The Flea Market- Always Good For a Bargain

There are two theories of the origin of the term Flea Market. The first comes from the observation that flea markets tend to be very crowded and the people -buyers and sellers equally- seem to be very active, just like fleas. The other theory claims the term comes from the fact that some of the items sold are infested with fleas because they switch owners often more than once. Either way a flea market is the type of market where all types of second-hand goods are sold. It can be indoors or outdoors. Most of the time you can get anything at a flea market from extravagant, antique, curious, weird, cute, etc.

Generally speaking flea markets are not very profit oriented. Often they are even charitable. For some it is an opportunity to get rid of old things that they didn’t have any use for anymore, others go there to find one of a kind items at a bargain price. The mere rush of bargaining about a price and winning the battle is sufficient motivation for some to go to a flea market. When I was a kid I used to sell my old stuff at this children’s flea market and I always ended up spending the majority of my hard-earned money on something that I found there.

The special thing about items sold at a flea market is their value. I am not talking about money here because flea markets are known for cheap prices but personal or emotional value. Everything you can get there belonged to someone else before and maybe at some point it meant something to them so everything comes with a little story. All the vintage lovers out there love to shop at flea markets and second hand shops. And that’s exactly where the “marketing strategy” lies: The better the story the more money you can demand for this item. And it gives the buyer the feeling that he just purchased something really special to a really good price. To summarize it all a flea market provides good material for some funny or interesting stories.

Germany’s capital Berlin has tons of flea markets in every neighbourhood that are definitely worthy of checking out. If you are not interested in buying anything take a stroll through the flea market to check out the cozy atmosphere and later continue on to some real shopping at the KaDeWe. To save some on the accommodation rent Apartments in Berlin and discover the city.