Vintage clothes market stall

Market visitors, students, festival-goers and collectors looking for one-off pieces they can try on.

You sell items at a markup on what you paid, with takings varying by pitch, season and footfall. Pitch fees are your main running cost.

• Eye for style and quality
• Friendly selling and haggling
• Displaying stock attractively
• Organising loading, travel and stock

• Public liability insurance, which many markets ask for
• Street trading permission if you plan to trade outside organised markets, check with your council
• Pitch fees and travel costs eating into profit on quiet days
• Weather and carrying heavy stock, so plan transport such as a car or van

Startup costs are typically around £500 to £2,500, depending on your stock, rail and display setup, and transport. These are estimates, and pitch fees and travel costs can eat into profit on quiet days.

Monthly revenue is typically around £400 to £2,500, depending on which markets you attend, how often and what you sell. These are estimates, and you would usually need at least around 10 hours a week.

Check whether you need public liability insurance, which many markets ask for. If you plan to trade outside organised markets, check street trading permission with your council, and plan transport for heavy stock.