How to Turn Junk into Cash

You've heard the expression, "One man's junk is another's man treasure". What if you could take the junk (throwaways) of others and turn in into a literal treasure, a money generating business. This article will show you how to do just that. And you could start earning cash right away.

What Will You Need

Although you could manage without one, it is to your advantage to own a truck, SUV or van. The larger vehicle will allow you to collect items, such as furniture and appliances.

A garage or basement for storage is a plus. A computer with internet access and a digital camera would provide added resources for generating revenue. Later I will explain how you can use the internet to generate income.

Where To Find Marketable Junk

To begin finding junk that you can turn into cash start by advertising on bulletin boards and in free ads that you will haul away the contents of basements and attics. Individuals will pay a fee to have these areas cleaned out. Especially when persons are moving from one location to another do they have items they no longer want.

Watch the local ads for yard sales & estate sales. Stop by the sales and leave a business card, offering to haul away remains for a small fee. You can also find merchandise at these sales that be resold for a cash profit. Charity sales often have nice items for a nominal price.

Once I purchased an out of print book at a sale for a dime and later sold it for a $80.00. Not all of your cash profits will be that huge, but the profit margin can be very good.

Leave business cards with local Estate Sales dealers. It may be more difficult to haul away the left overs of estate sales, but not impossible. Not all estate sales are antiques and there are items that will need to be cleared out.

Thrift Stores often have end of season sales where you can pick up marketable items at a very minimal cost. Some have bag days where you fill a bag for a few dollars. How much can you get in a bag? A 'Good Will' store I stopped in one day was selling boxes of old books for 5 cents each. I got a box full and sold nearly all of them for a few dollars apiece.

Near the end of the month, start checking out the trash in apartment complexes. This is a great place to find furniture, appliances, exercise equipment and small items such as music tapes and books. The dumpsters behind stores and shopping centers can be resourceful. Many large department stores throw out items that may slightly flawed which you can still sell for cash. In time you will know which store dumpsters will be productive.

County Dumps can be a great place for finding all kind of junk you can turn into trash. It amazes me what people throw out. It is wise to be aware of the county laws. Some areas may not allow you to go through the dump and may impose fines.

How To Generate Income

You can charge a fee for the hauling, however, there are also numerous other ways to earn cash. Online auctions, like eBay will be great for some of the items. Register with ebay as a seller. You will have to put a credit card on file. If you open a paypal account you can collect payments immediately. You can do that at www.paypal.com

Once registered as a seller you will be able to check out items that have sold and the selling price. This will give you an idea as to the value. Ebay has easy to understand instructions and live chat support. Getting started will not be hard, but take it slow, and see how the process works. Ebay has listing and closing fees. Take this overhead into consideration, not all items will be profitable on ebay.

Periodic yard sales can be another way to generate cash. How often you would have a sale would depend on how much junk you collected. I know some who have them weekly while others do it monthly or less frequent. Climate will also play a part in how often.

Flea Market Stands generally draw a big crowd. You will have the overhead of the stand rental fee. There are Flea Market Circuits across the nation. Do an internet search for Flea Market Listings.

Consignment shops can be profitable for larger items such as furniture. These stores can take as much as 40% commission, but they can generally get a good price. Books can be sold or traded at used book stores. You will not get a great price but you will generally make a small profit.

If you are a little creative and have a garage or basement, you could take furniture and repair it(if needed) and then resell. Paint a piece in some unusual and creative fashion and sell it as a one-of-a-kind designer piece with a certificate never to be duplicated. That way you could sell the piece for a large amount of cash.

Still other items may be traded for services provided. The barter system works well and you will be collecting any number of items that may be useful to someone else.

Lastly, there will be some junk that will have no value to you. Take these items to a community center, Salvation Army or a charity of your choice. You can get a tax receipt and take a deduction for the value of the items.

This is a real business. Keep records. Pay taxes. Each state is different. Familiarize yourself with the laws in your area. You may have to collect sales tax. You may need to obtain a business license, most areas it is only $25.00 or $50.00 a year. Check zoning laws if you are going to work out of your home.

With a little time and effort and a whole lot of creativity you can turn another man's junk into a treasure trove of cash. Have fun and prosper.