Camberwell Market: Hiring A Stall & Selling Your Stuff

Before we could head on our epic adventure, we had to get rid of some of our stuff. It is unbelievable how much stuff we had accumulated over the years. Of course one way to do this is to sell everything online. However, this can become quite a task if you are selling smaller items such as clothes for example. The Camberwell Sunday Market is an alternative that a friend had recommended to us.

What is the Camberwell Market in Melbourne? We didn’t know. Therefore, we put together this guide on how to get a Camberwell market stall and sell all your worldly possessions!

How to book your Camberwell market stall

It is actually very easy to book. Emma booked it all online on the official website.

Bear in mind that you need to plan this ahead of time. You may need to book a few months in advance to secure a spot. Camberwell market is very popular and books out quickly! We booked in November for a stall in February.

The fact that it is popular means it is busy. This was good for us and will be good for you, since there are going to be many bargain hunters wondering through the stalls.

I was a little skeptical about the whole thing at first.

Is it going to be worth it?

We paid 60 AUD to hire a market stall in Camberwell. Essentially this is a parking spot in a car park from 5am to 12:30pm. In my head I imagined we would come out of this with a few dollars once we deduct the hiring fee and money we took to give people change with.

We didn’t expect to make a million dollars. But that didn’t matter.

All I wanted is a little extra money that will eventually fund a Vietnamese beer or Thai lunch.

How to do the logistics

Depending on how much stuff you have, you will need to organise ample transportation. In our case we almost moved house and needed a van.

We borrowed Emma’s work’s van for the weekend. This was perfect.

Some of our friends pulled together and loaned us racks and hangers. This was very helpful in the end. The rest was boxes and a table full of DVDs, CDs, video games, books, random crap, bric-a-brac, old tools, etc.

Now, don’t expect a peaceful hour to set up your little market stall..

Be aware of Camberwell market sharks

Haha, seriously? Yes, seriously.

Being very sleepy and a little inexperienced at the market game, we got a bit flustered.

Once we arrived, we could barely unload the our van.

Hardcore “market rats” armed with head torches were already scanning all our stuff. Some were looking for the “good stuff” for a bargain price.

It was mayhem from the get go.

This is where some of Emma’s jewellery was stolen.

Camberwell Market Tips

• Be firm and tell these people to stand back and wait.
• Keep your small and valuable items locked in the car until later
• Do not bring everything out right away
• Have your change ready in a fanny pack
• Do not let your stuff go too cheap

Selling your things at the market

Once we got the hang of it it became fun!

Most of the selling occurred in the first 2 hours. At around 10:30am another wave of buyers swept through. The last wave of bargain hunters is at about 12pm.

It is a very odd feeling to have people go through your stuff and scrutinising it for whatever reason. Your favourite clothes hanging there. Then someone picks it and approaches you, wanting to pay only half of what you labelled it as. It is after all their hard earned $5 they are spending here. Just be prepared for this to be a bit overwhelming at first. You get used to it eventually. Soon I worried less about thieves and began to enjoy it.

I don’t want it, so I am happy that someone else can make use of it. My mind started to get very excited for our upcoming trip!

I started to feel better and happier every time I sold something.

Turns out we don’t need things to be happy.

What to bring to Camberwell market

• Change in secure bag
• Chairs to sit on
• Table & rack to display merchandise
• Plastic bags to give to buyers
• Coloured paper / cardboard and markers to label merchandise
• Tape
• Sunscreen & Hats

Final thoughts on our experience at the market

An experience that went from overwhelming to exhilarating. I just recommend that you keep a cool head and that you are prepared for the rush of people. In hindsight I would try to visit Camberwell market before I sell stuff there myself. In other words, you would understand it better. You can see how others do it first hand.

Things to Remember

• Be prepared for people swarming you as soon as you arrive
• Don’t accept low offers too early, (Emma got called a hardarse at 5:30am for not budging)
• Be vary of people tricking you (removing price tags, moving items into the $1 box from the $10 rack, insisting you told them a lower price earlier & nimble fingers)
• Engage with people, saying hi, talking to them
• Our story inspired people and they wanted to buy our things just to be a part of it!
• Crunch up notes, make sure they spring back to shape (otherwise the cash is counterfeit)
• Spruik and make deals such as $3 each or 3 for $5

Camberwell market was an experience. It really solidified our trip and we both got very excited about it. Therefore, I would recommend it to anyone trying to free themselves of clutter. Besides, we made 650 AUD profit in the end which was a nice little surprise!

Tell us about your experience at Camberwell market! If you have a question, just ask in the comments below