Side Hustle

I have been a bit scattered brained lately because my routine is not as set in stone as it was when I was working.  In my free time I enjoy thrifting.  These thrifting expeditions began a hobby, that has turned into a profitable business.  While thrifting, I came across many valuables that were not my style and I decided that in a way to reduce my carbon footprint I would help these treasures find homes far away from landfills.  Thus, began a side hustle an avenue that allowed me to use my ability to find quality items and to reunite them with people all over the country who like me enjoy deals and shopping secondhand.  I started repairing designer purses and placing them on eBay.  Soon I realized that I was making good money, from a hobby that I truly enjoyed.  However, while I had a job it was just a small hobby that I did on the side to help the planet.

When I got laid off, I decided to spend more time on my eBay business and it has become practically a fulltime job.  This activity has allowed me to be comfortably unemployed.  However, it has also taught me that it’s not something that I want to do as a career.  I enjoy thrifting and reselling used and refurbished items – but I enjoy it when it’s a side hobby and not when I am dependent on it for salary.  I think finding this out has been quite a blessing because I did have this curiosity of whether I could live off of having my own online store.  These past few months, I have dedicated my time to running my store on a fulltime basis and while I do make a good profit from a hobby that I enjoy – I have learned that it just needs to be a hobby. 

People often ask me about what it’s like running an eBay store; thus, I thought I’d share.  Reselling things online as a side hustle is fun if you enjoy thrifting or if you want to sell some items from your closet.  Well, it can be fun or really stressful depending on what you enjoy.  To me uniting items with people that will use them gives me a sense of accomplishment and good stewardship.  Secondhand shopping for me is my lifestyle, I never buy new unless I can’t find it used and that rarely happens.  I also am familiar with identifying quality items and designer gems.  I self-taught myself through extensive reading on how to authenticate real versus knockoffs.  It also takes patience and excavating through junk to find treasures at thrift stores.  Listing items on eBay or any reselling site is time consuming because you have to describe each item as best you can.  The better your description the better the chances that you won’t get a return…  In a future post I will describe this process better for those interested.

Since, my sprained ankle is not healed enough for me to go on hiking or long nature walks- I have devoted my time to reselling.  This occupies most of my day and I earn a living while I wait to find a teaching position.  Am glad that this little creative outlet has allowed me to not be stressed out financially, but I have also discovered that I most enjoy it when it’s just a small hobby.