Shopping for bargains at flea markets, swap meets

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A couple weekends ago, Times business reporter Andrea Chang wrote about the ins and outs of shopping (and hosting) garage sales. Last weekend, she wrote of the swelling crowds at area flea markets and swap meets, noting, for example:

At the Long Beach flea market -- held the third Sunday of every month -- attendance is up 35% over the last year and vendors have been angling to rent booths, co-founder and promoter Donald Moger said.

Chang reports that flea markets at the Rose Bowl and in San Bernardino and Ventura, as well as the Melrose Trading Post, have all seen attendance spike in the last few months.

Do you get the itch for some flea market shopping? Are you swapping out malls for meets? Which ones do you attend? And perhaps most importantly, do you try your luck at haggling? Click here for some negotiating tips.

— Whitney Friedlander

Flea markets, swap meets draw crowds

Pictures: Long Beach flea market