Our Auction
Win the morning, win the day…
SFM Trade
Auction System
Sydney Fish Market has been using the Dutch clock auction since 1989. Adapted from the famous Dutch tulip auctions of the 1600s, the system ensures product is sold quickly while still achieving fair prices.
Crunching the numbers
Every weekday morning at 4:30am, our auction begins.
- More than 100 buyers attend the auction.
- Over 1000 crates (approximately 20 tonnes) of fresh seafood are sold every hour… That works out to about 2900 crates (50-55 tonnes) every day!
- More than 100 different species can be seen on the auction floor on any given morning, from Mud Crabs to Mussels, Swordfish to Snapper.
How It Works
Seafood arrives to Market all through the night, from a range of NSW fishers, farms and cooperatives, as well as fishers as far flung as Tasmania, the Northern Territory, and New Zealand.
It is laid out in sections on the auction floor in our famous blue crates by the hardworking night shift staff, ready for buyers to inspect the next day.
Dutch clock auction is a silent auction, which begins at a price above that anticipated for the product on offer, and drops until a bid is made. The starting price is usually set about $2 to $5 above what the product is expected to sell for.
Three clocks auction seafood simultaneously to keep the process speedy… We have up to 50 tonnes to get through every day, after all!
After inspecting the seafood, our registered buyers watch the clocks and start bidding on product, either using keypads in the buyer’s grandstand, or remotely.
Once they have secured their catch, buyers send their ‘wheelers’ onto the floor with a picking slip.
The wheelers (who have one of the most physical jobs at the Market) collect the various boxes on trolleys, forklifts, or by hand, and take them out to the carpark.
Then, the seafood is whisked away in refrigerated trucks to wholesalers, restaurants, fishmongers, and grocery stores all over Sydney!
Want to see it for yourself? Book one of our Behind the Scenes Tours for a glimpse of the action.
Trade With Us
Become A Buyer
Why Buy at Auction
Variety: We are the largest seafood market in the southern hemisphere, offering more than 100 different species on any one day.
Quality Assurance: All the seafood we sell is backed by best practice food safety and HACCP Quality Assurance, to make sure you get the best, every day.
Sustainability: Our sustainability principles and strict traceability guidelines means you can be sure that all product we trade has been sourced responsibly.
Efficiency: Our famous Dutch auction and three trading clocks allow us to sell over 1,000 crates an hour, so you can get back to business quickly.
Extra Perks: Loading facilities, contract filleters, and remote bidding make everything simple and speedy.
How to Become a Buyer
Get in touch with our Sales Support Team on 02 9004 1188 or at trading@sydneyfishmarket.com.au.
From there, we’ll send you a kit with an application form, check your credit status, and make sure you can provide a cash or bank guarantee.
Once you send us your application, our Sales Support Team will review it and contact you with an update.
Don’t want to register? We can also put you in touch with a registered buyer who may be willing to purchase seafood on your behalf. Just give us a call!
Buyer Resources:
Become A Supplier
We’re proud to play an integral role in the Australian seafood industry, and we’re committed to ensuring a sustainable supply of seafood for generations to come. But we can’t do it without the efforts and energy of our trusted Suppliers, whose produce is enjoyed all around Australia.
We carefully vet our Suppliers, based on the following criteria:
- Evidence of a valid licence and/or certificate for the type of seafood they catch or harvest.
- Capability to comply with SFM Seafood Handling Guidelines.
- Product being caught/produced in accordance with the regulations of the relevant fishery or aquaculture sector (this includes catch quotas and other stock management/preservation arrangements).
When it comes to the product being supplied, we’re focused on sustainable practices, minimising environmental impacts, and maintaining the livelihoods of professional fishers.
The five Responsible Sourcing Principles below apply to everything sold through our auction and non-auction sales system:
- Our product is lawfully supplied.
- Our products are traceable.
- We support continuous improvement in fisheries and aquaculture.
- Our products are labelled in accordance with the Australian Fish Names Standard.
- Information about our product is consistent and clear.
If you’d like to become one of our Suppliers, please get in touch with our Sales Support Team on 9004 1188 or at trading@sydneyfishmarket.com.au.
From there, we’ll send you a kit with relevant info on packing, transport, commission rates, and payment—and, most importantly, your application form.
Once you send us your application, our Customer Service Team will review it and contact you with an update.
Supplier Resources:
CONSIGNMENT INFORMATION
Consigning From Within Australia
Product may be packed in:
- Plastic self-draining returnable Sydney Fish Market crates
- Standard foam boxes
- Cardboard boxes or coffins
- Insulated bulk bins
- Chill fish to between -1°C and 5°C and add sufficient ice to keep product cold until sold
- All seafood products transported to SFM must be covered and comply with the Supplier Packaging Specifications
Label containers on short end with:
- Your name and Sydney Fish Market account number
- Species Weight
- Size (Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large)
- Processing method (e.g. GU=Gutted, GH=Headed/Gutted, GG=Gilled/Gutted, FI=Fillets)
- Quality (e.g. A, B)
- Labels are 12.5cm wide by 10cm height
We can supply your own customised bar-coded labels. Refer to the Sydney Fish Market Supplier kit. Email us to request your copy.
Phone 02 9004 1188, or email us to order.
Prepare manifest with full details of consignment:
- Supplier name and Sydney Fish Market account number.
- Date consigned and transport details.
- Total number of boxes.
- Full details of species and weight in each box including size and processing.
- Give a copy of manifest to transport company with consignment.
- Email us the manifest, or SMS/MMS a legible photo of manifest to 0428 393 673. To be sent by 3.45pm day before auction day Monday to Friday and 2.45pm on Sunday.
Sydney Fish Market is open to receive product from 6:00pm Sunday to Thursday (and is open all night).
Consigning From Outside of Australia
Product may be packed in:
- Two layers of plastic inside an approved container (foam box or waxed carton)
- Chill fish to between -1°C and 5°C and add sufficient ice to keep product cold until sold.
- All seafood products transported to SFM must be covered and comply with the Supplier Packaging Specifications.
Label containers on short end with:
- Your name and Sydney Fish Market account number
- Species Weight
- Size (Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large)
- Processing method (e.g. GU=Gutted, GH=Headed/Gutted, GG=Gilled/Gutted, FI=Fillets)
- Quality (e.g. A, B)
- Labels are 12.5cm wide by 10cm height
We can supply your own customised bar-coded labels. Refer to the Sydney Fish Market Supplier kit. Email us to request your copy.
Phone 02 9004 1188, or email us to order.
Import document requirements
Australian Quarantine & Inspection Service (AQIS) regulations require that finfish imported with the heads on (from countries other than New Zealand) must be covered by a special import permit.
Please check with Sydney Fish Market before consigning any fish as Sydney Fish Market may not carry an Import Permit for your country of export. Failure to do so may result in the consignment being delayed by AQIS and/or Australian Customs.
If your country of export is New Zealand, Sydney Fish Market can coordinate the Import clearances for your product through Australian Customs and AQIS. For all other exporters, please contact Sydney Fish Market to ascertain if we can clear your shipments.
Should Sydney Fish Market be able to obtain clearances on your behalf, we will require a full set of import documents (air waybill, pro forma invoice, certificate as to country of origin, and any relevant health certificates) emailed or faxed to Sydney Fish Market as early as possible on the day the product is to arrive in Sydney. A detailed packing list is also very useful.
If the documents are not received by 2:00pm Sydney time we cannot guarantee obtaining the necessary clearances before Customs and AQIS offices close.
The documents should be sent via email.
For all shipments received from New Zealand, Sydney Fish Market covers the cost of obtaining clearances, but AQIS charges for any laboratory tests that may be required will be deducted from the supplier’s account.
For ALL OTHER countries, ANY charges incurred by Sydney Fish Market will be recovered from the supplier.
Prepare manifest with full details of consignment:
- Supplier name and Sydney Fish Market account number
- Date consigned and transport details
- Total number of boxes
- Full details of species and weight in each box including size and processing
- Give a copy of manifest to transport company with consignment.
- Email us the manifest.
Sydney Fish Market is open to receive product from 6:00pm Sunday to Thursday (and is open all night).