Most hustles are not easy, but this one is. This hustle is in fact so easy that it’s actually relatively cheap or even free to start. That’s right. No upfront investment needed in some cases. What is this magical hustle then? It’s not drug dealing. Nor is it stealing. It’s actually quite simple.
It’s collecting free stuff off Facebook or Craigslist and then reselling it. Hang on, is that even possible? Oh yes, 100% it is. Every single day somebody lists something on Facebook or Craigslist at a price of $0. Zero. Why do they do this? They most likely want to get rid of it as soon as possible maybe because they don’t want it anymore and it’s becoming an inconvenience for them. Selling something can take time as you get countless numbers of people who waste your time hence why offering it for free is just so much easier. Sometimes people would rather the convenience over the cash.
Also sometimes people offer things for free because the item is deemed “worthless.” For example, a rusty bike would be a complete waste of time for people to sell however if mechanically it’s usable or fixable then people would consider it best to just pass it along. This is where you step in as you will find that these “worthless” items actually have a value. Sometimes all they need is a little clean and a little fix. How easy is that?
What items will you find? Well yes, you will find a lot of junk. Old clothes, bikes, furniture, etc. However, you will also find a lot of appliances, beds, tools, etc. Appliances are a big one as when people get a new kitchen etc they usually throw out their old appliances. They either sell them if they’re good, they throw them away or they give them away for free for convenience. Actually, some people are desperate to get rid of their old appliances especially if they live in places where there is a lot of snakes, opossums, etc as these animals love to hide in things like ovens, fridges, etc left in the yard or in the garden. As said previously selling them can be a hassle and sometimes it costs to dispose of them. Hence they offer it to someone for free as long as they collect etc so it’s convenient for them.
How Do I Find and Collect These Free Items Then?
The first way to find these is to use the search on Facebook or Craigslist and type in “free.” You will find many listings ranging from services to things for sale and finally free goods. It’s not hard to find these free goods but to make life easier you can use the category function to go through the different sectors such as appliances, furniture, clothes, etc. There is even a section called “free stuff” on both Facebook and Craigslist so things get even easier.
Secondly of course just clicking the “free” or “unwanted” section on Facebook or Craigslist will bring up a load of free stuff. However, only concentrate on the recent listings. The reason why is because the free stuff doesn’t stick around for long hence why it’s quite unlikely that the old listings will still be available since many people actually forget to delete their listings once their item is gone. Of course, though be a bit curious and just message the person whos listed it as it’s completely free to do so.
You will have to work around their time schedule since they’re giving the item away free and they want the person who will be most convenient. As in they want the person who can collect the item in the shortest most convenient time possible. If the free item is good like it’s a cooker may be, be sure that you are ready to collect it asap. You will have competition from other people who may even offer cash too to pick the item up.
Then you can also join Facebook groups that specialize in swaps and freebies. What are swaps and freebies? Swaps are whereby you swap your item for their item and freebies are free goods. There are plenty of these groups out there. Make sure they are local groups though. There is no point joining one of these groups if it’s based in San Diego and you live in Boston. Join a local group and luckily there are plenty of them and there is always one for a local city or community etc.
But how on earth do you find these local groups? Luckily Facebook finds the closest groups to you so you probably won’t end up finding a group far from you unless you search for it. Or you can do something smart and search for a group tagged to your local area. For example, “things for free or swap Richmond Queens” and groups related to that search criteria will pop up.
You can also find these groups on Craigslist too but they vary on how great they are. In places like rural Wyoming, they’re a waste of time. In places like Los Angeles, it’s worth a peek.
In all honesty, again the free-section always varies depending on where you live. If you live in places like Los Angeles where everyone is always throwing out something, then it’s a gold pit. If you live in places like a small village in Texas, then things will be harder. If you do live in these more rural places etc then a good idea would be this. Find abandoned items out in front of people’s yards, etc. After this, you walk up to the house and ask whether or not they want to get rid of what’s in their yard, etc. If they say yes tell them that you will take whatever they have away as soon as possible free of charge. If they say no then walk on. If they say yes, arrange it with them.
Do not step into their house whatsoever. If they have any other items inside they want to get rid of, either tell them to bring it on the drive or tell them to take pictures. If you are going to someone’s house whether it’s off Facebook or not, make sure you are safe. Bring a mate if need be. Not everyone is as “genuine” as they seem on websites so definitely be careful as they are strangers and you do not know who they are and what their motives are. If you are going into their house, make sure it an in and out that’s it. No stopping for a chat, etc. Make sure you check out who is listing it too. It could be stolen goods for all you know. Make sure you ask them why they have thrown it out and why they are giving it away. Also, check out the person selling, do they seem legit?
If you have a bad gut feeling, do not go. Safety always first.
Also if you do find abandoned things on the street like a cooker, etc you can legally take it as it’s deemed as abandoned property. Though most of the time, these things are in awful condition. Though they make great use for the scrap market as you can sell them as scrap appliances.
These are the best items you should look out for in the free sections:
- Cookers
- Fridges
- Washing Machines
- Small White Goods (kettles, toasters, etc)
- Chairs
- Sofas
- Furniture
- Clothes
- Bikes
- Car Parts
- Toys (especially rare ones)
- Phones
- TV’s
- Tools
You will need a large vehicle for some of these. You can ask a mate or you can hire one. Bonus if you own a large vehicle yourself. You can use a smaller vehicle, etc but it will be more hard work. If you do not drive and the item is large, ist best to ask someone to take you there. If it’s a heavy item make sure you ask someone to assist you in taking it (maybe a mate, family member, etc). You can ask the,m as a favor or split profits with them.
Hiring a van, truck, or SUV is also a cheap idea too. There are plenty of cheap vans, trucks and wagons, etc available for hire. It doesn’t matter if it’s a beater or not, so long it works and it’s big enough. You can use Facebook, Truro or Craigslist to find one of these. Alternotvaley you can use a man with a van service which is basically a man with a van who will help you load and transport the goods.