I’d found a new hobby and it gave my bank account a surprising boost. By Ruth Chipperfield, 34
Reaching under my bed, I pulled out a drawer full of yogurt pots and silver foils from chocolate bars.
It was my junk drawer and, as a young girl, I’d loved using bits and bobs to make new things.
I’ve always been a magpie and, over the years, my love for all things crafty grew. My collection of leftover fabrics and materials built up so much that I had to have a clear-out every so often.
I found it easier to give things away to family and friends, rather than try to sell them on eBay or at a car boot sale, which seemed like a bit of a faff.
But one day, I was scrolling through Facebook Marketplace and thought: I’ll give this a try.
I looked around the house I lived in with my husband Paul, in Hall Green, Birmingham, for something to flog, and spotted
a glass-fronted cabinet I’d had for years.
I listed it and the next day, I felt a buzz when someone messaged me to offer £15.
Result! I thought, as the buyer handed me the cash when she picked it up from my house.
It had been such a quick
and easy sale, that I decided to look for more of my possessions to sell.
Finding some cheap and broken jewellery, I had a lightbulb moment. I took them to pieces and listed the parts for a couple of pounds each, to be used in craft or jewellery making.
They sold like hotcakes and it was such a thrill. Even better, I ended up hundreds of pounds better off.
Soon I’d run out of my own stuff to sell, so I started looking on Facebook Marketplace for items that I could buy and then sell on for a profit.
I found I had a knack for seeing the potential in things, when others might just have seen junk.
I could buy things in bigger quantity on Facebook Marketplace, and realised I could make more of a profit that way.
'I made a profit of £400!'
I bought 369 old factory bobbins, which were typically used in spinning and weaving, for £200. Then I took photos of them as tool holders or earring stands.
I ran my own jewellery business, so I used the backdrop of my workshop to make them look quirky and interesting.
I sold some for £2 each on the site, making £600.
‘I made a profit of £400!’ I said to Paul.
‘Wow!’ he replied.
Soon, the bits and pieces that I’d sold mounted up, and on one day alone I made £400 just from selling jewellery and tools.
The extra cash went into my jewellery business and sometimes to pay off household bills.
When we had our little boy, the extra money I made came in really handy.
I also kept my eyes peeled
for pieces of junk in unlikely places, such as skips.
I felt like a kid in a sweet shop as I searched through junk and found some plant pots.
‘Could I have these, please?’ I asked the woman who’d hired the skip, knowing I needed permission before removing anything.
On another occasion, my sister was having a clear-out, and I offered to sell some of her junk, making £10 on a wooden jewellery box and £5 on a vintage perfume bottle.
Paul was impressed, but one day he asked: ‘Where’s that marble plant stand I bought you for your birthday?’
‘Oh, I sold it!’ I gasped.
I had forgotten it was a gift, but fortunately he saw the funny side.
As time went on, I set up my own page so people could scroll through all of the items I had for sale.
I found that people tended to buy a number of things together, so I could send them out in one go and save on the postage.
My hobby was time-consuming, but after five years I did the figures and worked out how much I’d made — and I was stunned.
I’d racked up £16,000 by selling all kinds of second-hand things that most people would simply throw away.
It just shows that one person’s trash really can be another person’s treasure!