Banjara Market – The Truth and is it worth all the hype?

Banjara Market – While shopping for unique finds, you might notice a lot of different terms that define “old”. How do you figure out if the item you are eyeing, an “antique,” “vintage,” or a “collectible”? The answer would depend on what are you looking to buy.

Whenever you do a search for “second hand furniture in delhi“, “office second hand furniture” or “second hand home decor“, The place that keeps popping up in online searches these days is Banjara market in Gurgaon {Delhi NCR}

So, what is Banjara Market?

Banjara Market Gurgaon is a roadside furniture and home decor product “market”. Nomads from Chittoor occupy this place. They have made this area their home for over 15 years. Back in the old times, they used to get these rejected items from export houses in Jodhpur. Those days they would barter the furniture etc for bag of rice or flour also! Now they are savvy sales people who quote high prices and accept payments on smartphones.

Whats all the big deal about it?

The banjaras sell second hand OR defective home decor products. These pieces are definitely not handmade or crafted by these locals. These are machine made, factory line products. Please do not fall for the videos and blog posts that say so. These items are cheap because they have small defects or cracks.
Some of these were made as “samples” by Indian export companies for international decor brands. But they probably got rejected and ended in this market in a big pile. Sometimes, you might also find overstock of collections after a season. That will help you understand those large chunks of Christmas decorations!

Are the items in Banjara Market Antique or Vintage?

Lets define Antique here.

The buyers in the know understand that an antique is something quite specific. Only because something is “old” does not imply that it is an antique.
A true antique, as defined by most professionals in the antique field, is an object that is 100 years of age or older. So, by this definition, anything made roughly between 1901 to 1910, or older is antique now.
These could belong to different periods such as Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, just to name a few. Some could also be reproductions and revivals of old styles, like Victorian and Art Deco.

Now lets define Vintage.
Items that are less than a 100 years old but are older than 20 years are considered Vintage. Online markets like Etsy define that anything 20 years or older falls under the umbrella of vintage. But stuff that is more recent like from the 1990s, could be called “collectibles”

So, one can conclude that Banjra Market does not sell Antiques or even Vintage material.

Should I buy from Banjara market?

Yes, of course. If you desperately need something for your home decor, and Banjara Market gets you an option for it… go for it. Don’t feel guilty to bargain though. The banjaras buy these items in bulk to resell. Bargaining is your right in this scenario. There is no option of a banjara market furniture online store anywhere. If you do find one, be assured that these small businesses are also buying their stock from these street side vendors. And if you are wondering about banjara market timings or trying to fin the answer to the question “is banjara market open today“, then let me inform you that these people live here in those tents. They start dealing with customers mostly from 11 am and till late evening.

In fact, its better to buy home decor products & furniture from here at a lesser price with minor defects. This way you would be reducing the demand for a NEW product to be produced and destroy another tree in the process. It is a good case of REUSING and THRIFTING here. Buy all you need. Show of your Banjara market haul. Just be aware of the facts behind your purchase.

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