Top Ways I Made Money Fast Online While Unemployed

Just Say No to the Corporate Life

Do you need to make money fast? Here’s my tips and tricks for quick online sales. For the past 3 months I’ve been working on an experiment to see if I could survive, and pay my bills, by living off the sales of my excess household goods. There were 4 main reasons I decided to embark on this experiment:

I am on a mission to try to live a more minimalist lifestyle and have started to downsize my material possessions
My lease is up in a few months and, due to a variety of reasons, I’m not renewing my lease – stabbing, shooting and useless maintenance department to name a few. Rent prices are ridiculously high in the South Florida area so, I’m thinking to save a few $$$$ I’ll either move to a smaller 1-bedroom apartment or even rent a room from a friend. I HATE moving so anything I haven’t used in the past year (or even the past 6 months) has to go so I can fit all my earthly possessions into a smaller space.
I recently walked away from my full-time job – I couldn’t deal with the corporate life anymore. My immediate supervisor and I just didn’t mesh – he’s from another planet and was not a team player despite being the head of the marketing department. There is only so much stress and anxiety a person can take so I gave notice and walked away from a pretty good salary with full benefits (I don’t recommend this strategy!)
Unfortunately, I didn’t have that much $ in savings and being older (about to turn 55) I think age discrimination is a real thing. Despite my many years experience I’m just not getting that many requests for phone screenings or interviews despite the TONS of applications I’ve sent out. I’ve revamped my resume, I customize my cover letter for each job application, I’ve reached out to many contacts on LinkedIn, established relationships with local recruiters, etc. but it’s been mostly crickets.

So, with my tiny bit of savings quickly evaporating, and no immediate job prospects on the horizon, I needed a way to figure out how to bring in a few dollars FAST so I could keep a roof over my head.

Make Money Fast with Online Sales

The key to successfully listing items online is to take lots of photos, create a very detailed listing and respond ASAP to any questions and offers. Also, I always list my items for a higher price than what I actually need to make on each piece. People shopping online are looking for a bargain so whatever price you list, they will offer you significantly less.

But, when it came to items that I knew were worth a certain amount (the 3 bicycles I recently sold) I held out until I got a higher offer. One bike I listed for $1250 OBO (or best offer) initially received offers in the $600 range but it was a really great bike (I originally paid $6000) so I held out until I got an offer for $1000.

This post includes my sales totals for a 3 month period. FYI: I still have a few items listed for sale online and hope to make additional income in the future.

eBay

While eBay is a great way to get rid of excess household goods, and make a tiny bit of money, I found there was too much competition (low prices) to make it a long-term profitable option. Also, by the time eBay takes its cut and Paypal takes its cut – you aren’t left with that much profit. I think if you have a source for new electronics (at wholesale prices) you could probably do okay – but still – eBay is a LOT of work.

Actual eBay Sales Total = $660

What I Listed on eBay:

About 2 or 3 years ago I listed a bunch of collectibles, such as ceramics and vintage dishes I mostly found at local thrift stores. I never made much profit selling vintage collectibles – it was a lot of work taking photos, uploading to eBay, adding descriptions, then packing everything up and taking it to the Post Office once an item sold. So, it was a good way to get rid of my excess inventory but my plan to get rich via thrift store sales was not a viable option. Too much work for too little profit.
New and used electronics. I’ve had pretty good luck selling my old cellphone, digital camera and other small electronics on eBay.

What I’ve Recently Sold on eBay:

Canon Digital Camera – listed for $325, sold for $300
New UCO LED Headlamp – listed for $34.95, sold for $34.95. This was a free review model given to me by the head of their public relations department
Inland Diamond Band Saw – listed for $375, sold for $325. This was a new diamond band saw. I used to do a lot of fused glass work. Inland sent me a brand new saw to thank me for giving them permission to use a photo of my work in an ad campaign that appeared in Lapidary Journal magazine. While this was not initially cash money, I did sell the saw for $325, so it worked out in the end.

OfferUp

I’ve never actually sold anything directly on OfferUp. I also list my OfferUp items on Craigslist and sometimes on eBay. I always got lots of interest on the items I list on OfferUp but the offers are always much, much lower that my list price. I’ve had better luck, and received higher offers, via eBay and Craigslist.

Actual OfferUp Sales Total = $0.00

What I Listed on OfferUp:

Old bicycles
Electronics
Vintage art prints
Djembe and doumbek hand drums

What I Sold on OfferUp:

As I mentioned above, OfferUp got a lot of traffic but I ended up getting higher offers on other sites.

Craigslist

Many of my friends have mentioned that I shouldn’t sell on Craigslist. I’ve used Craigslist for a few years with pretty good results. I’m a freelance writer and have applied to many jobs on Craigslist. I’ve also listed jobs on Craigslist for former employers and now I’m starting to sell a few items via Craigslist. I almost always meet people in a busy public area – in front of the movie theater at the local mall works well for me. I’ve had a few people mention that they meet potential buyers at their local police station for safety reasons.

I’ve also had people come directly to my apartment to view the items but that’ s the exception not the norm. There was a cyclist I had been texting that was interested in my bike trainer. He wanted to bring his bike and see if it would fit on the trainer. I could tell he was a real biker and not someone trying to scam me so I gave him directions to my home – the transaction went smoothly and I wasn’t kidnapped!!!!!

Actual Craigslist Sales Total = $1875

What I Listed on Craigslist:

Old bicycles and sports equipment
Old electronics – smart TV and Mac Mini
Djembe and doumbek hand drums

What I Sold on Craigslist:

2012 KHS SixFifty 600 mountain bike – listed for $500, sold for $400
2017 Specialized Vita Sport hybrid bike – listed for $500, sold for $400
2009 Trek Madone 6.5 road bike – listed for $1250, sold for $1000
CycleTek Momentum indoor bike trainer – listed for $100, sold for $75

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous – NOT

Selling my old gold and silver jewelry doesn’t exactly fit under the selling online heading but I did conduct my initial research online. I decided to sell to a local jewelry store rather than an online business that sends you a free-shipping label/envelope so you can send them your items. That seems like an accident waiting to happen – things can get lost in the mail and I really wanted to watch them test and weigh each item I was trying to sell.

Except for a brief earring and bracelet phase in high school and college, I’ve never worn a lot of jewelry. I have dabbled in making and selling beaded and fused glass jewelry but, despite owning a few display trays filled with my own creations, I still don’t wear a lot of jewelry. However, I did have a few pieces of old Mexican silver and sterling silver rings I used to wear when I went to Renaissance festivals so I was curious if they would be worth anything. Also, as a former jewelry artist I had a fair bit of scrap sterling and fine silver.

I searched online and discovered the Treasure Hunt Jewelry website. Treasure Hunt is a jewelry store with locations in Pennsylvania and Florida. They have a store in Delray Beach that’s not too far from where I live. They advertise that they sell scrap gold and silver, unwanted fine jewelry and old coins.

When you sell gold and silver to a jewelry store they first have to verify the type of metal. I had a few pieces marked sterling that weren’t sterling – curious. Then they weigh each piece and determine how much actual silver is in each of your items – coin silver versus sterling silver versus fine silver – all have different percentages of silver. Then they look up the current spot value of gold or silver (this changes on a daily basis) and offer you a price for each item which is a percentage of its true value – they are a business so they need to make a profit.

If you want to try making more $ than what they offer you can always try a private sale – but now you’re back to taking photos, uploading to eBay or your own website and selling items individually. That’s a lot of work and can take a long time before you find the perfect buyer for each piece. Because I was looking to make money fast, to pay my bills and keep my head above water, I usually accepted their offer. The only items I would suggest selling in a private sale are old Mexican silver – if you can determine the artist that made each piece you can often sell them to collectors for way more $$$ than a jewelry store will offer you.

I made 4 separate trips to Treasure Hunt. As I was going through my apartment I kept finding small stashes of sterling and fine silver. I initially was going to keep a few pieces but finally decided to sell it all and didn’t keep any of it. Here’s the actual break down of what I sold and the prices I got for my gold and silver items.

Actual Treasure Hunt Sales Total = $791.90

What I Sold to Treasure Hunt:

Gold jewelry – I only had 1 or 2 rings – wish I had more of this as gold is WAY more valuable than silver
Sterling silver jewelry
Sterling silver flatware
Fine silver jewelry
Scrap sterling silver and fine silver

I made 4 separate trips to Treasure Hunt Jewelry. Here are my total sales for each trip:

$186.57
$481.96
$83.49
$27.88

Miscellaneous Quick Online Sales

Here are a couple of other ways I brought in a few dollars during my 3 months of unemployment.

Fused glass jewelry = $30.00
Brought my container filled with loose change into Walmart = $47.00

Total Sales of Personal Possessions

eBay = $660.00
Craigslist – $1875.00
OfferUp = $0.00
Treasure Hunt Jewelry = $791.90
Miscellaneous = $77.00
Total Sales = $3403.90

While my total sales weren’t huge, I did manage to bring in close to $3500 during my three-month test period. I don’t think I could survive on my profits from quick online sales on a permanent basis but it did provide me with just enough money to pay my bills and keep a roof over my head.

In addition to looking for a full-time, in-house position, I’m also trying to find a freelance writing job or two that I can do on a remote basis. So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll at least find a part-time job within the next few weeks.

I have a few items still listed for sale on Craigslist, OfferUp and eBay (hand drums, Mac Mini, etc.) so there is a chance I can bring in a few more dollars during the next few weeks – fingers crossed! Other places I’ve sold online in the past are AbeBooks (old books and textbooks) and Decluttr (I only sold my old CDs and DVDs via Decluttr but they also buy back old cellphones, small electronics and even books).

8/23/18 Online Sales Update

Two weeks after I published this blog post I sold my Mac Mini for $500. While I probably could have made a couple more dollars selling directly to the end user, I decided to sell my Mini to Mac of All Trades. I went to their website, entered all the specifications on my computer and a few minutes later they emailed me an offer.

I accepted their offer and they emailed me a FEDEX shipping label which I print out on my computer. I packed up my computer and dropped it off the next day at my local FEDEX store. A few days later I received an email from Mac of All Trades saying they received the Mac Mini and it was exactly as I described it. A few days later my payment showed up in my PayPal account. This was a really easy way to instantly sell my computer. Since I really was in a pinch for $ I didn’t want to have to wait weeks upon weeks (or months) to find a buyer for a private sale.

My Final Thoughts on Selling Online

So there you have it – my suggestions on ways to make quick online sales if you suddenly find yourself strapped for cash. You can also do a search online to “make money fast” and you’ll see a variety of posts for suggestions on interesting ways to bring in a few dollars without having a full-time job.

Do you have any suggestions for quick ways to make a few bucks – yard sales, craft shows, online surveys, etc.? I’d like to hear from you. Send an email to info@thecreativecottage.net and I’ll share your methods in a future blog update.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe
The Creative Cottage