OK I have just started to think sensibly after my Angering experience of window shopping for delaer space at the Raynham Flea Market. I should begin with as a highly experienced dealer of swords and knives at flea markets in the state of massachusetts i have acquired alot of common sense and maturity in the knife & sword business. I spoke with a woman by the name of chrissy over the phone a couple of days prior regarding my obtaining a space to deal my edged collectibles at their flea market making sure that I got all the essential facts before traveling 20 miles from weymouth to raynham. 

I took it upon myself to take a little tour of the place and see just who my competition might be not being surprised to have found at least two sword and knife dealers selling low - mid grade chinese/pakistani manufactured knives & swords. Of course specializing in the low grade chinese $12.00 pocket knives that you buy and throw away when they get dull... The reason that most dealers sell low to mid grade pocketknives and swords is because they cost dealers $2.00 - $3.00 per pocketknife and $12.00 - $20.00 per sword allowing dealers to stock up with a large variety providing patrons with a sense of overwhelming variety to choose from at a much cheaper price. Whereas filling their wall space and glass display cases with more expensive  but true quality products manufactered in America, Tawain, Japan or Spain would cost a small fortune and attract a limited market!!! It has been my experience that although chinese/pakastani low - mid grade products attract a broader market they are prone to breakage and more returns/exchanges to preserve my existing customer base, thus as soon as possible i found myself upgrading to higher grade products on my sales floor and extending the satisfaction and return of my customer base.

Once i found that my competition would not be of any concern on my part i walked into the dealer registration office to register for a space at which point I was asked what i would be selling in my space. Once i revealed i would be selling swords and knives i was told that the amount of dealers allowed to sell swords and knives was an outstanding grand total of 2 out of 300 dealers at that flea market.... im still waiting for that standing ovation!!! A person other than Chrissy was working the desk and she told me that there is no likely chance that any of the 2 sword & knife dealers are going to be moving out anytime soon so i should try going to another flea market to acquire a space. First of all I am certain that this is an infraction of the shermin fair trade act, not allowing the existance of enough compitetion in the sword and knife trade allowing for the existance of a monopoly.... and this is exactly the case. upon examination of both sword and knife dealers i have found these following resemblances in their operations that are far too similar to be a freak coincidince. both sword and knife dealersd at the raynham flea market have the same pricing strategy and price labels. Of course one dealer has the best of the best while the other dealer has the oldest and most undesirable mid-low grade products. One dealer has a nicely organized and decorated booth while the other looks disorderly. One dealer has a couple working the booth that seem professionally oriented while the other has a teenage boy on his laptop rudely not being customer service oriented at all.

So what does this lead me to believe you might ask... i have seen this scenario before and it is a rather simple way to not allow any competitors to infiltrate the flea market that you sell a particular product line at the flea market they are at... especially that is restricted to an amount of dealers allowed. The original dealer of swords and knives at the Raynham Flea market is most certainly aware of this 2 dealer only restriction so Step 1: he has his friend or someone not directly related to him put the flea market space under their name,  Step 2: he places his products that are either damaged or is not selling in that flea market booth to fill it (overall he doesnt care if that booth doesnt make any money as long as his sword and knife stand is still raking in the dough) and finally Step 3: hired either his son or a college kid that needs a little extra income to run that booth. Now no one can go into that flea market selling swords and knives to threaten his income.... unfortunatly their is no way that i can prove this and frankly it is not worth my time but if you dont believe me go check it out for yourself, it is very funny that the flea market management has not figured this out!

As a dealer at JR's Flea Market in Agawam, MA I was appaled at how much money i was charged for rental of an indoor space with the conditions of the building that the flea market is in. During any season if it was wet outdoors the roof leaked in huge puudles all over the place indoors and you didnt have to listen very carefully to hear water drops cascading 50 feet downwards splashing into the pails of water scattered all thruout the place. This unkept appearance obviously hurt the very few dealers inside trying to project images of professionalism towards their returning patrons mingled amongst those dealers displaying disheveled table upon un-organaized table of socks or beyond repairable used stuff. The electrical system inside that flea market is an absolute nightmare and not to mention a definite fire hazard with the way the dealers inside abuse their priviledges to use the electricity indoors... imagine seeing electrical outlets with at least 5-6 plugs sticking out of them via additional adapters and extension cords strung out all over the place above your heads. I can recall It is my opinion that in my experience as an indoor renter at the JR's Flea Market I would have made better sales and spent far less money in space renovations if i had simply set up outdoors instead.