Chicago Flea Markets

[Little Samson]

So, after hearing everybody talk about great finds at flea markets, I decided to go to one this morning. I found a big one downtown Chicago (Buyer's Flea Market), got up at 6:30, and was the first person at the door. I asked around several places for "old video games", and nobody had anything.

I was finally directed to this one guy sitting alone at a table with a few boxes lying around. I asked him if he had any old Nintendo games, and he pulled out about 10 crappy Nintendo 64 games, 3 NES games with crappy labels (TMNT, Platoon, and something else -- marked $5 each), and 1 SNES game (Super Mario World -- marked $10). He had some other more modern stuff I wasn't interested in. Finally, he had a Nintendo 64 console with a gold controller, so I thought I'd at least get the controller (I didn't want to go away empty-handed), but he didn't want to sell the controller separately, and he was asking $30 for the console. Needless to say, I didn't buy anything from him.

So, that was a pretty sucky morning, and it kind of turned me off of flea markets. Does anybody know of any worthwhile places to go in the Chicago area? I saw that there were three flea markets in Aurora, IL, but that's over an hour drive, and I don't want to bother going if they're going to be as disappointing as this experience.

Maybe there's nobody here from the area, but I just thought I'd ask.

[Dan Iacovelli]

there are at least two in melrose park,IL
1.swap-a- rama off north ave and lake street(next door to truck depot (formally fox run mall) across the streets from Mikes restruants.(they usally have good stuff,I haven't been there in along itme)
2.Wollfs flea market on Mannheim road(I think they closed down and a coat store took over the location I haven't been there in while,the last time I passed by it was turned intoa coat store)
if you near villa park,IL theres 5 Star Indoor Swapmart in the north park mall
they have pretty good stuff.

[savageone]

Don't be turned off to them over one bum find. It gets harder and harder every year to make a truly great find, but it can still be done. Certainly not every garage sale/flea market you go to will even have A video game in site, and even if there are some there is a good chance they will be priced similar to what you found there.

Seriously though, I've got to say if you're going to these types of things looking for JUST video games there is a very high chance you're going to come home with an empty tank of gas and feeling of disappointment.

Personally, my area is EXTREMELY dry for video games compared to when I was living in Iowa (ah memories..), and that might just be location or a sign of the times but I've made a good find or two here and there. Just gotta keep at it.

[ecresto]

I live in hammond indiana , real close to the chicago area , and ive been to a couple of the flea markets mentioned , but never really came up with anything . there are some flea markets in gary , in , where ive found some good stuff . but i never really have any luck at flea markets or yard sales .

[Little Samson]

Cool, thanks for the replies.

there are at least two in melrose park,IL
1.swap-a- rama off north ave and lake street(next door to truck depot (formally fox run mall) across the streets from Mikes restruants.(they usally have good stuff,I haven't been there in along itme)
2.Wollfs flea market on Mannheim road(I think they closed down and a coat store took over the location I haven't been there in while,the last time I passed by it was turned intoa coat store)
if you near villa park,IL theres 5 Star Indoor Swapmart in the north park mall
they have pretty good stuff.

I'l give those ones a try -- thanks for the recommendations!

[Nirvana]

Yeah. Swap-O-Rama in Alsip is a cool flea market. But not really for video games o_O

I was there earlier and someone was selling a Pikachu N64. I don't think the rarity is super high, but I considered buying it but the case thing in the front was missing.

(Edit: Cool. Post 521. My birthday is May 21.)

[Amos]

That flea market in Alsip used to be a *great* place for video games. There was a crazy, angry guy with a regular booth selling all manner of classic games in the late '80s/early '90s. I think all of the video games on the south side of Chicago ended up passing through that guy's hands at one time or another. I once got a loose copy of Chase the Chuckwagon from him for just a few bucks. Anyone know if he's still there?

[Queen Of The Felines]

Try the Tinley Park flea market, near the Tweeter Center (er, First National Bank Theater or whatever it's now called). The outdoor area has different vendors every weekend and I've found a ton of good crap there. The indoor area doesn't have much (unless you're into action figures) but the outdoor is like a giant garage sale. Go on Sunday and get there early, it opens around 7am or so.

@ecresto: There's two flea markets on US 41 in St. John, one is Uncle John's Flea Market, and about a block or two away is the entrance to the Banyard flea market, which is hard to spot. That one has a permanent building that's LOADED with video game stuff, you name it, he's probably got it (rare 2600 games, kiosk discs, imports, magazines, promo stuff, etc). Only problem is that it's extremely disorganized and you literally have to dig through piles of junk to get anywhere, but it's almost like digging for buried treasure so it works out.

[Matt-El]

Interesting spots. The only two I've been to a few times are the ones in wheaton, and grayslake at the fairgrounds. Those are mostly for other interests though. Never anyone with games. But I did get my older Nintendo DS there a little while after it came out for 65 bucks brand new. Go fig. A little further north, but hey.

[ecresto]

=@ecresto: There's two flea markets on US 41 in St. John, one is Uncle John's Flea Market, and about a block or two away is the entrance to the Banyard flea market, which is hard to spot. That one has a permanent building that's LOADED with video game stuff, you name it, he's probably got it (rare 2600 games, kiosk discs, imports, magazines, promo stuff, etc). Only problem is that it's extremely disorganized and you literally have to dig through piles of junk to get anywhere, but it's almost like digging for buried treasure so it works out.

thx alot ill check it out next weekend im off .

[wingzrow]

Sorry to bump an old topic but has anyone been to woff's second location since they closed down their original building?

[wingzrow]

Went to the Alsip Swaporama this weekend, and buyer's flea market but i'm not touching that place ever again.

I met this black old black man with a fucking cooking apron this weekend in chicago's swaporama too who was a REAL retro game seller.

Said he was there at that shitty flea market for 17+ years. When I got there to brows his games he was chatting it up with some customers while fixing a gameboy advance telling people about how nobody appreciates games anymore these days.

I really need to interview him next time I go there.

Around half of this stuff I got just from him. Would have pulled out more but his booth was so packed to the brim he couldn't get the the sega saturn stuff I wanted to buy.