Female: The beauty of decorating is in the exploring. And at Paris’ flea market prices, you can afford a few days of romance and retail therapy and still come home with a bargain that your stateside friends won't believe. But for the best results, the savvy shopper use the services of professional bargain hunters like Rachel Kaplan or Elisabeth De Kergorlay.
Rachel, and expat American can save you serious amounts of money with her knowledge of the intricacies of French bargain hunting.
Rachel: Why are there great deals at the flea market, because 80% of the people who shop the flea market are not people like you or me. It’s the dealers. And they're coming from all over the world to then sell at 17 times the price that you pay for them in Paris.
Elisabeth: We save people quite a lot of money. We had a client that bought a console from a dealer who didn’t know what he was selling because he sold it for $2000. And back in New York, he had it estimated at $25,000.
Nicole: You can save so much, first of all, at a flea market. Whether it’s on vintage china or furniture or clothing. Items are marked down, sometimes 50%-70% off what you would find in an antique shop.
Female: When you think of flea markets in the United States, trust me, it’s nothing like this. This place is amazing, it looks like a museum. Everywhere you look, there's a little treasure. Some incredibly expensive, some not so expensive. But what's also terrific, they always seem wanting to give the Americans a little deal.
But before you leap in with pocketbook of lacing, remember, they are still French. And as such, an interpreter at both language and custom is not only helpful, it can save you even more money.
Rachel: We do have the greatest purchasing power in the world. Some people use that to feel that they can buy anything they want and act anything they want. And first of all, it brands them negatively. Americans don’t realize this, but by my encouraging them to dress up for fashion, to be elegant, they're seen as a savvy shopper and they're seen as an educated shopper. If they come in there inappropriately dress and with inappropriate behavior which is aggressive or loud or noisy, or they interrupt the sale to ask a question, “Hey, what's this cost?” They love the enthusiasm, it’s always good to say, “It’s so pretty. It’s so nice.” But they resent the bumptiousness. The kind of I own the store, I'm here to spend my money, Drop everything, because I've shown up.
Female: Carefully following, I watched as Rachel made a business out of helping Americans negotiate the treasure from the trash and getting the best deal possible. A deal tourist alone could never achieve.
Rachel: Now look at this desk, I've been looking at this desk for already a month or two and it's an absolutely stunning English piece made a little over 100 years ago. It’s all mahogany and then stunning green leather.
Female: Its in terrific condition, it’s great.
Rachel: Yes. And it has not been restored at all.
Female: How much?
Rachel: $2800.
Female: $2800. Now how much would this cost back in the states do you think? Something like this?
Rachel: Well, that’s $2800 if you're buying it in France. $2200 for the export.
Female: So just because we lived in the United States, we got $600 off?
Rachel: Exactly. But if you're buying this in the states, I would say between $8000-$10,000.
Female: No, really? Rachel, is it possible for us to negotiate a little bit on this?
Rachel: I think so. Let me ask her.
Female: Okay.
Rachel: She's saying that she would bring it down to $2100.
Female: That’s very good. So it went from $2800 to $2100. But then getting it back to the states, because that’s got to add a lot on to it?
Rachel: Not that much. If you send it by boat and you send it with a container of antiques, it wouldn’t cost more than, let's say, $500 for just the shipping cost. But then you have to have the packing, the crating, and also the insurance.
Female: Another little known but hugely profitable shopping district is the salvage yard within the flea market districts. What many people spend thousands of dollars achieving with custom made orders are here for the bargaining.
Nicole: The deals are astronomical. You can find doors, windows, poles, et cetera. Literally for a quarter of the price that you would find new. The one thing is, usually that, they're in a state of just repair where you have to fix them once you bring them home. But usually it's a very small amount of fixing up.
Female: So with a little guidance, you can get significant returns while enjoying one of the greatest cities in the world.