Cash flow is everything when you're running a market stall. Every dollar tied up in boxes of paper bags sitting under a bed or in the shed is a dollar that isn't in your bank account or back in stock. Order too many sizes and styles up front and you end up with half used cartons cluttering storage you don't have to spare. Order too few and you're scrambling mid market with mismatched bags, or worse, turning to whatever plastic you've got left in a cupboard.
This guide sets out a simple framework: how to narrow your packaging down to two or three sizes that cover almost everything you sell, how to work out roughly how many bags you actually need for a weekend or a season, and how to keep that stock in good condition between markets so nothing goes to waste.
Section 1: The "Rule of Three" Sizing Strategy
Why one size doesn't work. Buying a single bag size feels simple, but it rarely is efficient. A bag big enough for your bulkiest item wastes paper and looks empty around a single earring card or a jar of jam. A bag sized for your smallest item splits the moment someone buys a candle or a folded jumper. Smartbag's own sizing guidance backs this up directly: stock 2 to 3 sizes rather than one, so your range covers your actual product spread without squeezing purchases in or padding them out.
The 3-bag matrix. Rather than stocking a dedicated bag for every product line, sort your entire catalogue into three buckets:
| Bag size | Best for | Typical use |
| Small / flat | Small, lightweight items | Jewellery, cards, cosmetics, individual pastries |
| Medium twisted-handle kraft | Everyday purchases, the workhorse size | Apparel, candles, small homewares, two-pack jars |
| Large / wide-gusset | Bulky or multiple items | Jars, bottles, bundles, multi-buys |
For most stalls, the medium size ends up covering the largest share of everyday purchases. Exactly how large a share depends on what you sell, so treat that as a starting assumption to test against your own sales, not a fixed rule.
How to sort your catalogue. Go through your product list and assign every line to one of the three buckets rather than asking "what's the perfect bag for this specific item." The goal isn't a perfect fit for every product, it's covering the full spread with the smallest possible number of SKUs to order, store and reorder.
Section 2: The Inventory-to-Bag Math
Once you know your three sizes, the next question is how many of each to actually order. This is the part most guides skip, or oversimplify, and it's where most stallholders either overbuy out of caution or run out mid weekend. Getting it right comes down to being clear about three different numbers: items sold, transactions, and bags used. They are not the same thing, and treating them as interchangeable is the most common inventory mistake.
Step 1: Estimate transactions. Start with your expected foot traffic and a conversion rate (the share of visitors who actually buy something).
Expected transactions = expected visitors × estimated conversion rate
Conversion rate varies enormously by market type, product, price, weather, location and stall position. A farmers market, a Christmas market and a handmade jewellery market can behave completely differently, so there's no single Australian benchmark worth applying across the board. If you've traded at a market before, use your own historical numbers. If you're new to it, ask the market organiser what typical stallholder conversion looks like, or start with a conservative estimate and refine it after your first weekend.
Step 2: Estimate bag usage. Not every transaction needs a bag, and this is the step that actually determines your order quantity.
Expected bags = expected transactions × percentage of customers taking a bag
Step 3: Account for multiple bags per transaction. Some customers buy more than one item and need a second bag, or split a purchase across two bag sizes. Add a modest allowance for this rather than assuming one bag per transaction.
Step 4: Add a safety buffer. Add roughly 10 to 15 percent on top, depending on how predictable the market is and how disruptive running out would be. Treat that figure as an example to adjust, not a fixed rule.
Worked example. Say a stall expects 700 visitors across a weekend, with a 15 percent conversion rate:
700 × 15% = 105 transactions
If 80 percent of customers take a bag:
105 × 80% = 84 bags
If the average customer buys 1.5 items per transaction, some purchases will need a second bag. Adding a 10 percent allowance for those:
84 × 1.10 = roughly 92 bags
Adding a 10 percent safety buffer on top brings the order to roughly 100 bags, split across the three sizes based on what typically sells.
It's worth pulling apart the numbers behind that example, because they show why items, transactions and bags shouldn't be confused: 105 transactions produced around 158 items sold (105 × 1.5), but only around 92 bags before the buffer. A stall can easily sell more items than it uses bags, or use more bags than transactions if purchases get split. Run the whole calculation once per market type you attend, since conversion and basket size can differ sharply between, say, a Saturday farmers market and a Sunday craft fair. It won't be exact, but it replaces guesswork with a number you can actually defend.
Section 3: Multi-Use Branding — One Stamp, All Sizes
Ordering three separate custom printed bag runs when you're just starting out ties up cash and storage space before you even know which sizes will move fastest.
A lower-commitment route: buy plain brown or white kraft bags in bulk across your three chosen sizes, then brand them all with a single reusable tool rather than three separate print runs. A custom rubber stamp is the simplest version of this: stamp your logo onto whichever plain bag you're reaching for that day, regardless of size. A single sticker roll works the same way, sealing the fold of any bag while carrying your branding.
This approach has a real practical advantage beyond the upfront saving: it lets you shift your size mix mid season without wasting custom printed stock. If your medium bags sell out faster than expected and you need to lean harder on large bags for a few weeks, you're not sitting on a box of custom printed mediums you can't use elsewhere. Plain stock plus a portable branding tool is more forgiving of a season that doesn't go exactly to plan.
Section 4: Storage, Preservation and Lifecycle Management
Packaging bought well can still go to waste if it's stored badly between markets.
Protect it from the elements. Humidity, dust and direct sunlight all take a toll on paper bags sitting in a garage, shed or car boot between weekends. Humidity can weaken paper, soften handles and affect the shape of stored bags over time. Direct sun fades printed brown kraft over a few months, which matters if your branding is meant to look sharp all season.
Store bags flat, in their original cartons, off the floor. Keeping twisted-handle kraft bags in their original shipping cartons, rather than loose in a tote, protects them from crushing and dust. If you're storing in a shed or garage, keep cartons up on a shelf or pallet rather than directly on concrete, since damp concrete floors are one of the more common causes of water damage to stored stock.
Set a reorder trigger, not a reorder date. Rather than trying to guess a calendar date to reorder, set a minimum stock level based on your next one or two markets. If your remaining stock won't cover those events plus a small buffer, reorder before the next weekend. This matters more during a run of back to back weekend markets, when there's no gap in your schedule to absorb a late delivery if you've let stock run all the way to zero.
Conclusion
Getting packaging right for a market season isn't about buying more, it's about buying the right two or three sizes in the right quantities, and keeping that stock in good shape until you need it. Done properly, it frees up cash for stock and materials, clears space in the car and the shed, and keeps your stall running smoothly even on the busiest Saturday of the season.
Use Smartbag's online size filters and full bag range to test the fit of your products before committing to a bulk wholesale order, so the sizes you land on for spring are the ones that actually work for what you sell.