bother with "Ozzie and Harriet" markets anymore. South of TN, my customer base changed. I'm still getting some ethnic traffic, but only 20-30% total. Vendor demographics look about the same. But here there's a much greater preference among customers to deal with vendors of their own race. Many of the products I purchased to appeal to the ethnic market just sit there. Customers still look, smile, and pick them up but don't buy often enough. I hope my shipment that arrives on Tuesday is heavy on "Leave It To Beaver" land!
Sorry I can't be of real help. I've just never been where you intend to sell.
fleamarketeer
I was looking through a magazine while waiting for the truck to be serviced last week, and read that Americans spent $310 million on Halloween costumes for their pets! That really surprised me. It would be seasonal for sure, but maybe it's an idea?
Nightsky, good idea! Children's and pet costumes should be discounted at this time of year, so perhaps I will look. Little girls and tutus is always a win-win.
Locally, I've been to the Sebastopol flea market, and White people sell old garage junk, and Mexicans sell new plastic junk. The lines never seem crossed, as far as what they sell.
I've been buying jewelry cuz it's small and portable, with a decent mark up. Dog sweaters are also small. Tutus are fluffy.... I did see a Chinese manufacturer that makes real feather dresses for little girls, as well as these sort of weird lace, tutu'esque jumpsuits.
Got some other ideas, like flags, but the problem, is cost, size and shipping.
Jane
Jane,
Nightsky's post reminded me of an article a couple of years ago claiming Halloween was second only to Christmas in money spent on decorations. It was in a newsprint "magazine" called "Midwest Merchandiser". They also have "East Coast" and "Western" Versions. These are given away at many flea markets. I do read it when I pick one up and it is well written in a professional manner.
The parent website is : http://fleamarketzone.com/
There are four more sites associated with it and all seem to be owned by Sumner Communications, Inc.
http://www.wholesalecentral.com/
http://www.closeoutcentral.com/
http://www.independentretailer.com/
http://www.webwholesalermagazine.com/
They also have a free group called "Provendor", "The Professional Vendors Association". I know one vendor who joined and she's a little ticked at them. It's an "association" just like Camping World's "Presidents Club" is really a "club". They use Provendor to collect information for and to benefit their real customers- the wholesalers who advertise in their magazine. In other words for $XX more they send a "alert" to Provendor members about a wholesaler's super duper sale. I think there's some quantity of spam involved but it might be worth it.
http://fleamarketzone.com/provendor/
It's not a ripoff. The wholesalers are as legitimate as any others. The articles ARE usually related to one of the advertisers and likely paid for.
I just didn't think of it before. I prefer personal recommendations to find wholesalers. And I have a strong preference for being able to see a live person, maybe even the owner, face to face and shake hands (and of course mooch a cup of coffee).
fleamarketeer
-- Edited by fleamarketeer on Monday 28th of January 2013 07:39:53 PM
Edit by moderator: Activated links. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 28th of January 2013 10:13:00 PM