This side hustle isn’t always as profitable as it is fun. Antique and collectible reselling is an interesting hobby for some people that just happened to turn into a side hustle! Antiques and collectibles can be found at flea markets, yard sales, and even ebay.
The amount you make will fluctuate depending on what you sell and how much you can sell. If you are looking for a reliable side hustle with predictable income, this isn’t the hustle for you. What you can enjoy with antique and collectible reselling is the thrill of finding eccentric items that others might go crazy for! As the famous phrase goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
A bonus is that there is no need to buy supplies for this line of work. All that you need to do is find items that you think may sell and do your research to ensure that they are authentic and valuable.
Step one: Search for antiques or collectibles that you would want to resell. You can go in person to flea markets, yard sales, or estate sales if you want to see items up close and personal. Alternatively, if you want to take your time and do extensive research on the items that you are going to sell, you can scour sites such as Ebay, Etsy, and Ruby Lane.
Step two: Now that you’ve got some antiques that you want to sell, you need to decide where to sell it. You can sell at any of the websites or in-person locations listed above. This is a personal preference, and you can try out different avenues to see what works best for you.
Step three: Develop your brand and niche. This isn’t mandatory, but if you can create a brand and niche for yourself, this could help bring potential buyers to you. Your brand will be known for a certain kind of antique and collectible, and will help buyers know where to go for the future. If you sell vintage vases and have sold some in the past, they may tell their friends where to find one as well!
Step four: Decide on fair pricing for your items. This is the tricky part as antiques and collectibles sell for a wide range of prices. Let’s say that there are two older clocks of the same design. One is in great shape for a higher price and one is in less better shape for a more reasonable price. It can be hard to distinguish whether they are replicas or the real deal, making it hard to accurately price. To help create fair prices for your buyers, do a little research online to see what similar items are going for.
Step five: Think about marketing. Regardless of if your shop blows up and becomes popular, you still want to continue to bring in revenue! You can market yourself by creating social media ads, publishing social media content, and search engine ads. All of these will bring in more customers to your profiles and website whether they purchase something or not.
Step six: Do some legal research. If you buy or sell items that are outside of the United States, you need to be aware of federal import/export laws. You will need to apply for any necessary permits and licenses to do this, as well as pay any applicable duties or taxes. There are also state tax laws that you should be aware of.
Tips
The number one tip when buying and reselling antiques is to go for rare items. The more rare an item is, the more it is worth! If you aren’t sure of an item’s worth, do a quick search to check for authenticity.
Another important tip while reselling is to never accept the first offer. Your buyers will want to haggle, so you should too!