Chatuchak Market sells many different kinds of goods, including plants, antiques, consumer electronics, cosmetics, pets, fresh and dry food and drinks, ceramics, furniture and home accessories, clothing, and books.

As General Kriangsak Chamanan was the chairman of State Railway of Thailand at that time, he thus permitted the use of land on the south side of Chatuchak Park as a market.

His plan was to recycle waste from the looming Din Daeng Garbage Mountain which had stacked up across the decades to use as landfills, and he recruited military engineers for the job.

It was built in 1987 on the occasion of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60th birthday on 5 December 1987, a cooperative effort of the market administration and Thai-Chinese Merchant Association.

A University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) study found that most merchants have been selling at the weekend market for four to six years and have an average sales revenue of 139,500 baht per month.