Clothes market stall
Sell new or second-hand clothes from a pitch at local markets and car boot sales.
- £500-3k
- Side hustle
- Out and about
- Licence or permit needed
Estimates for a small start in the UK, not guarantees.
Official data
6,467 UK companies in this field, 50% registered in the last 2 years
SIC 47820 “Retail sale via stalls and markets of textiles, clothing and footwear”. Source: Companies House, November 2026.
What it is
A stall or pitch at a street market, indoor market or weekend market selling new, wholesale-bought or second-hand clothing to passing shoppers.
Your first three steps
- Visit a few local markets, note what clothes stalls sell and at what prices, and ask the market manager about pitch fees and waiting lists
- Buy a first batch of stock, such as wholesale lots or second-hand finds, plus a trestle table, rails and a float
- Book a casual pitch for a few trading days and register as a sole trader with HMRC
Who pays
Bargain hunters, families, students and shoppers looking for something different from the high street.
How it makes money
You buy stock cheaply (wholesale, job lots or second-hand) and sell at a mark-up, paying a daily or weekly pitch fee to the market operator.
Skills that help
- Spotting good stock at the right price
- Friendly selling and haggling
- Setting up and packing down a display
- Basic bookkeeping
Watch out for
- Street trading rules differ by council, so check whether you need a licence or consent for your pitch
- Public liability insurance, which many markets ask traders to have
- Selling fake or branded goods without permission is illegal, so check your suppliers carefully
- New clothing is subject to consumer and labelling rules, check what applies to you with Trading Standards
- Bad weather and quiet days can hit takings, so keep stock costs under control
Deep research report · UK
Everything you need to start: clothes market stall
Researched with live web search for United Kingdom: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
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