For those new to my cause: I quit my corporate job to find and sell anything I can. Two and a half years later, 2,550+ items sold, debt free, a stockpile of cryptos, and free to live as I choose. You can too with some confidence and faith! I've developed many sources of inventory, many of which are completely FREE, if not at very low cost. I'm most proud of the recycling of consumer goods and tons of packaging to ship everything. This NEVER feels like work. I hope to inspire others to make some extra money and help the environment, one item at a time.
Adding to my last post, this is a second glimpse of more completely free finds from walking around on recycling nights near my apartment. All of these would have been crushed and hauled away, but they were all saved to pass along to good homes. Please check them out and their stories!!
Dobbs Clubfoot Bar
Sold to a mother in Tanzania who couldn't get access to this for her child locally. These help straighten club foot in infants. It's important to get these in place early so she was pleading with me to give her a discount, which I did because I saw the bigger picture. Really proud of this one.
Profit After Fees & Shipping: $66.89 (discounted for customer budget). Shipping to Tanzania was $52.50!
Vintage Norway Tone Vigeland Sterling Silver Ear Cuffs
Never judge a book by its cover. I found these in a small jewelry box on the curb within a box of someone who just moved out. Check out the before and after. I mixed baking soda with boiling water, and then placed the ear cuffs on top of tin foil to create the chemical (magic) reaction. This is an excellent cheap and natural solution for polishing silver. Sold to a happy customer way across the world in Japan.
BEFORE
AFTER. BOOM!
Profit After Fees & Shipping: $167.72
NVIDIA Shield Android TV
Near mint media system with the plastic still on it! I couldn't believe someone would toss this and almost kept its since the system was fun to test. The original user's data was still on it, but I did a factory reset. Could have sold for more, but I couldn't find the remote. I had to test it via my iPhone app.
Profit After Fees & Shipping: $127.28
18 Breg Polar Care Cubes/Glacier Cubes (yes, 18 of these!!!)
Almost all were completely brand new! Why would anyone throw these out?! To use, you put ice water in the bin that's pumped through the hose into a special tube-webbed wrap for post-surgery rehab. I sold them at a low price to not take up too much space in my apartment. Ironically, I found two similar versions of these this month I'll be selling soon.
Profit After Fees & Shipping: $528.09
One Brand New DonJoy Defiance Leg Brace & Two Breg Freestyle Knee Braces (Med/Lg)
I found many other leg, back, neck and elbow braces of similar value, but just one example. Shame on whoever threw these out instead of donating them to a charitable cause. People around the world desperately need these. At least I helped many people avoid paying high retail costs.
DonJoy:
Breg x 2:
Profit After Fees & Shipping: $395.72
1940's Golden Cookies Picnic Basket - Classic Americana
Antique item once again for free on the curb sticking out of a bag. Took it home and listed it immediately. It actually sold in under 30 minutes to someone who was desperately waiting for one in great condition with a search hit alert. A gem saved and a thrilled woman out in California. Fastest recycling find to completed sale in my record book of 1 hour (mainly because I was still hunting after I found it.)
Profit After Fees & Shipping: $95.97
2007 Bugaboo Frog Baby Stroller w/ Ride-On Board
Broken up and sold as 13 separate parts! I've found and sold so many high end strollers (Bugaboo, Uppababy, Maclaren, etc.) I'd lose count if it wasn't for my Excel file. I sell many intact for cash, while some I part out if there's anything damaged to prevent me from doing so.
Profit After Fees & Shipping: $382.30
Bugaboo Cameleon3 Stroller
Found right in the recycling pile on the street. Near mint condition only 8 months old at the time from the label's manufacturing date. All I had to do was hand wash the pink canopy for 10 minutes. What a shame to toss this, but I made sure it got in the hands of a new mother in my neighborhood for an easy cash sale.
Profit (Cash Sale): $350.00
Line 6 POD Studio UX2 Digital Recording Interface
The chrome finish in a clear bag caught my eye. I almost gave it to my band's guitar player, but decided that he had enough gear. After downloading the software to test it, it sold in a few days of the find. It was in mint condition! It's inexcusable to just toss this, but I stopped that devious plan. It wasn't a huge profit, but saved music gear is a triple bonus in my book.
Proof:
Profit After Fees & Shipping: $66.48
Ritter Midmark M11 Sterilizing Machine Circuit Board & Control Panel
I found this complete medical device out in the rain. It's worth about $2,500-$3,000 used! It was too heavy to carry and I didn't know how to confirm that it'd work, so I just stripped a few parts off of it. The first listing sold in an hour of posting the next morning, so I emailed the buyer to tell them about the other part, which they asked me to list immediately and bought in 5 minutes! Money made in 12 hours from the find!
Proof:
Profit After Fees & Shipping: $271.74
GMAT Prep Book Set
Entire stack found and sold to a student for a discount. Nothing crazy, but this is a good niche. I find a lot of high school and grad school textbooks that sell like water.
Profit After Fees & Shipping: $73.07
Rode NTS Microphone, Specialized S-Works Road Cycling Shoes & Manfrotto 386B Nano Clamp
A woman threw her ex's stuff out on the curb in some bags. I found a bit of TMI stuff, but some nice items as well. I sold the microphone for $140 cash, and the shoes and camera clamp online. I kept the working password-free iPad and two working external hard drives for myself. Nice score!
Profit After Fees & Shipping: $140.00 + $77.09 + $22.09 = $239.18
I have so much more that I'll share, especially as I salvage new items every week. I hope this inspired you to make an impact for the environment and yourself! Feel free to message me via Steemit Chat at mattcoin8 if I can help with any advice.
Please upvote, follow and resteem to help me share these ideas. It means a lot and motivates me to do more. I truly want to promote recycling and being able to fully support yourself without a standard job.
If you enjoyed this post, check back to some of my previous ones while I'm working on the next.
~steemmatt