Scavenging for Resale Profits from Yard Sales to Internet Marketplaces
Most of us have at least a little bit of clutter in our house, garage, basement, car, or even in a storage unit. Some of this stuff hasn’t been used in years. We could give a lot of this stuff away or throw it out, but why not sell some of it.
Yard Sales as a Business or Pastime
Traditional yard sales are usually held over a one or two days, often over a weekend. This can be exhausting for those that are conducting the yard sale.
There are some benefits to having a physical yard sale, but there are also some significant pitfalls.
Many people enjoy driving around and stopping at yard sales. It is a great way for some people to socialize and engage with their community. Traditional yard sales provide an opportunity for the person conducting a yard sale to engage with everyone that stops by to look over the merchandise and provide a history of the items as well as answer questions. This is an original work from home job.
Most people shopping at a yard sale are just stopping by. They don’t have any reason for stopping at your yard sale. They want to see what you have and if there is a bargain available. Many of them won’t buy anything and those that do will often want to haggle over the price.
Some people have a continuous yard sale in progress. Many communities will try to prevent this by passing ordinances against it, but since yard sales are legal and not in a retail environment, it’s difficult to enforce.
Letting Someone Else Do the Work — Consignment Sales
Consignment shops take the work out of holding a yard sale on your own. For a percentage of the sale price of your items, a consignment store displays your items in a retail environment for a contracted period, manages the sale, and pays you when sold. They will return your items or dispose of them at the end of the contract. This is better than standing in your yard and trying to sell your stuff but not much more productive, especially since you are sharing what little profit you might be getting.
The Business of Picking Trash
The next level of this hustle is selling other people’s clutter. Do you ever drive around and…
