Flea markets booming

If you find old clothes, toys or small home appliances during your spring cleaning, don’t throw them away. Take them to a flea market.

Flea markets are gaining popularity in Korea, with several new ones popping up across the country in the last few years. They include the Songdo Good Market in Incheon and one in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.

Seoul has a variety of such second-hand markets that range from the city government-organized venue in Gwanghwamun to the night market in the trendy Platoon Kunsthalle in Nonhyun-dong.

This reporter participated as a seller at two major flea markets in Seoul ― the Ttukseom Beautiful Flea Market at Ttuksome Hangang Park and the Seocho Saturday Culture Flea Market next to the Sadang Station.

To sell at both the markets, people have to register at their websites and enter their names. Both hugely popular markets get more entries than the number of seats available, so the organizers choose sellers by lottery. They get cancelled when it is likely to rain.

The flea market hosted by the Seocho district office has allocated 15 seats for foreigners, who are more likely to win a space than Korean residents. The Beautiful Flea Market prioritizes children sellers for education purposes.

The two markets have very different character and atmosphere, and sellers should choose the one that suits their purpose of participating and the types of second-hand goods they want to sell.

The Ttukseom market is jointly organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Beautiful Store which Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon used to head. It is more strictly regulated than other flea markets with environment- and community-oriented rules aiming to keep it purely for non-commercial sellers.

Sellers at Ttukseom are allowed to bring up to 40 goods and must promise to donate 10 percent or more of their revenue. They cannot sell new, unused products, cosmetics, food, handicraft or fake goods. Those who try to sell the prohibited items, and resell what they bought within the market, will be kicked out.

While sellers lined up to get their tickets for seats, volunteers checked their bags and suitcases for any prohibited goods. It seemed they did not carefully count how many items were brought in by each seller.

In Seocho, regulations are loose and visitors will find many peddlers who make a living selling second-hand goods. This made non-commercial sellers like this reporter stand out, with visitors showing greater interest in them.

While the Seocho market does not allow the sale of new, unused goods, it does not limit the number of items. This reporter brought numerous USB cables, plugs and adapters, which all sold well for 500 or 1,000 won to middle-aged men.

Each market has pros and cons. At Seocho, you have more freedom as a seller, so you are likely to make more money. This reporter earned nearly 150,000 won at Seocho, compared to under 50,000 won made at Ttukseom.

Ttukoseom is a more family friendly venue that offers different experiences for children. While many visitors to Seocho appeared to be in their 40s and 50s, the crowd at Ttukseom was diverse with many families that came out to the Han River for picnics.

Selling at a flea market, in general, offers valuable lessons ― it takes a lot of effort to earn 1,000 won. Even if goods are second-hand and mostly priced under 2,000 won, customers carefully examine them for quality and ask lots of questions about them.

Here are a few tips for the Seoulites planning to be sellers.

Do not aim to make money at flea markets. You will appreciate the fact that you can make money out of a shirt you would throw away anyway, and that it found a new owner who needs it.

Give bargains to those who ask for them unless the demand is unreasonable. People tend to buy from sellers who have just arrived in order to find the best quality products. They also will pay the highest prices throughout the day. One customer wanted to pay 10,000 won for a pair of nearly new Converse Chuck Taylor All Star shoes this reporter hoped to sell for 12,000 won. We failed to strike a compromise, and the pair ended up unsold. By Kim Da-ye The korea times