What to Sell at Your School Father's Day Stall (and How to Stock It)
What to stock at a school Father's Day stall, how to price it for a healthy fundraising margin, and how many cartons of gift-boxed mugs to order - from a wholesale supplier's side of the table.
Every year in the last week of August, Australian primary schools set up a Father's Day stall - a table of small gifts that students browse and buy for their dad, grandad or father figure. If you are on the P&C or P&F committee organising one, three questions decide how it goes: what actually sells, what price point works, and how many units to order.
This guide answers all three from a wholesale supplier's side of the table. It is built around a real order we recently packed - an independent school in New South Wales bought 12 cartons (288 units) of one gift-boxed mug for their stall. Here is what to stock, how to price it for a healthy fundraising margin, and how to work out your carton count so you do not over-order or sell out on the day.
The short version
- Gift-boxed bone china mugs are the reliable hero: premium look, genuinely useful, and boxed ready to hand over - about $2.89 per unit ex GST in cartons of 24.
- Buy at around $2.89 and sell on the stall at $5 to $8 - roughly $75 fundraising margin per carton of 24.
- Order one mug per participating student plus a 10 to 15% buffer; a single year level usually needs about 2 cartons.
- Individually gift-boxed means no wrapping or bagging on stall day.
- Ships Australia-wide from our Melbourne warehouse; standard checkout, no trade account needed.
What sells
What sells best at a school Father's Day stall
A stall gift has a specific job. A child aged five to twelve is choosing it, often with a $5 to $10 budget, and it needs to look like a real present the moment it leaves the table. The gifts that clear fastest tick four boxes: they look premium, they are instantly giftable with no extra wrapping, they suit a child's budget, and they survive a day in a school bag.
Mugs win on all four. A mug is a recognised, genuinely useful gift for a dad - coffee, tea or a desk pen holder - and a boxed one presents like a proper present without any work from your volunteers. Round out the table with a few complementary lines so there is something at every price point:
- Ceramic coasters and desk sets for office and work-from-home dads
- Reading glasses and practical hardware for the shed and garage
- Reusable drink bottles for the active and on-the-go
Steer clear of anything that needs assembly, arrives without packaging, or is fragile enough to chip in a school bag - those only create work for your team and disappointment at home.
The hero gift
Why the gift-boxed bone china mug works at wholesale prices
The mug we built this guide around is a 300ml (11oz) new bone china mug, individually presented in its own printed gift box and sold by the carton of 24. New bone china is lighter and more chip-resistant than standard earthenware, so it feels premium in the hand while staying affordable at wholesale - the reason it reads as a $10 to $15 gift but costs a fraction of that to stock.
The numbers are what make it a fundraiser favourite. At roughly $69.44 per carton ex GST, that is about $2.89 per mug. Sell each one on the stall at $6 and a single carton of 24 returns around $144, or about $75 of fundraising margin per carton - all on a gift that looks the part. When that New South Wales school ordered 12 cartons for their stall, the individually boxed format meant zero prep time: no wrapping line, no bagging, just stack and sell.
Ready to stock it? See the Gift-Boxed Father's Day Mug - 11oz Bone China (carton of 24), or browse wholesale drinkware by the carton.
Plan your order
How many cartons does your school need?
A quick sizing guide from year-level headcount to carton count and indicative spend.
| Stall size | Est. students | Cartons (of 24) | Units | Approx cost ex GST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One year level | ~30 | 2 | 48 | ~$139 |
| Two to three year levels | 60-90 | 4-5 | 96-120 | ~$277-$347 |
| Full primary school (P-6) | 200-300 | 10-13 | 240-312 | ~$694-$902 |
Quantities and prices are indicative and shown ex GST. Order by mid-August to allow for standard Australia-wide delivery. Talk to the trade desk for orders of 5 cartons or more.
Shop the guide
Stall gifts our trade customers reorder
Wholesale pricing shown ex GST · ships Australia-wide from Melbourne
The hero: gift-boxed bone china mug
Pairs with the mug: ceramic coasters
Desk & office dads: notebook and pen set
Classic gift: reading glasses
On-the-go dads: glass water bottle
Set the table by price point - a premium boxed mug as the hero, with a few lower-cost gifts around it - and every student finds something in budget.
How to order for your Father's Day stall
Australian Father's Day falls on the first Sunday of September, and most school stalls run in the final week of August or that first week of September. Order by mid-August to leave room for standard Australia-wide delivery and to have stock on hand for set-up.
- Minimum order: we sell by the carton of 24, with no minimum carton count - order 2 cartons or 12, whatever your headcount needs.
- Shipping: we ship Australia-wide from our Melbourne warehouse, so an interstate stall is no problem - that New South Wales school order is the proof. Melbourne metro orders over $150 ex GST ship free.
- Checkout: no trade account or wholesale application - any school, P&C or P&F association can order through standard checkout. For 5-plus cartons, call the team on 041 676 94 92 to confirm bulk availability first.
- Stock: this is a seasonal line that sells through each spring, so ordering early is the safest way to avoid a sell-out.
- GST: prices are shown ex GST; incorporated P&C and P&F associations can usually claim the GST back - check with your school's finance office.
Building out the rest of the table? Shop wholesale gift and novelty lines to cover every price point.
Common questions
Father's Day stall FAQs
What is a good price to sell mugs at a school Father's Day stall?
Most school stalls price gift mugs between $5 and $8. At $6 a mug and a wholesale cost of about $2.89 per unit ex GST in cartons of 24, the stall keeps roughly $3.11 per mug, or about $75 in fundraising margin per carton. A premium-looking gift-boxed mug comfortably supports the higher end of that range.
How many mugs should a school P&C order for a Father's Day stall?
A good rule of thumb is one mug per participating student plus a 10 to 15% buffer for siblings buying two and walk-up staff purchases. A single year level of 25 to 30 students usually needs about 2 cartons (48 units); a full primary school running the stall across all year levels may need 10 to 13 cartons. We sell in cartons of 24 with no minimum carton count.
Do the mugs come gift-boxed, or does the school need to wrap them?
Each mug arrives in its own printed gift box, ready to hand straight to the student. There is no wrapping or bagging to organise on stall day, which is a real time saving when you are setting up a busy table with volunteers.
Does DPack ship mugs to schools outside Melbourne?
Yes. We ship Australia-wide from our Melbourne warehouse, and the carton price is the same wherever it is delivered - standard shipping rates apply outside Melbourne metro. The New South Wales school stall order in this guide is a live example. Melbourne metro orders over $150 ex GST ship free.
Do I need a trade account to order wholesale mugs from DPack?
No. We run on standard checkout, so any school, P&C association or community group can place a carton order without setting up a trade account. For larger orders of 5 cartons or more, call the team on 041 676 94 92 before ordering online to confirm bulk stock.
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