STARTING a side hustle can be a surprisingly expensive – with many needing a substantial investment before getting off the ground.
One senior citizen has found an easy way to make money using her phone though and is now racking in an extra £2k per month.
While it might sound too good to be true, the US woman was taught this side hustle by her son Steve – who is an expert on the resale market.
Better known as Raiken Profit on YouTube, he initially began selling secondhand bikes on Craigslist before expanding his business.
Ten years later, he now makes a five-figure salary from selling items on Amazon and his mum also earns $2k – $5k (£1.5k – £3.9k) per month from the site.
Even better, they didn’t have to spend a small fortune to set up their business.
Instead, the YouTuber mum simply downloaded the Amazon Seller app and uses the built in barcode reader to look for books, games and DVDs to resell.
Most of these are secondhand from charity shops and a bought for a few pounds, before being resold at a slightly higher price to make a profit.
It’s so simple, the mum-and-son duo showed even filmed themselves thrifting books before reselling them.
Though they aren’t earning millions per sale, each one adds up to an impressive side hustle with Steve telling fans in the caption: “She certainly isn’t rich off this side hustle but it really helps to pay the bills and support [her] retirement.”
As the cost of everyday essentials spirals, this side hustle is ideal for those that want to make a little extra money at the minute.
If you are tempted to try this out, you can download the Amazon Seller app on your phone to get started.
From there you can set up your store and start scanning the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) or barcodes on books to see their value.
You can even sell your kids’ old textbooks on the site, with Amazon, stating that you just need to give details about each book’s condition and publication.
It is worth noting however that there is a small signup fee for using the site, with most individual sellers paying $0.99 (78p) per item sold.
Alternatively, you could sign up to be a professional seller with a monthly fee of around $39.99 (£31.54) to cover your sales.
There are also other apps that have a similar barcode scanning system, such as Music Magpie or Ziffit, which will also take your used clothes to resell.
Before you grab your phone and start selling though, it’s worth checking the terms to know exactly how much you will pay to sell your items.
Thankfully, most sites only require a small fee meaning you can easily make a bit of extra cash whilst having a clear out.
How to sell your used books
These had tips and tricks have been shared by the experts from Amazon, so you can make the most of every sale.
1. Decide how you want to source books – this could be from your own bookshelf, charity shops, auctions or even wholesalers. Just keep an eye out for the best price.
2. Determine where you want to sell – Will you be using Amazon, eBay or another app? Whatever you decided to do, check for seller’s fees and keep track of where you have each book listed. This will help you fulfill orders and stay on top of your inventory.
3. Set your book prices– Beyond covering delivery and sale fees, it’s up to you to decide what you want to charge. Take in to account what others are charging and the condition of your books. Also, look at the ISBN whenever possible
4. Figure out how you’ll fulfill customer orders– Before you start selling, you need to consider where you will store your books and how you will deliver every item. Look at a range of options, so you can work out what is best for you.
5. Boost book sales with marketing – Offer deals and coupons to entice customers. You can also advertise on social media too to boost your business.