Oceanside Swap Meet

I bought rubber floor mats for my car for $ 10.
My friend likes to sift through piles of toys and find valuable ones.
We ate tacos, ceviche, mango with chile, etc.
We left satisfied.
It’s like a big garage sale. But isn’t that what a swap meet is? I don’t know.
There are NO ATMS.

hit and miss on the buying and selling end.
some days are just pure crap and others are pretty good.
place could be upgraded.
food and bathroom facilities could be better.
saturdays are best to sell on, cheap rent 15 20 bucks and not too much clutter and confusion. better merchandise to buy and higher end buyers
sundays cost to much for space rent 35 – 40 dollars 4 a small space ]and the buyers are tighter with the money [too many vendors] buyin? hit n miss, hard to spot anything due to visual clutter. noise and crowds
the hispanics [some] like to blast taco music real loud and mgmt does nothing about it.
a great way to drive off customers… [and vendors like me ] way too crowded and noisy on sunday.
the city now requires a resale number and a biz .
lic to sell here more than 2 or three times a yr … [ruin the little guy ]
no one gets rich here and its really just a way to get rid of stuff and or have a day for something to do.
i have had a lot of good times here, hell i used to be top vendor! [second hand junk stuff]
yes i have made some good buys here too!
times have changed though. not what it used to be if you earn 200 or so sat or sun u did pretty well!
if you go… reserve ahead of time if selling, sat u should be okay, sun first come first serve drive in they might tell u were full… sorry …
bring ur own coffee cigs food etc
watch out for thieves! people do steal from u here .or break and damage ur stuff.
i still go to buy or sell once in a while and over all its laid back and the people are pretty nice .
worth going to .
if your a picker go towards the end of the day theres lots of freebies people leave behind.
there are great buys and great prices, u just have to really hunt and look hard and get lucky on the right day

So this place is definitely not a kobeys, but it isn’t a horrible 2 stars either. You have to know what your looking for, each swap meet is different. If your looking for hippie, rasta, inscense, beachy, flip floppy stuff this isn’t the spot. If your looking for MEXICAN SNACKS then by all means you have come to the right spot. They have array of fresh mangoneadas sliced right before your eyes, cocos preparados, elotes, tostilocos, cocktail de camaron for $ 9!!! Ummm yes please. So I loved it I got what I wanted: an order of tostilocos, elote, agua fresca and some fun toys for my Lil one. Mission succesful. So don’t set your self up for a disappointment expecting the stands to woo and dazzle you, this is definitely a Mexican snack, produce and kiddy bouncy houses and Colombian clothes swap meet, just so happen to have a lot of Colombian waist training stands and colombian pants (I spotted 4 or 5.) So if you don’t like the above this definitely isn’t your spot.

This swap meet is just as lame as the Escondido swap meet. The majority of people are selling straight up junk! If you do end up finding something you want these vendors ask like 10x what the item is worth. The food court is small, expensive and doesn’t offer much in choices. The only thing I ended up buying was NFL 2k5 for the original Xbox total price 2 bucks. It was a waste of a drive from Escondido and a waste of my Sunday morning. If you have time and money I suggest you go to the Springvalley Swap meet its way better.

Have heard great things about this swap meet but I’ve found anything about it to be desirable. Most of the items present when I went were cheap plastic toys and tools with serial numbers scratched off of them. The place smelled of stolen goods. Granted, I was there on a Saturday and I guess Sunday is the day to go. But I just can’t imagine dragging myself over here to visit again. Only reason I didn’t give it a one star is because I made it out without being stabbed.

This place is a shit hole! It was 15 years ago and still is today! Never again. Mostly garbage and nothing unique. When in the mood for a «swap meet», which this really isn’t, we’ll drive all the way down to Kobey’s at the old Sports Arena. If anyone knows of a decent one in the Inland Empire shoot me a message. Thanks.
I’m wondering how much stolen property, or bootleg /​counterfeit items, are amongst the boxes and tables of junk LMAO.
P. S. Oh, how I miss when this place was an actual drive-​in movie theater! Numerous good times back in the day! Back then they would even «allow» you to BBQ with a small grill or Hibachi next to your car/​van! Great memories!

I grew up going to flea markets and swap meets. I’ve gone to them in Europe and USA. This is the WORST IN THE WORLD!!!
I wish I bothered to check the reviews on Unilocal before we went here.
Here are the reasons why this is the worst swap meet in the world:
1. There is no swapping. It’s just buying junk.
2. I kid you not, 90% of the items being sold belong in a landfill, if not given away totally for free. This is not gently used stuff you find in your neighborhood garage sale — it’s literally junk. There are some vendors who sell table fulls of electronics cords (with no labels) piled high. Clothes are piled on the ground.
3. The food options are disgusting. Ceviche at a dirty swap meet? Care to play russian roulette on getting anaphylactic shock? Be my guest!
4. There are no treasures — no gems — nothing in good condition. Furniture is all busted. I saw a sign on a crappy, falling apart tv center saying, «$ 2 Just take it.» lol.
5. There are sad stands where they’re selling shampoos and household products for like $ 2 when you can buy it brand new at the dollar store!!!
6. It’s dirty. I spent my time thinking, «Man, if I just walked carrying a giant garbage bag, picking up the trash on the uneven, gravelly ground, I would have a full bag by the time I walked out.»
There is just no redeeming factor to this place. The plant stands are not even good deals.
My SO said, «If everything was destroyed and there were no more factories, 200 years from now, and you could only find the sh*tty stuff where you had to dig into old landfills… this is where it would be sold.» Mad Max style shopping, forreal!
AND to add insult to injury, you have to PAY to get into this god forsaken hell-​hole. $ 1 per person on Saturdays and $ 2 on Sunday for people 10 years old and over.
I’ve been to sales where I found, for 5 euros a 250 euro painting. I went to Shipshewana in Indiana and adored the cultural experiences. The one perk, I guess, is that it saves you the gas and the risk of bodily harm of going to Tijuana for the day. It’s like a little TJ in Oceanside! Talk about a cultural experience!

This place is a total waste of time it’s has like 6 vendors don’t wast your time!!! they are selling straight up crap I’d feel bad donating. We literally paid the dollor too get in walked the whole place in less than 15 minutes then left.

Great place to come if you’re a gardener like me. I come here for all my gardening tools, I got my hedge clippers, shovels, trowels and watering cans from here. We also scored recently on a child’s picnic table and a bench that matches my daughters cottage. I also bought some live plants here and are returning next week to purchase some beautiful tulips and jasmines I saw last week. I personally wouldn’t buy clothes or children’s toys here but great if you have a garden or if you throw parties a lot like I do. I got a croquet set for $ 7 for my daughters Alice In Wonderland party as well as a decorative tea set for $ 20. I also got some pirate props for a pirate party and mini Mickey piñata for a mickey mouse club house party. My husband goes for work tools and my kids like to go for the fresh squeezed lemonade and kettle corn popcorn stand. The swap meet is not for everyone. Depends what you go for. I can see though how people say it’s dirty lol

The Oceanside Swap Meet apparently has a lot of haters, but I love this place.
Obviously, you have to know what you’re getting into: there are big piles of clothes on the ground, and bunches of random junk with no apparent order to it. Bargaining acceptable, but not really necessary when the deals are so good. It’s a swap meet — this is what you should expect!
There’s plenty of parking, and the stalls are spread out. There are lot of them, especially on Sundays. Saturdays are a lot smaller than Sundays; Sundays have maybe twice as many vendors (and twice as big an entry fee to match; $ 2 on Sunday instead of $ 1 on Sunday.)
Here are some of the deals I’ve found:
Always there: sunglasses for $ 5; cheap socks; someone who will copy any key for $ 1; leather wallets for $ 5. A plant seller in the corner with great deals on good potted plants.
My personal best finds: clothes for 50 cents each (workout pants, sweatshirt, nice t-​shirt); and a REAL COACH PURSE for $ 15, in excellent condition. Woo-​hoo!
Plus, you can watch the parachuters from the Tsunami Skydiving at the nearby airport float down while you shop.

Love coming here but sucks u gotta pay to get in. Not as good as some of the ones I’ve been to in North Cal but they have nearly everything such as thrift items, new items, jumpers for the kids, farmers market, shaved ice truck, taco trucks, other food vendors. You can find a new bed there & flowers plants. Sunday is the best day to go for sure.

We got here late so the pickings weren’t so hot that day.
We did pick up some dope Succulents. I got to drink coconut juice straight from a coconut. They cut up whatever fruit you want. You can find a whole bunch of junk here.
The most expensive thing I saw that day was a table for $ 10. Maybe it was just a weird day. Or maybe that was the most expensive thing worth looking at.
Either way, it’s always going to be different. Different vendors every week, every day.
I went on a Saturday — apparently these things are SLOWER on Saturdays than Sundays. Super crackin on sundays I hear. Too bad I can’t make that one. Either way, come on a sunday with a wad of money and you’ll be sure to leave with something awesome.
Heads Up: Succulents almost anywhere else cost $ 5-​$ 6 each. We went to the swap Meet and picked up 1 for $ 1. The huge ones were $ 5. People should buy them here and flip them to these garden shops. Just a heads up. Great deals out there!

I believe if the road was paved it would have SOME potential… Now mind you I said some not full. Prepare to be unamused. Bring shoes you don’t mind getting full of dirt. If you want to buy cheap socks, very old items that didn’t make it to consignment, or random toys and trinkets for kids that might have lead. You’ve found the spot. Don’t expect to find any good food stands… You won’t find it here! I’ve been to all sorts of flea markets. But this one takes the cake for the most gross and unorganized market. You’d think since most of Oceanside has been remodeled and taken care of you’d think they’d at least pave the area to be accommodating to the street fair that happens every weekend. But NOPE. Tax dollars go elsewhere I suppose…

ATTENTION: SOMEONE PLEASE OPEN THE OCEANSIDE VALLEY DRIVE-​IN THEATRES AGAIN!
It can be done.
Somebody invest in this please. Get rid of the Swap «of useless junk» Meet (at least temporarily). It has made the area look so trashy. …and OPEN up what would be the coolest Drive-​IN AROUND!!!
Bring back the Seventies nostalgia! Bring back the Eighties Family FUN!!!
It would take new screens, projectors, fencing, a good Security Team (to keep the peace /​also, The O-​side Police Dept. Is right down the street now). Could use quick-​pay, carbon-​copy receipts/​compliance waivers for guests to sign, a new main projector/​snack building that could be incorporated with a fast food restaurant possibly… so many options. You wouldnt even need to bring back the post speakers, you could use the car radio station option. IT CAN BE DONE.
Customers might have to pay premium at first… but it would be worth it to have the best and one of the only Drive-​ins around. (Youre saying what? I dont want to pay good money to go to the drive-​in!?) and to you I say… Why not? You go to the theatre and pay crazy money right now to hope to get a good seat in what is basically a gamble of the «screen size», which is still half the size of a Drive-​In screen and eat «Way over-​priced candy and popcorn». We all have to sneak candy into the theatres now (in our wives purses /​come on, you know you do it too) just so we can afford to take our kids to the money grubbing theatres.($ 8 for popcorn… Its Corn!!! Not gold for petes sake)…so…Take the money away from that alone and you’ll be happier at the Drive-​In. You could always go to the store before and bring your own «regularly priced candy» in to the Drive-​In. Theres no stopping that. Look! Do you want to enjoy this fun, long lost experience with your family or not?! It may not be the cheapest (no sneaking people in the car trunk), but do want to pass this entertainment experience to the next generations or not!
You can bring your lawnchairs too. Come early and let your kids enjoy the playground. Not the swingset like old… but the upgraded, foam base playground like they have at the city parks these days.
Do you remember the movies you saw at the Drive-​in as a kid growing up? Grease… Rocky…E.T…Poltergeist on Halloween weekend! REMEMBER HOW FUN IT WAS JUST TO BE THERE…
We live in Oceanside (not Minnesota). The weather is great here most of the year. So grab your rebuilt VW Bus, Camaro, Mustang, green Ford Pinto or whatever (Did someone say Car shows?) and go to the Drive-​Ins tonight!!!
I say YES!!!

Vendors are terrible. Nothing but junk and covered priced items. I had a guy RAISE the price when I tried to negotiate. I will never go again.

I believe I know what I’m expecting when I go to the «swami». I find this one somewhat more disappointing that Koby’s or National City, and about the same as Santee (though the latter does have more electronics).
Sunday is the day, I don’t know why they are even open Saturdays.
Contrary to what another reviewer said, don’t go with a list, because you’ll never find any of it. Go with an open mind and a wallet full of cash. I prefer the individual, one-​time vendors to the regulars — the prices are better, the selection is better. There’s also the usual stalls of ultracheap chinese knockoff junk. I usually just walk along all the aisles — which at Oceanside can be pretty confusing because of the way they curve. Even if I come away with nothing, I got a decent walk out of it.

Maybe we just picked a bad day but this was a really crap swap meet. My husband and I got all excited about having a Saturday off together and decided we wanted to pick around a swap meet for fun. I was envisioning funky home décor, old Disney VHS tapes, tacky vintage dresses and fun family board games. On this particular day it was anything but.
We easily found a parking spot (lol @ Danielle D… the best part was «doing the wave») and paid the $ 1 per person to get in. In past experiences, showing up early means you get first pick of all the good stuff so we were there by about 8:30. It was a ghost town. More than half the vendor lots were just skeletons of a tent. I guess all the cool stuff comes out on Sundays? The people who WERE there selling their wares had random junk sitting on tables or on a blanket on the ground. Old tools, used tires, contractor handbooks from the 1980s, not-​gently-​used clothes, overpriced produce. it was a dump.
The only impressive lot belonged to a guy selling pipes, bongs, switchblade knives and apparently brass knuckles («Yeah, they’re illegal but I’ll get ‘em out if you’re interested»). He was dressed like he was going to a nightclub and stuck out like a sore thumb. Nice dude, but we ain’t buying.
We wandered around to every lot, which didn’t take long seeing as less than half of them were set up, and drove home wishing we didn’t spend the $ 2. Next time we’ll make the trek to SD because apparently it’s the ish!