Side Hustling Ep. 30: Single Mom Makes $500 Per Month Selling Garage Sale & Goodwill Shoes
Today's side hustle story is about Maria from Chicago who started a side hustle selling used kids shoes she found at garage sales and Goodwill stores, and it all started almost by accident.
Maria was a single mom. She wanted the best for her kids so she enrolled them in sports, bought them iPads and Xboxes and all that jazz, partly because she felt guilty about working so much and not spending as much time with them as she would have liked to.
Unfortunately the more she bought them the more she had to work to pay for the stuff and the more she worked the more guilty she felt so she bought them more, again, in turn having to work more. It was a vicious cycle.
One day while helping the kids clean their rooms she noticed all the shoes and clothes they had that they couldn't fit into any longer. Many of these items still looked brand new. She decided to sell them on eBay.
After seeing how quickly they sold, as well as how much they sold for she had an idea. She started traveling around to garage sales and different Goodwill stores picking up any brand name kids boys shoes she found. Typically paying anywhere between a quarter and $3 per pair. She could easily sell these shoes on eBay for anywhere from $20 to $50.
This is how Maria's side hustle started. While it's difficult to scale and while she'll probably never become rich from this hustle, it fits the bill and fits what she needs.
She was able to stop picking up Saturday shifts at the post office and was able to fill in that income gap with money from selling on eBay. Best of all she's able to take the kids out sourcing with her and they actually enjoy it as well, as long as she occasionally picks them up a toy at a garage sale.
Anyhow, watch the full episode to hear all about it. Until next time, Rules for Rebels signing off!!!
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Folks don't realize that there are so many other ways to enjoy life and make a living. Great video! Thanks for being on Steemit.
After I was laid off in 2013, I would go to storage auctions, but I never had enough funds to compete. Then I learned being the kind and considerate one had a perk. Folks would give me the things that were low value in their mind.
However, I could go to the flea market and make a few hundred a weekend. The only funds I ever invested was gas money and the flea market fee.
Hey @clevercreator . are you still in the storage auction game? i got out back when the television shows came on but been curious to go back. i also used to do a lot of police and us marshalls auctions as well.
your right about people giving stuff away, people have a short period of time to clean out units and oftentimes there's a lot of stuff so people are giving away stuff that has real value.
way back in the day i used to take advantage of the craigslist free section and flip stuff that way as well
I love it, you find your nitch and you go with it. I wasn't passionate about it, and need to sell off my stock now that I have found my passion, but I would hit flea markets, rummage sales, auctions for costume jewelry as a side hustle as good friend showed me how she was making money doing it, and I was pretty good at it, it just didn't excite me. But it was my business from home, that allowed me to stay at home and home school my children. Everyone should have some type of additional income. Even if it is passive, it is something to fall back on.
A lot of people don't give Goodwill enough credit. Depending on where you go, you can find some AMAZING items. Especially if you go to wealthy areas like Malibu and Beverly Hills in California. Amazing finds for a really cheap price. Easy flip on eBay or some other online selling platform.
You just have to know where to go ;P
So cool. I love the side hustle ideas. A little late is better than never.
I love the vlog format. Did you check out dtube. You can also post your steemit vlog on that platform. I think it just came out yesterday.
My wife gets stuff at the fleamarket and sells it. It's so fun.
Back in the day my mom was all about Goodwill. We got a lot of stuff from there.
yeah i think the people who do really well at goodwill stores are the ones who know the schedules of when the new trucks arrive and are there waiting for all the good stuff
nice blog @rulesforrebels thank you for sharing
500$
Just follow n upvete me please