The Saturday afternoon flea market used to be the crapshoot of the frugal, where one struck gold or went home with nada.

Fear not, fellow cheapskates! They still survive, no thanks to the “interweb.”

True, you could find that must-have “whozee-whats-it-thing-a-majig” or “techno-gizmo” on Craigslist or eBay from the comfort of home. And yes, you can even do it wearing only underwear.

But that’s only convenient when what you buy gets shipped. Otherwise, you’ll have to go meet the seller. That means trekking out to wherever the seller lives so you can appraise that milk crate full of Samoan erotica that caught your eye. In such instances, pants are encouraged.

So, if you don’t mind that kind of effort, why not eschew laptop browsing altogether and make a fully clothed morning of it at your weekly swap meet?

Few modern bargain hunters venture out to these bastions of the free market. And boy, are they missing out.

First off, you’re outdoors getting sun. That’ll make your mother happy because she thinks you spend too much time on “that dang Hulu.”

Secondly, you’re outdoors with all kinds of cool stuff to blow your Pell Grant on.

And then there’s the cuisine! Why, the one I visited had a taco cart! Huevos rancheros right at the curb near the dumpster! Seconds, please!

Plenty of folks don’t mind using social networking to shop. Fine. They choose Facebook over face time. Your choice.

But web interactions lack a great deal, especially the human touch. When you shop for stuff online, you usually know nothing about the seller and emails are notoriously misleading when it comes to gauging a person’s tone and personality.

Oh sure, you think those ceramic kittens dressed like U.S. presidents are a must-have. But after you’ve driven an hour to the boondocks and discover the seller lives on some fortified compound where he “trains ferrets for the coming race war,” you’ll probably end up passing that little treasure up.

It is far wiser to meet both item and seller at the same time. That way, you know the Snuggie that’s caught your eye is new and hasn’t been worn by the overweight Harley dude riddled with sebaceous cysts whose hocking it.

And nothing takes the place of a firm handshake. Not only does it seal the deal, it means you’ve actually concluded a person-to-person exchange.

Back in my day, when you gripped paws, you looked right into the seller’s eyes and he yours. Those windows to our soul reveal so much, including whether or not someone can be trusted.

How do you manage that online?