Tag: Reselling

Fan Scores Big with Marketplace for Football Shirts

What It’s About

A football fanatic creates an online marketplace to sell jersey kits. Goaaallllll!!!!

Words of Wisdom

Michael admits that using other people’s content to try to grow their Facebook following backfired, cautioning that, “You can’t really hack it. Focus energy on the right things to build an authentic community. Stick with it and it will grow. If you try and hack it like us you might lose your audience.”

Fun Fact

Football (Soccer) is the world’s most popular sport, played by over 250 million people in more than 200 countries with billions of fans in the world. How do you like that American football? (source)

Notes from Chris

Episode 1536
Growing up, Michael Maxwell and his friends loved football shirts. Again, here we’re talking the soccer kind of football. Michael loved the shirts’ designs, their look and feel, and most importantly how it reminded him of favorite players.

Over the years, he and his friends built up quite a collection, buying shirts whenever they went on holiday and when there was a new release. But as they got older, they played less football, couldn’t wear the shirts to work and their partners even banned them from wearing them out on a Saturday night.

So, in defense—or was it offense??—Michael created the Football Shirt Collective (FSC), a place to celebrate those shirts. It started as an Instagram page and a Tumblr and grew into a blog where he interviewed footballers and famous people about their first shirts. They had a lot of memories attached to them. Everyone they spoke to had a story about their first shirt, where they got it, who got them it and what it meant to them. The Collective told those stories.

Over time, it grew a large audience and became a marketplace selling vintage shirts, modern classics that were hard to get, and concept kits. For those who don’t know, a concept kit is a shirt inspired by an idea rather than a specific team. (More on that a little later.)

In addition to reselling shirts, FSC also designs original shirts. They make these designs conceptual rather than based on a specific club, so there are no licensing issues.

Even as much of the UK locked down during the pandemic, Michael says they’ve been able to ship and operate as usual. In fact, their sales have actually grown. Since losing their audience on Facebook, sales have gone up by around 200%. FSC now brings in roughly £1,500 or around $2,000 profit a month after taxes.

Michael thinks people are buying more shirts as they can wear them when working from home and also because people are investing in products that mean more to them. Postal services have struggled due to all the increased e-commerce activity, so the FSC team has paid for more expensive services that are more reliable. Sounds like a worthy investment and a winning strategy.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

Quote of the Day
"You can’t really hack it. Focus energy on the right things to build an authentic community. Stick with it and it will grow. If you try and hack it like us you might lose your audience."
—Michael Maxwell #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: How about a directory of garage and yard sales?

What It’s About

Has today’s caller uncovered a hidden treasure of a reselling idea?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1530

Today’s caller has an idea to create a directory of garage and yard sales. She thinks it’s a winner because so many people are trying to buy and resell items.

What’s the best way to proceed?

“Everyone has stuff to sell, and I’ve learned a lot from the show about where to find sources I can use for my eBay and Poshmark reselling hustle. I’m thinking there could be a lot of value in creating a dynamic directory of garage and yard sales in any particular area. The data could come from sites like Craigslist, and we could use Google Maps to populate all the different sales that are happening in upcoming days. What factors should I consider in designing and making the app—and could I charge for it directly or make it free and hope to monetize through ads?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Student Makes Selling Sneakers Look Yeezy

What It’s About

A student and his sneakerhead friend take steps to find and resell rare kicks.

Words of Wisdom

Sebastian shares some encouraging words, “When you start anything, you won’t know all the steps on the journey beforehand, but that’s fine. All you have to know is the first step, and when you get past the first step, you figure out the next step, and so on.”

Fun Fact

In the early days of his side hustle, Sebastian convinced his dad to loan him two thousand euros to purchase a ‘sure thing’ clothing product he believed he’d make a good profit reselling. Unfortunately, that sure thing turned out to be anything but and nearly two years later still hasn’t sold.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1522
Sebastian Ringlstetter was studying business at university when he decided to actually start a business. As he was hanging out with a friend one day, the perfect concept happened to sneaker up on him.

This friend was a sneakerhead! A collector of vintage and rare sneakers, some of which happened to be worth a lot of money. You see, not all sneakers are created equal and companies like Nike and Adidas occasionally sell what they call Limited Release product lines. These sneakers are produced in limited quantities and often sell out in hours, if not minutes.

Sebastian learned that many sneakerheads stay on top of the Limited Release schedule and often buy additional pairs to resell to those who weren’t able, or couldn’t be bothered, to fight for them. His friend explained that he often made fifty euros or more per pair with this method of reselling. Sebastian asked if he could fund the next pair. He wanted to explore the possibility of lacing up together.

With one hundred and fifty euros in hand, the two set out the next weekend and bought a pair of new release Jordan Retro sneakers. Within a month they’d flipped them for a tidy profit. Sebastian was hooked! He saw an instant return on investment and stepped up to do it again.

They soon bought more sneakers and also came up with a name for their venture. That name was … Drip Drops, since they’d slowly drip the sneakers out to collectors after they dropped. They used the name to create an Instagram account, but that was the only real marketing activity they did.

It wasn’t uncommon for him to walk into a store, be asked what size he was looking for to which he’d respond, “all the sizes” and walk out with ten to twenty pairs. The higher volume boosted their revenues and at this point, they are on track to earn over four hundred thousand dollars in revenue for the year, with one hundred thousand of that being profit.

But Sebastian isn’t resting on his laurels. With those profits, he intends to move into new categories and target other luxury items such as watches and handbags. There’s also the hope of opening up a retail store sometime in 2021, if the pandemic settles down and allows it.

All this has come at the perfect time as Sebastian is about to graduate from university. He’ll have plenty more time to put boots on the ground.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

Quote of the Day
"When you start anything, you won’t know all the steps on the journey beforehand, but that’s fine. All you have to know is the first step, and when you get past the first step, you figure out the next step, and so on."
—Sebastian Ringlstetter #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

TBT: P.E. Teacher Becomes Full-Time Sports Gear Reseller

What It’s About

An update from a teacher who changes careers to sell sports gear full-time.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1503

Welcome to Throwback Thursday / “Where are they now?” where we take an in-depth look at someone whose story has evolved considerably since we first featured them.

Last week, we heard from a woman who designs and sells matching clothes for dogs and their owners.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from a teacher who buys and resells sports gear. This is a very simple project that I like to highlight because it’s something that most people can do.

He started selling his own jerseys—kind of like I started by selling stuff from around my apartment—and eventually ends up going all-in.

We first heard from Matt nearly two years ago—what’s happened since?

Listen to today’s episode to hear Matt’s updates…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Floridian Finds Fair Value Flipping Furniture

What It’s About

A call center manager finds a new calling flipping furniture.

Words of Wisdom

Ryan has some encouraging words for anyone looking to do something similar: “Start today. Right now. You can find an old piece of furniture for less than $500, pick it up and have it flipped before the week is done. Take action every day.”

Fun Fact

Ryan sources a lot of his furniture from garage sales and auctions, which he says are great resources for finding cheap furniture. He even got a few pieces for free through these avenues. Since he started over a year ago, Ryan thinks he’s refurbished hundreds of items.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1473
Ryan Cron’s inspiration for his side hustle came from a close source: his wife, Jessica.

In late 2018, Jessica restored their dining room furniture to reflect a farmhouse style. One morning shortly after, Ryan was getting ready for his job in call center management and they got to talking. Jessica mentioned that people would pay good money for refurbished furniture.

“Like how much?” Ryan replied.

“Probably $500 for a dining room table,” Jessica said.

Intrigued, Ryan asked her to teach him how she painted their table. She did, and within a week, Ryan was restoring an old dresser they purchased for $30 off of Facebook Marketplace.

The restoration involved Ryan putting on a new coat of paint, which only took a couple of hours, as well as $50 in supplies. This included $10 chalk paint and a $10 paint brush from Amazon, along with $20 in paint from Lowes.

Although he had no previous experience painting or working with his hands, Ryan realized he loved the task. Once he listed the dresser on Facebook Marketplace, it sold within two hours for $150.

He and Jessica were shocked at how quick it happened. It wasn’t too much work for a $70 profit—and even better, this was the first time they’d tried. Might they be able to replicate or even improve these results?

So for the next piece Ryan refurbished, he upped the sale price. It sold in less than a day.

The most challenging part of this project was learning the technique of making furniture reflect a farmhouse style. He messed up a bunch of pieces because he didn’t apply the paint or stain a certain way, or sometimes he would distress the coats too much. But through trial and error, Ryan perfected the skill.

He finally got his own truck and focused on the furniture business, bringing in between $2,000 and $3,000 per month. Although this was less than he made at his corporate job, he was much more content.

 

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Start today. Right now. You can find an old piece of furniture for less than $500, pick it up and have it flipped before the week is done."
—Ryan Cron #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Insurance Manager Finds New Shelves for Old Antiques

What It’s About

An insurance manager breathes new life into vintage antiques, selling them on Etsy.

Words of Wisdom

Christy didn’t plan to start a business at first, but was convinced that all it took was time: ““Maybe if I have enough items for sale, I can make $1,000/month and use the profits to go on vacation.” I figured it was a numbers game and if I had enough products, I could get the sales to the place I wanted.”

Fun Fact

Delivery providers often use commercial airlines for priority mail, so things take longer to be delivered with a slowdown in air travel. Plan around deadlines and expect things to take longer than usual!

Notes from Chris

Episode 1382
When Christy Tharp first listed five of her products on Etsy, she didn’t think it would be the start of a new business. Her husband had recently passed away, and she was left with a home filled with antiques that no longer held as much meaning. Not wanting to keep them, Christy decided that she would find a way to sell them. She thought that she could get the best prices by listing them on Etsy, where people go to purchase craft and vintage items.

As she started listing her items, Christy found that she enjoyed the process. Most of the fun came at the product photography stage, where she would think of creative ways to showcase the aesthetics of the item she was selling. After several weeks of doing this, the process got easier and she developed a routine. This left her wondering if she could keep selling on the side, even after she cleared her own collection.

She worked as an insurance manager by day and wanted to use her free time productively. As she recalls, “I figured it was a numbers game and if I had enough products, I could get the sales to the place I wanted.”

The first step was to head to thrift stores to purchase more items to sell. In the beginning, there was no process that she used to pick out her inventory—it was all just based on gut feel. But as she listed and sold more products, she developed a better sense of what customers wanted.

This mix of market research and gut feel has worked well for Christy. She’s learned to include relevant tags in each listing and write clear product descriptions. She’s also had some luck with Etsy’s programs to promote her listings on Google. On the other hand, while she has tried to build up a presence on Instagram and Pinterest, her posts there haven’t translated to many product purchases.

Despite these challenges, Christy has actually seen sales increase in 2020, a pleasant surprise. This year she’s brought in over $12,000 profit and she’s certainly surpassed her initial goal of simply clearing out her collection. By moving old antiques to new shelves, Christy now has the ability to move herself across continents for annual vacations—at least when she’s able to travel again.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

Quote of the Day
"I figured it was a numbers game and if I had enough products, I could get the sales to the place I wanted.”"
—Christy Tharp #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Texas Mom Profits from Poshmark Sales

What It’s About

A thrifty thrifter turns used threads into gold

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Chelsea shares some important advice on focusing your hustle, “It’s not a good idea to do everything at once. You can be an expert in clothing, but it will take a lot of research to also be an expert in, say, video games. Focus on one thing at a time, get really good at it, and then move onto another category (just one other category!)”

Fun Fact

Did you know….Goodwill sends their unsold merchandise to the Goodwill Outlet, known ominously as “the bins.” Items are sold by the pound, and new bins are brought out every 10 minutes. People push, shove, yell, and steal things out of each other’s hands. If you’re lucky, you can wind up with a $3k Louis Vuitton bag for $2 or less—or dirty underwear, rusty surgical scissors, and live rats.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1373
Chelsea Bagley finds clothes and other in-demand items at thrift stores, yard sales, and estate sales, and then she resells them online—essentially spinning used threads into gold…. or at least cash money.

In addition to working part-time at a fashion company, Chelsea looks after two young daughters at home. She discovered thrift and consignment stores when she had her first child. Her daughter grew out of her clothes so fast, that buying expensive new outfits seemed like a waste of money.

In 2018, while looking for used baby clothes online, Chelsea discovered Poshmark, an eCommerce marketplace. She realized this platform would not only allow her to purchase clothes for her daughter, but it would also enable Chelsea to sell some of her own clothes that she didn’t wear anymore. She took photos of a few items and posted them. Within a week, she made her first sale.

With that easy $20 in her bank account, Chelsea reinvested it by hitting up her local thrift store and picking out four more shirts that she thought she could resell. She thought, “Why not?” She’d only lose $20 if it didn’t work out. Two of the shirts sold immediately for $25 each. Then Chelsea was hooked. It was just a small profit, but she saw the future.

She discovered which stores have the lowest prices in her area, she researched various ways to ship at lower prices, and she learned how to properly check comps before even making a purchase. At the beginning of 2020, Chelsea expanded beyond Poshmark by cross-listing her clothing items to eBay. A month later, she broadened her inventory to include household items. She also uses Facebook Marketplace.

With reselling, you typically get out of it what you put in, so if Chelsea is disciplined and adds new items each day, she can now easily clear over $1,000 per month. Other months she may take a break and only make a few hundred.

Reselling has become a little more difficult due to COVID-19. It isn’t as easy to rummage for promising new items when stores are closed or limited by the pandemic. But Chelsea is keeping at it, and she’s also blogging about non-toxic living and sustainability through a new blog called Nesting Naturally.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Focus on one thing at a time, get really good at it, and then move onto another category (just one other category!)."
—Chelsea Bagley #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Skillshare. 📷

Skillshare is giving Side Hustle School listeners 2 months of unlimited access—for $0.99! Join the 2 million students learning everything from street photography to SEO on Skillshare today!
Get Started Here!

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: Can I compete with Gazelle by reselling iPhones?

What It’s About

A listener is thinking about reselling smartphones. What should they know?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1372

If there’s one thing the world needs more of, it’s cell phones … right?

When you upgrade your iPhone or Android smartphone, what do you do with the old one? Many of us trade them in, knowing that we aren’t getting a great deal but not wanting to hassle with an alternative.

Today’s listener is hoping to profit from this problem—how should they proceed?

“Hi Chris, I’m a long time listener, first-time caller. Speaking of phones… I recently upgraded my iPhone and wanted to trade in my old one to Apple, but the price they offered seemed really low. So I decided to shop around, and heard of a site called Gazelle, where you can buy and sell used phones.

I thought that would be great, but their buying price was also pretty low. I ended up selling my phone on Facebook Marketplace and got at least $50 more than I would have from selling to either Apple or Gazelle. It got me thinking: since they don’t pay market value, couldn’t there be some way to arbitrage this? I can’t compete with big companies, but if I could specialize in selling locally or otherwise providing some kind of benefit, I’m thinking there’s a way to make it work. What do you think—am I missing something?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: Can I resell items I get for free?

What It’s About

What should this listener know about reselling items he gets for free?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1229

Interesting question today!

Today’s listener received some free display equipment at a trade show. Can he resell it without worrying, or does this create an ethical dilemma?

More broadly speaking, can you resell items you get for free?

“My question is, can I resell something I receive for free? I worked at a trade show and two of the booths next to me said they didn’t need some of their display equipment. I asked if I could take it and they said “Sure!” But I didn’t tell them I was going to try reselling it … now I’m wondering if I have an ethical obligation to be clear about that when buying items or taking free stuff like at the trade show. Looking forward to hearing from you.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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Resources

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GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Ultimate Ukuleles Tune Up Underrated Side Income

What It’s About

A music retail shop employee picks his own instrument to strum high notes of profit.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Your experience could be a valuable side hustle idea waiting to happen. Hear from Dave, “Look for opportunity within your own area of expertise. Thanks to my decade plus in this industry, I have a great network of friends that own or manage music stores across the country that were willing to take a chance and stock a new brand.”

Fun Fact

The ukulele originated in Hawaii and closely translates to the Hawaiian word for ‘jumping flea’. While the ukulele is experiencing a surge in popularity right now it isn’t the first time this instrument has captured our hearts. In 1915 and 1935 ukuleles grew in popularity, directly after times of financial hardship in the USA.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1221
In the fall of 2015, Canada was staring down the barrel of a recession, and Dave Simpson was concerned. Money was tight and jobs were being cut, one of which was his wife’s.

Luckily for Dave, he kept his job throughout the turmoil. This was partly due to a true recession never taking place, and part due to the fact that he was an expert in his field. He’d spent the previous ten years working in the musical instrument industry and he knew about everything from acoustic guitars to xylophones.

With his eyes open, opportunities presented themselves. One of these opportunities came through Dave’s employer, a retail chain specializing in high-end guitars sourced from overseas. As part of that job, he had the opportunity to visit China and Japan to source new products.

It was there that Dave began tuning up a new idea. He was convinced his side hustle should be related to his area of expertise, and the suppliers he was meeting could make any instrument someone might need.

Around the same time, he’d learned of Fulfilled by Amazon, a platform where sellers offer products directly through Amazon and they ship them on your behalf. Dave figured, if he could find the right instrument and couple it with FBA, he’d be well on the way to achieving his goal

.

The only thing left to decide on was which musical instrument to sell…

… and Dave landed in the ukulele. He loved the instrument and knew from experience that most ukuleles sold were bad quality and designed to be more of a toy than a high-end instrument.

For a name, he picked Honolua Ukuleles, a Hawaiian name in honor of the instrument’s birthplace. Soon after he placed his first order for sixty instruments.

Dave had plenty of contacts in the industry, so he knew he had a good shot at other stores stocking his ukuleles. Soon, his first batch of sixty were accounted for. It was time to take the profits and keep riffing.

In 2019 alone, Dave sold over one hundred and twenty thousand dollars worth of ukuleles, forty thousand of which is profit. For now, he’s still working his day job—although that may change in the near future.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

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Quote of the Day
"Look for opportunity within your own area of expertise. Thanks to my decade plus in this industry, I have a great network of friends that own or manage music stores across the country that were willing to take a chance and stock a new brand."
—Dave Simpson #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

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Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau