In the eighteenth century, the license/monopoly to practice a craft or trade or to exhibit tools and means of production, gedik came to the fore to solve the problems of artisans characterized by financial difficulties, a limited customers, rent increases, or the influx of immigrants from the countryside. As tools and means of production, gediks were transferred, inherited, and pledged against debts in the same century and beyond. In order to shed light on gediks and the related destgâhs practices of Istanbul artisans, this article focuses on the early nineteenth century, which coincided with the pre-Tanzîmât period (1839-1876). Although it began earlier, the actual dissolution and official termination of these monopolies occurred in the context of the signing of the Anglo-Ottoman Convention in 1838, the proclamation of the Tanzîmât in 1839, or the emergence of modern financial institutions during the same period. The article argues that the journeymen were actively involved in the same processes by negotiating with the power holders/mostly high-ranking guild members and asking them to raise their wages, lower the prices of gedik/destgâh, and open their independent workshops. It also contends that despite the lack of or less capital, at least some journeymen were able to purchase gediks and destgâhs like other urban actors. In this way, the article aims to contribute to the history of Ottoman artisans by placing ordinary people, in this case journeymen, in a broader historical context.