JUNK GOOD
I make £400 in 24 hours flipping junk on Facebook – I dig in skips, raid tips & even sell my own gifts to rake in £16k
How one mum turns throwaway items into money for treats . . .
THEY say one person’s junk is another’s treasure – something Facebook Marketplace guru Ruth Chipperfield knows only too well.
The 34-year-old jeweller has made £16,000 over the years selling second-hand furniture, homeware accessories, kids’ toys, jewellery and gems.
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She says: “It really is the case that what someone might consider junk could be worth something to someone else, and it’s all about realising an item’s full potential.
“Over the last five years I’ve made around £16,000 doing just that, mainly selling old bits of furniture as well as kids’ stuff I no longer need and even old tools that I’ve rescued from the tip.
“I’ve made a lot over the years. The most I’ve made in a day is £400, from selling jewellery and tools."
“It’s a thrill to sell something even if it’s making just a couple of pounds. If you do it enough, it all adds up.”
Facebook launched its Marketplace platform in October 2016, and Ruth has been selling items on there since 2018.
She says: “Before that I’d sold the odd thing on eBay but always found it quite a lot of faff.
“And I wasn’t the sort of person that loved going to car boot sales.
“Then Facebook Marketplace suddenly came along, and I started to sell stuff on there and it just grew.
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“Initially, I just had a lot of stuff I’d collected over the years and no longer needed.
“Marketplace worked well for selling because it was quick and easy, especially as there wasn’t loads of competition on there right at the beginning.
I made £10k in a year selling on Facebook Marketplace and it was so easy - I always make sure they pay in cash too
“The first thing I flogged was a glass-fronted cabinet that I’d had for years and went for £15.
“I also had loads of broken, cheap jewellery that plenty of people probably would have thrown away.
“I knew people might not buy damaged goods so instead of selling it as ‘broken’ I took it apart and sold the parts separately for people to use in crafts or to make their own jewellery.
“I sold hundreds of pounds worth of jewellery that way, bagging them up and selling them as mixed job lots.”
Ruth lives in Birmingham with her graphic designer husband Paul, 37, and their three-year-old son.
She has made the most of her money by selling old furniture and homeware, including a dining table for £180 and a Scandi-style coffee table for a tenner.
She then continued to keep an eye out for bargains that had profit potential.
Ruth, who runs her own business Ruth Mary Jewellery, says: “Eventually I ran out of my own stuff to sell so I started looking for things I could make a profit on.
“When buying things to sell on I always ask myself if I think I will at least break even.
“If I’m buying something just to sell I only buy things at a price I know I can definitely get back.
“For example, I recently bought 14 stacking drawers on eBay with some birthday money for £150, which turned out to be by an expensive brand called Loaf.
“I used them for a bit and then sold eight of them for £35 each, making £130 in profit — and I’ve only sold just over half.
Quirky and interesting
“They’re very versatile which I think is why they’ve been quite popular.
“Just add some hairpin legs to them and they make great bedside tables.”
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Ruth has also acquired plenty of items for free, essentially rescuing them from the bin before selling them on.
She says: “I will always have a look if I walk past a skip, as you never know what someone else might be throwing out.
“My sister also gave me some ‘junk’ when she was having a clear out.
“I took some of it to the charity shop for her, and then sold the rest, including a wooden jewellery box for £10 and a vintage perfume bottle for £5.
“Once, someone I worked with downsized her studio and had a lot of stuff to sell but couldn’t really be bothered, so I offered to do it for her and split the profit 50/50.
“I sifted through some old jewellery tools known as burrs she was throwing out and sold them on for £600 in total.
“She was gobsmacked when I transferred the money.
“My husband also has a running joke that I’ve sold half the birthday presents he’s ever got me.
“Just recently I sold a gold and marble plant stand he bought me from Lakeland for £15.”
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Ruth also buys items on Facebook Marketplace.
She says: “I bought 369 old factory bobbins (typically used in spinning, weaving, knitting, sewing and lacemaking) for £200 on there.
“I kept some and sold the rest for £2 each on the site, making £600 in total — a profit of £400.
“I took new photos of the bobbins, showing what they could be used for, such as a tool holder or earring display stand. It made them look quirky and interesting.”
Ruth also buys from auctions — although this can be hit and miss.
She says: “I bought a job lot of pearls, which I bid for on a whim.
“They cost £180 and it was risky as I assumed most would be fake, but I haven’t found a single fake so far.
“I’ve sold about 20 per cent so far for £240, and some strings of pearls I still have can be worth over £100.”
RUTH’S TIPS ON MAKING MARKETPLACE MONEY
- Know your audience and cross-post in Facebook groups targeted to that audience. For example, if selling toys, post them in local mum and baby groups.
- If you regularly sell items, create your own Facebook page and post everything on there. If someone is buying one thing from you, they might be interested in more and this makes it easy for them.
- Take your photos on a good backdrop. How you style items helps the buyer envision what it will look like in their home.
- If you have something that’s broken, you may get more money by taking it apart and selling the parts separately. For example, I’ve made hundreds selling broken jewellery after taking it apart.
- Ask family and friends to let you know if they’re chucking anything and ask if you can sell it on their behalf. You can split the profits.
- If you’re posting items, make sure you know the cost and state this upfront to save losing money when you go to the post office. This applies especially to bulky items.
- When it comes to tax make sure you keep on top of what you owe to avoid a problem with HMRC down the line.
When advertising items, some care and attention to detail with descriptions and photography also goes a long way.
Ruth says: “When I take the photos, I will style the item and picture the stuff with a messy, creative environment behind it, as it stimulates a creative mind.
“It’s easy to do, as it’s just my workspace.
“I also set up my own page, like any buy and sell page essentially, but it’s just my stuff that I’m selling, so people can scroll through my other items and see what else I have.
“I found people would buy a number of things that way. I would let them reserve items and then once they’d bought a few things I would send them out together, to save on the postage.”
It’s also important to think about where you’re posting your adverts.
Ruth says: “I cross-post into groups where I think members will be interested.
“So if I’m selling home bits I might post in local community groups, whereas if it’s work items I’ll post them in creative groups.”
However, it’s important to recognise when you might be trying to flog a dead horse.
Ruth says: “I’ve found electronics get haggled down loads. There are also some bits that are big and bulky and just take up space, like children’s toys, that I want gone quickly.
“If that’s the case I will just give bits away for free too.
“A lot of the kids’ bits I’ll buy on Marketplace and then once it’s no longer needed I’ll sell it on again for a similar price.
“So you don’t make a profit but you’ve essentially had it and used it for free.”
There are some down-sides to selling online, and Ruth confesses her hobby can be time-consuming.
She says: “You get a lot of messages asking if the item is still available and then get ghosted, but I just accept that as part of the process.
“You get a feeling if someone is going to mess you around. I’ve also had someone try to scam me, but I’ve spotted it in time.
Learn the signs
“For example, there’s a scam at the moment where the ‘buyer’ will say their son or daughter will be collecting the item and they can’t have cash on them, so they ask if they can transfer the money and they’ll ask for an email address.
“You then get a phishing email, with a link. You just have to learn the signs.”
She adds: “The money I make goes back into my business, and it enables me to buy things for work, like gems and tools I need.
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“However it’s ensured I’ve been able to afford treats too, like vintage furniture.
“There’s something really satisfying about making something out of nothing.”
MY BESTSELLERS
- Wooden bobbins. Bought for £200, sold for £600, profit £400.
- Pearls. Bought for £180, sold 20% so far for £240, profit £60 (further potential profit £960).
- Jewellery burrs. Bought for nothing, sold for £600, profit £600.
- Loaf drawers, bought 14 for £150, sold 8 for £280, profit £130 (further potential profit £210).
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