The Top 5 Side Hustles in the Second-hand World

If you’re feeling the pinch, don’t fret, you're not alone and there are answers out there.

1. Upcycling

If you’re handy with a glue gun, we’ve got a crafty suggestion for you. Why not join the millions of people who have turned to upcycling as a way to both earn a crust and tackle climate change? According to a study by Missoma.com as of January 2024 there were 5.6 million posts on Instagram alone with the hashtag upcycle and the most popular YouTube video on upcycling has had over 60 million views. Upcycling, in case this is your first day on the internet, is the art of taking something old and upgrading or changing it into something else. The most common upcycling trends are fashion, jewelry, furniture, and interior design. As we said, it’s not only a good potential earner, the act of saving unwanted stuff from landfill goes a long way to protecting the planet.

2. Repairing

If you have the tools, the know-how, and the skills to fix stuff then this is another great way to earn a few bucks. Your skill level and your interests will probably determine what field you feel comfortable in, but obvious markets include tech (smartphones especially), clothing, and musical instruments. Tech and musical instruments are likely to be the most lucrative fields in the repairing niche but also demand the highest skill level. The idea is simple, just look out on eBay, Reverb, Facebook groups, etc for smartphones, clothing, or musical instruments with issues you can fix and take the time to bring them back to life before selling them on as refurbished.

3. Drop shopping/reselling

This is a big niche, and we’ll include a lot of different kinds of drop shipping to give you the best understanding of what it means. At its core, drop shipping and reselling just means buying in bulk and then selling individual items later for a profit. The most obvious drop shippers/resellers are folks who buy bulk goods from China and the Far East through sites like AliExpress, Bang Good, Temu, and Wish. You can pick up and move on almost anything, but the most common imports are consumer electronics (especially smartphones), clothes, gadgets, toys, and musical instruments. Now, a note of caution, this is an imperfect industry. This type of drop shipping is fraught with danger, from outright scams to counterfeit goods, if you’re not careful you may end up with nothing, or perhaps worse, pallets of unsaleable goods. There are better places to source your drop shipping goods too including options that don’t carry the heavy environmental cost of international shipping. Both eBay and Facebook Marketplace classified ads often have listings for overstock and liquidation sales and you could always try your luck at an Amazon return depot, Other great resources include house clearing companies, and traditional brick-and-mortar auction houses. Wherever you get your gear, remember to factor in storage especially if you’re opting for bulkier products like musical instruments or boxes of clothes.

4. Classic flipping

Like drop shipping, classic flipping simply requires finding high-value items at low-cost prices and turning a quick profit. Of all the side hustles listed, this one is the easiest and only requires three things. Decent knowledge of a range of products, an internet-connected device, and a little bit of luck. To start flipping today, head out and look for garage sales, thrift shops, charity shops, recycling centres, and anywhere you’d be likely to find anything people no longer want. If you know your niche and you have the ability to double-check online you can easily find diamonds in the rough and help pad your wallet.

5. Alternative investments

Also known as esoteric investments, this method is amongst the oldest side hustles on this list. Unlike the others though, this one requires a long-term commitment. Here’s how it works. For centuries, wealthy people have invested in more than just their savings and putting your money in anything other than traditional bank accounts or stocks and shares are considered alternative investments. So, what are alternative investments? The most obvious examples include things like property (also known as land banking), fine art, classic cars, whisky, wine, and even ambergris. Now, I hear you, most folks reading an article on the top five second-hand side hustles haven’t got a hope in hell of starting a property portfolio, but over the last few decades, a raft of other niches has drifted into the realm of esoteric investments. These include comic books, toys, collectible trading cards, and even video game consoles. To give you one example, a collection of Pokémon trading cards only dating back to the early 1990s recently sold at auction for over £55,000. Other examples include six-figure sales of Star War’s figures, big ticket price Nintendo games Cartridges, and a first edition of JR Tolkien’s The Hobbit found in a Scottish charity shop that made £10,000 at auction. You may know already, but Riloop is a great resource for anyone looking for specific treasure thanks to its proprietary alert notifications. It takes seconds to set up alerts and then, whenever our advanced crawlers detect any new listings for a given keyword and filters, you’ll be the first to know. That said, it's still possible to use esoteric or alternative investments by looking at past trends and investing in items that are likely to increase in value ahead of inflation. It’s a viable model and there are lots of YouTube channels dedicated to helping fellow investors. Check out Alpha Investments, a site that helps budding entrepreneurs grow their Magic the Gathering portfolios..

In conclusion

So, there we have it folks, five ways to put something aside for a rainy day and maybe even do something good for the planet. Of course, the savvier readers amongst you may already know that Riloop can help you get a leg up on every one of them with its advanced search functions and localisation features. So, if you fancy yourself as a second-hand market mogul and like the idea of gaining an advantage, you can sign up for Riloop and start finding second-hand bargains faster than you think! Meanwhile, if you enjoyed our list please help spread the word by sharing it, and if you have any better ideas for a side hustle we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening.