Where can you find antique Pez dispensers, hot vintage heels and (finally!) the perfect lamp to match your weirdly patterned bedspread — all on sale for just a few bucks?

I’ll give you a hint: It’s not Walmart. At least, not my Walmart. (And if yours fits the bill… would you let me know where you live?)

No, it’s your favorite online flea market.

A New Way to Browse: Online Flea Markets

Not only are regular flea markets wacky and wonderful, but their goods are usually pre-owned, pre-loved and dirt cheap. In short, they’re a Penny Hoarder’s dream.

But it’s 2019. You turn to your laptop (or, let’s be real, your smartphone) for everything from takeout to taxi rides to a date for Friday night. 

So it’s no surprise there’s a whole world of online flea market shopping out there. And it’s just as quirky and addictive as the real thing — especially since you can see it all with just a few clicks. 

 

Of course, a few of these flea market sites are industry giants you almost certainly already know about. 

There’s eBay, which is nearly 25 years old. (I know!) Although it bills itself primarily as an online auction site, many of its listings are available for immediate sale — and it seems you can find just about anything you might desire.

And there’s Etsy, which is sort of like eBay’s quiet, artsy little sister who wears a lot of black eyeliner while weaving flower crowns. You probably already know that Etsy specializes in homemade, handmade goodies, but it’s also a treasure trove for lovers of all things vintage. 

In fact, Etsy has a whole category devoted to vintage items from games and toys to clothing — and it’s well-organized enough that you can specifically browse bolo ties, fedoras or marbles.

Sites like Amazon and Craigslist also play a part in the game, connecting buyers to individual sellers in their area or abroad.

But if you really want to get your hands dirty and score some killer (read: very weird) online flea market finds, you’ll have to look beyond the big guys.

5 Online Flea Markets You Might Not Have Heard of Yet

We checked out a variety of smaller online flea markets and compared inventory, prices and user experience to help you find the best deals at the digital folding table. 

Here’s what we found out.

1. Fleabay

A bit like a cross between Craigslist and eBay, Fleabay (a .net domain!) lists items from all over the world — and includes categories as diverse as rental properties and ride shares. There’s even a free stuff section. 

The list of prohibited items includes wine, credit cards and “human parts and remains.” Used airbags are merely “questionable,” though.

Fleabay’s listings feature little more than an item description, location, the seller’s information and an expiration date. Shipping or local pickup is arranged on a per-listing basis, and you reach out to the poster directly. 

The most frustrating thing? A number of the categories were empty of listings — but there’s no way to tell that without clicking through. There’s also no baked-in way to make an offer on an item; if you’re interested, you’ll have to fill in an online contact form.

2. vFlea 

Compared to other online flea markets, vFlea feels the closest to actually thumbing through junk until you find a treasure — before leaning across the table to make a bid. The interface is also a touch more polished.

Each listing’s thumbnail specifies whether items are shippable or for local pickup only and also includes an asking price. The platform has built-in “buy now” and “haggle” options, and even an opportunity to “barter” with goods of your own. 

Items are organized by tags as well as categories, creating better searchability and organization. The site populates the number of listings currently available in each category in parentheses, so no mysteries there.

Finally, vFlea still has some weird stuff available, although it draws the line at community events. For instance, you could make an offer on this hilltop timeshare in Indiana, which apparently can be shipped or picked up locally. The asking price is $21,000.  

3. Bonanza

Although Bonanza has a very similar interface to eBay, it doesn’t offer bidding or bartering options. 

It does, however, list categories for everything from home goods to collectibles, including coins and paper money. 

And there’s also a wonderful category called “Everything Else,” with subsections like “Metaphysical” (which features a $330 haunted bracelet) and “Weird Stuff” (hey, this is perfect for Halloween!) 

There’s even a “Vintage” section under fashion so you can easily shop for those precious duds from another era.

4. Srchie

Love the hunt for bargains but not so much the web surfing? Srchie does the work for you, scanning — or searching, get it? — online flea markets across the web, including eBay, Amazon and Goodwill. 

Narrow your search by categories like Vintage, Furniture and Books — including first editions — and the site will display externally linked images to the sellers’ sites. You can identify who’s selling by the logo in the top left corner and find the price and the posting date at the bottom of the image before clicking through to the seller’s site. 

It’s a convenient way to browse the marketplace and compare prices without opening 4,287 tabs.

 

FROM THE SAVE MONEY FORUM What to buy (and not buy) from Fourth of July Sales 2019 6/27/19 @ 1:00 PM M Do drive-in movie theaters save you money? 7/1/19 @ 7:38 PM Airfare 6/24/19 @ 5:19 PM SAVING MONEY ON A FIXED INCOME 6/7/19 @ 1:31 PM See more in Save Money or ask a money question

 

5. Poshmark 

Although it’s not exactly an online flea market, per se, Poshmark allows you to make the seller a custom offer — just like at a flea market table! It offers a wide variety of fashion and home accessories, as well as themed parties for buying and selling your stuff.

Like most online consignment shops, Poshmark require you to log in to browse their goods, but they’re free to browse and generally feature low shipping costs. 

Digital secondhand shops like ThredUp have a lot to offer if you’re looking for fashionable items on the cheap. You can buy (and sell!) gently used, high-quality, brand-name clothes and accessories for a fraction of the price you’d find in stores or online.

Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a freelance writer. Staff writer/editor Tiffany Wendeln Connors contributed to this post.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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So you’’re in the early phases of introducing a small company. You’ve got an excellent services or product and acquired financing to get the business off the ground, however what about marketing? Do individuals understand your company will be opening quickly?

Getting seen is among the most significant difficulties dealing with brand-new small company owners. There are various methods to market your organisation, such as utilizing web advertisements, social networks pages, material marketing, in-person networking and more.

Some approaches might be more efficient than others, depending upon your market. 2 locations all services require to stand out in are internet-based marketing and in-person networking.

We’’ ve assembled a list of small company marketing ideas, methods and concepts that will assist get your company observed in the past, throughout and after opening.

.13 Small Business Marketing Tips, Strategies and concepts.

Below is a breakdown of various ideas, techniques and techniques on small company marketing. When you must think about executing them throughout pre-launch or in the early days of your company, these concepts and suggestions are ranked based on.

.1. Produce a Marketing Budget.

For small companies running on a small spending plan, it can be appealing to conserve loan by not setting aside funds for marketing. If your marketing technique is to rely on word of mouth to promote your company, you’’ re in for an impolite awakening.

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Josh Rubin, CEO of Post Modern Marketing, informs small company owners they need to develop a marketing budget plan, and the worth of that spending plan can’’ t be a quantity that will break the business if it doesn’’ t produce instant outcomes.

In the early days, you’’ re going to be hanging out identifying your business’’ s identity and determining what messaging gets in touch with brand-new clients. Be gotten ready for a great deal of experimentation. ““ So set a spending plan that you ’ re happy to lose,” ” Rubin states.

. 2. Secure Your Company Name.

You have a concept of what to call your small company and believe it will get in touch with your target market, however is that name readily available online?

““ I see a great deal of entrepreneur that think about the name of their business however then wear ’ t consider scheduling a URL with [that name],” ” states Sherry Bonelli, owner of Early Bird Digital Marketing. She is likewise a small company coach with Score, a volunteer group supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration that links entrepreneur with coaches from comparable fields.

Having a site address that matches your business name is very important, as individuals are doing more service online. It may be tough for prospective consumers to discover your site if they put on’’ t match.

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Once you have a company name in mind, go to a domain registrar, such as GoDaddy or Google Domains , or Smart Choice Domains to see if the web address is readily available. Rates begin at $12 each year to schedule a domain utilizing Google Domains.

.3. Develop a Logo and Brand.

If you wish to be taken seriously as a company, you’’ re going to require to look the part. It may be appealing to develop a generic logo design and utilize a site design template or stock images when introducing, however that isn’’ t always excellent in the long run.

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“ I believe lots of small company owners stint this action, which’’ s a huge error due to the fact that if you wear’’ t appear like a genuine business, customers and consumers are not going to trust you,” ” Bonelli states. Freelance sites such as Fiverr , Upwork and 99designs link entrepreneur with graphic designers who can produce a customized logo design, color combination, service cards and general style for your service. This can cost anywhere in between $300 and $500.

.4. Develop a User-Friendly Website.

Once you have your logo design all set, it’’ s time to construct your site.

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The method individuals browse online has actually developed lots of modifications to site style. Having a website that looks great on tablets and mobile phones is more essential than ever.

Website home builders like WordPress.com , Squarespace and Wix , included mobile-friendly functions. They provide numerous design templates, modification choices and assistance for a month-to-month cost. Believe like a prospective customer when developing your website and make certain it has all the functions and details you’’d wish to see.

. 5. Make Your Website SEO Friendly.

Now that you’’ ve developed your site, you must make it as simple as possible for individuals to discover it when browsing the web. Seo, more typically called SEO, is the procedure of getting web traffic from online search engine outcomes. SEO plays a vital function in assisting little and regional companies get found online.

Several aspects figure out a site’’ s online search engine ranking. These consist of publishing well-written blog site pages that develop your subject reliability regularly and utilizing right keywords related to your organisation. For more information about finest SEO practices, have a look at totally free resources on websites such as Moz , Search Engine Land and Search Engine Journal .

If you’’ re preparation on opening a physical place such as a workplace, shop or dining establishment, wear’’ t forget to produce an organisation profile on Google My Business , a totally free organisation listing service, that supplies your vital information, such as a street address, telephone number, hours of operation and organisation description.

One of the main advantages of Google My Business is that it drives the ““ Map Pack ” on Google search results page, which might increase your exposure, in-store check outs or calls This service is just offered for regional organisations with a physical address, not internet-only business.

.6. Develop Social Media Pages

Now it’’ s time to produce social networks pages on platforms your audience utilizes. You can depend on utilizing the significant platforms —-- Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn —-- to promote company news and engage with your client base.

At all phases of your business’’ s life, you ought to likewise watch on what your rivals are making with their social networks platforms. ““ If a rival is utilizing Pinterest and it looks like they’’ re acquiring a great deal of engagement, then Pinterest may be a location you wish to go,” ” states Kim Randall, owner of KiMedia Strategies, a small company marketing company.

.7. Discover Free or Low-Cost Business Services.

Money is going to be tight in the early days of beginning your small company, so it assists to utilize affordable or complimentary services to assist your marketing. Below is a list of programs that can assist you conserve cash running your organisation.

Buffer is a social networks tool that enables users to arrange posts beforehand or publish the exact same material to various platforms at the same time. It has actually complimentary and paid variations, beginning at $15 each month. Google Alerts are complimentary and will assist you stay up to date with what individuals are stating online about your service or stay up to date with particular keywords. KeywordTool.io is a complimentary service that permits entrepreneur to do keyword research study for their site and advertisements. Apps such as Grammarly and the Hemingway Editor can be beneficial when composing blog sites or material on your site. These will assist you compose more succinctly and capture grammatical mistakes. Grammarly has a totally free variation and a premium variation that consists of functions such as a plagiarism detector, vocabulary improvement and genre-specific writing-style tips. When paid yearly), the premium variations costs $29.95 per month (or a reduced rate of $139.95. 8. Purchase Online Ads.

Once your organisation has actually opened, it’’ s time to begin marketing. Google Ads , which appear when you browse on Google, is an apparent location to begin due to the fact that of the online search engine ’ s appeal. According to’Google, organisations normally make approximately$ 2 in earnings for every single $1 they invest in Google Ads.

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Bonelli states the issue with Google Ads for brand-new small-business owners is that it can be costly. To make it reliable, she states to include your advertisement the details that users look for when they browse on Google.

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For example, if somebody is looking for “ wedding event dress changes, ” the websites your advertisement sends out users to should highlight that your company concentrates on wedding event dress modifications.

. 9. Establish Email Marketing.

People who register to your e-mail marketing programtend to be the most engaged members of your audience. These members usually learn more short articles after opening the e-mail and are most likely to purchase your services or items. That ’ s why it ’ s essential to offer material and details your audience appreciates in every e-mail blast you send out.

. If you ’ re mailing out to a random [#ppppp> “ e-mail membership] list you didn ’ t construct, that ’ s where you ’ re not going to work. If you send by mail out details that individuals are interested in, that ’ s where it ’ s truly reliable, ” Bonelli states.

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Include a button on your’site that permits individuals to register for your e-mail projects. A complimentary variation of MailChimp can assist develop your e-mail list-- it permits you to send out up to 12,000 e-mails a month to approximately 2,000 customers. The paid variation enables you to send out an unrestricted variety of e-mails to an endless variety of customers. The expense of the subscription increases based upon the variety of customers.

. 10. Craft an Elevator Pitch.

Before you begin going to and fulfilling prospective clients networking occasions, do you have your elevatorpitch all set? An elevator pitch is a speech lasing 30 to 45 seconds that informs the listener who you are, what you do and how your service will be much better than the competitors. With some practice, it might cause a prospective client. Discover more on how to establish a terrific elevator pitch .

. 11. End up being a ‘ Thought Leader ” in Your Field

When your company is off the ground, consider developing yourself as an idea leader. A “ believed leader ” is a marketing term for an acknowledged authority in a field who is demanded as a specialist.

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Every entrepreneur is an idea leader without understanding it yet; there is a factor you began your organisation, so let individuals understand what you understand. If you ’ re a professional photographer, compose blog sites providing ideas and techniques on how to take much better iPhone pictures or recommend “ 3 things to look for in a wedding event professional photographer. ”

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Randall utilized this method in the early days of social networks marketing. “ When I provided my ideas, pointers”and whatever else away and ended up being a believed leader within the social networks area, I got a lot more customers, ” she states.

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Early on when individuals are not yet visiting your website, think about ending up being a visitor factor on another developed site in your field so you can promote your understanding on the topic and point individuals in the instructions of your site to read more.

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Another method to end up being an acknowledged professional is by satisfying your target market. Meetup.com is a fantastic method to discover regional groups who have an interest in subjects associated with your service. If you run a knitting or sewing shop, you may look to see whether any knitting or sewing occasions are occurring in your location and deal to offer a complimentary presentation.

. 12. Get Involved With Your Chamber of Commerce.

Not all marketing is done online. Gettingincluded with your regional Chamber of Commerce will allow you to fulfill fellow entrepreneur throughout in-person networking occasions and other chamber functions. Gradually, you ’ ll broaden your expert network and have the ability to use their resources’.

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Rubin states his Chamber assisted his business get included on a regional news section. They ’ ll do the very same when you have a huge occasion or job when you begin to support other companies.

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“ All it takes is your time’and your energy, ” he states.

. 13.Discover a Business Mentor and Continue Learning.

As a brand-new small company owner or business owner, it ’ s never ever a bad thing to look for assistance from individuals who have actually remained in your shoes. There are both nationwide and regional nonprofits dedicated to assisting company owner.

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Score uses their mentoring service complimentary of charge. Rubin, a Score volunteer, states if you wish to know more about marketing, Score can link you with retired marketing executives or other educated individuals who can assist you grow your service.

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“ I ’ ll yell their applauds from every roof due to the fact that everybody constantly believes that you need to spend for this sort of company assistance, and’it ’ s out there free of charge, ” he states.

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As you figure and advance out what marketing product gets in touch with your audience,” put on ’ t stopfinding out brand-new things. Since methods that work now will marketing and alter trends come and go, little organisation marketing is a subject that is challenging to master.

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Luckily, there are a great deal of complimentary article, courses and resources out there to teach company owner about SEO, social networks marketing, web marketing and more.

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You can register for a enormous open online course ( MOOCs), stay up to date with the SEO websites noted above or follow marketing specialists you appreciate on LinkedIn or other social networks.

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“ There ’ s a lot info out there now that if company owner invest an hour a night simply browsing the web and mentor’themselves how to do small company marketing, they ’ ll succeed at it, ” Bonelli states.

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Matt Reinstetle is a personnel author at The Penny Hoarder.

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’This was initially released on The Penny Hoarder , which assists countless&readers worldwide conserve and make loan by sharing special task chances, individual stories, giveaways and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing personal media business in the U.S. in 2017.

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