I ran a stall at Glebe Markets — here’s how I made a profit

Glebe Markets brings a vibrant and eclectic mix of stalls to Sydney’s Inner West, from vintage clothing and fresh produce to artisanal baked goods, original artwork and handcrafted jewellery. But how difficult is it to actually run a stall yourself?

After months of indecision (and a lot of “maybe next weekend”), my friends and I finally bit the bullet and booked a Glebe Markets stall to see if our unworn clothes could find new homes. Surprisingly, it was a lucrative day all round, so I’ve put together my top tips and tricks for running a successful stall and, most importantly, turning a profit.

Booking a stall

Booking a casual stall at Glebe Markets is surprisingly straightforward. They offer a few different pricing options, depending on what you’re selling. We applied for the “One-Off Garage Sale” stall, which costs $125. Bear in mind, this type of stall is probably not for veteran Glebe Markets stallholders or established small businesses — they’d be better off opting for a General Stall (which starts at $135).

If you’re just looking to offload a few things, like we were, the One-Off Garage Sale is the cheapest and simplest option. On top of the $125, we paid an additional insurance charge of $21 and a $1.91 transaction fee, bringing the total price of the booking to $147.91. With four of us sharing the stall, we each had to chip in $37 to cover the cost.

When to arrive

Allocated spots are emailed to stallholders the day before the markets, along with information on which gate to enter and where to park.

We were told to arrive anytime between 8am and 8:30am, and were given 10 minutes to unload from the car. We were then able to start setting up our stall at 9am, after all the other vehicles had vacated the area.

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Our top 10 tips

Being well-prepared is the key to a smooth and successful day at Glebe Markets. Here’s what we did to make running a stall as efficient as possible.

1. Price your items before you arrive

Tagging your items in advance streamlines the setup process and saves yourself a lot of hassle on the day. We used a bit of string, paper and a sharpie to create pricetags and attacked them to the clothes labels, so people could quickly identify the prices of each item. We also brought a few boxes to create $5 bargain buckets, filled with items we were less attached to. You only get a three metre by three metre space, so these bargain buckets save room and make it easier for any shoppers looking for the cheapest items.

2. Rent a table for $11

If you don’t have a suitable table or the space to transport one to Glebe, don’t worry, they offer tables for hire on-site. It will set you back another $11, but gives you one less thing to pack.

3. Camping chairs are a must

The markets run from 10am-4pm, which is a lot of time spent on your feet. Bring a few foldable camping chairs — they’re easy to transport and perfect for lunch breaks or giving your feet a well-earned rest. You’ll thank us later.

5. Kmart is a five minute walk away

Didn’t pack enough hangers? Kmart is just a five minute walk away in the Broadway shopping centre. We actually went and bought one more clothing rack (for $10) as we underestimated just how many clothes we had. The market’s proximity to Kmart is a life-saver if you need to grab any last-minute essentials.

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6. Start high, end low

When pricing your items, keep in mind that many shoppers will try to haggle. It’s a good idea to set your prices with some wiggle room. Towards the end of the day, we also started reducing prices to clear out the last our of items, so factor that in when setting your intial prices.

7. Most people use PayID or bank transfer

We were a bit worried about not having a card reader, however everyone who bought something from our stall either used cash, PayID or bank transfer. Bring a piece of paper with your card details or PayID printed to make it easier for people to transfer to the correct account.

8. Bring change

Many people still prefer to pay with cash, so bringing some coins and notes ensures you won’t miss out on a sale due to lack of change.

9. A speaker will keep the vibes going

As long as you’re not blasting music on top volume, a speaker and a well-curated playlist helps draw in more shoppers and kept our energy high during more quiets moments.

10. Don’t forget a mirror

Yes, it was a bit painful lugging my floor length mirror into the car. However, people want to try before they buy, and having your own mirror makes it easier to get the sale. The other option is befriending the closest stallholder that has a mirror and changing tent, or letting people take your items to the toilets to try on. This is quite normal — usually stallholders will ask to take an ID, bag or phone from the shopper to ensure they can’t leave with your items.

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Final verdict

My advice? Book that stall!

We all managed to clear out a heap of unused clothes, and each walked away with over $100 in profit. We also had a great time — the atmosphere is vibrant and it’s a great way to meet new people, whether they’re customers or fellow stallholders. Plus, if you’re with friends, you can take turns having a break from your own stall and explore the markets. Although I will warn you: you might be tempted to spend your day’s profits on other second hand finds, iced matchas and spicy dumplings.

FAQs

1. How do I book a stall at Glebe Markets?

Booking a stall is relatively easy — follow this link and fill out the application. We had confirmation that our application had been accepted within 24 hours.

2. What time should I arrive?

We arrived at around 8:20am to unload our car, however we couldn’t actually set up the stall until 9am. This gave us plenty of time to get sorted.

3. What should I bring?

We recommend bringing the following:

• Clothing racks with hangers
• Crates/ bins for cheaper items
• A speaker
• Foldable camping chairs
• Change (notes and coins)
• A pen (for changing any prices)
• A mirror
• A sign with your bank details and PayID printed

4. How much does it cost to book a stall?

We opted for the cheapest stall price, the “One-Off Garage Sale” stall, which costs $125. After insurance and a transaction fee, this went up to $147.91.