Best ways to make money with what you already own
Already had the idea to make a little extra cash renting out or selling some of your lesser-used, unwanted items, and looking for some inspiration on what can be shared or sold? You’ve come to the right place! Turns out there’s a lot of items you can make money from, that you probably didn’t realise anybody would want!
With the sharing economy currently booming - you can rent out just about anything, from clothing, to parking spaces, to instruments, lighting equipment and much, much more. So why not have a flick through your wardrobe, book cabinet and the tool shed and start adding up the money you could be making with what you already own!
We’re all looking for a way to manage the rising costs of living at the moment, so here’s a (by no means exhaustive) list of easy ways to make money from what you currently own!
Sell sell sell, via app or in-person
There’s a marketplace to sell everything these days. If it’s used tech you’re in abundance of or ‘tech leftovers’ (cords, cables and manuals) there’s someone looking for it. The best places for this are secondhand tech shops like CEX, mobile phone recycling companies such as MusicMagpie and eBay.
If you’re an avid reader and have a pile of books sitting around which you just don’t think you’ll read again, or you’re a film lover with lots of DVDs to get rid of, apps such as WeBuyBooks can give you an immediate sale for these.
Fashion-lovers, there’s no end of apps and sites to get a good deal for last season’s styles on, or to make a mint on that fantastic vintage find. Head to Vinted, Depop and eBay to sell your unwanted clothing. If you’ve accumulated quite a bit of stuff you’re looking to sell, why not head to a Car Boot Sale? (and take a Hiyacar to transport the goods!).
There really is a marketplace for everything, including miscellaneous bits like gift cards for shops you’re not likely to shop at - sell these on sites like CardYard. You can even sell empty bottles, empty sweet packets, empty jars… all perfect for craft projects - head to eBay and search the craft section for even more inspiration!
Share your wardrobe, driveway, storage space and more
Make the most of the growing sharing economy: rent out your clothes (designer or high-end) on sites such as HURR or ByRotation. More into vintage than designer? Try managed-renting of your vintage pieces through sites such as WearMyWardrobeOut.
Share your space… whether as a filming location, as storage space via sites such as StashBee or for short term rent on sites such as Airbnb. Have a driveway or parking space you can share? Believe it or not, these are in high-demand, especially in cities! YourParkingSpace or JustPark allow you to share your parking space easily, with free sign up.
Work in the music, photography or film industry and have professional equipment for use in those areas, lying idle at the moment? There are people looking to rent this equipment for events, freelancing, amateur shoots and more. For this, try Fat Llama.
Make money off your motor, share your car
Here at Hiyacar, we offer car owners across the UK a great, hassle-free way of making extra money off their motor. Share your car via our platform - with free sign up, no subscription fees and share with local drivers for extra income.
London-based car owners have previously made upto £550 a month, and on average non-London based owners make between £200 - £300 a month. Of course, the money you can make sharing your car is dependent on your location, the availability of your vehicle for hire (you’re in control of the car’s calendar so you can still use the car yourself, and rent it out when you’re not using it), and whether you make the most of features such as our easily-installed QuickStart keyless access technology.
Sell your time and hobbies
Animal fans, rejoice… you can get paid to pet sit! Check out Cat in a Flat or Rover to find pets near you in need of walking, temporary boarding or looking after, to make some extra cash looking after an adorable local pet!
Music fan with an instrument or two at hand? Why not tutor local budding musicians in-person or online, and make a bit of money making music! There’s a number of sites facilitating this, from Tutorful to Preply - set your rates and availability and get tutoring.
Avid photographer? Sell your photos on stock photo sites such as Shutterstock, iStockPhoto and Alamy and get paid a percentage of sales per user download of your photos - with most sites allowing you to share the same images across competitor sites at the same time.
Have a passion for arts and crafts? Why not hand-make Birthday, Thank You, Christmas and other occasion cards and sell them on handmade sites such as Etsy.
Lastly, got a way with words? Try guest blogging on interest-type blogs, e.g. if you have a wealth of knowledge about travel, sustainable living or fitness then reach out to blogs about these topics offering your services as a guest blogger - they get content and you get paid! Check out sites such as Fiverr for freelance content writer gigs.
Looking for more ways to save or make money - have a read of our budget living tips.
