Origins of the Hobby and Ariel's March Side Gig Recap
How did I start reselling? What have I learned? What else do I do?
Welcome to Our Info Dump! I’m giving myself some space to experiment with this new format, so the information I share may change in upcoming posts.
They say not to monetize your hobbies, but monetizing my hobbies is honestly what has kept them interesting and engaging.
I started reselling as a hobby in 2021 after stumbling upon a video of YouTuber Becky Park breaking down the costs and profits of selling items on Poshmark. It seemed like so much fun! You can declutter your home, shop, and make a profit at the same time!
Admittedly, I have a bit of a shopping problem. I window shop constantly, although I buy second-hand almost exclusively. Reselling has helped me learn more about textiles and quality brands. I’m a more mindful shopper, and I know the things I buy will fit well and last.
Although most resellers source from thrift stores (which is somewhat controversial; a post about this is coming soon), I started out by sourcing most of my inventory from online estate sales. These sales often auction off the contents of an entire closet as one lot. During my first auction, I scored an entire lot of new and lightly used Chico’s clothing for only $14. I made that money back from my first sale and probably made over $1,000 in profit total from that find.
These days, I prefer selling jewelry and men’s clothing. Jewelry is small and easy to store, and men’s clothing styles fluctuate less with the trends and tend to be higher quality overall.
Anyway, onto the numbers! 🤑
Last month was a fantastic month for my Poshmark and Mercari. I started paying for promotions on Poshmark, and a unicorn buyer stumbled upon my Mercari listings.
In total, I made $1,428.62 after expenses reselling in March. My average month is around $800, and my Poshmark sales alone blew that amount out of the water. I usually make one to two sales on Mercari each month, but last month, I made 16 individual sales with an average profit of just over $15 per item.
The influx came after I listed several new items, which sellers theorize can help boost even old listings on these platforms. I don’t list as regularly as I should, so my “death pile” has started to overtake the office couch (sorry, Nina! 😅). I’m working on it!
Other gigs:
💳 Churning!
After months of trepidation, I finally decided to dive head-first into the r/churning subreddit. In March, I earned $300 from opening a new checking account and making a single direct deposit into that account. This month so far, I’ve earned $500 in new checking account bonuses without needing to spend a penny. Opening or closing a checking account does not impact your credit score, although closing an account too early can incur fees. Pay attention to the fine print!
I opened all these accounts online; no in-person appointments or phone calls necessary.
Earn $300 from opening a Wells Fargo checking account and depositing $1,000 (it was only $500 when I opened mine)
Earn $100 by opening a Chime checking account and depositing $200 (referral code; I get $100 if you sign up and make a deposit!)
Earn $400 by opening a Truist checking account and depositing $500
🍅 Seedlings!
I started entirely too many tomato seeds this year. After planting everything I had room for, I decided to sell the rest on Facebook Marketplace. So far, I’ve made $50 selling little tomato plants in plastic cups. As soon as I made the listings, buyers flooded my inbox. I only do porch pickup, so the effort on my part is minimal. This might be something I decide to expand more formally next spring.
💰 Total earnings: $1,778.62-ish.
I didn’t keep track of the costs for the tomato seedlings, electricity costs for my grow lights, gas to drive to the post office, etc. etc. It’s not that serious. I don’t have an LLC (yet), so I don’t write any of those expenses off on my taxes, anyway.
I want to write more about the ethics of thrifting to flip, credit card rewards, Etsy digital downloads, and referrals in upcoming posts. Subscribe to stay updated. 😊
Find me everywhere on the internet: linktr.ee/arieltypes
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