A market day costs a lot more than the stall fee. Add up the pitch, travel, a helper, samples, supplies and whatever you do not sell. Those are fixed costs for the day: you pay them whether you sell a lot or a little. Divide that total by what each unit leaves you (price minus loaded cost), and you know how many units you need to sell just to cover the day. Only what you sell beyond that number is profit.
What a market day costs
Write everything down, even the small things:
- Stall fee: the pitch rent or the organiser's charge.
- Travel: fuel, parking or a van, there and back.
- Helper: what you pay them for the day, plus food if you provide it.
- Samples: the units you open or cut up for tasting, at cost. The guide on the cost of samples and tastings covers how to budget for them.
- Stall supplies: bags, napkins, tasting cups, ice, a tablecloth.
- Card fees: if your card reader charges a fee, say 2% of card sales, include it.
- Waste: what you bring and do not sell, if you cannot sell it later.
Your kitchen time is already inside the loaded cost of each unit. Your time at the market is not; more on that below.
How many units cover the day
units to cover the day = fixed costs of the day ÷ (price − loaded cost per unit)
If the answer is higher than what you usually sell, that market loses you money however busy it looks. It is the same thinking as the break-even point, applied to a single day.
Worked example: sourdough at a Saturday market
You sell sourdough loaves at $9.00. Your loaded cost per loaf is $3.40: flour, salt, your time in the kitchen, oven energy, bag and kitchen waste. Each loaf leaves you 9.00 − 3.40 = $5.60.
Fixed costs of the day:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Stall fee | $45.00 |
| Fuel and parking | $15.00 |
| Helper (8 hours × $12) | $96.00 |
| Samples (2 loaves × $3.40) | $6.80 |
| Bags and supplies | $7.20 |
| Total | $170.00 |
To cover the day: 170.00 ÷ 5.60 = 30.4, so 31 loaves. The first 31 loaves you sell only pay for the market.
How it went: you brought 50 and sold 44. The 6 left over cannot be sold as fresh the next day and you have no other outlet for them, so they are waste: 6 × 3.40 = $20.40.
- What the loaves you sold left you: 44 × 5.60 = $246.40
- Minus the day's costs: 246.40 − 170.00 = $76.40
- Minus waste: 76.40 − 20.40 = $56.00
You take home $56.00 for a day of about 9 hours of loading, setting up, selling and packing down. That is $6.22 per hour at the market.
What changes if you adjust:
| Change | Calculation | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Bring 46 instead of 50 (2 left over) | 246.40 − 170.00 − 6.80 | $69.60 |
| Charge $10.00, sell the same 44 (6 left over) | 44 × 6.60 − 170.00 − 20.40 | $100.00 |
| Charge $10.00 and bring 46 | 290.40 − 170.00 − 6.80 | $113.60 |
At $10.00, each loaf leaves you $6.60 and you need 170.00 ÷ 6.60 = 25.8, so 26 loaves to cover the day instead of 31. One extra dollar per loaf, plus bringing the right amount, roughly doubles what you take home from this stall.
Waste: how much to bring
Bringing too much feels safe, but every unit that comes home and goes in the bin costs you its full loaded cost. Bringing too little loses sales. To get closer:
- At every market, write down what you brought, what you sold and what time each product sold out.
- If you always sell out early, bring a bit more. If you always come home with leftovers, bring less.
- Bring more of what keeps (sauces, granola, jars, biscuits) and just enough of what does not (bread, fresh juice, cream cakes).
- Have another outlet ready for leftovers: an offer to your direct customers that evening for collection the next day, if the product holds up.
Your time and the helper
A helper is a fixed cost of the day. If you sell 32 loaves alone and 44 with a helper, the helper brings in 12 more loaves, which leave you 12 × 5.60 = $67.20. You pay them $96.00. On those numbers the helper does not pay for themselves. It may still be worth it so you can take a break or serve people properly, but you should know what it costs.
Your own time at the market counts too. If what you take home, divided by your hours, is less than you would earn cooking for another channel, the market is costing you money.
How to price at the market
Start from your usual price and work out the units needed to cover the day. If that number is realistic for what you sell, the price works. If not, you have three options:
- Raise the market price, or sell a size or bundle that leaves more per unit.
- Cut the day's costs: share a stall with another maker, go without a helper, give smaller samples.
- Choose markets where you sell more, even if the stall costs more. A $90 stall where you sell 80 loaves costs less per loaf than a $45 stall where you sell 25.
What a market gives you beyond sales
A market also brings you new customers. Display your ordering details clearly and collect contacts from people who buy, so next time they order direct, where you keep more per unit. The guide on selling through WhatsApp and Instagram covers how to handle those orders. Markets also bring enquiries for parties and events; read the guide on catering and events before you quote.
If those new customers do not show up and the market barely covers the day, compare it with your other channels. The guide on choosing sales channels shows how to put them side by side with the same numbers.
Do it with the calculator
Use the food cost calculator to get the loaded cost of your product and the price you need; with that number and your costs for the day, you can work out how many units the market has to sell.
Frequently asked questions
How much stock should I bring to a market?
Use what you sold at similar markets and bring a little more than your average, not double. If it is your first time, bring an amount you can sell through another channel afterwards or can afford to lose.
Can I charge more at the market than online?
You can, because the market has costs that direct sales do not. What matters is that the price covers the day. If you charge differently, have a clear reason, such as a different size or bundle.
Are free samples a cost or an investment?
They are a cost of the day and go into the sum, like the stall fee. Set a limit before you leave and write down how many you gave and how much you sold.
Is it worth paying a helper at the stall?
If the extra sales with a helper cover their pay and still leave you more than working alone, yes. Run the numbers on what you actually sell, not what you hope to sell.