There are a large number of side hustles online, but many involve being online and working from a computer. This may be great for some people, but what about those not relishing the idea of sitting behind a computer screen for a few hours a day and prefer a more hands-on approach.
If you’re good with your hands and like the idea of turning something old in to new and broken in to fixed you may be able to turn this into a flourishing side hustle.
Turning someone’s ‘junk’ into someone else’s treasure can not only be lucrative but also quite rewarding.
A very quick browse on websites such as eBay will unearth all sorts of hidden junk …. ahem … treasure. Lots of unloved, unwanted, broken and fallen parts are up for grabs and at very cheap prices.
Facebook Marketplace is also a good site to browse, especially as you can search for more local items available for pickup, rather than wait for items to be posted to you or pay for delivery.
You don’t always have to turn to the internet to find items crying out for an overhaul, you could try a local boot sale or even scrappage yard.
You do need to decide though what you’d like to restore or repair. Research is also key. It’s no good buying an item for £50, spending hours repairing and find you can only sell for £60.
Understanding what to buy, how much you can sell on for restored can not only be exciting but is crucial to understand your maximum purchase point.
If you see an item in good condition selling regularly for £200 and you can buy a less than perfect version for £30 and spend just 4 hours and £10 to repair, this gives you a profit of £160 – or £40 per hour, plus the satisfaction of turning something old and unwanted, in to something new and in demand. Giving something destined for the scrap heap a new home is a great way to recycle too.
It can be a great hobby as well as being one that generates money, rather than just spending it!
Here are some examples of items that are prime for restoration side hustles:
Furniture
Furniture restoration can be quite a big business. It’s a very specialist trade, but it can be started in a small way. Finding broken pieces and fixing them up, or even creating your own furniture out of recycled materials are all possible, and people have made successful businesses from it.
Vintage Jewellery
Jewellery and trinkets have been around for thousands of years. Many memories have been created and unfortunately lost with the passing of jewellery items from generation to generation. The antique nature and stories behind them are an appeal to many collectors but condition is a factor too. Having the tools and skills to repair precious items such as this can bring in a good side hustle.
Caroline Levine took this side hustle to a full-time business and income, almost by accident, by creating hand made jewellery and selling online – “My jewellery making crafty shop has made thousands in sales over the years. It filled the gaps when we needed it to for our family. Its paid for vacations, extra goodies, and sometimes been the saver on a forgotten or unexpected expense.”
Electronic Gadgets
If you’re a bit of a technical whizz, you may find restoring old vintage gadgets and gizmos not only a trip down memory lane but can reap a tidy return for your efforts.
Some of the electronic toys from the 70s and 80s – state of the art technology for their time – are worth a pretty penny in the right condition. So many of these toys were played until broken and cleared out to tips long ago. A few survive but many not in great shape, and even fewer with the original box.
Find a broken item, restore it and source the original box (even if you find a seller just selling the box) you may find the combination can result in a nice little pay day.
This is the type of hobby that can repeated many times over. You just need a sharp eye and know the prices of the market. Armed with this, and a steady restoration hand, you could see a nice return.
