Have you ever wondered whether there’s something very valuable sitting around your house, and you don’t even know it? A woman in England bought what she thought was a costume jewelry ring 30 years ago, and wore it all the time. It turned out to be a 26-carat diamond, which is expected to sell for up to $454,000 at auction this summer. [More]
flea markets
10 Tips For Getting Rid Of The Junk In Your Life
By 6.8.14
Whether you’ve already done your spring cleaning or you’re still avoiding it, your home probably has lots of stuff you don’t need anymore — Junk. Stuff. Crapola. Where to get started separating the keepers from the junk? [More]
Scrap Metal Dealer Finds Rare Russian Imperial Faberge Easter Egg At A Flea Market
By 3.20.14
While you don’t have to deal in metals to know that if something glitters, it just might be gold, a scrap metal dealer with an eye for valuable stuff picked up something at a flea market that turned out to be worth even more than he could’ve hoped for. That’s because it was one of eight missing Russian Imperial Faberge eggs. [More]
Woman May Have Scored Renoir Painting For $60 In Lucky Flea Market Find
By 9.10.12
There’s always that hope among flea market shoppers and garage sale pickers — maybe I’ll get a really lucky score today and uncover something priceless no one else has noticed. Most of the time that feeling peters out when walking away with a gently used coffee maker, but one woman reportedly scored a painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir for a paltry $60 at a flea market. [More]
Louisiana Outlaws Cash For Trading Used Goods More Than Once A Month
By 10.19.11
In order to combat the rising threat of metal theft, Louisiana passed a law that prohibits anyone who trades used property more than once a month from conducting that transaction in cash. This should cut down on metal vultures stripping down the infrastructure to turn it into money for their drug habit. However, this also means you can’t really hold a garage sale more than once every 30 days without some burdensome restrictions. [More]
Haggle Like A Rockstar
By 5.27.11
Earlier this week we brought you some tips on haggling from The Brooklyn Flea Market. In typical fashion, Consumerist readers replied with their own great tips on haggling, hard-won info tempered in the flames of many a flea market battle. Here’s the best of your best on how to haggle like a rockstar, Consumerist-reader style: [More]
Tips On Haggling From The Particular People At The Brooklyn Flea Market
By 5.24.11
The Brooklyn Flea Market at Fort Greene is full of curios and hidden treasures curated by a heterogeneous band of impassioned vendors. You can, and should, get money off the asking price but you’ll have to muster up the courage and convince the person working the table you’re worthy of a bargain. Ying Ying Li made a beautiful video interviewing both the sellers and buyers in this bazaar to glean some tips: [More]
The Desperate Life Of A Flea Market Shammie Salesman
By 8.25.10
Reader Tim found himself selling shammies at flea markets to earn his way through college and made this video about it. These aren’t ShamWows, mind you. No, something more degrading. It’s the knockoff Wow!” brand shammie. Wholesale: $.70 per sheet, yours for only $3.30 a piece! He says it was like working at the “Bazaar of Despair.” [More]
$25 Million Counterfeit Goods Ring Busted In NY-NJ
By 4.17.08
If you live in the NYC area, one thing you probably won’t be spending your stimulus check on now is a pair of shiny new fake Nikes—or ersatz Louis Vuittons, packs of imitation Duracell batteries, or faux-Timberland boots.
Best Buy Sold ‘Destroyed’ Hard Drive at Flea Market
By 6.1.06
Maybe the Geek Squad’s pocket protectors are strapped on too tight.
