Make Money By Selling These ‘Useless’ Everyday Items

Selling old, used, and unwanted items is nothing new – car boot sales, junk sales, and flea markets have been around for years. After all, as they say: one person’s junk is another person’s treasure. With the swift advancement of online buying and selling platforms in recent years, such as eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace, buying and selling second-hand items has got even more popular. This usually focuses on more expensive things, such as furniture or expensive clothes, but there’s also another viable option.

It may come as a surprise, but there are, in fact, a lot of people who are currently making a decent amount of money by selling everyday items that many would consider being ‘useless.’ Think old electronics that have no use anymore, empty bottles and cartons, and old games that are just collecting dust in the attic – as it turns out, almost anything can make a profit these days. We scoured the internet and online marketplaces to find the top five ‘useless’ items that can generate some cash – read on to find out more.

Electronics That Have Broken

Over the years, most of us end up accumulating a lot of broken electronics – whether it’s a Walkman from years ago, an old boom box, a portable CD player, or maybe even an old TV or laptop that doesn’t work anymore. A lot of the time, we end up shoving these items into the back of a cupboard or putting them in a box in the attic, intending to fix them eventually.

Nine times out of ten, we don’t actually end up going back to these broken electronics – instead, they just gather dust. Well, we’ve got some good news for you – there are people out there who will jump at the chance to strip your old electronics and recycle the parts. One good tip is deleting all of your personal details before you sell them, though – the last thing you want to do is pass on information about yourself.

Your Old, Empty Perfume Bottles

Good-quality perfumes don’t come cheap, and they’re often packaged in beautifully designed glass bottles that raise the overall cost but look attractive on your dresser. Most people will simply throw the bottles out when all of the perfume has gone, but there’s actually a better – and more profitable – way of getting rid of them that not many people are aware of.

Instead of throwing the bottles in the trash, try selling them on eBay (or another online marketplace) – they often go for a higher price than you’d think because a lot of people like to re-use them for decorations. For example, it’s common to see them used as small vases (holding a couple of little flowers) or incense holders.

Recycle Your Empty Egg Cartons

Here’s something we bet you’d never have thought you could make money from empty egg cartons. That’s right – half a dozen eggs, a dozen eggs, free-range, or organic … anything goes, as long as the cartons are clean and undamaged. “What possible use could people have for empty egg cartons?” we hear you ask. Arts and crafts, of course!

We’re not exactly sure what kind of arts and crafts, but apparently, there are people out there willing to spend their hard-earned cash on someone else’s empty egg cartons, so who are we to argue? All you need to do is keep them safe and dry after you use them, and once you have about 30 to 40, you can sell them for around $25 on eBay. Plus, vintage egg cartons sell for even more.

Stop Old Puzzles from Gathering Dust

Back before the introduction of the internet – and way before any of us had smartphones, tablets, and laptops to hand – puzzles were one of the most popular ways to pass the time. Children would be kept amused and engaged for hours at a time, and they made for a great activity for all of the family to enjoy together.

These days, however, there’s a huge amount of new technology that means many old puzzles haven’t been used in years – and they’ll likely be gathering dust somewhere. However, while modern kids might turn their noses up at the thought of spending a Saturday afternoon solving an old puzzle, there are a lot of people out there who are interested in buying it.

Cash-Back for Bottle Caps and Wine Corks

If you watch a lot of DIY and home improvement television shows, you may have seen designers and decorators use old wine corks and bottle caps to make furniture and decorations. If you haven’t heard of this before, it may sound slightly strange – but you can actually produce some cool pieces. As a result, the online demand for bottle caps and wine corks has dramatically increased in recent years.

You’ll need to collect quite a lot to make a decent amount of money, but if it’s something you save up over the years, you may be surprised at how many you end up accumulating. Usually, 300 wine corks will sell on eBay for around $20-$25 – but it’s important to be transparent with the buyers and make it clear that they are used. Don’t worry, though, some people actually prefer this, claiming it makes the cork look more authentic.