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Trading at the markets

Casual, day-by-day trading

You can trade on a casual, day-by-day basis at the Rag Market and the Open Market. You can trade on a casual basis for a maximum of 6 weeks. After this, you will need to apply for a market licence.

To see if there are any stalls available, go to the Markets Customer Centre at 8:30am. If it is the first time you have traded on a casual basis at the Bull Ring markets, you will need to register as a casual trader (see below).

Each market day, a market officer will prepare a list of all the casual traders who want to buy a stall. Any available market stalls will be allocated to traders according to their priority on the list. Your priority will be based on:

  • the goods you want to sell. Traders with goods which aren’t currently being sold in the market, will be given higher priority.
  • the number of times you have traded at the market. Priority is given people who have traded most often on a particular day. For example, on a Tuesday, people who have traded most frequently on a Tuesday, will be given priority.

Stalls are rented on a day by day basis. There is no automatic right to have a stall on any particular day.

Registering as a casual trader

If it is the first time you have traded on a casual basis at the Bull Ring markets, you must register as a casual trader on the first morning you attend.

You can download and complete the application form in advance.

To register you will need to bring the following things with you:

  • your British or EU passport, or an approved Right to Work document, which shows you are allowed to work in the UK
  • proof of your address, such as a bank statement or utility bill no more than 3 months old
  • a recent photograph of yourself
  • your National Insurance number
  • evidence that you have Third Party Public Liability Insurance to indemnify yourself from claims for personal injury. This insurance can be obtained from most insurance brokers or through specialist organisations, such as the National Market Traders Federation.

If you don’t bring these things with you, we won’t be able to register you and you won’t be able to trade.