Income help?

[winky]

Recently i have been looking for ways to earn extra income. Don't get me wrong i can pay my bills and buy food, but its always nice to have a little comfort cash and here lately work has been slow so there's not much comfort lol. I use to do mechanic work on the side for extra income (i was a mechanic for 2 years) but the place i am renting now has no shop or decent place to work on anything... its not worth the money. Its 10xs harder to do a job when your on gravel and don't have the tools and items you need at hand.... so that's pretty much out of the question. I would like to sell items that are automotive related because that's where im most comfortable. I was selling a decent amount of our body style truck parts, but once again where i am now i do not have anywhere to store parts or recycle trucks... I am trying to save up a decent down payment for a house but it seems that to save up for a house im going to have to get one first somehow lol. I have had a lot of people interested in the LED light bars i have left over but then they get on ebay and see the $40 knock offs and think im trying to rip people off instead of realizing im offering quality not crap.. so that's biting me in the butt too. i was just trying to brainstorm and figured someone else might have a few good ideas. Ebay use to be the ticket when i was a kid, but now china has taken that over with there stuff and everyone wants to buy cheap garbage instead of quality stuff. It is almost depressing when you sit back and look at everything thats going on.

Anyways thanks for any advice.

[bake74]

     There is always a niche in any market that can be utilized.  If you can find one that you like it is even better.
      I am a mechanic by trade, not automotive, but almost everything else.  In my field we use a lot of small gas powered engines to run different equipment.  So I am going through school right now to rebuild/repair and get a certification in small engines.
      My company sends out all the small engine work now, when I get my certification I figure I will be adding about $20,000.00 to $30,000.00 a year ( more truck money  ) to my income and I have a built in client base that I will not have to go out and hunt for, it is automatic.  And it will be part time maybe 3 days a week at the most and at night or on weekends and I can do it either at home our at work in the shop.
     The best part is the added tax breaks for starting a small business that I will get but not the headaches of customers since my company I work for will be paying me.
     So you just have to find your niche.

[winky]

now that is pretty awesome lol. everyone says there is a niche and i believe it, im just having a hard time finding it. ii guess if it was easy everyone would be doing it (ebay ) do y'all use heavy equipment at your work?

[Irish_Alley]

im a corrections officer at night, and a welder, mechanic, plumber, carpenter, driver and dad by day. heck Monday we will be starting a job getting payed $200 per frame we weld up. figure it takes one man about 3 hours if we bust our butts that would be almost $100/hr. not to mention the company subbing us this work will be supplying another welder, all the wire and gas we need. granted i think we could of got a little more per frame (my buddy sucks at negotiations, me on the other hand its my full time job to be able to negotiate). but my buddy says all i doo is tick them off lol, well yeah you cant be soft and go with the first number they give you.

in a nut shell you are making your own chocolate box. its nice to be able to choose if you dont want eat the coconut pieces but sometime you have to eat it just to get to the next layer

[winky]

LOL. i had thought about getting another job but my wife works nights and i work days so its hard  with having a kid Thats why i wanted to try and start selling items. i can change a diaper in the middle of and auction post lol

[Irish_Alley]

lol yeah my wife doesnt work so that helps a lot

[bake74]

now that is pretty awesome lol. everyone says there is a niche and i believe it, im just having a hard time finding it. ii guess if it was easy everyone would be doing it (ebay ) do y'all use heavy equipment at your work?

     No heavy equipment at my current job, though I have operated and hauled heavy equipment for a while in my life.

[DustyRusty]

A few years ago, without even trying very hard at it, I found myself finding used tires and rims real cheap.  I started out looking for those items for my own herd.  By sitting on Craigslist and watching for deals, I was able to get good tires and rims and later selling them.  Had to buy off-season tires and hold them 'til the right time.  Watched for clues like:  Leaving state must sell; going to college and need tuition; divorce forces sale, bought new truck, etc.  I couldn't keep a huge inventory because I had no garage.  I didn't get rich but I netted ~$100/month.  It was kind of fun.  You have to be patient.  By being serious about doing this people in these parts have built successful small businesses. 

[zieg85]

A few years ago, without even trying very hard at it, I found myself finding used tires and rims real cheap.  I started out looking for those items for my own herd.  By sitting on Craigslist and watching for deals, I was able to get good tires and rims and later selling them.  Had to buy off-season tires and hold them 'til the right time.  Watched for clues like:  Leaving state must sell; going to college and need tuition; divorce forces sale, bought new truck, etc.  I couldn't keep a huge inventory because I had no garage.  I didn't get rich but I netted ~$100/month.  It was kind of fun.  You have to be patient.  By being serious about doing this people in these parts have built successful small businesses.

I buy on CL and sell on CL and eBay a like.  Find a niche and you can make money at it.  Not going to get rich but it keeps the hobby going without dipping in the general fund and buys extras for the house when a score comes in.

[zieg85]

Another idea that I have had great luck at is garage sales.  Best to find a subdivision or town wide in an upscale area.  Silver faced high end Stereo receivers bring big bucks on eBay.  Sure eBay gets 10% on the sale price and shipping but if you buy them right there is money to be made.  Do your homework on what to look for.  Audiophiles pay for quality stuff.  Last one I sold was a Scotts receiver, actually found it at a Thrift store for $1.50 because the wood case had water damage and the veneer was peeling.  Sold it for $75

[winky]

dang these are great ideas y'all have got me inspired

[75_chevy]

I've never tested and proven this one but here in the Bay Area you can post a wanted ad saying will buy broken electronics. most people will sell you things and you buy them for very cheap (find out what the item is worth in working used condition) and if the payout is worth the risk, you can buy the item and fix it with parts from amazon. or what I noticed is broken items sell for a lot more on eBay than they do on CL. so really you can buy cheap from CL and sell for more on eBay.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk