Selling your wares at flea markets, swap meets and craft fairs offers a great part-time business opportunity. It is also a great way to start testing the entrepreneurial waters for a product-based business. For instance, if you make specialty items, such as hand made crafts, candles or food items, you can rent a booth at a crafts fair or flea market and sell your goods on weekends.

You can start a part-time business of this type for under $500. Your costs will be as follows: $50 for a couple of second hand display cases or racks, $50 to $75 for some signage, and $10 to $50 to rent a small booth for the weekend. Depending on what you plan to sell, your initial inventory can be obtained for as little as a few hundred dollars. For example, all you need to do is buy a few hundred dollars worth of wholesale jewelry from one of the many online jewelry stores, and you’re in the jewelry business! If you are on a very limited budget, shop for wholesale outlets with a low minimum purchase requirement. Keep in mind, you will probably only have a 10-foot table to fill, so you don't need to have a whole lot to begin with.

Depending on what you plan to sell, your initial inventory can be obtained for as little as a few hundred dollars. Keep in mind, you will probably only have a 10-foot table to fill, so you don't need to have a whole lot to begin with. For example, you can buy a few hundred dollars worth of wholesale jewelry from one of the many online jewelry stores. You are now in the jewelry business! While some of these wholesale outlets require a minimum order of several hundred dollars, others have no minimum requirement. This will allow you to start off with a very small investment in inventory.

Don't get discouraged if your sales are low in the beginning. Even flea market vendors have regular customers, and it takes few weeks for people to get used to seeing you there. Your sales volume will build as you gain repeat customers. Also, be aware that people who sell at flea and farmer's markets like to exaggerate. At the end of the day, you may have made $90 in sales and feel pretty good about it. If the guy in the next booth tells you he sold $1,000 worth of trinkets since noon, take it with a grain of salt.

Even the most successful flea market business won’t provide you enough income to quit your day job - at least not right away. Many successful small businesses started out in 10x10 booths at the local farmer's market and, having achieved success there, expanded to a web-based business or retail storefront.

Like any small business, part-time ventures do fail. If there isn’t demand for your product at the price you are offering it, your business won’t succeed. Starting your business on a part-time model will enable you to fall back on your full-time income and recover your losses. Eventually, you’ll be able to retool your business and try again.

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