Flea Markets = Free Markets?

A friend of mine asked me to add a link to my blog for one of his family who does business at a flea market. It is in this spirit that I write this entry. I was only at a flea market one time, when I was young, probably about 10-12 years old. I remember countless items, everything from music to clothing to little trinkets that are very hard to find anywhere else.

Some say that the term "flea market" comes from clothing that was sold at early markets that was not the cleanest in the world, others have different opinions as to where this came from. At any rate, I'm sure that secondhand clothing is still very much present at these markets, and I'm sure that not everything is of top quality, but from second-hand knowledge, I know that there are many things available there that are hard to find in other locales. Porn movies sold openly, confederate flags and bumper stickers, these things will not be found at Walmart or your city's annual festival.

The flea market caters to those in seek of the unique, those who wish to find something very special or very cheap. eBay cannot replace the flea market. eBay tracks what users buy, has them pay mostly with methods that are traceable. You cannot buy a gun, offensive material, or hardcore porn on eBay; but you can buy one at a gun show, which is a specialized flea market. States have tried to impose restrictions on gun shows. There used to be no background check, since private party to private party gun transactions usually don't require one. In certain circumstances (when dealing with non-handguns) this can still be true. Private parties do not require a federal firearms license (FFL) to sell a gun, much like if you give or sell a gun to a relative (a grandfather passing along the family rifle to his grandson).

The problem is that some states and cities are trying to regulate these open air markets. This is decidedly un-American. If someone is offended by the guy selling the Nazi memorabilia at a flea stall, that person can choose not to do business with them and perhaps persuade others to do so, but people should be able to sell whatever they want.

In some ways, the flea market is the epitome of capitalism, of the American way and the American spirit. It is in some ways the last vestige of how the Founding Fathers envisioned our market society, and they should be preserved and free from regulation.

Here is a link to an American marketer who sells sex toys and porn in Michigan. Long live the free market: http://www.seductionavenue.com/