Turning hobby into $$ ?

[audreyh1]

Serious photography is hard work, whether you get paid or not...

It’s true, but if you’re trying to make money at it, it’s at least 2x the work if not 10x. Unfortunately that extra effort is usually not the fun part.

 

[NoiseBoy]

eBay. My wife and I have sold over $80,000 worth of “stuff” on eBay.

I am about to list my first item (from my hobby!) for sale on eBay, do you have any tips? It is a piece of electronic audio equipment that has recently sold for $350+ on eBay. I have the original box for it. I'm trying to clear out some old sound gear and I've tried selling on the free forums like FB, but without success so to eBay I go. My primary goals are to a) get the gear out of the house and b) minimize the hassle of selling my extra stuff.

 

[COcheesehead]

I am about to list my first item (from my hobby!) for sale on eBay, do you have any tips? It is a piece of electronic audio equipment that has recently sold for $350+ on eBay. I have the original box for it. I'm trying to clear out some old sound gear and I've tried selling on the free forums like FB, but without success so to eBay I go. My primary goals are to a) get the gear out of the house and b) minimize the hassle of selling my extra stuff.

I got a lot of tips to make it easier:

Make sure you can ship it, i.e. have a box with proper packing. Buyers don't like broken stuff and understand what the cost will be. There are tools in the app for that.

If you don't have feedback, buy some things first so you don't have a big fat 0 as your feedback rating.

Start the price really low, no matter how hard and icky that feels. It attracts more buyers who are looking for a deal and then they catch auction fever and bid higher than they intended.

Take lots of photos and describe the item very accurately, including, if possible the device being "on".

Ship the day after you are paid and always provide the tracking number. I take photos of the shipment if it is a high value item just to cover myself.

Don't accept offers outside the eBay system.

Just because an item sold for $X does not mean yours will sell for the same. That buyer willing to pay that price is now out of the market. So be realistic.


99 transactions out of 100 go well, but there is always "that guy" out there so be prepared for some unreasonable buyers.


Good luck.

 

[Walt34]

Just because an item sold for $X does not mean yours will sell for the same. That buyer willing to pay that price is now out of the market. So be realistic.

I've seen this happen too. I was in the market for a Nikon SB900 strobe and saw most were selling in the $300 range. Spotting one for a minimum price of $200, I bid that amount. Strangely, others kept bidding on the same item being sold by other sellers for much higher prices and no one ever bid on the $200 one, so I got it for that amount.

I thought that was just downright weird.

 

[Souschef]

I am about to list my first item (from my hobby!) for sale on eBay, do you have any tips? It is a piece of electronic audio equipment that has recently sold for $350+ on eBay. I have the original box for it. I'm trying to clear out some old sound gear and I've tried selling on the free forums like FB, but without success so to eBay I go. My primary goals are to a) get the gear out of the house and b) minimize the hassle of selling my extra stuff.

I have sold stuff on eBay. Take some clear well lit pictures. Have an accurate description in the header. Have a short but decent description of the item.

 

[Aerides]

shipping is big: Understand what it is going to cost you to ship as far in the US as possible (say, Alaska even). Figure the best safest way to pack it - and that means pack it like it's going to be punted.

Then figure out your shipping cost fully weighed and packed. The last thing you want to do is sell something, charge $5 for shipping, then find out it's going to cost you $30 to get there safely. Always use tracking, and for your price point I'd recommend insurance and signature as well. I haven't sold on ebay in forever, but make sure you only accept their payments or paypal, don't leave options open for anything else.

"Minimal hassle" is hard to achieve for a new online seller, but understanding everything that will happen after it sells - before you list it - is better than selling something and then going "ok now what?".

 

[NW-Bound]

I am building a DIY 4.5kW solar electric system with 22kWh of lithium battery storage. I enjoyed my engineering career, and missed the work. But building things just to build is not satisfying to me, unless I produce something of economic value.

Hopefully, this will pan out and saves me money. I have spent many $K buying parts, and am still designing the system. Just to put something together that works is not hard. Designing the system for minimal cost and maximum output is more complicated.

A few forum buddies were very curious and wanted me to share details, but I am not ready.

.. I enjoy reading novels and have developed a knack to find errors as I read. It helps to be OCD. So after contacting a few authors that I like reading I'm now a proofreader for a few...

BTW I find that I pick up errors more now while reading forum posts, advertisements, etc. Kind of a pet peeve but I'm dealing with it.

I am not a good writer, but that does not keep me from being OCD about errors. It bothers the heck out of me when I reread my posts later and discover dangling participles. It drives me nuts.

 

[COcheesehead]

I've seen this happen too. I was in the market for a Nikon SB900 strobe and saw most were selling in the $300 range. Spotting one for a minimum price of $200, I bid that amount. Strangely, others kept bidding on the same item being sold by other sellers for much higher prices and no one ever bid on the $200 one, so I got it for that amount.

I thought that was just downright weird.

Auction fever. Folks get caught up on one item and don’t think to look if there is a similar one also listed. Auctions are not always efficient mechanisms.

 

[NW-Bound]

The search engine on eBay has some quirks. Sometimes it does not show a listed item even if the listing has all the keywords I specified.

I once ran across an item with such a good price, but wanted to do some checking around to be sure. But then, I could not find that item again even when I typed in the exact model number which was in the listing, then asked for a sort for lowest prices first. I kept trying, and eventually saw it again.

I immediately paid asking price even though the seller asked for an offer. After I bought it, he sent me a thank-you. The poor guy's listing apparently did not get any exposure.

 

[Philliefan33]

I just saw a posting on our “neighborhood” Facebook page: a woman is looking for someone to make a T-shirt quilt for her daughter (for a Christmas gift). I did a quick assessment of the time and materials involved. Even with the customer providing the T-shirt’s that make up most of the front, I estimated about $100 worth of other materials needed. Then about twenty five hours of labor. With a deadline.

At ten bucks an hour for my time, maybe she would pay $350 for a custom-made quilt. But that is a very low rate, not consistent with the talent needed to produce good work. A more fair compensation for my time is $15-$20/hr. Not many people would be willing to pay $500-600 for a T-shirt quilt. That’s why I make what I want, when I want, and gift most of my quilts.

 

[folivier]

And that's the whole point of my post. Not to do anything as a career but as a way to make a few $'s on something you'll do anyway. I'm fully aware of turning a hobby into a business and losing the fun aspect of the hobby, been there, done that. But doing it in the way I'm describing you control who you sell to and make a few bucks. I guess it's more a matter of "hey, I'm making $'s doing this!".

 

[NoiseBoy]

Thanks for the eBay tips. I am going to dip my toe in the eBay seller's waters tomorrow!

To the original topic, my weekend hobby is mixing sound for local bands. I've been doing this since college and I still enjoy it although the late night hours are no fun anymore. My current gig is for band that owns all of its own equipment, so I'm just supplying the labor to setup, operate, and put everything away at the end of the night. I aim to get $15/Hr for my time. Some gigs pay more and some less. Some gigs are fun and some are a lot like work. And some days it rains

 

[RunningBum]

If you like model trains, like I do, you could buy http://www.roadsideamerica.co/, which was featured on CBS Sunday morning recently. https://www.facebook.com/CBSSundayMorning/videos/roadside-america/10160092973916337/ (google it for the CBS feed if you don't like FB but I had trouble with the video not being available thru the CBS site). Roadside America set to sell after 6 decades in business - WFMZ

$2M, including the building and land and I think a couple other buildings. I'm sure they'd take less. I visited this today, it's really cool, but I talked to the track maintainer and he says it needs a lot of work--a lot of haphazard maintenance has been done throughout the years.

If you don't want to buy--I'm passing on it, so it's still available-- it's worth a stop if you're in eastern PA (between Harrisburg and Allentown).

 

[FreeBear]

I just saw a posting on our “neighborhood” Facebook page: a woman is looking for someone to make a T-shirt quilt for her daughter (for a Christmas gift). I did a quick assessment of the time and materials involved. Even with the customer providing the T-shirt’s that make up most of the front, I estimated about $100 worth of other materials needed. Then about twenty five hours of labor. With a deadline.

At ten bucks an hour for my time, maybe she would pay $350 for a custom-made quilt. But that is a very low rate, not consistent with the talent needed to produce good work. A more fair compensation for my time is $15-$20/hr. Not many people would be willing to pay $500-600 for a T-shirt quilt. That’s why I make what I want, when I want, and gift most of my quilts.

Yep, now that I'm FIRE'd no one can afford my going rate either! DW and I have learned...


We did a few custom art installations for someone we knew. It was mildly amusing, but paid at best $10-12/hr after expenses. Took a couple weeks, part time. Bargin basment pricing. The friendship broke down on an interior design job for the same person, all over a "misunderstanding" of a few hundred dollars. Maybe the friendship wasn't worth much in the first place. Good to know...


We do a few outdoors type "quiet" sports and appear pretty serious to the casual bystander. I've thought about getting official training and certifications so that I can coach and guide. Did some volunteer guiding for friends and our outdoors club. It was nice, but too much w*rk, risk and stress. In theory, it's sounds great to introduce folks to a new sport, but frankly I'd just rather enjoy the sport with DW and not have to "babysit" someone else.


Did think about doing something involving music. A local coffee house has a regular that plays for several hours most days of the week. No payment, just meager tips. Basically, he gets to practice his craft and maybe cover the price of his coffee. I can't even think about doing the same thing every morning five days a week, though. Too much of a schedule. I don't like havinging to be anywhere. Plus I don't think they'll let me play in my PJ's.

 

[Sunny]

I turned one hobby (a video game) into a pseudo-business (blog, streaming) and was successful. I made small to medium money from ads and donations. I was flown out on all expense paid trips to be a speaker on a panel and attend a few launch parties. Even though it was a lot of work, it was also a lot of fun.

Then the game fell on hard times, giving me a much-wanted excuse to quit doing the blog. I have very fond memories, but it also consumed most of my time and I always felt under pressure to provide content to my readers and worrying about how to market my site. I miss writing the blog, having people actually wanting to read what I wrote, and if I take an honest look in the mirror, I miss being a bit of a celebrity in a small corner of the internet. I do not miss the number of hours I put into it, the marketing, and the feeling that I am spending a large part of my life on a game.

I do at times wish I could come up with another passion to write or vlog about that would have a readership/viewership...but not take up as much time.

tldr; Be wary of turning a hobby into a business, it may become a chore too as it grows.

eBay. My wife and I have sold over $80,000 worth of “stuff” on eBay.

Interesting...if you are inclined to answer (no need to if you don't want)

(1) Is this stuff you had and just got rid of using eBay, or are you actively acquiring goods to sell? If the latter, any tips that don't require running around to garage sales looking for needles in the haystack?

(2) Do you have a cutoff or dollar amount of what you would sell?

We have a lot of stuff that has value like most people probably do. Ranging from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. I keep telling myself it is worth selling it on ebay and I have before (50+ times over the last decade or so), but I really dislike boxing stuff up and shipping them.

 

[Souschef]

Interesting...if you are inclined to answer (no need to if you don't want)

(1) Is this stuff you had and just got rid of using eBay, or are you actively acquiring goods to sell? If the latter, any tips that don't require running around to garage sales looking for needles in the haystack?

(2) Do you have a cutoff or dollar amount of what you would sell?

We have a lot of stuff that has value like most people probably do. Ranging from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. I keep telling myself it is worth selling it on ebay and I have before (50+ times over the last decade or so), but I really dislike boxing stuff up and shipping them.

.
In my case, after my wife passed away, I had a lot of stuff (collectibles) to dispose of. But, I was working and got all the boxes and packing material from my shipping department.
If I had to go out now and buy boxes and packing material, it would be a big PITA

 

[deserat]

I do original art needlework, and people have offered me money for it. I have never taken money, although I have given a few things as gifts.

Someone offered me $500 for a handmade vest I was wearing; I turned it down. It had taken me at least 200 hours to make it.

I knit and crochet and win awards at the county fair. When people see my work they know it is a 'craft' for me. I take my time, use quality materials and work to make sure it looks good. Many don't understand the amount of time that goes into good work. So, I don't sell my work. I will give gifts to those who appreciate it.

As for hobbies and working, I'm finding that my consulting concern is a part-time job that allows me the flexibility to do what I want when I want it as well as stay intellectually challenged and earn some nice side cash. Of course, I treat it as a schedule C business, however, I now am able to easily manage the cash-flow sheet to fill out the Schedule C. The great thing so far is that I am an 'international' consultant, so if I have a meeting overseas, I expense the travel and any meals and other items and then tack on a week or two or more for personal purposes. And if in that personal time I have am meeting or some other such that can be related to my business, that day and expenses get deducted......I also deduct my organizational support as I'm usually on the board in some type of leadership position.

I met a guy once who said report every piece of income you receive, but also expense everything you can legally. That's my mantra.

 

[Katsmeow]

I've seen this happen too. I was in the market for a Nikon SB900 strobe and saw most were selling in the $300 range. Spotting one for a minimum price of $200, I bid that amount. Strangely, others kept bidding on the same item being sold by other sellers for much higher prices and no one ever bid on the $200 one, so I got it for that amount.

I thought that was just downright weird.

As someone who used to do a lot of selling on eBay and still does some buying I can think of a couple of potential reasons.

1. Some people are lazy. They are watching the other items and so keep bidding on it rather than bid on yours.

2. Some people want to only do Buy It Now and won't bid if something has a bid on it because they don't want to wait. (That doesn't account for those bidding on other auctions).

3. The seller. I don't always bid on the cheapest auction. I pay a lot of attention to seller feedback especially on higher dollar items. But it isn't just that. I look at the auctions and will often bid on the one where I think I am getting better description of the item or the seller has terms that I like, etc. Maybe there was something about the seller or listing of your item that turned people off.

4. Item is in wrong category or otherwise hard to find.

 

[COcheesehead]

I turned one hobby (a video game) into a pseudo-business (blog, streaming) and was successful. I made small to medium money from ads and donations. I was flown out on all expense paid trips to be a speaker on a panel and attend a few launch parties. Even though it was a lot of work, it was also a lot of fun.

Then the game fell on hard times, giving me a much-wanted excuse to quit doing the blog. I have very fond memories, but it also consumed most of my time and I always felt under pressure to provide content to my readers and worrying about how to market my site. I miss writing the blog, having people actually wanting to read what I wrote, and if I take an honest look in the mirror, I miss being a bit of a celebrity in a small corner of the internet. I do not miss the number of hours I put into it, the marketing, and the feeling that I am spending a large part of my life on a game.

I do at times wish I could come up with another passion to write or vlog about that would have a readership/viewership...but not take up as much time.

tldr; Be wary of turning a hobby into a business, it may become a chore too as it grows.



Interesting...if you are inclined to answer (no need to if you don't want)

(1) Is this stuff you had and just got rid of using eBay, or are you actively acquiring goods to sell? If the latter, any tips that don't require running around to garage sales looking for needles in the haystack?

(2) Do you have a cutoff or dollar amount of what you would sell?

We have a lot of stuff that has value like most people probably do. Ranging from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. I keep telling myself it is worth selling it on ebay and I have before (50+ times over the last decade or so), but I really dislike boxing stuff up and shipping them.

We sell stuff we’re done using and stuff we’ve acquired just to flip. We both have developed expertise in pretty narrow areas. My wife is a camera and lens expert and I developed some expertise in cycling related items. We’ve attended swap meets and look for items we know we can flip.
So my recommendation is follow something that interests you, get to know what items sell for on eBay and then go for it.
Though rare, I’ve bought things retail, knowing the rest of the world may not have access to an item like I would. I call it eBay arbitrage. Looking for differences in price that I can exploit.
Do I have a minimum? I can list something in a few minutes, so I figure if I can make $20, I list it.
As far as shipping...the Post Office provides boxes for free and the eBay app makes postage a breeze. Shipping is the easiest part.

 

[sengsational]

My first eBay selling experience was a garage sale flip of an R/C boat. The seller was super motivated (interested in getting rid of the ex's "junk"). I think I paid $5 and I got $100 on eBay. Those were the very early days of eBay. Nowadays, there are many more eBay arbitrage people, so not so many "steals" at garage sales when it's an eBayable item (the seller does eBay themselves, or some other arbitrager gets there first). I used to take my kids to garage sales for entertainment purposes and give DW a little break, but personally, any kind of shopping is my last choice for entertainment.

 

[COcheesehead]

My first eBay selling experience was a garage sale flip of an R/C boat. The seller was super motivated (interested in getting rid of the ex's "junk"). I think I paid $5 and I got $100 on eBay. Those were the very early days of eBay. Nowadays, there are many more eBay arbitrage people, so not so many "steals" at garage sales when it's an eBayable item (the seller does eBay themselves, or some other arbitrager gets there first). I used to take my kids to garage sales for entertainment purposes and give DW a little break, but personally, any kind of shopping is my last choice for entertainment.

It is also interesting to see what happens to certain collectables over time. Back in Lance Armstrong's heyday I had a source for pro cycling gear and could flip it all day, any day. Today, you almost can't give the stuff away.


High end name brand outdoor clothing like Patagonia has taken its place. Almost anything with Patagonia on it sells fast and for 50-60% of retail.

 

[Music Lover]

And that's the whole point of my post. Not to do anything as a career but as a way to make a few $'s on something you'll do anyway. I'm fully aware of turning a hobby into a business and losing the fun aspect of the hobby, been there, done that. But doing it in the way I'm describing you control who you sell to and make a few bucks. I guess it's more a matter of "hey, I'm making $'s doing this!".

I'm not good enough or interested enough to make a living playing music...I play because I enjoy it. But I am fortunate enough to be in a couple good bands that are in demand so I will earn a little bit of money this year....not a heck of a lot, but my hobby provides a net gain each year.

 

[Kroeran]

Maybe not exactly on topic, main money makers for me are renting out idle real estate:
1) mom’s unused condo parking spot and storage
2) my driveway to nurses from nearby hospital
3) Second home Florida condo in the summer - key is great photos and just lowest price in hood
4) renting out section of northern home in winter, Airbnb, VRBO

5) had an absolute blast doing Uber/Lyft driving for a few years. Very stimulating, very social, very flexible. Lots of confused kids open to suggestions. Complicated taxes. As a retired economist Rideshare is an amazing new thing to behold.
6) get a cut of friend’s condo rental for managing the rental advertising etc
7) rent out garage as winter storage for vintage cars

Thinking of trying Turo.com to rent out my car for profit.

Wife jokes I would rent her out if I could. Driving my insurance agent nuts.

Generally take an interest in the emerging sharing economy and look for new things to try.

Figured out editing academic papers through Cactus pays about $3 / hour.

Teaching myself how to fly FPV racing drones and hope to turn it into a paying gig.

 

[Sunset]

Maybe not exactly on topic, main money makers for me are renting out idle real estate:
1) mom’s unused condo parking spot and storage
2) my driveway to nurses from nearby hospital
3) Second home Florida condo in the summer - key is great photos and just lowest price in hood
4) renting out section of northern home in winter, Airbnb, VRBO

5) had an absolute blast doing Uber/Lyft driving for a few years. Very stimulating, very social, very flexible. Lots of confused kids open to suggestions. Complicated taxes. As a retired economist Rideshare is an amazing new thing to behold.
6) get a cut of friend’s condo rental for managing the rental advertising etc
7) rent out garage as winter storage for vintage cars

Thinking of trying Turo.com to rent out my car for profit.

Wife jokes I would rent her out if I could. Driving my insurance agent nuts.

Generally take an interest in the emerging sharing economy and look for new things to try.

Figured out editing academic papers through Cactus pays about $3 / hour.

Teaching myself how to fly FPV racing drones and hope to turn it into a paying gig.

You could try renting out tools, if you have a bunch. I passed by a fellows house where he had a sign out he rents tools .

 

[Kroeran]

Excellent idea. I do have a couple of unique yard tools that might work for that. There is likely an app for tool sharing.

In my area cooperative tool libraries are opening up and I am a member. Not spending money on one use tools is very efficient.

I recommend engagement in cooperatives for all young people so that they can experience how communism plays out experientially. ; - )

My current challenge is figuring out something to do in Southwest Florida winters. Canadians can’t work legally. I can legally buy and sell and rent stuff out I suppose. For example, Turo enables setting up a rental fleet.

I have gotten close to scoring NAFTA class professional gigs in Florida a couple of times, enthusiastic hiring managers, but each time someone higher up kills the idea of giving a job to a “foreigner”, which I totally get.