Punk Rock Marketing Tips

July 11, 2009
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Marketing Tips from the Vendors at Philadelphia’s Punk Rock Flea Market

In case you didn’t know, mainstream marketing techniques go out the window when a band of hipsters gather together to sell items at an event called the Punk Rock Flea Market.

Although it seems that this is an unstated rule –  i.e., punk rock promotion is not required by R5 productions, the company that hosts the Punk Rock Flea Market in Philadelphia – Punk Rock Flea Market vendors seem to promote their tables with anti-capitalistic flair.

At least, that’s what we discovered after perusing the list of sellers that will be offering their goods at the Starlight Ballroom this weekend.

Rather than become “sellouts,” these vendors have all-but-forgotten about those manipulative strategies endorsed by profit-seeking companies and/or vendors at “regular” flea markets (those capitalistic bastards!).

Without futher ado, here’s a short list of punk rock marketing tips from this weekend’s sellers:

Punk Rock Marketing Tip #1:

Write in hip vernacular that the uninitiated don’t understand.

There’s nothing like confusion to make ‘em whip out their wallets.

Table 15 – Hannah Nichols
Buddies, Besties & Bonerwhammies, selling Sweet Threads, Poppin’ Polaroids, Boom Box JAMS & Good Tymes! We’ll be Sweating the HOTTEST deals & steals to get your Sizzling Summer on the good foot. From thread-bear tees to taxidermy, you name it we got it! check these GOTCHA KIDS out!!!

Punk Rock Marketing Tip #2:

Admit that what you’re selling is junk.

Double points if you call it “old junk.”

Table 09 – Rahul Saggar
Stuff from my dads basement and my freind renea’s stuff. silk scarves, jewelry, old junk,

Table 02 – Zachary Baker
Records, clothes, books, vintage skateboards and other junk!

Table 24 – Lauren Zocholl
Old t-shirt, clothing, jewelry, random junk.

Table 36 – Julia Petrino
Records, Clothes, Books, Magazines, Junk.

Table 39 – Nicholas Siegrist
Old junk, old camera equipment, nick nacks, etc.

Punk Rock Marketing Tip #3:

Make a Personal Connection – This is YOUR old stuff.

Obviously people will buy more if they know YOU used to own it.  I mean, come on, you’re such a trendsetter.

Table 43 – Lauren A Whearty
Clothing that I don’t want anymore. Maybe some hand made jewelery.

Table 52 – Delia C Gable

My old goth/punk/club clothes, shoes, and accessories (belts/jewelry), as well as a bunch of used books and some CDs

Table 12 – Sarah Berkowitz
Melanie and Sarah will be selling used items such as clothes, accessories, purses, shoes, books, cds and many other exciting things that we want to get rid of.

Table 04 – Angela Luczejko
my personal Old cloths, shoes, toys, cds, books, a few handmade bathing suits… giving out free magazines

Table 29 – Brian M Hexter
My soul… no but really all my old clothes that I have grown out of and some bike parts probably.

Table 06 – Kimberly J Blessing
My life, on sale: clothing, books, stationary, records, tapes, CDs, videos, housewares, kitsch-y stuff, computers and other electronics.

Punk Rock Marketing Tip #4:

Throw in a curse word or two.

Shit is better than crap though crap will do.

Table 17 – Joe and Bull Gervasi
The Gervasi Brothers strike back with a fecund selection of used records, books, CDs, DVDs, t-shirts and other crap you KNOW you want to buy. You bring the stink and we’ll sell you goods. Absolutely no t-shirts with unicorn ghosts on them or vegan brownies that taste like a piece of choco-chalk found on the floor of a shortbus.

Table 11 – Jonathan Kroll
Punk shirts, CDs, old books, various knickknacks, and random crap!

Table 03 – Molly Schneider
Clothes, records, 80s toys, paintings, creepy old dolls and other bullshit

Table 53 – Susan k Oneto
vintage clothing, shoes, bags, jewelry, and housewares…the bomb shit.

Table 54 – Amanda M Montgomery
Lots of jibba jabba! Books, cd’s, clothing, housewares, you know, you’re run-of-the-mill flea market ish!!

Punk Rock Marketing Tip #5:

Honesty is always the best policy.

A sub-genre mixing flavors from the “Admit you’re selling junk” and “Make a Personal Connection” tips.

Table 16 – James Horwat
Concert posters, ’90s Frank Kozik screen prints, movies, books + whatever turns up when we clean out the garage

Table 46 – Charles Michael Fulton
I will be selling: Techno/Trance Records for $1 or so a piece Comic Books from the 80s and 90s for $1 or so a piece Scifi paperback books for …$3 a piece? We might sell some other odds and ends… we’re moving at the end of July, so we’re trying to liquify some of the odds and ends we’ve collected over the years. It’s our “You can’t take it with you” sale!

Table 07 – Alexandra Ewing
At the moment unsure–it is three college student girls who plan to have this table, so I’m assuming it’s going to be a mix of old books, CDs, accessories… just random stuff. We need the cash.

Table 03 – James Locascio
My personal record collection (25 cent, $1, $3 and $5 boxes), cds ($3), movies ($3), old concert shirts that were never worn ($5), books ($1), hockey cards (5 cents each), action figures ($1 to $10), etc. everything is cheap and must go!!!as I need the room.

Table 27 – Amy Hartranft
Typical yard sale type things I have had lying around. Alot of clothes and some shoes. Some are vintage but alot are not. Maybe a few old cds or dvds. Some fabric yardage. A camcorder and digital camera. Some dishes. Old jewelry. Buttons. Is it ok that maybe half of this stuff is vintage? I’m definitely not a business of any sort, but I do have a good moderate amount of old items I figured the hipsters would be into.

Table 02 – Natalie M

Natalie Manticore will be offering a large variety of vintage, new, and gently used clothing and shoes suitable for Ladies(and men)of the Punk, Hipster, Goth and Hippie persuasion.( and most scenes in between) Sweater vests! Sexy plaid skirts!! Jeans! Stripey shirts! Glam rock glitter tops! A pair of vinyl pants! many jackets and belts! Also available will be cds, dvds,VHS(now extinct format! stock up!) jewelry, brand new unused krazy kaffiya scarves everyone loves for super cheap! A selection of LPs, books, and more bric a brac than you can handle!!! I’ll be the chick with the RED SPIKED HAIR and the SEXY MANNEQUIN!! YOU CAN’t MISS ME!! And did I mention its all SUPER CHEAP??!!! And if you still don’t like my prices and are as broke as I am, LET’S BARGIN! so we both get what we want!!!

Punk Rock Marketing Tip #6:

If all else fails, beg.

Table 62 – Robert W Tait
I recently started the company environMETAL,llc. We make a bunch of recycled, reusable, earth friendly products covered in gore, blood, and skulls. I have been to close to 100 R5 shows, and almost every flea market. I really need this event to help kick off my business. I’ll take either day or both. Thanks for suppporting the philly music scene!!!

In short, if you need a crash course on Brand Hipster, stop on by the Punk Rock Flea Market this weekend in Philadelphia.  You’ll be able to pick up used CDs, used clothing, and other used paraphenalia that most people consider trash.

And that’s truth in advertising.

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5 Responses to “ Punk Rock Marketing Tips ”

  1. Charles Michael Fulton on November 5, 2010 at 11:35 pm

    For the record, what I was selling wasn’t junk. Nor do I think that the blurb I wrote for the flea market indicates it is junk.

  2. Fire Basket on December 3, 2010 at 1:08 pm

    there are mnay used books online and the price is cheap too but i wonder if the quality of it is good ~~*

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