If you’ve ever wondered what supplies you actually need to run a flea market booth, antique booth, or resale business, I can tell you one thing: it probably isn’t the fancy stuff.

It’s the boring little things that save you time, keep your booth organized, help customers shop, and prevent you from losing your mind when you have 300 things that all need priced before tomorrow morning.

And believe me, I’ve bought plenty of things that sounded like a great idea and turned out to be…not so great.

So instead of giving you a generic list of “must-have flea market vendor supplies,” I went through our actual Amazon purchases for Old Pioneer Flea Market. These are things we have bought, used, and—in several cases—ordered again because apparently running a flea market requires an alarming number of tiny plastic bags and pegboard hooks.

Here are some of the supplies we actually use around Old Pioneer.

1. Blank Price Tags

1. Blank Price Tags — And Yes, We Use More Than One Kind

Let’s start with the obvious one.

If you sell vintage, antiques, collectibles, clothing, furniture, or basically anything else in a flea market, you need tags. Lots and LOTS of tags.

But here’s the more realistic version: there is no single perfect price tag.

Around Old Pioneer, we use several different sizes and styles depending on what we’re pricing. And even with all those options, we still somehow find things throughout our spaces that are missing a tag, have the wrong tag, or have a tag hanging on for dear life. 😂 It’s just part of flea market life.

One of our most-used options right now is a larger blank merchandise tag that's approximately 2" x 3". I originally moved to the larger size for a very practical reason—our barcode stickers/address labels are approximately 3 inches long, and the smaller tags we had been using simply weren't big enough for them.

The larger tags give us enough room for the barcode label while still leaving space for other information when we need it. They're especially handy on larger pieces and merchandise where having a slightly bigger, easy-to-read tag isn't a problem.

That doesn't mean they're right for everything, though.

I'm certainly not hanging a giant 3-inch tag from a tiny piece of jewelry. We still use smaller tags, stickers, labels, and other tagging methods depending on the item. That's why I'm linking a few of the different options we actually use rather than telling you there's one type every flea market vendor needs.

Our Picks:

Large Blank Merchandise Tags

2,000-count • approx. 2" × 3" • pre-punched.

These are the larger tags we use when we need enough room for our barcode labels plus additional information.

👉 https://amzn.to/4xDlOVm

Small String Price Tags

1,000-count • approx. 1" × 1¾" • string already attached

These are the happy medium between our big barcode-friendly tags and the teeny-tiny tags we use for jewelry. They're great for smaller collectibles, décor, ornaments, kitchenware, and other items where a full-size tag feels like overkill but you still need enough room to actually write something on it. The string is already attached too—which is one less thing to mess with when you've got a mountain of inventory waiting to be priced.

👉 https://amzn.to/3UlyhyB

Tiny Adhesive Jewelry Tags

Small adhesive tags • perfect for jewelry & tiny items

When even our small string tags are too big, these little guys come out. They’re perfect for rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other tiny items where a regular price tag would overwhelm the merchandise. They wrap around the item so we can still add a price without tying a giant tag onto something teeny-tiny.

👉 https://amzn.to/4x2h1Ng

Why We Like Them: Having several tag sizes gives us options. The larger tags give our barcode labels plenty of room, the smaller string tags work when a big tag would overwhelm the item, and the tiny tags let us price jewelry and other little pieces without the tag becoming the main attraction. There isn't one perfect tag for every piece of merchandise—and having a few options on hand makes pricing a whole lot easier.

Ashley’s Two Cents: If you're setting up a booth, don't buy 2,000 of one kind of tag until you've figured out how you actually like to price your merchandise. Start with a couple of options. What works beautifully on a piece of furniture may be ridiculous on a pair of earrings.

And if you're wondering exactly how we decide what kind of tag, sticker, or label goes on different merchandise at Old Pioneer, that's a conversation for another day. There are enough options—and enough opinions around here—that I think it deserves its own blog post.

We'll dig into how we tag and price different types of flea market merchandise in an upcoming article, including the different products we use and what we've learned works (and definitely doesn't work) along the way.

2. Small Bags — Because Apparently We Need a Bag for Everything

This is another one of those supplies that sounds incredibly boring until you actually start selling lots of small stuff.

We use SO many little bags around Old Pioneer.

Jewelry, buttons, hardware, craft supplies, small collectibles, game pieces, replacement parts, sets of tiny items—you name it. If it has multiple pieces that have any chance whatsoever of wandering away from each other, there's a pretty good chance we're putting it in a bag.

And just like our price tags, we've learned that one size doesn't work for everything.

The little clear resealable bags are probably what we use the most. They're great because customers can still see exactly what's inside, we can keep sets together, and there's usually somewhere to stick a price or barcode without putting the sticker directly on the merchandise.

That's especially important with vintage and collectible items. Sometimes the last thing you want to do is slap an adhesive price sticker directly onto the thing you're trying to sell.

We also keep regular sandwich-size storage bags around because sometimes you need something bigger—and sometimes you just need a cheap bag that gets the job done.

Are they glamorous flea market supplies?

Absolutely not.

Would I notice immediately if we ran out?

Absolutely.

Our Picks:

Medium Clear Resealable Bags

1,000-count • approx. 3" × 5" • clear • resealable

These are probably our most-used size. They're big enough for a surprising amount of small merchandise without having a bunch of extra bag hanging around.

We use them for small collectibles, craft supplies, hardware, accessories, sets, and all those random little pieces that otherwise seem determined to disappear.

👉 Shop the 3" × 5" bags on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3SwSLnw

Small Clear Resealable Bags

1,000-count • approx. 2" × 3" • clear • resealable

These are the little guys. When a 3" × 5" bag is more than we need, this smaller size works great for coins, buttons, tiny hardware, jewelry pieces, small craft supplies, and other teeny merchandise.

They're also nice when you want to keep something protected and together without putting it into a bag three times its size.

👉 Shop the 2" × 3" bags on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4qhtPwG

Sandwich-Size Storage Bags

300-count • approx. 6.5" × 5.9" • double-zip closure

And then sometimes the little bags simply aren't big enough.

We keep regular sandwich-size resealable bags around too. They're handy for larger sets, loose pieces, paperwork that needs to stay with an item, and all the miscellaneous things that don't quite fit into our smaller bags.

And because they're just regular storage bags, whatever doesn't get used for merchandise certainly isn't going to waste.

👉 Shop the sandwich-size bags on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4xHwYZd

Why We Like Them

The biggest reason is simple: they keep things together.

Customers can see what's inside, small pieces don't wander off quite as easily, and we can attach pricing information to the bag instead of directly to certain merchandise.

Having a few different sizes around means we can grab whichever one makes sense for the item instead of trying to cram everything into the same little bag—or putting one tiny button in a bag big enough for a sandwich. 😂

And when you deal with as much random merchandise as we do, anything that makes the chaos slightly more organized earns a permanent spot on the supply shelf.

Ashley's Two Cents:

If you sell small items, buy these suckers in bulk.

A package of 50 sounds perfectly reasonable until you start bagging buttons, jewelry, hardware, game pieces, craft supplies and all those mysterious little parts you're convinced somebody out there needs.

Suddenly you've used 50 bags and you've priced approximately one corner of your booth.

Also, whenever possible, I prefer putting our price or barcode on the bag instead of directly on older merchandise. Stickers and vintage surfaces don't always play nicely together, and I'd much rather sacrifice a two-cent plastic bag than damage something that's managed to survive the last 50 years.

Sometimes the simplest flea market supplies really are the ones we use the most.

3.Pegboard Hooks & Accessories — Make Those Walls Earn Their Keep

If you're working with a flea market booth—or really any small retail space—you eventually learn that floor space is precious.

There's only so much furniture, shelving, and merchandise you can cram into a booth before customers can't actually walk through it anymore. And if they can't comfortably shop it, having more merchandise in there isn't necessarily helping you.

That's why I'm a big fan of using the walls.

We've used pegboard throughout Old Pioneer for years, and I've bought more sizes and styles of pegboard hooks than I could possibly remember at this point. Some came from Amazon, some came from other stores, and I'm pretty sure a few have just magically appeared in our collection over the years.

That's flea market life for you. 😂

The length of hook we use really depends on what's going on it. Shorter hooks work great for smaller or individual items, while longer hooks give you room for multiples of the same product.

But traditional hooks aren't the only thing you can put on pegboard.

We've also used different pegboard accessories that give us completely different display options. That's what I really like about pegboard—you aren't committed to one layout. Move a hook, add a different accessory, rearrange a section, and suddenly the same wall can display something completely different.

Our Picks

4-Inch Pegboard Hooks

200-count • approx. 4" long • metal pegboard hooks

These are the traditional pegboard hooks we've purchased most recently.

Four inches is a really useful middle-of-the-road size for us. They're long enough to hold multiple lightweight items or packaged merchandise without sticking so far out from the wall that they're constantly getting bumped.

We use hooks like these for all kinds of merchandise around the market, and they're especially handy when you have several of the same or similar item that you want customers to be able to easily see and grab.

👉 Shop the 4" pegboard hooks we use on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4xMEaDy

Pegboard Shelf Display Accessory

Sometimes a regular straight hook just isn't the best way to display something.

We use pegboard accessories like these when we need a different type of support or display than a standard hook can provide. That's one of the reasons I don't think of pegboard as just a place to hang packaged merchandise—there are all kinds of accessories that let you customize the wall for whatever you're trying to sell.

👉 Shop this pegboard accessory we use on Amazon: https://amzn.to/45wAnOB

Small J-Style Pegboard Hooks

100-count • approx. ½" J-style hooks • metal

And then there are times when four inches of hook is about three-and-a-half inches more than you need. 😂

These little J-style hooks are great when you want something to sit close to the pegboard instead of sticking several inches out into the booth. We use small hooks like these for lightweight merchandise, jewelry and other little items that just need a simple place to hang.

They're also handy when you're trying to fit more individual display points onto one section of pegboard without having a forest of long hooks sticking out everywhere.

👉 Shop small J-style pegboard hooks we use on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4x7H1Ha

Why We Like Them:

Pegboard lets us use space we already have.

That's really the whole thing.

When you're paying for a booth, every square foot matters—but that doesn't mean you should fill every square foot of the floor. Using pegboard turns an otherwise empty wall into display space while keeping merchandise visible and accessible.

I also love that it isn't permanent.

We can have one type of merchandise hanging there this month, move a few hooks and accessories around, and use the exact same wall for something completely different next month.

And because we've accumulated different sizes and styles of hooks and accessories over the years, we can usually dig through our stash and find something that'll work for whatever weird thing we're trying to hang today.

Ashley's Two Cents:

Your booth has walls. Make those suckers earn their rent too.

Seriously.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make any size booth is thinking the only way to add more merchandise is to add another table, shelf, cabinet, or piece of furniture to the floor.

Before you add something else for your customers to walk around, look up.

Pegboard, hooks, baskets, shelves, wall displays—there are plenty of ways to merchandise vertically while still leaving customers enough room to actually shop.

Just don't confuse using your walls with covering every available inch of them. There is still such a thing as too much stuff.

And yes, I realize that's a slightly ridiculous statement coming from someone who owns a flea market. 😂

4. Our Labeling Setup — From Full-Size Barcodes to Tagatha

We've already talked about price tags, but the tag itself is really only half of our pricing setup.

At Old Pioneer, we use barcodes for a lot of our merchandise, which means we also go through a LOT of labels.

For our regular barcode system, we use sheets of address-style labels that run through a standard printer. These are approximately 3 inches long—which, as I mentioned earlier, is actually the whole reason I switched to those larger merchandise tags in the first place.

Trying to stick a 3-inch barcode label onto a tiny price tag wasn't exactly working.

The sheet labels are still a big part of how we price merchandise, especially when we're printing a larger batch at once.

But sometimes I don't need an entire sheet of labels.

Sometimes I need one label. Right now.

Enter...

Tagatha.

Yes. Our label maker has a name.

No. I'm not taking questions at this time. 😂

Tagatha is our NIIMBOT B1 thermal label maker, and she's one of those little gadgets that I didn't necessarily need until I had one—and then immediately started finding approximately 400 things to use her for.

Because she's thermal, there's no ink or toner to mess with. She's small, portable, connects to a phone, and lets us print individual labels whenever we need them instead of firing up the regular printer and wasting part of a sheet.

Between our regular label sheets and Tagatha, we can choose whichever setup makes the most sense for what we're doing.

Our Picks:

Printable Address Labels

30 labels per sheet • 1" × 2⅝" • works with inkjet & laser printers

These are the larger labels we use with our regular printer and barcode system.

They're approximately 2⅝ inches long, which is why our larger merchandise tags work so much better for us. There's room for the label without trying to fold it around the tag or cram it onto something that was never big enough to hold it in the first place.

For larger batches of labels, sheets like these are still the way to go.

👉 Shop the printable labels we use on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4xDnNsM

Tagatha — Our NIIMBOT B1 Label Maker

Portable • Bluetooth • thermal printing • no ink required

And here she is in all her glory.

Tagatha is a little Bluetooth thermal label maker that connects to a phone, so we can create and print individual labels as we need them.

She's small enough to move around easily, doesn't require ink, and is especially convenient when we don't need—or don't want to print—an entire sheet of labels.

I also just enjoy the fact that I can grab Tagatha, make the label I need, print it, and move on with my life.

👉 Shop Tagatha (NIIMBOT B1) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4gz0f2r

Replacement Labels for Tagatha

Thermal labels • compatible with NIIMBOT B1 • no ink required

Of course, Tagatha can't do much without labels.

We keep replacement thermal label rolls on hand so she's ready whenever we need her. Since the printer uses thermal technology, the labels themselves are what make the magic happen—no cartridges or toner required.

And yes, once you own a label maker, you will probably discover things that apparently desperately needed labels even though you survived perfectly well without labeling them for years.

Ask me how I know.

👉 Shop replacement labels for Tagatha on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4xJ02Q6

Why We Like Them:

The biggest thing for us is having options.

If we're printing a large batch of barcodes, the regular printer and label sheets make sense.

If we need one or a handful of labels, pulling out Tagatha can be much quicker and easier.

And because we're dealing with everything from furniture to jewelry to paperwork to bins of miscellaneous flea-market treasures, there really isn't one labeling method that's perfect for every situation.

Having both systems means we can use whichever one makes the most sense instead of trying to force every job through the same process.

Ashley's Two Cents:

Do you need to name your label maker?

No.

Should you?

Apparently yes. 😂

More importantly, don't assume you need a fancy labeling setup when you're first starting a flea market booth. A pen and a price tag work just fine.

But as your inventory grows—or if you're using a barcode inventory system—having a way to print labels in batches and a quick little printer for one-off jobs can save a surprising amount of time.

And anything that saves me from handwriting the same information 100 times has earned its place around here.

Long live Tagatha.

5. The Printer That Somehow Runs Half the Flea Market

This might not be the most exciting thing on our list, but it is probably one of the hardest-working.

Our printer gets USED.

Running a flea market involves a ridiculous amount of printing that nobody really thinks about until they're the one running the flea market.

Vendor paperwork. Contracts. Barcode labels. Sale signs. Notices. Forms. Outpost paperwork. Things I decided at the last minute absolutely MUST be printed immediately. And approximately 900 other pieces of paper that somehow appear when you're running a business.

So while Tagatha handles a lot of our smaller, quick labeling jobs, we still need a regular full-size printer—and this is the one we use all the time at Old Pioneer.

We use the Canon imageCLASS MF273dw, which is a black-and-white laser printer that also copies and scans.

Is it glamorous?

No.

Would there be panic around here if it suddenly stopped working?

Absolutely.

Our Pick:

Canon imageCLASS MF273dw Wireless Laser Printer

Monochrome laser • wireless • print, copy & scan • automatic two-sided printing

This is our everyday workhorse printer at Old Pioneer.

One of the biggest reasons a laser printer makes sense for us is that the majority of what we're printing doesn't need to be beautiful, full-color marketing material.

We need paperwork.

We need labels.

We need signs.

And we need the printer to spit them out without me having to have a personal relationship with it first. 😂

The MF273dw gives us printing, copying, and scanning in one machine, connects wirelessly, and handles the everyday black-and-white printing that comes with running the market.

👉 Shop the Canon printer we use at Old Pioneer on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4g9Qqqj

Why We Like It:

Honestly? Because we use the heck out of it.

For our particular business, I don't need our everyday printer to create gorgeous color photographs. I need something that can handle the boring-but-necessary stuff over and over again.

I also like having the printer, scanner, and copier together because all three eventually come into play when you're dealing with business paperwork.

And since it's wireless, we're not tied to one computer every time somebody needs something printed.

It's one of those purchases that mostly sits quietly in the background—until you realize how many different parts of the business depend on it.

Ashley's Two Cents:

If you're just starting a flea market booth, please don't read this and think I'm telling you that you need to go buy a big laser printer.

You don't.

Use whatever printer you already have until it stops meeting your needs.

But if you're running a larger resale business, managing multiple booths, printing a lot of labels, or operating an entire market like we are, eventually the cheap little printer that takes approximately seventeen minutes to contemplate its life choices before printing page two may drive you insane.

For us, having a dependable black-and-white laser printer just makes sense. It also helps the toner is relatively cheap and easy to install.

And considering the amount of paperwork I somehow generate while supposedly being in the business of selling old stuff...

this poor printer deserves employee-of-the-month at least once.

6. UV Flashlights — Our Little Junkin’ Detective Tool

Now we're getting to one of the more fun things on this list.

If you've spent much time digging through flea markets, estate sales, auctions, thrift stores, or piles of stuff that haven't seen daylight since approximately 1974, you know that sometimes you need to do a little detective work.

Enter the UV flashlight.

These little black-light flashlights are small enough to toss in a purse, glove box, or junkin' bag, and they can help reveal things you might not notice under regular lighting.

One of the most fun uses, of course, is checking glass.

Certain types of glass fluoresce under UV light, with uranium glass being the one most people recognize because of that gorgeous bright green glow.

But glass isn't the only reason to carry one. UV light can also sometimes help you spot repairs, glue, touch-ups, stains, residue, or other differences in materials that aren't nearly as obvious to the naked eye.

Does that mean I shine a black light on something and suddenly know exactly when it was made, who made it, and what it's worth?

Unfortunately, no. 😂

A UV flashlight is a tool for finding clues, not a magical antique-authentication wand.

What you see under the light still needs to be considered along with maker's marks, construction, materials, condition, history, and good old-fashioned research. UV testing can reveal useful information, but it shouldn't be used by itself to authenticate or date an antique.

Our Pick:

COSOOS UV Black Light Flashlights

2-pack • handheld • UV/black light • compact & portable

These are the little UV flashlights we purchased and use.

I like that they're small enough to throw in a bag or vehicle without adding another giant piece of equipment to the junkin' arsenal. And because they come as a two-pack, you can keep one where you actually need it and still have another one somewhere completely logical that you will promptly forget about.

Or maybe that's just me.

👉 Shop the UV flashlights we use on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4giCSZS

Why We Like Them:

They're cheap, small, portable, and genuinely useful when you're out hunting.

Glass is probably the most entertaining use. There's something ridiculously satisfying about shining that little light onto a piece of glass and watching it suddenly light up.

Uranium-containing glass, for example, is known for its characteristic bright green fluorescence under UV light. The EPA also notes that uranium was historically used to color some yellow and green glass.

But I actually like having a UV flashlight because it gives me one more piece of information when I'm looking at something unfamiliar.

Maybe I discover fluorescence I wasn't expecting.

Maybe I notice evidence of a repair.

Maybe absolutely nothing happens.

That's still information—and when you're junkin', I'll take every clue I can get.

Ashley's Two Cents

Don't let a black light convince you that you've just discovered a priceless antique.

Seriously.

Something glowing—or not glowing—is only one clue. Different materials fluoresce for different reasons, repairs and newer materials can react under UV, and a black-light test by itself isn't enough to determine age, authenticity, or value.

Use it as one tool in your junkin' toolbox and then do your homework before you decide you've struck gold.

Or uranium, apparently. 😂

And if you've never taken a UV flashlight through a flea market before...

Well, now you're probably going to want to shine it on everything.

Welcome to the club.

7. Retractable Car Charger — Because Junkin’ Apparently Requires a Fully Charged Phone

Not everything we use for Old Pioneer actually lives inside Old Pioneer.

Some of it lives in my vehicle—because if you spend any amount of time sourcing inventory, going to auctions, hitting flea markets, picking up Facebook Marketplace finds, or taking off on a junkin' trip, your vehicle basically becomes part office, part storage unit, and part treasure-hauling machine.

And through all of that, I am constantly on my phone.

GPS.

Looking up an item.

Checking comps.

Taking pictures.

Answering messages.

Posting to social media.

Calling Momma to say, “Okay, hear me out...” before explaining why whatever ridiculous thing I'm currently looking at absolutely needs to come home with me.

All of that requires one very important thing:

A phone that isn't dead.

That's why this retractable car charger has earned a spot on our list.

Our Pick:

SUPERONE 4-in-1 Retractable Car Charger

4-in-1 • two built-in retractable cords • USB-C & USB-A ports • approx. 2.6-ft cords

What I really like about this charger isn't simply that it charges my phone.

It's the retractable cords.

I don't have charging cords stretched across the console, tangled around everything else, or disappearing into whatever mysterious black hole apparently exists between the seats of every vehicle.

The cords pull out when you need them and retract back into the charger when you're finished.

It also has additional USB-C and USB-A ports, so you can charge up to four compatible devices at the same time—which comes in handy when I'm not the only person in the vehicle whose phone is dying.

👉 Shop the retractable car charger we use on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4qhFDzf

Why We Like It:

Honestly, the cord situation sold me.

There are plenty of car chargers that will charge a phone. This one does that while eliminating some of the cord clutter that drives me crazy.

And when I'm out sourcing for the market, my phone isn't just entertainment. I'm using it as my camera, GPS, research tool, calculator, communication device, and occasionally my “Is this worth buying?” lifeline.

Having a charger permanently in the vehicle means it's one less thing I have to remember before we take off.

Because remembering everything I need before leaving the house has never exactly been my strongest skill.

Ashley's Two Cents:

If you buy inventory away from your booth or market, keep a charger in your vehicle and leave it there.

Don't make it the charger you also use in the house.

Don't tell yourself you'll remember to grab one before you leave.

Just accept who you are and buy the car its own charger. 😂

And while we're talking about it, your phone is one of the most useful junkin' tools you own. You can research maker's marks, check sold prices, take measurements and photos, navigate to sales, keep notes, contact sellers, and research the weird thing you're holding before spending money on it.

So no, a car charger isn't technically a flea market booth supply.

But for us?

It's absolutely a flea market business supply.

8. Cleaning & Prepping Our Finds — Because Sometimes “As Found” Is a Little TOO As Found

There is “great original patina.”

And then there is “I have absolutely no idea what is stuck to this.”

Those are two very different things. 😂

When you're buying secondhand, vintage, and antique merchandise, cleaning comes with the territory. Things have been sitting in barns, basements, garages, attics, storage units, kitchens, sheds, and who knows where else before they eventually make their way to us.

Sometimes all an item needs is a quick dusting.

Sometimes it needs considerably more convincing.

We keep several different cleaning products and tools around because—as with almost everything else on this list—there isn't one product that's right for every job.

And this is one area where I want to throw out a BIG warning before we get into what we use:

Just because something is dirty does not mean you should scrub the living daylights out of it.

Vintage and antique pieces can have delicate finishes, original paint, labels, decals, plating, old wood finishes, intentional patina, and other surfaces that can be damaged surprisingly easily.

When I'm unsure, I would much rather start gently and work my way up than discover five seconds too late that the grime I was aggressively removing was actually part of what made the piece valuable.

Our Picks:

Handheld Steam Cleaner

Portable • handheld • high-temperature steam • multiple attachments

Sometimes you want cleaning power without immediately reaching for another chemical cleaner.

A handheld steam cleaner can be useful for all kinds of cleaning jobs around the market and at home, especially when you're dealing with little cracks, crevices, and hard-to-reach areas.

The attachments are probably my favorite part because flea market finds aren't exactly known for being conveniently shaped, smooth little rectangles.

👉 Shop the handheld steam cleaner on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3SBYAQD

One important note: Steam and antiques are NOT automatically friends. I would never assume an old piece can safely handle heat and moisture just because a steam cleaner works beautifully on something else. Know what you're cleaning first.

Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

Reusable • absorbent • soft microfiber • multi-purpose

Probably the least exciting item in this entire article.

Also probably one of the things we reach for the most.

Microfiber cloths are useful for everything from basic dusting and wiping to cleaning glass and working with whatever cleaning product is appropriate for the piece.

They're washable, reusable, and soft enough for a lot of everyday jobs.

I also like having a whole pile available because I'm not trying to clean one questionable flea-market find and then use the same cloth on the next seventeen things. 😂

👉 Shop the microfiber cloths we use on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4x50Z5x

The Pink Stuff Cleaning Paste

Multi-purpose cleaning paste • mildly abrasive • for appropriate hard surfaces

Ahhh, The Pink Stuff.

This is one of those products that's incredibly satisfying when you have the right job for it.

We use products like this when something needs more than a quick wipe-down and the surface can safely handle a more abrasive cleaner.

And that last part is important.

This is NOT my “I found an unidentified 100-year-old object, let's smear Pink Stuff all over it and see what happens” product. 😂

👉 Shop The Pink Stuff on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Si6IWa

Why We Like Them:

Together, these give us different levels and types of cleaning instead of expecting one product to handle everything that comes through the door.

Sometimes we need a cloth.

Sometimes we need steam.

Sometimes we need a little more scrubbing power.

And sometimes the correct cleaning method is:

DON'T TOUCH IT UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS.

That's actually one of the biggest lessons I've learned from dealing with vintage and antique merchandise. Cleaning something isn't always the same thing as improving it.

Ashley's Two Cents:

Ashley's Two Cents

There is absolutely no shame in leaving something as-is.

In fact, I have two prices for some of the stuff I bring home:

The “you clean it” price.

And the “I clean it” price. 😂

Because sometimes I look at something and think, Yep, that'll clean up beautifully.

And sometimes I look at the same thing and think, Yep...somebody ELSE can clean that up beautifully.

Not every flea market find needs to be scrubbed, polished, steamed, restored, and made to look brand new before you put a price tag on it. Some buyers actually prefer finding pieces in their original condition because they want to decide for themselves what gets cleaned, polished, restored—or left completely alone.

And honestly, sometimes the dirt is just above my pay grade that day.

That's why I keep cleaning supplies around, but I don't automatically attack every old thing that comes through the door. I clean what makes sense, when it makes sense, and I'm perfectly happy to price something accordingly and let its next owner take it from there.

You want the “you clean it” price? Have at it.

You want the “I clean it” version? Well...that's gonna cost ya. 😂

9. Display Supplies — Sometimes You Have to Help the Treasure Get Noticed

You can have the coolest thing in the entire building, but if it's lying flat behind six other things where nobody can see it...

Congratulations. You probably still own it next month. 😂

Displaying merchandise is one of those things I've learned a LOT about since owning Old Pioneer.

Sometimes an item isn't not selling because nobody wants it. Sometimes nobody has really seen it.

Getting something up off the table, giving it a little height, standing it upright, or grouping similar items together can completely change the way customers notice and shop it.

And no, I don't think you need to run out and buy a bunch of fancy retail displays to have a great flea market booth.

Some of my favorite displays are old crates, baskets, books, stools, boxes, shelves, and random vintage things we've repurposed.

But there are certain situations where an actual display piece makes life a whole lot easier—especially for small merchandise that otherwise ends up becoming one giant pile on a table.

Our Picks:

Tabletop Display Stand

Sometimes you just need to get merchandise up and visible instead of letting it disappear into everything else on the table.

A tabletop display gives smaller merchandise its own designated space and helps create some height in a booth or display area.

I especially like displays like this when we have a group of similar items. Instead of scattering everything across a table, we can bring it together and make the whole collection look intentional.

👉 Shop the tabletop display we use on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4wwyufI

Tabletop Pegboard Display

Freestanding • countertop pegboard • hooks included

You already know how I feel about pegboard.

Apparently my love for making walls earn their keep also extends to tiny portable walls. 😂

A tabletop pegboard display gives us the flexibility of regular pegboard without needing an actual wall. We can use the hooks to display small merchandise vertically, move things around whenever we want, and place the entire display on a counter, table, or shelf.

It's especially handy for little items that tend to disappear when they're lying flat.

👉 Shop the tabletop pegboard display on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4xJWrRP

Multi-Tier Retail Display Stand

Multi-level • countertop display • metal construction

HEIGHT.

If there is one ridiculously simple display trick I wish more flea market vendors used, it's adding different heights.

When everything on a table is sitting at exactly the same level, your eye tends to see one big mass of stuff.

Raise some of it up and suddenly you can actually see what's there.

A tiered display lets us use the same amount of tabletop space while putting merchandise at several different levels, which makes smaller items much easier to notice.

👉 Shop the multi-tier display stand on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cGwDOg

Why We Like Them

They help us show more without necessarily adding more clutter.

That's the difference.

The goal isn't always to cram another 47 things into the booth. Sometimes it's simply figuring out how to display the 47 things that are already there so customers can actually see them.

Pegboard gets merchandise upright.

Tiered displays create height.

Tabletop stands give groups of smaller items their own space.

And because these displays are relatively easy to move around, we're not committed to using them for the same merchandise forever.

Today it might hold jewelry.

Next month it might be collectibles.

Six months from now I'll probably be using it for something completely ridiculous that it was absolutely never designed to hold.

That's half the fun.

Ashley's Two Cents:

Before you decide something isn't selling, move it.

Seriously.

Move it to another shelf. Stand it up. Put it on a riser. Group it with similar things. Take it out of the giant pile of stuff surrounding it.

Sometimes that's all it takes.

And please don't think you need to spend a fortune on display pieces. Look around your own booth first.

Old books make great risers.

Crates add height.

Baskets corral little things.

An old stool can become a display.

A cool vintage box can hold merchandise and be merchandise.

Use what you've got.

Then spend money on actual display pieces when they solve a problem you can't easily solve with something already sitting in your booth.

Because the goal isn't to have the fanciest displays.

The goal is to make your stuff look interesting enough that somebody stops walking, picks it up, and hopefully decides they can't live without it.

10. And Then There's All the Other Random Stuff...

We've made it to #10, and honestly, this might be the most accurate representation of what it's actually like to run a flea market.

Because apparently you need everything.

Not necessarily every day. Not necessarily for every vendor. But over the years we've accumulated this completely random collection of things that have solved one problem or another around Old Pioneer.

Some live at the counter.

Some are in our supply drawers.

Some are for displays.

Some are for the building.

Some come out when we're trying to identify a tiny maker's mark that apparently requires the eyesight of a 14-year-old.

And some were bought because I had a very specific problem at 10:30 at night and Amazon told me it could have the solution on my porch in two days.

So rather than pretending each one deserves its own full section, welcome to:

The Old Pioneer Miscellaneous Drawer. 😂

More Random Things We Actually Use

Amazon Basics Stapler

Because paperwork apparently reproduces when you own a business.

Vendor paperwork, contracts, forms, packets—you don't realize how often you need a decent stapler until the one at the counter disappears.

👉 Shop the stapler: https://amzn.to/4ckNZ3a

Outdoor String Lights

These are one of those purchases that are functional AND make a space feel better.

We've used outdoor string lights to add lighting and atmosphere where we need it without making everything feel like a giant fluorescent-lit warehouse.

👉 Shop the outdoor string lights: https://amzn.to/4qjkXqp

Scented Room Fresheners

Flea markets contain a LOT of different smells.

Old books. Furniture. Vintage clothing. Wood. Whatever mysterious thing just came out of somebody's basement.

Enough said. 😂

These are handy for helping keep different areas smelling fresh without having to constantly spray something.

👉 Shop the room fresheners: https://amzn.to/4icldW4

Heavy-Duty Black Hanging Hooks

Sometimes you just need a hook.

These sturdy metal hanging hooks are handy for bags, clothing, décor, display pieces, and all the other random things that need to hang somewhere but don't necessarily belong on pegboard.

👉 Shop the hanging hooks: https://amzn.to/45rigJZ

Colorful Organizational/Display Supplies

This is another one of those random Amazon purchases that found its way into our market setup because sometimes you need a simple way to organize, separate, or display something without reinventing the wheel.

👉 Shop this option: https://amzn.to/4bQHd50

Bulk White Clothing Hangers

If you sell clothes, you already know.

You need hangers. And then you need more hangers.

We use basic white slotted clothing hangers because they're inexpensive, fairly uniform, and the slots work for tanks and other clothing that likes to immediately slide off a regular hanger just to annoy you.

👉 Shop the bulk clothing hangers: https://amzn.to/4gA3VkA

Rolling Sewing Machine/Craft Tote

This was designed for carrying a sewing machine, but one thing I've learned is that a good rolling bag doesn't particularly care what you put in it.

It's padded, has storage pockets, and rolls—which makes it useful when you're hauling supplies instead of carrying everything in your arms like you're making one trip from the car or dying trying.

👉 Shop the rolling tote: https://amzn.to/4qlSSPo

Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet

A tablet is another one of those things that can serve about 100 different purposes in a small business.

Research, email, looking things up, keeping information handy, playing media, checking online resources—the exact job can change depending on what we need that day.

👉 Shop the Fire HD 10: https://amzn.to/4gfh55d

Large Handheld Magnifying Glass

THIS is a flea market tool nobody tells you about.

Maker's marks.

Tiny signatures.

Hallmarks.

Model numbers.

Copyright dates apparently printed in approximately 2-point font.

Sometimes I just need to SEE THE DANG THING.

A good old-fashioned magnifying glass is surprisingly handy when you're dealing with vintage and antique merchandise.

👉 Shop the handheld magnifying glass: https://amzn.to/4qskz9i

Clear Tape & Dispensers

Tags.

Bags.

Lids that need to stay with their bases.

Little signs.

Packaging.

Temporary fixes.

Tape might be one of the most boring things we've ever ordered—and one of the things we'd notice immediately if we didn't have any.

👉 Shop the tape we use: https://amzn.to/4wuvBvS

Retractable Measuring Tapes

These little flexible measuring tapes are great because they're small enough to keep EVERYWHERE.

Throw one in your vendor toolbox, junkin' bag, purse, counter drawer, or car.

They're great for clothing measurements, dishes, décor, linens, display planning, and pretty much anything else where somebody inevitably asks, “How big is it?”

👉 Shop the retractable measuring tapes: https://amzn.to/4icif3X

Colored Gel Pens

Amazon Basics • retractable gel pens • assorted ink colors • 12-pack

Yes. Pens made the list.

We use colored pens all the time, especially when we're marking something down directly on a tag instead of replacing the whole thing.

And here's one of those weird things you start thinking about after you've run a flea market for a while:

I don't necessarily want to use the most common pen color possible for a handwritten markdown.

Most customers are fantastic.

But people can also be assholes. 😂

And yes, I know that's not exactly the most professional term I could use here. Sorry, Momma. But I really can't think of a better word for someone who picks up a pen and decides they're entitled to give themselves a discount on somebody else's merchandise.

Every once in a while, somebody apparently decides they'd like to participate in our pricing process and tries to give themselves a deal we definitely didn't intend for them to have.

So I like having less-common ink colors available for handwritten changes. Purple, pink, turquoise—basically something other than the same blue or black pen half the population probably has floating around in the bottom of their bag.

Is it a foolproof security system?

Absolutely not.

But I also don't need to make it ridiculously easy.

Plus, they're pens. We run a business.

We can never find a dang pen when we need one anyway. 😂

👉 Shop the colored pens we use: https://amzn.to/4qmwMMC

Why We Love Them

Because running a flea market involves solving approximately 6,000 tiny problems nobody warns you about.

Need to hang something?

We've probably got something for that.

Need to measure something?

Check the drawer.

Can't read the microscopic maker's mark on the bottom of a piece?

Magnifying glass.

Need 75 shirts hung up?

Hangers.

Need to keep the lid with the dish it belongs to?

Tape.

That's really what this whole miscellaneous collection represents.

None of these are things I'd tell every new vendor they HAVE to buy.

They're things we've accumulated because at some point we had a problem and one of these products made that problem a little easier.

Ashley's Two Cents:

If you're just starting a flea market booth, please don't look at this list and think you need to place a giant Amazon order.

You don't.

Start your booth.

Then let your booth tell you what you need.

Every time you find yourself saying:

“There has GOT to be an easier way to do this...”

There probably is.

And apparently there's a decent chance Amazon can have it sitting on your porch by Tuesday. 😂

That's basically how we've accumulated all this random stuff over the years.

Some things save us time.

Some help us display merchandise.

Some keep us organized.

Some solve one ridiculously specific problem.

And some I probably ordered late at night because I was tired, frustrated, and had Amazon Prime.

Those purchases are surprisingly successful more often than I'd like to admit.

And One Last Thing...

I did leave one very important Old Pioneer supply off the list.

ProLab Caffeine Maximum Potency 200 mg Energy Capsules

Yep. We're going there. 😂

Technically, these energy capsules don't price merchandise, hang displays, clean vintage finds, measure furniture, or keep tags attached.

They help ME do all of those things.

So are they a flea market supply?

No.

Are they a flea market owner supply?

I'm counting it. 😂

Some days it's coffee.

Some days it's an energy capsule.

Some days it's both and we probably shouldn't discuss it.

👉 Shop the ProLab Caffeine Energy Capsules on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4ibc14f

But caffeine aside, that's really the point of this entire article.

I didn't search Amazon for a bunch of products just so I could fill a blog post with affiliate links.

These are things we've actually bought and actually use.

Your list will probably look completely different—and five years from now, ours probably will too.

Because there's always another treasure to price, another display to rearrange, another problem to solve...

and apparently another Amazon package arriving tomorrow. 😂

What Do You Actually Need to Start a Flea Market Booth?

Here's the important part:

You do not need to run out and buy every item on this list.

Start with the basics.

You need a reliable way to price your merchandise, something to organize small items, and displays that make your inventory easy for customers to see and shop.

Then pay attention to the problems you keep having.

Not enough display space? Go vertical.

Tiny merchandise constantly getting separated? Bag it.

Spending forever writing the same information? Print labels.

Booth looks like a garage sale exploded? Work on your displays and add something like a rug to visually pull the space together.

The best supplies are the ones that solve an actual problem—not the ones somebody on the internet told you that you absolutely HAVE to own.

And yes, I realize I am currently somebody on the internet telling you about supplies.

We'll just ignore that part.

Ashley's Two Cents:

Owning Old Pioneer has taught me that some of our most useful purchases aren't particularly exciting.

A box of tags isn't going to change your life.

A pegboard hook isn't going viral on TikTok.

But when you're pricing, displaying, moving, organizing, cleaning, selling, and somehow keeping track of thousands upon thousands of individual items, those boring little tools make the job a whole lot easier.

So these aren't products I found while searching Amazon for things to recommend.

They're things we've actually bought and used.

And that's how I want to keep these recommendations.

If I wouldn't tell one of our vendors, friends, or customers that something was worth buying, I'm not going to tell you to buy it just because there's a link attached.

Happy junkin'!

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