Shopping at a kids' bazaar

At a numbered bazaar, lots of families sell their used children's things in one place. The sellers don't stand behind a table themselves, though. They hand in their things beforehand, and helpers lay everything out by type and size: trousers in size 104 here, games over there.

You take your time choosing what you like and pay for everything together at one till. Every item carries a label with its price and a small QR code. The till scans it and knows what it costs and whose it is.

You don't need an account to shop.

Every bazaar is run by people on site, usually a nursery, a school or a club. Listenflohmarkt.org is just the tool they use for it.

1. Go to listenflohmarkt.org and tap Find Flea Markets in the menu.
2. Enter your town or postcode under Search (1).
3. To see what is closest, set Sort by (2) to Distance. Your phone then asks once whether it may use your location.
4. Tap a bazaar (3) to see everything else.

There is also a map below the list. To load it, tap Enable map once.

Got a link or a QR code from a poster? It takes you straight to the right bazaar.

Name, date and address are at the top (1). What matters most to you is the block For visitors (2). It shows the Opening hours, i.e. when you can shop.

You also find there:

• Notes from the organizer, for example whether there is cake or whether pushchairs are allowed inside.
• Whether you can pay by card.
• Whether there is a buyer fee. That is a small surcharge on your purchase, for example for the hall rent or a good cause. The till adds it automatically.
• Download calendar entry (3): puts the date into your phone's calendar.
• Share: sends the bazaar to friends via WhatsApp.

The same page also shows drop-off and pickup times. Those are for the sellers. Turn up then and you'll find half-built tables.

Questions about the bazaar, such as parking or returns, are answered by the organizer. Their email address or phone number is on the page if they have shared it.

On the day, go during the opening hours, pick what you like and take it all to the till. Someone scans the labels there (1), and you pay in cash or, where offered, by card (2). For cash, the till shows the change.

The price at the till differs from the label? Then the seller changed the price afterwards. The price in the till applies, and the cashier will tell you.

You notice something is broken at home? Write to the organizer. The number on the label tells them whose item it was. Whether it can be returned is up to them.

By the way: if the internet goes down in the hall, the till keeps working. You won't notice a thing.

Without parents who pitch in, there is no bazaar. If the organizer is looking for help, the page of the bazaar shows Help & bring something.

For example at the till or setting up:

1. Shifts (1) lists the tasks, times and free places.
2. Tap Sign up next to your shift. You need a free account for that. You create it right there and land back at your shift afterwards.
3. You get an email with a calendar entry. Afterwards you find your shifts in the menu under My shifts.

Many organizers thank their helpers, for example with a seller list before everyone else. What they offer is shown with the shifts.

For example cake, coffee or a clothes rail:

1. Bring something (2) shows what is still needed and how much has already been pledged.
2. Pick something and pledge it. Sometimes the organizer asks a question about it, such as “Which cake?”.
3. Without an account it often works with your name and email. You then get an email with a link. Your pledge only counts once you click it. A second email contains a link to withdraw it again.

Good bazaars get around quickly. With a free account you get an email when a new date comes up.

You create an account under Register. Choose Sell & buy, enter your name, email and a password of at least 12 characters, and confirm the link in the email that follows.

Then open your profile at the top right, go to My profile and then Edit profile:

• In the tab Search agent (1) you save your postcode (2) and a radius, for example 20 km. You then get an email as soon as a new bazaar nearby goes online.
• In the tab Subscribed organizers you add your favourite bazaar, say your nursery's. When it announces a new date, you hear about it straight away.

You can switch both off there again at any time.

With the account you can also rate the bazaar afterwards (menu Give a rating) and later sell yourself. How that works is in the handbook for sellers.

• Numbered bazaar (Listenflohmarkt): a bazaar where sellers hand in beforehand and everyone pays at one till.
• Organizer: the people running the bazaar, for example the nursery's parents' association.
• List: a seller's number. It is on every one of their labels.
• Opening hours: when you can shop.
• Buyer fee: a small surcharge on your purchase, if the organizer charges one.
• Search agent: sends you an email when a new bazaar near you goes online.
• Shift: a helper task at a fixed time, for example the till from 9 to 12.

• About the bazaar itself (times, returns, parking): ask the organizer. The contact is on the page of the bazaar.
• Frequently asked questions: listenflohmarkt.org/help
• Language – Sprache: The app is available in English and German. To switch: tap Deutsch at the top right next to “Sign In”, in the profile menu at the top right once signed in, or at the very bottom of every page.
• About Listenflohmarkt.org: The email address is on listenflohmarkt.org/help under “Show e-mail address”.