Ahh, New York. The beautiful Appalachian Mountains to the North, the city that never sleeps to the South, and the glorious Hamptons to the East. This magnificent state hosts some of the greatest flea markets available, as well as being very swap meet friendly, and absolutely full of garage sales. New York can be both a picker’s paradise or a vendors honey hole. So grab your trailer full of merchandise or picking gloves and price guides, and follow as we go through some of my favorite flea markets in New York.
I would have to be a novice picker to not start with the big apple. New York City Flea Markets are some of the absolute heaviest trafficked flea markets in the state. Perfect for any vendor looking to find the right buyer for his high quality merchandise, or any picker looking for a diamond in the rough. My observations have shown that vendor’s rates tend to be a bit higher in New York City flea markets, but are well worth the extra traffic that you are guaranteed to get. I have hit some of these flea markets at various times through the year and have found collectable LP records to antique fishing reels. There are some real finds to be had, but the competition is generally very high. Be prepared to not be the only picker or reseller there. Everyone is looking for a deal, and trust me, if you arrive late they are going to be gone. Another one of my favorite things about picking the New York City flea markets is the easy access to appraisers, specialty shops, and re-seller stores on every corner. This makes your job of re-selling some of your found goods very easily. A skilled flea market picker could finish up their rounds on a Sunday by noon, racking in anywhere from a couple thousand dollars profit to a small fortune if you get lucky. I have personally found a few collectable baseball cards, and vintage sneakers, that I flipped for some serious profit. If you have the right resources, New York City is an excellent place to find vintage clothing as well. I’ve bought $300.00 jeans for literally pocket change, and bundles of large coats that I flipped for a sweet 1500 dollar profit. Once again though the competition is extremely high, and if you are not suited to picking in this type of environment, then New York City Flea Markets might not be for you.
Next, we have upstate New York. This giant region hosts some of the best antique and large sized items throughout the entire state. Large barn sales, garage sales, and estate sales are commonplace. The competition around here tends to be extremely low, and pickers can find merchandise for literally pennies. The downside to this area is obviously the large size of the region, and space between sales. Be ready to burn a lot of gas, but the rewards can be absolutely endless. A few flea markets are hosted each year, with one of my absolute favorites being the Stormville Flea Market. This giant flea market is hosted a few times a year, and is more of an entertainment than a money maker. Vendors can do extremely well here as the traffic is high, and buyers are willing to fork out some major cash. I have seen numerous 50 dollar collectables selling for double, sometimes triple. This obviously raises problems for the pickers. Profits are often sliced really thin due to the high prices, but there is a very large selection of wares. I generally opt to shop around elsewhere, but it is nice to get away from the cutthroat world of picking, and just spend a relaxing weekend checking out some of my favorite antiques. If I’m In the area for the weekend and I am in the mood to make a few bucks, I’ll often hit some garage sales on the way home. Sometimes a simple profit pays the gas bills, and is always worth your effort.
Lastly, we have one of my favorite stomping grounds in New York: Long Island. This unique picking experience is a nice mix of competition and distance between sales. I generally like to hit the garage sales and estate sales on Long Island in the numerous middle to high class areas, but I’ll hit a flea market when I’m in the mood. One of my favorites being the Bellmore Flea Market held on a few Sundays throughout the spring and fall. This flea market has extremely low vendors fees and leaves some great room for profit. Vendors here always seem to do well on a sunny weekend, and pickers often get some great deals as well due to the low fees. Sometimes while picking Long Island you’ll get lucky and see an Ad for a garage sale in a high class area, specifically the Hamptons. These sales are always on my list as the tend to host some seriously high quality wares. Sellers are often hosting these sales for entertainment and often are willing to get rid of their valuable collectables and antiques for cheap without even knowing it. I’ve hit numerous sales in the Hamptons and to my surprise found obvious oak furniture, and collectables on the cheap. Even at 1 or 2 PM in the afternoon! Can anyone say Craigslist? That oak furniture can see some nice profit within 24-48 hours.
Hopefully this article gets you off your butt and out picking, or maybe loading your car at 4am to hit the flea markets to get a nice spot. New York can be an absolute picker’s paradise, and vendors often make a buck too. Just watch out for those crazy New Yorkers, they’ll often lowball you or run you outta’ town for throwing out a bad offer.
