The Rosebowl, Pasadena City College, Long Beach, Santa Monica Airport, Fairfax High School -- oh, how we love our flea markets in LA. We go armed with small bills, an idea of how much we want to spend, our negotiation skills are sharp. And, we've been lucky, we've often walked away with some great deals. But then there are other times we wish we'd been a little more careful...
Is It Real Or Is It Fake?: What To Know Before You Hit Up The Flea Market
It's true that good old-fashioned knowledge can make the difference between walking away with a great deal and regretting that you spent half of this month's rent on a piece that turns out to be made in China. Unfortunately, most of us don't have the time or the patience to become experts on all the different kinds of stuff that catches our eye from silver to furniture to textiles. We've got to rely on our gut. But that doesn't mean that you need to rely totally on luck:
- Examine the piece carefully, inside and out. Don't be shy about opening drawers and doors, unfolding a piece of fabric to look at its reverse or turning over a pot. Here you'll often find manufacturer's markings, signs of whether a piece has been refinished or repaired and other details of construction that you may not see at first glance.
- Look for signs of wear and tear. Especially along the top and along the feet of a piece of furniture, a little wear is a good thing. You'd expect a mid-century dresser to show a few rings on top, wear on the feet, lack of finish on the drawer pulls. If it looks too good, it's probably too good to be true.
- Is it consistent with the time period? You don't have to be an expert to know that plywood, particleboard and plastic weren't used 100 years ago. Here's a place where imperfections can serve you; chips, especially on feet or other places that receive wear and tear, can show you the construction of a piece and that underneath the thin coat of silver, that silver is all brass.
- Know your limits: Sometimes, maybe you fall in love with a piece. And who cares if it's the real thing or a good copy. Ask yourself this question before you hand over your cash: If I found out this was a fake, would I still be okay with what I'm paying for it? If the answer's yes, go ahead. If not, walk away.
What are your tips for telling the real deal from a fake? What's your biggest flea market score?
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My biggest scores have been off eBay and Craigslist
(Online Flea-Markets, if you will)
First piece was a brass sailboat sculpture - I only saw a photo of it, and bought it sight-unseen from a seller via Craigslist for $250 because I simply liked it and I was getting some other pieces from the seller.
A week or so after it was delivered to my home, I was hanging it on the wall and saw the artist's mark "C Jere - 1976" Recognizing the mark, I did some scouting online for a similar piece and found an exact match on 1stdibs retailing in a gallery for $2000!
Another time, I found a lamp on eBay that I liked the looks of - It was located in Las Vegas and had been made by Bitossi of Italy for Raymor in the 60's or 70's. A few scrolls later, I found it's exact match located in Fresno - Both lamps were listed for $99, and knowing that matching pairs of vintage lamps are generally worth 4X what each single would be, I bid and won them both thinking i've now got a $400 pair of lamps...
After recieving them in good condition and purchasing new shades, rewiring them, etc. I scouted online and found a similar pair by the same maker with original shades in a gallery on 1stdibs retailing for $2000 - so I'd guess mine are probably worth half that much.
view bepsf's profile
I love flea marketing!
I'd add a couple of comments.
Think about what the item you like but maybe think is overpriced for your budget would cost in a store. I once passed up (and then just missed when I turned back), a beautiful glass bead necklace for $10. The individual beads, when I thought it over, would have cost at least $50 in a bead shop. My bad!
Also, if you really love it, and TO YOU it's worth what the seller is asking, just buy it. (If you buy for investment, this is dangerous -- impulses can be wrong.) But if you LOVE it, it's going to haunt you if somebody else beats you to it! It probably won't be there when you come back.
On the other hand, if you aren't going to suffer by missing an item that you just LIKE or that you think has "potential" or that is overpriced, swing back to that stall later in the day. At the flea market I frequent, at noon things start to shut down, especially if it's hot. Many dealers just want to get rid of stuff at that point and mark things down drastically. (Not so much the professional dealers who come back every week, though.)
A couple of guys at my flea market clear our estates and storage units. They have shops for the best stuff, and around noon their flea market stuff usually goes down to a 25 cents an item, and later it's free! (They don't want to store it or landfill it.) This in the past has even included furniture (some needing repairs, some not) and brand new Christmas ornaments that nobody else wanted in July! (Plus a few collectibles nobody noticed that I sold for a profit!)
view SherryBinNH's profile
My advice is to remain expressionless and as nonplussed as possible around dealers, and don't listen to a word they say.
I never seem to score at flea markets, but I did manage to find a $20 Rauschenberg (c. 1972, edition of 27) and a $7 Adrian suit in the same month last year. I almost died of happiness both times.
view trikitixa's profile
I did manage to find a $20 Rauschenberg (c. 1972, edition of 27)
Somebody kill me now!
view spinsLPs's profile
i'm loving those lamps...
view ilovenature4ever's profile
Much like I said in the other post about the table....if I like it and the price is right....I don't care if it's the real thing or not.
view baileyb's profile
As an Angeleno, I find the lead line for this post to be particularly poignant.
view Seaside's profile
Like bepsf, my best finds have been through 'online thrift stores'. The absolute best, which I'm still thrilled about, was a mid-century Danish-modern style four-seater sofa which folds down into a bed. I'd been looking for a long fold-out sofa for our new living room, and I tend towards Danish modern style furniture. Lo and behold, I found one for $165. Its upholstery is awful (dirty lime-green) and the frame needs a bit of sanding/oiling and repair (anyone know an online vendor who will sell me some Danish springs that look like this?). But I have a bolt of red upholstery fabric I can use to reupholster, and while browsing, I found an identical but refurbished and reupholstered version which wound up selling for over $1500! They're made by Don Furniture, which apparently was a 1960s funiture manufacturer which was one of the only companies releasing NZ-made Danish modern style. It's beautiful, and I can't wait to have it all done up and lovely!
view nessaneko's profile
nessaneko --
Thanks for the reminder - my other big ebay find was a pair of 70's vintage Knoll Saarinen Executive Armchairs - for $40 each!
Recently had them professionally reupholstered in a Unika Vaev fabric remnant (also off eBay) and now they're as good as the $1000 new ones!
view bepsf's profile
Goodies can be had on "online flea markets" or actual flea markets/thrift shops. I recently found an original Frank Gehry wiggle stool for $20 at a local thrift shop.
view wildlifeanalysis's profile