Don't Do This to Make Extra Money

There are a lot of ways to make some extra income in your spare time. Tons. Answering surveys online, tutoring, babysitting, selling things on eBay, offering services on Fiverr or TakeLessons, heck people even make money blogging!

But I have one piece of advice on something you should NOT do to make extra money. Brace yourselves for this.

Don’t make crafts and sell them on Etsy.

Now, this is a popular addition to blog posts and articles about making extra money, because you can make money from making things and selling them on Etsy. However, a major reason I tell people to not do this is because you don’t do it right.

As someone who does sell on Etsy, and elsewhere, it is very difficult to actually make money from it. Why? Because of folks out there who think to themselves, “Hey, I like to make _______, I should make a bunch and sell them!”

But, I can hear you saying, you just said that you sell on Etsy and elsewhere. Aren’t you one of those people who makes stuff and tries to sell it?

Yes, yes I am. But I treat it like a business. What do I mean by that? Well let me start off by saying why I don’t like the fly by night crafters who are just trying to make a quick buck.

•      They use the cheapest material they can.
•      They don’t time themselves and charge a living hourly wage based on skill level, cost of materials, and overhead (gas, postage, packaging, etc.)
•       They are amateurs- meaning they haven’t worked professionally in the field, or they don’t take classes to learn or improve skills, and they just kind of do it when they want to.
•      They price to sell, not to live

All of these things undermine those of us who are trying to actually ‘ do it right’. I can’t compete with a lady using $2 WalMart yarn to make hats, that take her four hours to make each,  and sell them for $5 a pop.  It’s just not possible.

Not only that, but that becomes the expectation on sites like Etsy and at craft markets and fairs. Customers can no longer identify quality over price.

As an example, if I were to make a hat using yarn that I would buy and use for myself, the yarn alone would cost $20. If I’m careful with it I might get two hats out of it. So, $10 in materials only. Then there’s the whole 4 hours to actually make the hat. Charging a fair wage based on my experience (10 years of knitting, professional seamstress for three years, and university educated in costume design, and continually attending workshops and classes to learn new skills and improve my current skill set) and performing what would be considered “Skilled Labor” (think what you pay your mechanic or doctor), I would expect about $15 an hour. You also need to factor in the time it took to go to the store, buy the yarn, the mileage to and from the store and post office, plus the time it took to package and mail your hat to you. Don’t forget postage. I’m in to one hat almost $100.

People look at your $5 acrylic Walmart hat, and my $100 handmade wool hat and only see the dollar signs.

There are people out there who rely on platforms like Etsy and craft fairs as their sole income. If they can’t sell because there are amateurs to compete with on price, then their families starve.  They lose their house because they can’t make the mortgage payment.

All because you think you can make a quick buck by producing a craft product cheaply and selling it.

So, if that is your plan I ask you to PLEASE DON’T DO IT. 

How to Sell Your Stuff on Facebook: A Buyer's Perspective

 I’ve been a member of a Facebook Yard Sale group for about a year now, and in that year I have both bought and sold items in this group. (Mostly bought.) If you are like me, you may be on Pinterest a lot… and you may have run into pins that lead to blog posts on how to sell your stuff on these Facebook type groups, as well as Craigslist and Ebay.

What bothers me about these posts, is they all seem to have some type of “learn from a seasoned seller” or “learn from my mistakes as a seller” aspect to them. Which isn’t necessarily bad, but in my experience and education I’ve learned that it is more important to know what the buyer thinks. Great you know how to sell because you are a seller. But do you know how to sell because you are a buyer?

Here’s one buyer’s advice on how to sell me you stuff!

              

  Pricing

I hate it when a post for an item that I may want says “Message for prices”.  I don’t even click on these ones.

Just as bad are the ones that are listed as “Free” or “$1” in the header, then in the post there is a price listed that is not “free” or “$1”

Finally, don’t tell me how much you paid, that you’re just ‘trying to get your money back’, or how much it’s “worth”. I don’t care. I care about getting a good deal. Just give me the price.

             

   Pictures

If the picture is blurry…

If it has bad lighting…

If the item is not clearly shown/only partially shown…

If the room it is in is cluttered…

I WILL not click for more info.

                Sizes

While the others are also pet peeves, this one is by far the most annoying. Why? If I get to the point where I want to see the info on the item, such as what the size is, this means I have already seen the price and pictures and am willing to seriously consider buying.

If there isn’t a size on the items (clothes and shoes are the items that need sizes stated) then I will pass. You honestly could have had a sale, if you had just said “Boots Size 6” instead of “Women’s Boots”

                Grammar and Spelling

I am averse to doing business with someone who cannot correctly spell what it is that they are trying to sell. Or someone who uses bad grammar. For example they "Want 2 sale baby cloths". (Want to sell baby clothes.)

To me this is a red flag that the person either doesn’t know the worth of what they are selling and will not negotiate down on their prices, or they are trying to scam me.

Yes. One group I belong to has notorious scammers. As in, posted an item, took payment, never delivered. Most recently it was posted and item, sold, delivered, then cut off communication with the buyer when they discover cockroaches in the item. Even blocked the buyer from contacting them claiming harassment.

                Not Negotiating

If you are selling on Facebook, it is the same as selling on Craigslist, or even doing a yard sale. People are looking for a deal and will haggle over the price. You have to be willing to work with them if you want to sell. Remember, you are selling to make more room in your house or to get some quick cash. If you want a specific price on an item, price higher so the buyer can negotiate down and still feel like they got a good deal. Or find another avenue to sell on where negotiation is not as common.

Writing in the post that the “price is firm” or “non-negotiable” will lead me to pass.

                Bonus Tip: First to Contact

In groups like this, it sells on a First Comment, First Serve basis. Then a queue is formed and if the first person passes or flakes out it moves to the next person. Last week I was first to comment on an item that we really need. I was ready to buy on the spot. I commented less than 10 minutes after the post went up.

I was told it was sold already. And I. Was. Mad. If you sell an item, or it’s PPU (pending pick up), put that on the posting the SECOND IT HAPPENS. I actually complained to the moderator of the group, yet again because this has happened several times to me from several different sellers, at least one of them is now blocked from the group.

If the item is cross-posted, say so. This item was not listed as cross posted but for it have already sold it HAD to have been. I wouldn’t have been so angry if the seller had stated it was cross posted, or had put in the listing that it was PPU. Here, over a week later and that post still does not say it was sold, and when I followed up to buy, the seller did not return my inquiry. A simple, “It’s sold.” Would suffice.

Happy Selling! 

And there you have it. 5 tips to sell on Facebook from someone who actually buys! While these may be the same as someone who sells wrote, I hopefully gave you a different perspective on the why behind these tips.

Happy Selling! 

June Hustling- Some Old and then Some New Tricks

Back in April I wrote a little post about trying out hustling. I haven't stopped since then, but decided I probably shouldn't keep blabbing about my personal finances online all the time. BUT I did conclude that if something new works, and works well for me, I should happily share it so others may try it out and see if it works for them.

June, the best month ever for hustling so far. Even with a break that lasted an entire week in the middle of it. I made over $300 in hustling for June.

First off, I cashed out in Swagbucks. I had enough to cash out $150, but only took out $100. This was so we could have a little extra money to work with while on our vacation (aka souvenir yarn). So that counts toward this month's hustling income, even though it took well over a year for me to reach that point. Swagbucks is not a get rich quick scheme, it's more of a drop in the bucket each day will eventually fill the bucket earner.

Second, I kept going with Fiverr. I truly believe that the longer I'm on Fiverr, and I do my absolute best on every gig I get, that the positive reviews and word of mouth will help my 'business' grow. I've had several repeat customers, and new ones come in weekly. Sometimes they come in daily.

I also adjusted my pricing on fiverr to better reflect my skill set, as well as pay me better for my time. I was a little nervous to do this, just like I was with the Etsy shop, but I did it. If anything I'm getting more business after the price raise.

Finally, my big money maker this month: Tutoring.

Yes, tutoring. I used to tutor and it was a terrible experience. This time around has been much better so far. Why? Because I set a price and said it was non-negotiable. Of course, I was nice about it, making sure I clearly stated my qualifications so they know why they are paying what they are paying. The client is much older than my previous ones, so the client could sign the contract on their own, as well as the parents signing the contract. (Yes, I have a tutoring contract. It protects me from having a repeat of the original tutoring disaster.) I also feel like when I explain a concept, the client actually understand that sometimes you just have to learn something because it's expected, or that it seems like something useless but really you will use it all the time as an adult. (For example- pythagoreon theorem vs. times tables... one I don't even really remember what it was, the other I use at least weekly if not more.)

After gaining this client, I did the math and found out that if I were to take on a couple more clients at the current rate, I wouldn't necessarily have to get a day job upon completing my degree requirements (lab hours and the like, all done in July). However, tutoring can really wear on a person, so proceed with caution. Start with one or two clients to see how much you really like it. And if you need advice, shoot me a message and I will give you all you can get.

How do I find tutoring clients? Care.com. No joke. I have looked into tutoring companies but the thing I don't like about them is that they take a cut of the money. And I'm not into that. Especially since every single one I looked at said I had to charge $X to start, and then if I build up a client base then I could start charging more after approval, or something. And that $X? Well, let's just say I'm making more per hour in my assistantship as a graduate student.

My First Month Trying Out Hustling : Does it really pay to Hustle?

Yes. It does. However for me, I can't claim you can live off of your hustling income quite yet. I mean, I just wanted to see what would happen is all. (Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links.)

First off, I need to tell you one of the major components of making as much as I did hustling was PRAYER. I kid you not.

My husband and I are basically living paycheck to paycheck right now, and I've been scrimping and scrabbling to save and get some debt paid off. (My student loan is still in it's 'grace' period, so the more I pay off now, the less interest I have to pay later.) We got our emergency fund set up a couple months ago using the tax return, and it has not and will not be touched until an actual emergency occurs.

I pray almost constantly that we will be able to save money. That we will be smart with the money we have. And that opportunities to make some extra money will present themselves and that we will recognize them and take those opportunities. I feel like all of this extra income from April is a direct result of the prayers I've been making about finances.

Mind you, I don't want to get rich quick. I don't want this extra money to go buy a lot of yarn or a puppy or a motorcycle. I want to be able to live providently, get our debts paid off, and be able to live without the worry of finances always looming over our heads.

So; here it is, the Hustling Income Total for April was $200. And that is a lot for us. It's half of our monthly rent, three months of credit card payments, a month of groceries!

How did I do it? One word: fiverr.

Ok, not all of it came from fiverr, but a decent amount of it did. I heard rumors about fiverr and decided I might as well give it a go. See if it's the real deal and what not. So, I signed up, created a gig and didn't give it much thought. Less than 24 hours later I had not one, but two gigs. And they just kept coming. In all, I completed 9 gigs in the three weeks that were left in April. Totaling $88. I got paid to read! Serious dream come true for me.

Besides fiverr, I sold things on Craigslist, eBay, and even on Ravelry. Little items here and there that weren't being used (like extra yarn and a hair straightener), but they all added up.

Finally, I babysat. Just once, but it was enough to make up a good 25% of the months hustling income.

What about swagbucks and eBates ? While I use those regularly (daily in the case of swagbucks), I don't count that money yet because it's not in my bank account. It really bothers me that a lot of bloggers will make posts about how to make extra money, but they don't mention that sites like Swagbucks make you wait until you reach a certain level to cash out. So if you're hard up for money to make rent, and you sign up with one of those sites, wouldn't you be frustrated with the blogger who said you could make cash quick with them? I would be. So I'm not going to be that blogger. I'll count that money when it makes it to my account, thank you very much.

Grand total for April: $200.