Does anyone go to these places like flea markets or garage sales?

My area has two flea markets that are every weekend. However, I tend to find them boring, since it’s usually always the same vendors with the same items every time I go. I have gotten a few vintage fans from the flea markets though.

Garage sales I sometimes go to, but I find the larger estate sales to usually be better, since garage and yard sales often has just clothes, baby stuff and knick knacks that people don’t want anymore, and nothing much else.

I like the weekends where there are multiple sales in one area, so I can stop at several sales without having to go far.

What are really fun is when the estate sales have an old barn or they had a garage full of old stuff! I’ve never found any streetlights at these sales, but sometimes you find old light fixtures or old lamps. I have seen some MV yard blasters a few times for sale.

I used to go garage sales to find old Christmas light strings such as Box of Christmas Lights Strings in the late 1970s and 1980s where I get them dirt cheap

I did go to a flea market in Florida. Lots of cool stuff, but barely anything in terms of lighting.

Garage sales I haven’t been to at all. And whenever I see one passing by, just clothes, toys, and other non-lighting stuff is all that there is just like what you see.

There’s also swap meets near my area, indoor and out, but all they have for lighting is modern lamps usually. So I don’t bother going.

Have not been to an estate sale yet.

Flea markets here don't really have that much vintage stuff. Most here have fixed vendors with semi permanent booths that sell stuff like older video games, electronics, misc decor and art, clothing, etc. Not much that sell vintage stuff or lighting.

The antique markets tend to be much better for vintage lighting here but at a higher price. Occasionally there will be a flea market that has rotating vendors with vintage items but those are pretty rare.

That sounds similar to here, a lot of the indoor flea markets have the same vendors of stuff, that’s more boutique like. There’s one here in an old three story bank building that’s like that and I don’t usually go to it, because it’s just boring.

I do see light fixture at yard sales pretty commonly, from people probably changing them out and selling the old ones, but they’re usually just modern style fixtures and nothing particularly worth getting to me.

There are a few that run near me, I never go because I much rather going to a supermarket where I don't need to line up for 15 min to buy an orange.

 I do . Typically , all I find is crap . Ya' never know when you'll find gold tho .

Yep! I found this at a flea market 14 years ago. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it.

To be honest, with how little of the older stuff remains, there's not a single place that's consistently good for finding vintage stuff be it Restores, other thrift stores, flea markets, and even antique markets. That's not to say you'll randomly strike gold though, I found a partial case of 175w Lifeguard MV lamps at a Value Village (Savers) last summer.

This also came from a flea market years ago.  An old house from around 1960 that my brother used to live in had similar single bulb fixtures with chain-hung shades, so I was happy to finally find one.