My First Flea Market Adventure

[nightowljrm]

So... I decided to take a little adventure today. There's a monthly flea market at the fairgrounds here during the weekend of the last Saturday of every month excluding December. Having a pretty decent lot of birthday money, I decided to venture out.

Note: I had only heard of flea markets before and knew they sold secondhand goods. I didn't know anything before hand, so if some comment seems completely ignorant... it is. Be gentle.  

I was a bit discouraged at first because almost everything was antique furniture, gas station signs, and other various random antiques that typically old people like. Then, on the other side, there was jewelry, those random import-style goods that one random Indian or Chinese person runs, some food stands, and lots of coin-collection vendors. Then, there was the ripoff "100-NES-games-in-1" TV plug-and-play systems that are absolute garbage as well as a few other ripoff vendors. I was getting a bit discouraged, so I was like, "If nothing's in this last building, I'm leaving". As I walked toward the back I saw this one stand with a giant Mario Kart DS GameStop sign (y'know, the cardboard cutouts that go outside or in the corner of the store?) so I was intrigued and went over there. He had a box of some vintage games, not many, but I was able to pick through the lot and find some games that were both fun and a little bit more valuable than most. This is what I bought:

1. Tecmo Bowl w/ manual and dust cover. Mint condition.
2. MC Kids. Also purchased with the dust cover and in mint condition.
3. Ikari Warriors - This one excited me. It was CIB. http://www.ebay.com/itm/IKARI-WARRIORS-1-NEAR-MINT-NES-NINTENDO-COMPLETE-/350489639223?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item519acf7937#ht_500wt_1287 Kinda steep on eBay. In very good condition..
4. Sky Shark - Another CIB game. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sky-Shark-Classic-Nintendo-NES-Game-Complete-CIB-NM-/120542492596?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item1c10e477b4#ht_1395wt_1037 Again, click here to see what BIN's are going for on eBay. Not a totally fair price, but still.

(Yeah, I know BIN's are ripoffs, but people still buy from them...)

So those are the things I bought. I picked those out of the lot and offered him $10... and he accepted.

So my first day at a flea market was a success. It's also going on Saturday and Sunday, but I probably won't be going. It was stinky, musty, and full of old people. It's neat to look around at if you appreciate antique and vintage furniture, houseware, and signs (among some other things), but definitely something I'll only go to once a month.

[desocietas]

Yeah, I went to my first flea market (first as an adult, not as a bratty kid who didn't understand why anyone would want to buy old stuff) a few weeks ago, and there were definitely some items of intrigue.  Nothing for me, but I realized it's something I should check out occasionally.  It's also something that you need to be in the mood for.  Like thrift store shopping for clothes... gotta be open to anything and ready to look at a lot of stuff in a short span of time.

Good going on the success of the first flea market!

[darko]

I've been about 5 times to one close to me. I've found some good items, but 3 out of the 5 times I've been I've left empty handed. My friend who found the proto carts found them at a flea market though. It's always a gamble!

[foxhack]

I've found prototype games and hardware at the two flea markets that I make a living from. It's really a huge gamble.

[nightowljrm]

@foxhack Man, I wish I could get that lucky. That's insane. Belated congratz.

[foxhack]

@foxhack Man, I wish I could get that lucky. That's insane. Belated congratz.

Considering I sold half the stuff I've found... :p which is:

A collection of prerelease, and beta 3DO software, as well as source code and tools (sold to a dumping group who still hasn't released the stuff);
An unfortunately dead NES proto cart;
A prerelease Bandai / Apple Pippin system (probably an FCC test unit according to the labels) with a memory card;
An NBA Live 95 or 96 Genesis proto cart (I still have this, the game runs but crashes);
A super early Fantastic Four PS2 alpha CD-R (with Activision branding, I still have this);
And a copy of Daytona USA (Dreamcast) on GD-R media. I think. I tested the disc on my Dreamcast and IT KILLED IT.

[willy3d]

Back before I decided to become serious about collecting, there were lots of traditional flea markets in my area. (Note: I define "traditional" flea markets as open areas that let everyday folks sell their old stuff.)  I used to see people selling old-school carts for cheap.  Nowadays the flea markets here are premade storefronts, and the bays selling games try to gouge prices.  $20 for Super Mario 64???  Really???

Still, a couple of traditional flea markets still pop up, and I can occasionally find good deals.  I found a Genesis with no controllers for $5 and some N64 games (including Super Smash Brothers!!!) for $5 each.

Seeing as the flea markets in South Florida are anemic at best, I have planned an excursion to the Palm Beach and Tampa areas, where the pickings are rumored to be better.  I'll let y'all know what I find!

[nightowljrm]

Sounds good!! I'm definitely interested in hearing what your results are.