Are you staring at your room filled with clutter, wondering how you will organize them? Well, here’s some good news: that clutter is a goldmine of items you can sell online for FREE!
Remember the old saying, “One man’s trash is another’s treasure”? This saying truly comes to life here! And if you’ve got an entrepreneurial mindset, you can turn any item lying around in your home and make extra cash.
So, before you throw out any items or clutter in your home, save them! You have the potential to turn trash into dollars for your bank account. In this guide, you will learn about the best items that can be sold on eBay and help you make money online.
Whether you hold yard sales or sell on eBay, finding free stuff to sell would be one of the best ways to save and make extra money!
Article Overview
Top Things to Sell on eBay That Are Free
Are you looking for ideas on things to sell on your eBay business for free? Check out the free stuff you could find in your house or elsewhere.
1. Empty Boxes
When you buy stuff online or from any website, it usually comes in a box or similar packaging. Once you’ve opened the package, the first thing you would normally do is throw those empty boxes out since you want to eliminate extra clutter in your house.
But before you do that, think about possibly saving it for you to sell online.
Yes, you read that right. You can sell empty boxes online!
Many types of boxes bring in more money than others, such as boxes for collectible toys, designer bags, shoe boxes, or any other specialized boxes. You would be surprised by the value these empty boxes can rake in, allowing you to make extra cash by not throwing these stuff away.
If you don’t have any empty boxes that would be potentially lucrative or attractive to buyers, you can find them in thrift stores or garage sales. These areas have the potential for finding hidden gems from which you can make extra cash.
But if you really want to sell online for free, keep those empty boxes for you to sell, especially if they are still in good condition.
2. Empty Perfume Bottles
Like boxes, empty perfume bottles are one of the things to sell on eBay that are free and enable you to make good money. Most empty perfume bottles feature elaborate designs and are quite expensive.
Therefore, many fragrance manufacturers are willing to buy empty bottles to reuse for their perfume packaging.
If you can collect these empty bottles, you could earn extra cash for these products by selling them online. It’s yet another potentially lucrative opportunity out of free stuff on eBay!
3. Empty Toilet Paper Rolls
Yes, you read that right. Empty toilet paper rolls are free items you can sell on eBay to earn extra cash. And you’d be surprised to know that it is a lucrative niche that has remained relatively untapped.
Use this opportunity to make money from toilet paper rolls on your eBay business.
For some, empty toilet rolls are trash. However, this product has a huge demand, especially among craft and DIY enthusiasts. They reuse the cardboard cylinders of an empty toilet paper roll for various creative projects.
You can sell them individually (in bulk) or as part of a craft kit.
When artists and creatives use the empty rolls, they can turn them into home décor items and organizers. This product is proof of how you can turn trash into cash!
4. Power Cords
Power cords can be chaotic if you keep them around the house. But before you throw it into the trash, it’s one of the free stuff you can sell on eBay and make more money for your business.
You can profit from these items on eBay if you have any electronic devices with spare power cords. Power cords from major brands like Samsung and Apple are especially high in demand.
You can also sell power cords for other electronic devices, such as tablets, gaming systems, etc.
5. Paper Currency
While cash isn’t one of the things to sell on eBay that are free, you could potentially earn cash higher than the face value of certain paper currencies. Some collectors would pay a lot of money to collect certain bills or currencies, especially those so-called “fancy bills.”
For example, you can sell bills or currencies with a unique serial number combination. A few examples of serial number combinations are those with sequential digits or large groups of the same digit.
Any feature that makes a certain bill stand out is a potentially good item for collectors that they would be willing to pay for those bills over their face value.
6. Installation Drivers
Installation drivers or CDs are those items that enable you to download and install certain software programs into your computer or electronic devices. But this applies only to computers manufactured during the 1990s and the early 2000s.
Most computers nowadays no longer have a CD drive, but some people still buy old computers and need old computer accessories. Therefore, you can sell installation CDs or drivers to those looking for them instead of throwing these items into the trash.
7. Magazines
While most people get their information from the internet these days, there was a time when magazines were largely collected. In fact, some magazine companies had a monthly subscription wherein you would pay a certain amount, and they would mail you any new issue released each month as long as you are subscribed to them.
If you’re one of those who had subscribed to these magazine companies, chances are you now have boxes of magazines you have no use for.
But instead of dumping them into the trash or giving them away, you can sell them on eBay to make more money for your online business. Vintage magazines can be a goldmine, and if you have magazine issues that are unique or rare, then you could list them for a good amount of cash.
You can even have them auctioned out if you think you have something people would be willing to pay for!
8. Empty Egg Cartons
You can also sell empty egg cartons like empty paper rolls online. It’s one of those free things to sell on eBay, especially if you regularly stock up on eggs at home.
Egg cartons are a favorite item for crafts and DIY enthusiasts. They use them for numerous craft projects, especially if you have those that are made of cardboard materials. The most sought-after type of egg cartons are those made from 18-count Styrofoam.
9. Driftwood
Driftwood is one of the free items that you could sell for a high price on eBay. If you have large structural pieces, you can sell them for a good amount, ranging from $10 to $85, depending on the condition and shapes.
Many buyers like to use them for taxidermy projects, and others use them to construct furniture or decorate an aquarium. Therefore, there is a legitimate demand for driftwood items, and it is a good opportunity to exploit if you want to make money on eBay by selling free items.
Before you collect driftwood from public land, it is a good practice to consult with local regulations first. Some regions do not allow the removal of natural materials from the land. Do this step to ensure you aren’t violating any local codes.
10. Gift Bags
It is common for most people to receive gifts during special occasions, such as birthdays, Christmas, and other holidays. Gift bags act as a vessel for the actual gift, so most are thrown away after opening the gift. But don’t do this and collect those bags, as you could sell them online on eBay!
Instead of collecting gift bags in the trash, sell them online to collect more money!
You could group your gift bags according to the occasion or theme. Each gift bag might not cost much, but you could earn serious cash if you have plenty of them to sell.
11. Cosmetic Samples
Did you know some consumers are willing to buy makeup and cosmetic samples?
These consumers seek a low-cost way to try new products or get their favorite cosmetic products in travel sizes. If you have makeup and cosmetic samples, you could list them on your eBay store and make substantial income selling the free stuff.
When you sell makeup samples online, you must be honest and detailed in providing information about the product, such as the expiration date, size (in grams), etc. The product samples can vary from makeup products, skincare items, and perfumes.
If you have any samples that you think other consumers would be interested in, you can list them in your eBay business and boost your earnings.
12. Large Pine Cones
Large pine cones are another one of those products that you can sell as craft items. Many DIY and craft enthusiasts use them for various projects, so you could appeal to these buyers and create eBay listings for large pine cones if you have these products on hand.
Pine cones can be a significant cash cop, especially when you get closer to the holiday season. People like to buy them to make wreaths, Christmas tree decorations, and other craft projects.
13. Sea Glass
Add this to the list of potential craft supplies or items you can profit from. When finding stuff to sell online on eBay, think about the potential uses for the item.
Put yourself as a buyer and what would make a certain product appealing to you.
In this case, consumers highly price sea glass because it can be used for making jewelry and other crafts. The purple, red, and orange colors are especially high in demand since they are rare.
They are also the ones that sell for a good price.
14. Used Cell Phones
When you upgrade to a new phone, what do you do with the old one?
Do you throw it into the trash? Or do you sell online to make money?
The second option is a valid one, and many buyers of used and refurbished phones exist.
The good thing about selling on eBay is that they allow you to create listings for used, new, or refurbished phones, as long as they are labeled accurately on the listing.
15. Sports Cards
Do you have any old sports cards that you no longer have a use for?
Or perhaps you have collectible items that you think others would be willing to pay a hefty price for?
Sports cards are among the vintage items and collectibles that can command a high price tag, especially if you have cards of well-known sports personalities.
Conclusion
Your ability to make extra money when you sell on eBay after finding free stuff at home could be your ticket to success with an online business. Be creative and keep an open mind.
You’ll never know what free items you could find at home that would enable you to make more money online. It’s also a good idea to use a market research tool that provides detailed insights and actual sales data to evaluate your products before creating eBay listings.
A research tool validates the demand for the product to help you determine if you can make money from selling those items online. Using actual sales data, it shows how much you could earn from those products and if there are consumers interested in the said product.
It will also enable you to perform comprehensive product research, such as competitor analysis, to know what your competitors are doing to sell these items. Using a product research tool like ZIK Analytics could get additional features, such as keyword analysis, to help you optimize your eBay listings.
Once you have listed these free items on your eBay business, ensure you follow the best practices that would allow you to target your listings to buyers interested in paying good money for these free items!
Optimizing your listing for the free stuff you sell will help your products rank higher on the eBay search results.
