This list may seem a little “ghetto” to some. People in the ghetto often have to get creative to make ends meet.
if you have anything to add... PLEASE do!
Where to find items for ebay:
Drop shipping:
I have no experience with this and therefore will not comment. If you have experience in this area please post it below.
Salvation army goodwill amvets:
All these kinds of places hold daily auctions at their main warehouse. I have had the most experience with the salvation army. you can get a truck load of anything. are you selling vacuums? pick up a truck load of vacuums there. anything you can think of large and small. clothing by the truckload. books, anything. They auction items both individually and by lots. You can get a pick-up truckload of items for $100-300. it's not the stuff they can't sell either, many times the auctions get the items first. only after they have not been sold at auction do they make it to the store.
Yard/garage/moving/estate sales:
These are hit and miss plus it involves a lot of driving. You also need to have some idea of the value of items you’re buying. The first time I devoted a Saturday morning to yard selling for ebay items I did pretty good. I went to 4 sales in different parts of town. I picked up a couple of car parts at one place because I knew what they were and how much I could get for them. That last place had a ton of comic books and comic related items I purchased for $75 (also got him to throw in a fan and dvd shelf). They were not comics that I recognized, mostly newer anime stuff, some dc and marvel here and there. It seemed like such a good deal I had to try it. The next week I had already made $700 on the comics. I still have half of the books sitting in storage. I have never tried yard selling since then. Just did not have the need or time.
Library book sales:
This depends on the size of your city. In my city there is one main library that holds a special book sale once a month. They are clearing out donated books for fund raising. All paperbacks were selling for $0.25 or 5 for a dollar, even the large coffee table paperbacks. I have found some really good deals at those sales. I have also seen some local bookstore owners in there buying at the same time. If you do not know anything about books, this is not for you.
Auto repair shops and dealerships:
Ebaymotors is a great place to make some money and it is where I got my start on ebay. There is so much waste in the auto industry it is mind-boggling. Most dealerships regularly throw out $10,000’s worth of brand new parts every year. My best buy was for $86,000 (retail value) worth of brand new overstocked items. Picked it up for $3000 cash. they were going to just throw it all out. Now the problem is trying to figure out what the part’s fit. All you get is a part in a box with a number on the outside. You have to find ways of researching the part number online until you get a match. It’s hard to sell a fuel pump if you don’t know what kind of car it fits! I won’t bother posting the websites here but if you need them pm me and I will send them to you.
Print out some business cards and pass them out to parts manager’s and asst. managers at your local car dealerships. Let them know that you purchase new and used auto parts by the lot. One phrase that worked for me was “why clog the landfills? just sell them all to me”. Most dealerships have to pay to have them removed!
Privately owned auto body repair shops are also a great source of items. Whenever buying from these guys remember that you will have to ship the item out. Don’t get doors, hoods, bumpers, or other large items unless you can handle it. Get the headlights, visors, emblems, mirrors, interior trim, steering wheels those are easy to sell on ebay. Headlights are number one in value. Especially the xenon/hid ones. They can be smashed and still sell for $100+.
Bringing in extra money when you need it:
Industrial recycling:
This is a dirty job and requires a pick-up truck. Wooden pallets that can be found laying in alleys around town can be sold for $5-20 a piece. Contact your local recycling center to get the exact prices. Most also take refrigerators, washer/dryers, and stoves/ovens too.
All those household appliances can also be sold to local used appliance stores. They will fix and resell them.
This kind of thing I have not done in years and would only do it now if I was REALLY broke.
Automotive recycling:
Some junkyards pay for parts. They don’t pay much, contact them ahead of time. They also usually require you to have a reseller’s permit. The ones in my area buy bumper covers, doors, headlights, and fenders. My local autobody repair shops throws all those items away on a regular basis. It may be a little Sanford and son but hey, every dollar counts right? Lets say you pay the bodyshop $1-5 per item. And sell them to the junkyard for $10-20 an item. It’s a profit right?
The dirtiest side to this is core money. You can sell used radiator, alternators, water pumps and such for scrap metal or to repair shops that rebuild them. Make sure you find a buyer and their price structure before you start buying.
Books:
If you know something about books you can pick up a few bucks by selling to local used bookstores. Thrift stores, auctions, yard sales, and library book sales can be a good source for books.
Animals/pets:
This can be a very touchy subject for some people. You do not want to be accused of being a “puppy mill or farm”. First I would like to say that if you are thinking about buying a family pet try your local humane society. 90% of people should get their pets there. Now the other 10% are looking for something specific: purebred, papered, “designer” pets. My experience in this area only involves puppies so that is all I will refer to here.
Take a look online and in your local newspaper. See what kind of puppies are selling for the most money in your area. In my area it was yorkie (yorkshire) terriors, maltese, and other small “tea cup” sized dogs. The smaller the dog the more you can ask for it. Do not get involved in this unless you have the time to properly care for the animals! I have found this very rewarding because, come on, who wouldn’t want to pay the rent by taking care of puppies all day. my rent is over $1600 a month!
Once you have decided which breed you’re going for it’s time to find a breeder. Don’t send any money orders to Nigeria whatever you do!! Search online for breeders (try
Dogs - Cats - Horses - TerrificPets.com or similar) I have even found breeders listed in paypal’s store section. Try to research the breeder as much as possible.
I would buy two puppies at a time and have them flown in. just pick them up at my local airport. Shipping charges for a dog is $250, but you can ship two dogs in the same crate for no extra charge. Plus they feel more comfortable with a friend. Hence I bought two at a time. Boys were $600 and girls $800. Those puppies were selling between $1200-1800 in my city.
One friend I have took out a loan at a bank to buy a couple of those little ugly english bulldogs. He breeds them now. Paid off his loan in the first year and a half. it took him a year to get the first litter. he had bought them as puppies. if you want to go right away you would have to buy adult dogs. Another friend got started by buying puppies from breeders. Now he breeds them himself. He also still buys from other breeders to meet the demand.
if you live out in the middle of nowhere you can start breeding and selling them online. you won't get top dollar but it will supplement your income.
Online surveys:
Some people claim to make $400-1200 a month doing this. Trick is to find the real sites that will actually pay you. I found one website that has a good list:
SurveyStar Be careful when signing up to a website. Most will ask for your name, address, and birth date. Others try to get your social security number. I would not recommend giving out your ssn# online at anytime.
