‘I really like the community it brings’: Where to find Perth’s best Sunday Swap Marts
We’re always on the lookout for some of the best ways to save (or make!) some cash, while also coming home with an arm full of treasures…
So if you haven’t been to one before, have a think about the Sunday morning swap mart! There are lots of different sellers, with a variety of things on offer. Clothes, shoes, jewellery, books, plants, homewares, toys and tools for as little as one-dollar.
These vibrant markets have been operating for decades, it’s not hard to see why – not just the lure of a good deal, but also a great community atmosphere, the chance to make some fast cash and to keep things in circulation and out of landfill.
By six o’clock on a Sunday morning, there are already long lines of people, cashed up and excited for some bargain hunting. But the magic starts well before then. The sellers are always up in the early hours of the morning to grab a bay and set up, hours before the markets officially open.
Melville, Karrinyup, Wanneroo, Belmont and Maddington are just some of the more popular spots around Perth, which have been drawing crowds for more than 40 years.
Tiphany Katselas (pictured above) is one of those who came down after a wardrobe cleanout: “I sell a lot of clothes I would still wear now, but I just don’t have a home for them anymore, so I like just bringing stuff down here and buying stuff from other people,” she tells us.
“I really like the community that it brings, I love that it’s recyclable fashion you can come down and get your stuff re-used. I feel like charities have gotten an influx at the moment so this is a really good way to
make sure those clothes are going to better homes.”
It’s fair to say buyers have the upper hand: “It kinda hurts to see everything go for a couple of dollars when you know what it’s worth, but that’s okay, it’s a bit of fun,” says seller Garry Katselas.
One of Perth’s most popular, the Melville Plaza markets run from 6am to 10am, almost every Sunday of the year: “It’s more of a community event, so every Sunday people come down and they just browse, have a cup of coffee and come with their friends,” says Melville Rotary Club volunteer David Hewitt. “People get rid of their stuff and recycle it through the community so it works really, really well, everyone’s happy when they leave.”
In our northern suburbs, the markets at Karrinyup Shopping Centre open at 6.30am: “I think it’s the fact that it’s a community event. People come together to look for a bargain and people come together to fundraise for a good cause,” says Scarborough Rotary’s Darren Meakins.
“People are just out there, chatting and laughing, they’ve been in line for an hour this morning and we haven’t even opened, it’s a social event,” adds fellow volunteer, Trevor Canning (pictured above). “There’s a lot of clothing, that’s a big one, some do extremely well out of it.”
Subscribe to our free newsletter!
A fee from sellers and gold coin entry for buyers all goes towards funding local and international charities. However the Karrinyup event has struggled quite a bit since COVID, with crowd numbers
down by about 50%.
“It took us a long time to get this going but I think people changed their ways on how to buy things during COVID,” says Mr Canning. “People have fallen away because of Facebook marketplace and eBay, but [they’re] not the same atmosphere as coming to something like this.”
They’re on a fresh mission to lure more new buyers, sellers and volunteers, especially the younger market, so consider this your calling to discover the thrill of car boot sales – make some cash and grab some amazing bargains. And don’t be afraid to haggle for a cheaper price, even the kids do it!
If you’re keen for a market crawl, there are plenty to check out. Here are a few options to get you started:
Image Credit: Lee Steele, Melville Markets