5 Things to Sell If You Have Nothing of Value

Repeat after me: I can sell anything to anyone as long as I believe in the product. 

Is it me or does it seem like everyone is always trying to sell something? I log onto Facebook and a new friend is selling Mary Kay or It Works products. I open an app and there’s an ad selling another app. I walk to my car and there’s a flyer for a photographer selling his or her services. Or I go to the gas station and I see the cutest Girl Scout selling some delectable cookies. (That last one isn’t so annoying but you get the point). Bottom line – it seems like every aspect of your life has become some sort of sales pitch and everyone is making a profit but you. There’s always someone who paid for their last vacation by selling their baked goods at church, dug out of debt by selling unwanted items on Ebay or Facebook, or covered their monthly cell phone bill by trading their gold. Even I’ve made great progress paying off student debt by selling items on Facebook yard sale sites.

Mean while, you are sitting there stumped wondering how you can get in on the action. Yes, having multiple streams of income seems to be the “in” thing right now. And selling items seems to be the easiest way to do it. But what happens if you don’t have anything of value to sell? Considering we are at the top of spring, many of you may have already purged all the unneeded items that would have been in sellable condition. However, that doesn’t mean you have nothing of value to sell.

Whether or not you realize it, we all have something that someone else wants. All it takes is a little time and creativity. Because time is of essence, I’ve made a brief list of five things anyone can sell even if you think you have nothing of value. You certainly won’t get rich doing the below, but at the very least you’ll make a couple bucks which is better than the nothing you were making before.

1. Photos

You may not be a pro photographer, but someone out there is bound to think you’ve got some great shots… even if they’re just photos on your cell phone.  Get creative with them, by making some art and posting them for sale on sites like Zazzle. I’ve made a couple bucks selling vacation photos on post cards and key chains. You can see them here and here.

2. Tshirts

Thanks to indecency laws, everyone’s got to wear clothes. And t-shirts take the cake when it comes to style and comfort. So of course, that means they’re already fairly easy to sell since there’s a market for them. All you need to do is create a design. Sites like cafe press, Zazzle and teespring.com make that easy for you. I’m not a designer, but I’ve managed to make a small profit from selling shirts on both Teespring and Zazzle. Though, I’ve never sold on cafe press I have heard good things about them.

3. Ebooks

I’ve always said that everyone’s got a story to tell. It’s up to you to share it. Now, it’s easier than ever for you to make a profit when doing it. Just create an ebook for free on Amazon.

4. Skills

Fiverr is the spectacular website that allows you to sell or buy anything for $5.00. You can sell anything from edited photos, resume reviews, blog post headlines, Facebook followers, etc. Think hard enough and I’m sure you’ll find a skill worth selling fiverr.com. Just make sure whatever you are selling is worth your time. I’m always amazed at the services people sell for only $5. Use my referral link and get your first Fiverr project for free!

5. Receipts

Just like the others, selling photos of your receipts aren’t huge money makers but you can make some extra side cash. Companies are willing to pay to get your opinion on products and see what you spent your money on. My favorite is Ibotta. To date, I’ve made over $900 in one year from take photos of my receipts. However, there others such as ReceiptHog and ReceiptPal that also give incentives for uploading receipts.

Have you sold any of the above items? Is there anything else you can think of to sell if you have nothing of value?

TERRIfic Quip: The C student who can sell will always make more than the A student. – Robert Kiyosaki