There's no need to worry too much in the meantime, as there are tons of ways for you to make money on your own!
Becoming a reseller is a great way to make some extra money if you have the time. Personally, I love crafting and creating so I knew this was the right option for me.
I'm sure most of you are familiar with popular resale apps such as let go Letgo and OfferUp. You're also likely familiar with Facebook Marketplace and might be part of your area's local buy and sell social media pages.
If not, I'd highly recommend joining those if you're open to shopping and selling secondhand.
Selling on these apps and pages can make you some serious cash as people are extremely active and quick to jump on a good deal — quality and/or rare items sell quick since a lot of the things people post are either junk or very expensive, higher-end items that the average person isn't there to shop for.
That's where resellers come in!
You can snag those items that are a bit run down or seemingly worthless to most and turn them into the still relatively low/mid-priced items that most secondhand shoppers are looking for.
There are lots of great tutorials online for these upcycling/DIY projects and tons of people selling used items online every day. So why wait? Read through my recommended resale items and get searching!
1. Furniture
Chairs, couches, tables, bedroom furniture, etc. Look on any online marketplace or resell app and you'll find tons. Couches are one I didn't really think about until later. People will pay $400 for a nice newly reupholstered couch that you could buy for $80. That's a pretty nice profit. Just get yourself some fabric and an upholstery gun, and practice practice practice!
2. Wood Slabs
I've seen people selling wood planks and slabs for very cheap prices on resell apps and pages, and you can make so many different things from them. Decorative signs. Side tables. The list goes on. I'm thinking of buying some used letter stamps to create home décor signs.
3. Jewelry
Reworking jewelry is great because it takes up little space, is inexpensive when it comes to supplies, and resells high. My best tip for jewelry is to know that you don't have to buy new jewelry making supplies to make and sell jewelry. You can mix and match beads, gems, charms, and other pieces from old jewelry, keychains, and other trinkets of yours and others. People don't see much value in their old jewelry but you can find it with a little creativity.
4. Purses
Stitch a patch on, attached a chain, or paint something if you're a bit more artistically inclined than most of us. You can turn an old boring purse that would usually sell for $10 into a trendy higher-selling bag with something as simple as embroidery or a scarf tie - let alone if you turn it into a stand-out one of a kind customer painted bag with a little fabric paint.
5. Vintage-looking T-shirts
These have been trendy for years now thanks to celebrity style and I don't think they're going away soon. Even though you're seeing them a bit less in the media, people are still into this trendy and thrifters always love a unique vintage T. This is another extremely cheap upcycle, as all you need to create practically any distressed look is the old T, some bleach or dye, scissors, plastic wrap or bags, rubber bands, and some spray bottles.
6. Baskets
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Turn a plain wicker basket into a trendy piece of décor simply by filling it with miscellaneous decor items or fake plants. You can also line these with fabric and turn them into organize baskets.
You can spray paint them white, gold, etc. for a different look and paint "Laundry" or other uses on them to help people think of purposes for them.
7. Glassware/Bottles
Turn glassware/old bottles into vases, lights, decorations, etc. You can even turn wine bottles in drinking glasses with the help of online tutorials and a bit of equipment.
There are also tutorials online on how to paint glass items with a mixture of Mod Podge and craft paint to create the appearance of clay vases and other décor.
8. Wooden Ladders
Paint it, stain it, and boom - it's a self or blanket rack. I was at a home store the other day and saw decorative white-painted wooden ladders going for a whopping $70.
I'm assuming everyone with wooden ladders for functional purposes is wanting to get rid of them by now and that you could probably find some selling between $0-10.
9. Mirrors
This is another item people will discard for little to no money back but will spend a lot of money on when buying. It's also one of the quickest items to upcycle.
All you need is a can of spray paint, some painters tape, and 10 minutes to turn an old, ugly mirror into a new, shiny one. To reduce the appearance of scratches or scuffs, sand the mirror down before painting.
10. Holiday Decorations
Christmas ornaments, Halloween decorations, Easter wreaths - you can make most of these things from materials that only cost a dollar or two and people will pay $20-50 for most. People practically give away fake flowers, wire, old ornaments, ribbons, and other crafting items you'd need to make holiday decorations for free!
11. Neon Signs
These ones are usually pricey to buy but if you find a good deal, jump on it! They sell for more than you'd think, as they're pretty rare.
This one is not really something you'd have to upcycle or refurbish but rather just find great deals on and sell for higher - unless you know how to fix signs that won't light up anymore...then you'd be making a serious profit.
