• Become a Big Issue vendor

Become a Big Issue vendor

Start earning as a vendor today in 2 easy steps:

  1. Drop into or contact your local office to sign up
  2. We will give you five free magazines and a pitch location, so you can start earning straight away. Plus, you’ll receive another 30 free magazines over your first four weeks.

What does it mean to be a vendor and how does it work:

We support every vendor to run their own mini business, buying and selling the Big Issue magazine each week. We sell the Big Issue magazine to vendors at £2 and vendors sell the magazine on to customers for £4, keeping the difference. Vendors can earn a legitimate income whilst gaining valuable social and transferable business and financial skills. If you sell over 100 magazines each week you could earn £225+ per week.

Working as a vendor is fully flexible, so vendors can sell on their pitches any time of day, working their own hours, as their own boss to earn as much as they can. All you need is yourself, your pitch and your magazines.

How we support vendors:

We have a range of ways we support and work with vendors to improve their lives, developing support plans based on individual circumstances, goals and aspirations.  

New Vendors

As a new vendor, we want to support you to get off to a fast start and be as successful as possible. So we will support you:

  • To achieve your own personal goals and aspirations:
    • Providing guidance in a range of areas including sales coaching, health, financial and digital confidence
    • Support you with access to programmes, training opportunities and work placements
    • Provide ongoing 1:1 support from the team
  • If you sell with us you will receive 30 free magazines to kickstart working as a vendor (allocated over a 6 week period)

Existing Vendors

As a current vendor who is already selling the magazine, you can access a range of support to help you through the cost of living crisis:

  • Key services available to you during your ‘cost of living’ check:
    • Income check to access key support
    • Support budgeting your income
    • Money off and manage your energy bills
    • Free toiletries and warm items
    • Housing help
    • Help finding work
  • Grants for emergency items and support with essentials through the Hand Up fund. 

Vendor Stories

Vendors Lee and Andre Take On The London Marathon
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Vendors Lee and Andre Take On The London Marathon

Big Issue vendors laud ‘lifeline’ from interactive subscriptions map
Anthony Okuyedi
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Big Issue vendors laud ‘lifeline’ from interactive subscriptions map

Big Issue vendors are back – and it’s all thanks to you
big issue vendors
Paul McNamee

Big Issue vendors are back – and it’s all thanks to you