24 replies to this topic

[ChristianG]

Do Americans have bootsales? If not, why not?

There is a farm near me, right next to a main road and he has hundreds of people doing thier yard sale in his field for $15 each, then he charges everyone who comes in to buy things $0.50 each to come in.

All you need to find is a pasture field next to a highway with decent access tracks and then advertise for a mass multi yardsale. I reckon you'd make a killing once it got going.

This should give you the jist of what it looks like, yes go on you can laugh at our small cars LOL

[jkaris]

Yep!

Over here, we call them "Flea Markets" or "Swap Meets".

Here is the closest one to me, here in Sac.
http://www.denios.org/

[ChristianG]

Oh right you do, cool. Its just I haven't really seen many people show what they have rescued from the fleamarkets. I find something every week, I thought it'd be the same over the pond.

Thanks for the reply Jkaris

Edited by ChristianG, 16 June 2011 - 11:39 AM.

[Ericnilla]

yeah, i go to a few here. They are usually held in big parking lots... like Kobey's at the San diego sports arena - http://www.kobeyswap.com/

A lot of people use them for their business's, so you get people selling new clothes, jewelry or wares. Mostly mexicans and asians that can't afford their own shops.

but there are alot of people selling stuff from their storage and garage, those are the best. but i havent gone in months because i havent found anything good in ages. every now and then i find a muscle or bb, but i usually dont pick them up unless im getting a good deal on them. people at these things usually over charge.

Edited by Ericnilla, 16 June 2011 - 12:14 PM.

[NamaNiku]

I have not been to a Swap Meet in ages... I am more of a Farmers Market kind of guy.

Would be fun to hit an overseas bootsale one day!

[Toxoviper]

I have never found anything worth buying at a Flea Market.
I haven’t even found something over priced I wanted.
Just straight junk.
Even when I found vintage toys they were beat to hell with the sellers wanting $$$$.
No thanks
For me EBay and online collector communities are the only way to go.

[Ericnilla]

i used to find great deal all the time...
over the years i've found
-a bag of battle beasts mint w/ weapons for $5
-about 120 muscles for $10 including satan cross
-nes (in box) with 40 games for $20
-box full of motu w/ castles for $15
-vintage legos boxed
-60+ gi joes and a huge bag of weapons for $20
-3 inhumanoids monsters for $5
plus alot of odds and ends, single buys and such.

...but this year there has been nothing. I really don't get it, because i used to leave with a couple things everytime, even if they weren't amazing finds. but i think i went almost 2 months without finding anything.

so i gave up. :/

might be time to check it out again.

[ChristianG]

When things run dry, go further afield!

[Ericnilla]

both i go to are over an hr away. they dont have any close. haha

[SMHM80]

In my immediate area (southern Indiana) there is a flea market that comes together every weekend, but they don't have much in the way of toys there. It's mostly just clothes and decorative items for your house. There are also two "peddler's malls" which are like flea markets but they stay open all week and the booth owners don't have to be there; there is a central checkout station that even takes credit cards.
The best one locally is across the river in Louisville, KY. That one only opens the last weekend of the month. They tend to have all the good collectibles and random vintage items.

[vader1974]

In my immediate area (southern Indiana) there is a flea market that comes together every weekend, but they don't have much in the way of toys there. It's mostly just clothes and decorative items for your house. There are also two "peddler's malls" which are like flea markets but they stay open all week and the booth owners don't have to be there; there is a central checkout station that even takes credit cards.
The best one locally is across the river in Louisville, KY. That one only opens the last weekend of the month. They tend to have all the good collectibles and random vintage items.

Hey SMHM80, wasn't sure how far you'd travel for fresh hunting grounds but there are two flea markets north of Cincinnati literally across I75 from eachother. If you've been or heard of them never mind, but if you havent they are called PirateCove & TradersWorld in a small town called Monroe. I have not been since December, so I can't atest for what they have to offer these days in the world of toys.

[SMHM80]

Hey SMHM80, wasn't sure how far you'd travel for fresh hunting grounds but there are two flea markets north of Cincinnati literally across I75 from eachother. If you've been or heard of them never mind, but if you havent they are called PirateCove & TradersWorld in a small town called Monroe. I have not been since December, so I can't atest for what they have to offer these days in the world of toys.

Monroe is somewhere around a 2-3 hour drive from me. That's not too far to drive out one weekend for some bargain hunting I suppose.
I may have to go check it out. Thanks for the heads-up.

[cassel87]

there are two pretty big flea markets an hour away in different directions that i frequent in nj. problem is, popculturism gets to both of them first and buys everything good. he hits up all the garage sales too.

[Ericnilla]

early bird gets the worm. make it a point to get there earler.

[vader1974]

Monroe is somewhere around a 2-3 hour drive from me. That's not too far to drive out one weekend for some bargain hunting I suppose.
I may have to go check it out. Thanks for the heads-up.

I forgot to add that they are only open sat. & sun. 9-5. So a weekend excursion is just what would work for ya. Have fun.

[jkaris]

there are two pretty big flea markets an hour away in different directions that i frequent in nj. problem is, popculturism gets to both of them first and buys everything good. he hits up all the garage sales too.

Take him out drinking the night before. Let him get hammered so he sleeps in.

[clonewars]

When I go, most sellers have computers. They're always on ebay looking to see how much to charge for their items. I get better deals at yard sales.

[ChristianG]

So I see the U.S.A has its positives about being a collector and negatives.

I have 8 bootsales within 30 minutes drive of me. I have driven 2 hrs to a bootsale before.

[bobbydixon99]

8 Bootsales?!?!

Dunton (Sunday)
Stephensons Farm (Sunday)
Saddlers Farm (Saturday)
Lakeside (Sunday)
Lazybones (Saturday and Sunday)


What other boot sales are local?!

[ChristianG]

8 Bootsales?!?!

Dunton (Sunday)
Stephensons Farm (Sunday)
Saddlers Farm (Saturday)
Lakeside (Sunday)
Lazybones (Saturday and Sunday)


What other boot sales are local?!

haa haa hmmmm oh ok. I'll tell lol

lazybones leigh on sea station
lazybones brentwood station
theres a good one up near whale bone lane dagenham
boreham

That makes 9

Then there the mid week ones which I sneak off to now and then.

stephensons on thursday
pitsea on friday
vange on wednesday
marks tey on wednesday

[bobbydixon99]

haa haa hmmmm oh ok. I'll tell lol

lazybones leigh on sea station
lazybones brentwood station
theres a good one up near whale bone lane dagenham
boreham

That makes 9

Then there the mid week ones which I sneak off to now and then.

stephensons on thursday
pitsea on friday
vange on wednesday
marks tey on wednesday

Wow thanks! Never new about some of them! What days are the weekend ones on? I might try the Dagenham one. Do you have a postcode for it by any chance?

[ChristianG]

Wow thanks! Never new about some of them! What days are the weekend ones on? I might try the Dagenham one. Do you have a postcode for it by any chance?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=bootsale&sll=51.598094,0.142136&sspn=0.002926,0.006877&ie=UTF8&t=h&st=115703629269948245352&rq=1&ev=zi&split=1&radius=0.18&hq=bootsale&hnear=&ll=51.598514,0.142361&spn=0.002926,0.006877&z=17

[evil-orko]

so thats your hunting ground lol hour and a half drive from me just not worth the petrol

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=bootsale&sll=51.598094,0.142136&sspn=0.002926,0.006877&ie=UTF8&t=h&st=115703629269948245352&rq=1&ev=zi&split=1&radius=0.18&hq=bootsale&hnear=&ll=51.598514,0.142361&spn=0.002926,0.006877&z=17

[ChristianG]

so thats your hunting ground lol hour and a half drive from me just not worth the petrol

LOL **** orf my land....I have been tempted by the big one over your side, I know the car collectors mass over there. You must be an hour from it?

Problem is now the lurkers will know where I hunt.

Dear lurkers, please PM me with any finds you buy as they belong to me and I will kindly reimburse you the funds you spent.

Going to have to make a trip up suffolk I think.

[Biffard]

Speaking of Swap Meets in the USA. Not a great place to be