Carboots / Flea Markets / Garage Sales

How many of you find items at such events? Is it worth hunting or is there not much success now that ebay exists and people can search the Internet for information? If you have had success at a venue like these - what did you get - any photos of some rare ones ? :-)

We don`t have anything in the area where I live.
But I know that people find gems now and then

it is worth it i fownd a old schleich elephant a long time a go

It's worth it! At a garage sale I got a Schleich horse for 25 cents! And at thrift stores are also good to look for schleich,I got the retired Shire mare for 50 cents,Tinker foal for...3 bucks (it was in a baggie with McDonald toys and such),a Schleich fairy horse (Oleana?) in a baggie with other animals (not Schleich),and a little old Schleich piggie and a dino for a dollar :)

I would say it is worth it. I have found quite a few figures for very cheap at garage sales etc.

There are thrift shops here but I 'm not too fond of buying second-hand figures, because I'm a picky chooser and prefer my models to be in mint (or near-mint) conditions.

(Second-hand books/DVDs/CDs by contrast... not a problem! )

In our city, we have in summer many flea markets every Friday and Saturday .
Small and large ones. On average, a flea market has about 200-400 sellers. Here you can find about 50 Schleich or more on one flea market.
The largest flea market has about 2000 sellers. So it´s not possible looking everywhere.
Here you will find very much rare and nice animals for very less money.
But sometimes the prices are so high, higher than on Ebay. But, in that case nobody must buy them.
I have found there many rare animals for my collection.
But since now - I havn´t found one of the "WWF-Schleich - Animals".
So, I am very happy, when spring is coming soon - and a new flew market time is starting again for a new hunting.....


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Yvette

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I definitely suggest flea markets. Ok, you don't always find a rare figure, but when you do, the price is really low.
Also there are no dozens of other collectors wanting the same piece.

The people who really know the value of Schleich figures, tend to sell them online, because that's how they can reach the collectors better.

At flea markets, Schleich and other figures are sold as ordinary toys. And usually the sellers price their items by size. So some MadeInChina-figure can actually cost a lot more than a rare Schleich.

Some flea market sellers (usually mothers of smaller children) do know something about Schleich. They sell awfully paint-rubbed and bitten Schleich figures that aren't even retired yet for the same prices as in shops. "Because it's a Schleich and it's a collectors item!!". In these cases, I always bite my tongue to not to say "No collector would buy these...". They're so annoying. :D



I've also purchased a lot of not rare or retired figures in flea markets. That's a good way to get figures that you sort of like, but not that much you'd pay the shop-price from them.

We have a lot of flea markets in the North departement of France and I live near Lille which have every year the biggest European fleamarket for centuries now. But I don't find a lot of SCHLEICH, I search for older stuff and sometimes I can find some old STARLUX or CLAIRET but it is a real sport

I have any good experiences with that. My favourite example is 3 years ago (around). I saw by CollectorsQuest (before i was here) the K&M red river hog and i wanted that. It was in the middle of the week and on the next weekend i found that (but only that) of a local flea market. But after that no goodies in the next years. And than i was in a other bigger city on a flea market and found 2 hours nothing- and than a seller with only- ANIMAL FIGURINES

But sometimes you find here any Schleich animals (but nothing from other brands), mostly on small flea markets for childrens

I think it depends were the flea market is. Last year I went to one in Utrecht with hope to find some animals, and I did.... two very small birds for 5 cents (AH items) but entry to flea market cost 4 euro Later I have seen these figures on marktplaats.nl for 30cents, so I guess I overpaid
And yes, on this flea market were tons of cheap china animals with very low quality and none schleich papo safari or anything near that quality, not even Toy Major. There was also Lineol set of hen, very expensive but luckily I don't collect poultry... :)
In future I think i would try and go again to flea market, it is lot of fun to search animal figures there

I'll say that my experiences with flea markets, garage sales, and antique malls have indeed been profitable for collecting. I once found a retired Vanishing Wild snow leopard for only .50 cents, American! And you occasionally see Schleich and Bullyland animals out at flea markets and garage sales for pennies. Many american dealers at flea markets or folks who hold garage sales have no earthly idea what their Schleich animals are worth, even used or "well loved," so they just sell them for very cheap! I, like Yvette and many of you, also run the flea market circuit and hit garage sales once the warm weather begins. Also the regular stores, looking for elusive species and new arrivals. It's fun, so let the hunts begin!

Sounds like I'll take up the hunt once our carboot season starts in the UK around April time. I'll be sure to post any finds :-) My Wife tells me I'm addicted to Schleich, secretly I think she's right :-)