Market stall checklist
Say what you sell. Get the list for that stall, not for every stall.
A cake stall and a vintage clothing stall share a table and a cash float and almost nothing else. Choose what you are selling and the list below rebuilds itself. Tick things off as you pack the car, or print it and stick it inside the boot.
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Paperwork
The site
Display
Money
On the day
The three things people forget
Marquee weights come first. A marquee without them is a kite, and an organiser will ask you to take it down in any wind. Second is change: the first customer of the day pays with a fifty. Third is somewhere to sit.
The paperwork section looks like the dull part and is the one that can stop you trading. An organiser who asks for an insurance certificate at 7am is not going to wait while you find the email. Print it, or save it to your phone where there is no signal needed to open it.
Food rules differ between states and councils, so the list tells you to check with yours and does not pretend to know the answer. Before you buy any of this, run your numbers through the stall profit calculator, and read how to get a market stall for how booking works.
More market tools
- Stallholders
Market stall profit calculator
What a market day earns after the stall fee, stock, travel and your own hours, with the number of sales it takes to break even.
- Everyone
Market date finder
Turn "third Saturday of the month" into the next twelve actual dates, flag the ones that land on a public holiday, and save them to your calendar.
- Shoppers
What's in season lookup
Pick a state and any month of the year to see what growers there are picking, what is at its peak and what is about to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What do I need for a market stall?
- A site booking, public liability cover unless the organiser provides it, a table, a way to take money and price signs. Outdoors you also need a 3 by 3 metre marquee with weights on every leg. Food sellers need the registration their council requires and a hand-washing set-up.
- Does the market provide tables and a marquee?
- Almost never. Markets in the directory that describe their set-up, such as Terrigal Beach Markets and Traralgon Farmers Market, say stallholders bring their own marquee, tables and chairs. Assume you bring everything unless the organiser tells you otherwise.
- What time should I arrive to set up?
- At the bump-in time the organiser gives you, which is usually an hour or more before opening. Most markets stop vehicles moving on site before the public arrives, so a late stallholder has to carry everything in by hand.