This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
Flipping phones and tablets for fun and profit. Hey friends, welcome to Side Hustle School. My name is Chris Guillebeau, your host. Today's episode is part of a feature we call your first $1,000. How does somebody get an idea, take action on that idea, and make $1,000? And they
often go on to make much more than $1,000, but we want to know how they got started. What is the plan to make that happen? And where does the idea come from in the first place? So today we're going to see how a simple promise of secure data wiping and refurbishment helps a tech savvy neighbor earn thousands of dollars, not just $1,000, but we're going to start with that, earn thousands of dollars eventually by flipping outdated electronics. First $1,000 going to feature Trevor today. Let's
hand the microphone to him. I'll come back at the end with a few words of wrap up. I'm Trevor, recording this update from the East side of Cincinnati. A couple of years ago, I realized I had a knack for fixing old phones and tablets. Friends would drop by with gadgets they no longer used, asking if I could salvage them or at least wipe their data clean. At first,
I just did it for fun, returning the devices after I tinkered with them. But then I started to see a pattern. Most of these electronics could be refurbished and sold online for a decent profit. So I asked a simple question, want me to try selling this for you? My first few flips were purely experimental. One neighbor brought over an outdated iPhone 7 with a cracked screen. I
replaced the screen for about $20 in parts listed it online and sold it for $80. I split the profit with her. It wasn't huge, but we both felt like we turned junk into cash. Another friend handed me a two year old Android phone that still worked fine once I cleared out bloatware and installed a fresh battery. Sold that for $100. And again, we split the earnings. Encouraged by these small
wins, I posted in our local Facebook group mentioning that if anyone had old phones, tablets or laptops, I could either refurb and resell them or securely wipe them if they just wanted safe disposal. I got more bites than I expected, mostly because people didn't know how to handle data wiping. My promise to securely erase everything using professional grade software was the peace of mind they needed. Within a month, I'd sourced around 15 devices. Some were beyond saving water damaged or missing key components, but a good half of them were easily fixable.
I replaced a laptop battery here upgraded a tablets operating system there and tested everything carefully. As I listed items online on eBay, Swappa or local marketplaces, I'd show before and after picks and provide honest condition grades. In total after a few weeks, I'd sold enough devices to pocket my first $1000 in net profits. Part of that came from a simple refurb fee I charged to owners who just wanted me to fix their phone so they could keep using it. The rest came from profit splits when I successfully resold an item. What surprised me most was how quickly decent
offers rolled in online, especially for slightly older laptops if they were clean, functional, and had a decent battery life. Most repairs only require a small outlay for parts like screens, batteries, or cables. I store items and labeled bins in my garage, ensuring each device stays separate and secure. Today, I'm still flipping devices for neighbors and it's turned into a steady side income. People in the area often contact me first before tossing something that no longer works in a drawer. It's satisfying to see outdated electronics given new life instead
of gathering dust or worse ending up in a landfill. The first $1000 was just proof of concept. Now I have a small operation that keeps me busy on weekends and helps my neighbors reclaim value from forgotten. Hey, thanks, Trevor. I really appreciate you sharing that story. I encourage people, if you're not sure what kind of business to start reselling is great. Just pick a category like here, Trevor started with phones because, you know, he knows about fixing old phones. He knows how to clean off the data. That's something I always worry about. I've got like old iPads around the house. And I'm like, I would like to just get rid of this. But but what do I do?
What if I'm still logged into stuff? So then I go to check, but of course, it's completely out of battery. So then I have to find the charging cable, maybe it's the old version of the charging cable. And then I have to update the software before I can actually log out or it's just confusing, right? So I just I need somebody like Trevor to solve that problem. So you can pick a category like that doesn't have to be phones, it could be something totally different could be something low tech like clothing. That's another easy category to get into with reselling. Some other options as well, but I will leave you with that.
Today, of course, a new episode comes out tomorrow and every day beyond. Thanks for listening. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is side hustle school. From the onward project.
