Turning junk into cash

If you read my blog regularly (or maybe watch my YouTube channel), you will already know that I am cutting back on other activities to focus on my online business selling vintage and collectable items. One person’s rubbish is someone else’s treasure, and I am excited by the idea of turning junk into cash.

My journey to becoming a vintage seller

Initially, I sold clothing on eBay as a side hustle whilst working full-time. When I took redundancy in 2019 I put a lot of time and energy into the clothing business, as well as making money writing this blog and freelancing and, later, making content for YouTube.

However, the secondhand clothing market has died a death for me, for several reasons. Firstly, a lot of clothing is so badly made in the first place these days that it isn’t good enough to resell. Secondly, charity shop pricing has gone through the roof, making it difficult to source at a price that enables a profit to be made. Finally, Vinted has pulled prices down. People will haggle even if you price at a couple of pounds, and that has spilled over to eBay, too. Great if you are a buyer, but not if you are a clothing reseller.

I found that vintage clothing items tend to be excellent quality, so I began looking at them. Then I started picking up vintage homewares and bric-a-brac, and found I loved selling old stuff. It’s so satisfying to find interesting pieces and research them. I also love that old items can find new homes, rather than being discarded in favour of cheap crap from China! So when I say I am turning junk into cash, what I really mean is that I am finding and rehoming treasure from the past.

Sourcing wonderful retro items

It’s not an easy business; in fact, it’s a lot of work for not a huge income. However, it is fun. I love sourcing and, as my knowledge of the vintage market grows, I am getting better at it.

I still love a jaunt around a charity shop. In many cases, bric-a-brac continues to be relatively affordable. However, in the summer, you will find me pulling my granny trolley around my local boot sales, which often bring up interesting bargains. Some are full of dealers selling the same stuff that I am looking for. These are a really good opportunity to do some research. Even if prices are often too high for my purposes, I can see what is worth looking out for, and sometimes dealers will take a cheeky offer.

Garage sales are few and far between, but are also brilliant for turning someone’s unwanted junk into cash for both of us. I have found some brilliant and quirky items that people just want rid of. I even find things left on the street for free on occasion. My town doesn’t have a charity shop, so it’s a handy way to clear clutter without the hassle of a trip elsewhere.

Buying from auction

However, my new favourite way of sourcing is the auction house. There is a general sale once a month locally, and there are often boxes of china and breakables that I pick up for a song. Some of it isn’t good enough to sell on, but I have learned enough now to spot a gem or two among the chipped plates and vases. 

During my most recent auction haul I paid £22 for two boxes of what was described as European china. Some of it was mid-century German, which is popular. However, the best items turned out to be vintage Swedish studio pieces. This little bowl is listed on Etsy for £145! Of course, you have to bear in mind that doesn’t mean the seller will achieve that price, but it was a nice surprise anyway.

Skip (dumpster) diving

I don’t do a lot of skip diving, but we couldn’t resist a look at one recently during our morning dog walk. We spotted what looked like a good quality oriental style rug poking out of the top, so had a peek. It soon became clear that a house had been ruthlessly cleared and there were quite a few lovely items amongst the rubbish and rain soaked books. We shot home and got the car!

As well as the rug, Justin pulled out a huge, heavy glass crystal vase, a cut glass vintage fruit bowl, signed on the bottom and, best of all, this beautiful studio pottery bowl. Having done a bit of research, we identified the artist and found a very similar bowl had sold at auction for £150! 

I am always stunned at what people thoughtlessly throw away. So shockingly wasteful. They could have turned their own junk into cash, instead of sticking it in the skip!

The boring bit

Of course, once I have found the treasure, it needs to be cleaned, in some cases repaired, then I photograph it and list it on eBay. This is the less interesting part of being a vintage seller.

I have found that I need to have several listings go live every day in order to keep the sales coming in. Even then, there are days when, despite doing a lot of work, I don’t get any sales.

Because I am selling a lot of breakables these days, packing things safely to post out is quite time-consuming, as is sourcing lots of boxes. I have let all my neighbours, friends and family know that I am happy to divert all their boxes and packaging materials from their recycling and they have got into the swing of it now. Very helpful!

It’s not pure profit. I have a business account on eBay, so I pay commission on my sales and a monthly shop subscription. In addition, I am registered as a sole trader and have to pay tax, too, of course, which means keeping receipts and records of my expenses.

I am on the waiting list for a small unit at a lovely antiques warehouse half an hour away, so I hope that will happen soon and provide another way to sell. It’s always good not to put all of your eggs into one basket.

Buying from me

So this is my current plan to turn junk into cash and one of the reasons I have paused YouTube and am a bit neglectful of this blog! If you fancy a peruse of my shop when you are doing your gift shopping, you can do so here.

You can also still buy my book via Amazon in Kindle or paperback form. I recently reduced the price of both. Here is the link.

Let me know in the comments what you think about my latest business enterprise and if it’s something you do, or are interested in doing.