From fresh produce and handmade jewellery to delicious baked goods, there’s something for everyone at a marketplace! There’s a wealth of great markets around Australia, from the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne to the Original Eumundi Markets on the Sunshine Coast.
For all their good, though, markets can harbour various hazards for the general public. All the tent pegs and ropes that hold the stalls up, and items potentially spilling out onto pathways, which may be tripped over and cause injuries. Meanwhile, food operators need to watch out for potential illnesses or allergies their afternoon snacks and meals may cause.
As a stallholder, these costly incidents are the last thing you need when you’re trying to make an honest living from marketplaces.
However, you can prepare for these situations and more by getting insurance for your market stall.
You can’t buy a specific insurance product for your market stall; rather, you can buy – either as a one-off or continuous cover – a standard business insurance policy to cover your market stallholder needs. You can usually get a policy from any provider that offers business insurance, and some specialist providers offer coverage specifically suited to market stallholders.
There are a few different types of business insurance to choose from, but stallholders may benefit from both public and product liability insurance for their market stalls.
Public liability insurance is designed to cover your business – or in this case, market stall – if it causes damages to a third party. This could include customers getting hurt at your premises or their property being damaged while in your care. Basically, public liability insurance will cover you if you fail in your duty of care to the public.
Product liability insurance is often bundled in with public liability and covers your business when your product causes injury, loss or damage to a third party. Market traders might also want to consider a portable stock/contents policy to cover their goods while in transit.
Many market organisers mandate public liability insurance for market stalls (and sometimes product liability) before you can sell your wares at their markets. You may also be required to provide a certificate of insurance when you register your stall. Some market organisers may have a group insurance policy to cover all stalls, but you need to carefully check your coverage under such a policy as it might not be as comprehensive as standalone policies.
As we’ve discussed, you can get a few different types of insurance for your market stall, and each type will cover different things. However, we’ll focus on the two main insurance products for market stalls: public and product liability insurance. Here’s an outline of what these two types can cover, however, always ensure you read your Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
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Knowing what you’re not covered for is as important as knowing what you are covered for. We’ve listed a few of the things that public and product liability insurance don’t protect your market stall against.
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Insurance is often mandated by the market organisers when you register as a vendor. However, even if you choose to set up shop at a market that doesn’t require insurance, it can still be vital to take out a policy.
Whether you’re a hobbyist looking to share your craft or a small business getting your foot in the door, market stallholders have a lot to gain from marketplaces – and potentially a lot to lose as well. If someone were to trip over your carelessly placed goods and injure themselves, could you afford to pay their legal fees and compensation if you’re found liable?
While this scenario and others may seem unlikely, you never know when something might go wrong. Getting cover for your market stall can help you prepare for unexpected accidents and incidents.
The cost of business insurance for market stalls will vary across policies and providers, so it’s difficult to say which one is the cheapest. This is because premiums are calculated using factors that are often unique to your business, like its size and revenue.
If you’d like to find out how much you could potentially pay for liability insurance for your market stall, you can use our business insurance comparison service to get a quote.
Yes, you can get policies to cover your market stall for one day. Some providers offer cover for different time frames (e.g. one day, three days and six months) while others provide annual policies. You can also get insurance for one-off occasions and events.
You don’t have to go far to find insurance for market stalls; you can do it right here with us! Just follow these steps:
When running a market stall, you have enough to worry about without wondering what you’ll do if you’re held liable for an accident. Getting business insurance can help take this stress away so that you can focus on your stall with peace of mind.
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