Flea Markets

Almost every Saturday and Sunday during the summer and whenever else the weather permits throughout the year, plenty of flea markets pop up in the larger cities, usually in front of town halls, at historical locations, gardens, and parks. At times, there are even night markets, with artistic performances, like live music and dance as side events. In smaller cities, a smaller number of flea markets take place throughout the course of the year. You can find information about all flea markets, their addresses and opening times through your council administration or city newspapers and magazines. You can also easily search the internet to find a flea market. For example, here you can enter the name of your city or postal code and find a flea market nearby. 

Contrary to normal shopping centers, it is common to bargain at flea markets, bazaars, and similar online portals. In fact, bargaining is allowed even in normal shops (specified in the "law against unfair competition" or “Gesetz gegen den unlautbaren Wettbewerb”). However, not many salespeople and customers are used to it, so they’re often astonished when see someone asks for a discount. Bargaining at the flea market, which is also called “haggling” (“feilschen”), however, is a celebrated part of the tradition and pretty popular. Haggling is worthwhile, as it often means you will get the goods at a much cheaper price. The same applies, of course, to purchases made via online portals. To buy the best and the cheapest, the time of buying also matters. Chances are that at the beginning and at the end of a flea market, you can obtain better goods at lower prices: in the beginning, as some items are offered at particularly low prices; and at the end, because sellers have a smaller chance to sell the goods in the remainder of time and they would want to avoid returning, transporting and storing the items. 

Flea markets are not just about shopping. Visiting could also be a very special experience. You can just stroll and rummage around without buying anything. Particularly larger markets often offer side events with street artists and musicians, as well as food and drinks stalls.

Online portals such as Ebay, Ebay-Kleinanzeigen and Shpock also provide various offers and opportunities for buying and selling used items. These internet auction websites do not follow the traditional flea market idea, but allow users to search for specific items without moving from their sofas. The advantage of buying on the internet is that you can find certain items through search terms and compare the prices.