What is the difference between: vide-greniers, brocantes et marchés aux puces?
Ooh. I don't know Steve. Round here you could almost be in Essex, accents included, fill yer boots wiv bargains every weekend.
For me the first two are the same, a one off annual event in a village/town, the latter is a more permanent thing.
Hello Bernhard,
That's what I like to do, visiting vide-greniers(attic clean), brocantes(more or less antiques) et marchés aux puces(fleemarkets).
Every week I visit this site http://vide-greniers.org/ to find out if there is an event near by. Sometimes it happens to find a real bargain, but most of all I enjoy being there!
Have a nice time, best regards,
Louise
Brian is quite correct. By swapping around in the family the vide grenier regulars seek to avoid quite rigid laws on trading second hand /antique goods. And, they hope, the taxman.
Vide greniers are supposed to be entirely amateur activities so that people do literally empty their attic. They are limited to how many they can do even and need to be local people. That is theory, practice has made it otherwise whereby aunts, uncles, neighbours and so on take turns to run the pitch. We know a few people with a healthy sideline. The line between them and brocantiers is very 'soft', but in principle it is all as David says. Vide greniers are where bargains are to be found but choose good weather and turn up at 0730 to 0800 and lurk as people set up then you'll get them.
Vide greniers are often amateur affairs run to raise funds for sports clubs PTA's etc by selling pitches. Brocantes or foire aux brocantes are gatherings of professional brocantiers - sellers of second hand goods/antiques. Marchés aux puces are regular markets also usually the province of professional brocantiers. Foires antiquaires are more up market. In general the price spectrum increases as you progress from vide greniers to the antiquaire events.