How to Get Your Child a Table at a Local Market

Three routes, and one of them is far easier than the others

Quick answer: There are three realistic ways for a child aged 6 to 12 to hold a stall in Australia:

Start with the school fete. It is free, the customers are already there, and every regulatory question has been answered by someone else.

One correction first. My Kids Market, which comes up first for most searches in this area, is a market where parents sell preloved baby and children's goods. Children may attend with a parent but they are not the stallholders. It is a good place to declutter and it is not what you are looking for.

The thing that stops most applications: insurance

Most general markets require stallholders to hold public liability insurance, usually $10 million or $20 million of cover. This is the single biggest practical obstacle, and it catches families out at the application stage rather than earlier.

Three ways around it:

Use a market that includes cover. Some markets bundle market insurance into the stall fee. My Kids Market, for example, publishes stalls from $60 including a trestle table and market insurance. Ask directly when you enquire, because it is not always mentioned in the listing.

Use an event that already carries cover. School fetes, sporting club events and council-run kids markets generally operate under the organiser's policy. This is why they are the easiest starting point.

Buy single-event cover. Some insurers sell one-day stallholder policies. Worth pricing if your child is serious, and not worth it for a first attempt.

A useful thing to know: markets generally classify anyone selling new or handmade goods as a business stall even without a registered business or an ABN. My Kids Market states this explicitly. So the absence of an ABN is not usually a barrier. Insurance is.

For what a hobby versus a business means for tax, see our guide to starting a business as a kid. Short version: a child's occasional selling is generally a hobby.

Where to actually look

There is no national directory, so this is local searching. In order of likelihood:

Your school. Ask whether the fete has a children's stall area, or whether one could be added. Many schools will say yes to a child who asks.

Council-run kids markets. Several Australian councils run these specifically. Cumberland Council in NSW has hosted Kids in Business Markets for young business owners aged 6 to 18. Kempsey Shire Council runs the Macleay Mini Makers Market with Kempsey Riverside Markets, giving children their own stall. Search your council's what's on page for mini makers, kids market or young entrepreneurs.

General community and handmade markets. Most will consider a child stallholder with a parent named on the application. Ring rather than emailing. A phone call gets a straight answer about insurance and supervision in two minutes.

Youth makers markets, for later. Waverley Council's Rising Makers Market is for ages 15 to 24, so it is not relevant now, but it is worth knowing these exist as the next step.

If nothing local exists, the honest alternative is a school fete or a stall at a community event rather than forcing a market that is not set up for it.

What it actually costs

If the total is climbing past $100 for a first attempt, choose a cheaper route. The point of the first stall is the experience, not the margin.

The float, and the payment problem

Bring more change than feels necessary. My Kids Market advises stallholders to carry a $100 float in gold coins and small notes, because shoppers routinely arrive with $50 notes and little else. A child who cannot break a $50 loses the sale.

The harder issue is cards. A growing share of customers carry no cash at all, and that is simply a limit on a first stall. Offering a contactless option does increase sales, and it also removes most of the handling-money learning that makes the exercise worthwhile at this age. For a first stall, cash only is the right call and you will lose a few sales. Say so in advance so nobody is surprised.

The application, step by step

1. Pick the market and read its stallholder page before contacting anyone. Most answer half the questions.
2. Ring and ask three things: do you accept child stallholders, is insurance included, and is there a shorter or cheaper option for a first-timer.
3. Apply in the parent's name with the child named as the stallholder, if the form allows it. Be straightforward about the child's age.
4. Ask which position you have been allocated. Near an entrance or near food is worth more than a discount.
5. Confirm set-up and pack-down times. Markets are strict about this and a late arrival can lose the spot.

What to bring

• Stock, and about half again as backup, boxed
• A trestle table and a cloth, if not supplied
• A large, readable sign with one price on it
• A $50 to $100 float in coins and small notes
• A container for the money that does not tip over
• Bags or paper for what people buy
• Water, a hat, sunscreen and a chair
• Tape, scissors, a marker and a spare sign
• Something to record every sale on, even a tally on paper

That last one is not optional. The tally is what makes the evening conversation possible.

On the day

Your child stands. You sit. Ten metres away if you can manage it. Every transaction goes through them.

One product, priced clearly. Stalls with four products and no prices sell nothing. Stalls with one thing at $5 sell out.

They say the sentence. Whatever they wrote when choosing the idea, they say it to people who stop. Helping a child explain their idea out loud is the skill being practised here.

Expect a slow first hour. Markets build. A child who concludes it has failed at 9.15am needs warning in advance.

What a realistic day looks like

A first stall with 20 to 30 handmade items at $3 to $5 usually sells somewhere between a third and two-thirds of the stock, minus the stall fee and materials. On a good day that is a genuinely exciting number for a ten-year-old. On a quiet day it is close to nothing.

Both outcomes are fine, and the evening conversation is the same either way: how many, how much is left after costs, and what would you change. Our guide to what should my child make and sell covers choosing stock that will actually move.

Common mistakes

Too much stock, too many products. One product, 25 units. A crowded table reads as a garage sale.

No sign, or a small one. People decide from three metres away.

Applying for food without checking. Food stalls generally require a food handling certificate and public liability, and councils must usually be notified. A school fete under the organiser's arrangements is the simpler route.

A parent running the stall. The most common failure, and the one that removes the entire value of the day.

Booking a whole day. Four hours is a long time for a nine-year-old. Ask about a half-day or leave early without treating it as quitting.

Questions parents ask

Can a child have their own market stall in Australia?
Yes, though the application is normally in a parent's name and a parent must stay for the duration. The practical requirement is usually public liability insurance rather than anything to do with the child's age.

How much does a market stall cost?
Typically $20 to $80 at a community market, with some including a table and market insurance. School fetes and club events are often free.

Does my child need an ABN to sell at a market?
Generally no. Markets commonly classify handmade sellers as business stalls regardless of whether they hold an ABN, and a child's occasional selling is usually treated as a hobby rather than a business.

What should a child sell at a market stall?
One product, under $5, that survives heat and can be explained in a sentence. Bracelets, bookmarks, painted plant markers and small art consistently work. Avoid food, cosmetics and anything that melts.

What age can a child run a market stall?
From about seven with a parent close by, and from about ten with a parent present but uninvolved. Below seven the parent ends up running it, which defeats the purpose.

Where to start

Ring your school this week and ask about the fete. It is free, it is the lowest-risk version, and it answers every question a market application would raise.

To work out the stock, the costs and the price before booking anything, the Business Plan Workbook has the pages for it, including somewhere to record what actually happened on the day.

References

• My Kids Market, Pre-Loved Stalls, for the $100 float advice, the $50 note problem and the contactless payment observation

• My Kids Market, Business Stalls, for the classification of handmade sellers as business stalls without a registered business or ABN, and the food handling certificate and public liability requirements

• Kempsey Shire Council, Macleay Mini Makers Market, for the council-run children's stall initiative

• Waverley Council, Rising Makers Market, for the ages 15 to 24 youth market example