Flea markets can vary widely in price, depending on the market and the seller. If the seller is a professional dealer who makes his or her living buying and reselling, he or she may be more informed about the current market and might take more time to research items. If this is the case, then you can usually expect to pay a little more. There are some amateur sellers who will look stuff up on popular online auction sites, to see what other people are charging. But in terms of keychains, they usually will only bother if the keychain looks 'vintage', or if it was a "big ticket item" that someone paid a lot of money for in the first place, such as a designer brand.
Also, flea markets that are held once or twice a year by a school or a house of worship will often have lower prices, because they tend to attract fewer professional dealers. The pros seem to prefer setting up at larger markets that are held one day a week at a designated location, and they will likely have a reserved spot that they return to week after week. Some dealers will travel on a circuit from market to market, seeking out large, well-known venues that attract the most customers.
Prices at thrift store can also vary a lot, depending on the store. I've noticed the larger chain stores tend to have higher prices than the smaller shops run by local charities or houses of worship. Of course, if the smaller shop bills itself as specializing in "antiques and collectables", then that's a whole different thing. Adding the word 'antique' to anything always seems to up the price. Something else to keep in mind is that some larger thrift stores only sell keychains in bulk lots.
Shopping online may be convenient for many, but you tend to pay for that convenience in the form of added shipping and handling costs. Many online sellers will market their keychains in lots, and one downside of collecting keychains is that, in bulk, they can get heavy very quickly. This means that it can end up costing more to ship the lot than you paid for the lot in the first place. For this reason, I tend to do very little of my keychain shopping online.
I'm hoping these tips will be helpful to you in growing your own collections, whatever you happen to collect. However, keep in mind that these are just generalities based on my personal experiences as a longtime 'thrifter' and keychain collector. There are exceptions to any rule, and your own shopping experiences may differ somewhat from mine. As they say, your mileage may vary.
If you have any secondhand shopping tips of your own that you'd like to share, feel free to leave a comment.
Signed, Treesa
Signed, Treesa
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