A Recycler That Makes Good Money Doing Nothing

A Recycler That Makes Good Money Doing Nothing

John doesn't like to work; rather, he doesn't need to work. He owns this business that runs all by itself, so he doesn't need to work. He recycles something precious that some people don't need but others would love to have. The profits just keep piling up all the time for him.

John buys gift certificates/gift cards from local people and sells those on eBay to make a good profits. He buys these gift certificates at a much lower price than their actual value and sells them at a profit on eBay.

The gift cards/gift certificates have become very popular gifts (check resources section). However, not everyone who receives these, as a gift, actually needs/uses them. For these people, the gift cards/certificates are unwanted and totally useless. If these people can get some money (even 10% of the value of gift certificate) for these unwanted gifts, it would be a better deal for them then just binning the gift certificates (or letting them expire). For buying these gift certificates, you can advertise in the classifieds section of your local newspaper, penny shopper and trading post etc. Remember that you are looking to buy unused (but still valid) gift certificates/gift cards.

Note: There will be tons of these unneeded/unwanted Gift Cards right after Christmas.

As far as the buying/selling price goes, you can start with determining the price by looking for the same or similar gift-certificate/gift-card auctions on eBay. You can keep your buying price at 30-40% lower than the selling price on eBay. In fact, it's a good idea to prepare a price list beforehand, by doing your research on eBay. You can publish this price list on your website and provide a reference to the same in your advertisement.

You can collect the gift certificate/card by either visiting the person who is selling it or by asking that person to mail it to your address. If receiving by mail, promise to send them the check/payment within a decent time frame (say within 3 days of you receiving the gift certificate).

Tip: You could do two different buying rates for each gift certificate - One for collecting the gift certificate in person and the other for receiving it by mail (of course, the first one would be lower as it would have to cover your conveyance costs too).

Also, let all your friends and acquaintances know that you are buying gift certificates/cards. Sometimes, word of mouth helps spread the news faster.

This is one effortless business, which you can start with as little as $100 (for advertising) and end up making good money out of.

Resources:

http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling