Flea markets move online – and go upmarket, too...

Fans of vide greniers, flea markets and brocantes are buying more and more of their second hand furniture and antiques on line.

Rather than getting up early at weekends to stroll around stalls and shops, they are looking at beautifully presented objects from the comfort of home, where they can imagine just where to put this or that object.

There are a range of sites, with their own specialities. For example, Luckyfind, for vintage and quality second-hand; Atelier du Petit Parc for Fifties and Sixties objects from France, Belgium, Holland and Denmark; Design Market for high-end pieces, and for those searching antiques there is Antiquités en France.

‘Label Emmaüs’ was launched by the charity of the same name in December 2016, and has attracted a new public to those who already know their second-hand stores (where money from sales goes to their charity).

Organisers say in the first year they sold 10,000 items and 25% of buyers had never bought from Emmaüs before.

One of the first sites – and now one of the most successful – was Selency. It was launched by two young entrepreneurs in 2014, Maxime Brousse, passionate about start-ups and Charlotte Cadé (pictured above), who has always adored brocantes and decoration:

“I found I wasted a lot of time going to brocantes and searching on Ebay, so I set up a site to make it easier to find what you want,” Ms Cadé told Connexion.

“It has been a pleasant surprise to see how popular it has become. We now have 100,000 objects on line, employ 30 people, sell 100 items a day and it is still growing. We are en plein boom.”

She believes she has introduced a new approach to buying second hand: “The emphasis is on decoration, rather than brocante and we take photos to give ideas and show what a room could look like. Our launch coincided with an increasingly eco-responsible public who think that buying old is better than buying new.”

The site sells a wide range of styles, with prices ranging from €10-€25,000.

Most sellers are professionals and Selency takes a commission of 25% but private individuals can also sell on the site for a 15% fee. Buyers cover the cost of delivery.

She agrees it is not the same as finding the objects yourself and touching them: “Ten years ago no-one would have thought it possible to buy online, but this is another way of buying where you don’t get dusty, and you can take your time to decide whether to purchase or not.”

Armel Labbé is a third generation antiques seller, at La-Chartre-sur-le-Loir, Sarthe, with a shop that has been in existence since 1925.

Not all dealers welcome the idea of selling on the web, but he says it has brought a breath of fresh air to the business: “The Selency story attracted my attention straight away because I think Charlotte Cadé has given a new image to brocante, modernised the job and brought in a new generation interested in antiques.”

He puts his finds on her site, his own and on others and around 50% of his sales are via the internet.

“It has been a massive amount of work. You now have to photograph your items, spend time checking the sites and emails and I now have three rooms dedicated to packing materials.

“I like to say that a shop is no longer enough, but that internet is not enough either, so you need both.”

He says he uses all social media : “My latest discovery is Instagram. I have posted a photo and found customers outside my door the next day to buy the item!

“I am thinking of expanding to use overseas sites, as 2018 has been a difficult year for everyone. It means I will have to spend more evenings working up until midnight, but the internet opens up huge possibilities for both sellers and buyers.”