I’ve made £5.5k by promoting outdated devices, garments and Lego – it’s so fast and simple to do it from my couch, how one can too

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WHEN Ben Andrew signed as much as eBay in 2014, he by no means might have imagined that simply over a decade later he’d find yourself raking in nearly £1,000 in lower than a yr from his facet hustle.

The 30-year-old savvy vendor, who works in tech, lives in north London along with his associate, Léa Trichet, age 31.

A man standing on the Golden Gate Bridge, with the bay and mountains in the background.

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2025 has been Ben’s most profitable yr butCredit: Ben Andrew
Ben Andrew, a man with glasses and a light blue shirt, smiles while sitting on a wicker chair.

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Ben has bought numerous objects on eBayCredit: Ben Andrew

The busy entrepreneur is ready to do listings from the consolation of his couch, and says they usually take simply minutes every.

“It’s pretty standard for me to post items on eBay at the same time as I’m doing something else,” he stated.

“This might be while I’m watching football or speaking to a family member on the phone. Posting stuff on eBay really isn’t very taxing.”

Over the years, Ben has bought all method of things on the second-hand platform however extra just lately, he has change into a professional in a single specific space: know-how.

Read extra on facet hustles

Ben advised The Sun: “Since becoming a member of eBay, I’ve bought toys, garments, sneakers and extra.

“However, I’ve developed a real knack for selling gadgets on the site. I know how to get items to sell quickly – and at a good price.”

One of his biggest sales this year was his old iPhone.

“This handset was one that I got when I took out my contract with Three in 2023, and was worth about £800,” he said.

“I got a very decent £350 for this on eBay. A few months back, I also sold my old iPad.

“I paid round £600 for this once I purchased it eight years in the past – after which bought it on eBay for £225.”

In addition, Ben has discovered consumers for a mess of different gizmos previously 9 months.

“I sold my running watch, a Garmin Forerunner, on eBay, for £85,” he stated.

“This was a pretty good price given I paid £140 when I bought it new.

“Another recent sale was my old Sonos speaker which went for £50. This cost me around £200 when I bought it.

“I also shifted my old Xbox and a pile of games for £250.”

But it’s not solely tech that has helped Ben attain a complete of just about £1,000 from eBay gross sales thus far in 2025 – or over £5,500 since he started 11 years in the past.

“I was surprised – and pleased – to find a buyer for a pair of my old carbon-plated Asics trainers,” stated Ben.

“I had taken really good care of them but didn’t expect them to get snapped up quite so quickly.”

These were the shoes he wore to run his first marathon in Rome in March this year.

Ben added: “If you’re looking to purchase brand new running trainers, you can expect a hefty price tag.

“As a result, lots of buyers go to eBay to get an ‘older’ pair as this can make them a lot more affordable.”

Ben bought his Asics for £75, having purchased them new (from eBay), for £150.

“I used the proceeds to pay for a new pair of running shoes for the Berlin Marathon which I completed earlier this month [September 21],” he stated.

In addition to this, Ben has bought just a few of his outdated operating shirts on eBay.

“These include ones from Under Armour, Nike and Hoka,” he stated. “Each of these goes for around £15- £20.

“With so many people taking up marathons and other events, I find that running gear tends to sell quite quickly these days.”

The savvy seller has also done well from other items of clothing he no longer wears.

“After a wardrobe clear-out, I’ve sold T-shirts and formal shirts, jeans and jumpers for around £20 to £30 each – though some items can go for a lot more,” he stated.

“Brands that I wear which get snapped up quickly include the likes of Folk, Engineered Garments, Universal Works, Percival, Beams+, as well as French clothing brand, Armor-Lux.”

While the entrepreneur’s whole earnings can fluctuate from yr to yr, 2025 has been his most profitable but.

“Typically, I earn between £250 and £500 from selling stuff on eBay,” stated Ben.

“But this year, I’ve already made almost £1,000 – and there are still three months still to go.”

As the tech whizz loves having all the most recent gear, he makes use of his eBay earnings to improve to the latest devices.

He stated: “After selling my iPad, I bought an updated version shortly after. I did the same after selling my iPhone – I upgraded to an iPhone 16. I see it as a ‘one-out-one-in’ kind of system.”

Ben additionally used the proceeds from flogging his outdated operating watch to purchase a brand new one: a Forerunner 965.

“I’ve cracked the code for guilt-free gadget upgrades,” stated the eBay aficionado.

“Pretty much every time a new device drops, I sell my current one on the platform. It’s my go-to strategy to stay up to date.”

Ben isn’t alone in doing this, in keeping with eBay, which studies a lot of latest spikes in gross sales.

Its figures present that, for instance, between January and August this yr, gross sales of pre-loved iPhone 14 gadgets had been up by greater than 40%. Sales of iPhone 12s and 13s additionally went up in that point.

For Ben, promoting outdated devices to assist fund the price of new ones makes good monetary sense.

“Knowing I’ve ‘earned’ the money helps me justify the cost,” he stated. “Plus rather than having to go shopping on the high street, I just do smart swaps instead.”

Moreover, this eliminates the issue of outdated tech increase at house.

Ben added: “As I live in a flat in London which doesn’t have loads of room or places to store stuff, this is a real help.”

In the previous, Ben has additionally made a reasonably penny from promoting Lego.

“Around eight years ago, I sold a lot of Star Wars items,” he stated.

“These were ones that had been discontinued and included an Ultimate Collector Series (UCS) Death Star which I bought for £400 and sold for £650.”

He added: “At the time, I also sold a bunch of Millennium Falcon sets. These would have cost around £300 new. I got almost £400 for each of these.”

In whole, the eBay aficionado bought round 15 Lego units again in 2017.

Ben stated: “I then used my earnings to help fund a three-month trip to the US aged 21. My travels included Boston, Washington, Chicago and the West Coast.”

He added: “The money I made on eBay covered almost all of the cost. It was so satisfying being able to pay for my trip in this way.”

Ben’s prime tricks to different occupied with promoting tech on eBay

THERE are a number of issues to bear in mind.

  • List objects – particularly tech – with the field and accompanying paperwork, should you can. Keep the field in good situation.

“This helps me stand out as a ‘trustworthy’ seller,” stated Ben.

“It gives buyers the reassurance of knowing they are buying from a real ‘human’ who cares about the things they are selling.”

“I purchase a lot of clothes and other stuff from eBay, and know what a good seller looks like,” stated Ben.

“For this motive, I make a degree of taking care of my tech – in addition to garments and sneakers – so every little thing continues to be in good situation once I come to promote it.

“I like to the stuff I put on the platform is pretty much ‘as good as new.’”

  • Be honest about any blemishes

Ben added: “If there are any ‘defects’ with an item I’m listing, such as a mark or a fault, I’m completely transparent about this. I want the seller to know exactly what they are getting.

“Plus, there’s much less likelihood it’ll get returned.”

“Generally speaking, I use the eBay ‘search function’ mechanism to help me find similar listings and decide how much to charge,” stated Ben.

“I tend to price at the ‘higher’ end, but as most of my items usually shift within the first 48 hours, I know that I’m pricing my stuff pretty sensibly.”

What it’s good to know as a vendor

Since October final yr, it has been free to promote throughout most classes on the platform.

As a non-public vendor, you get 300 free listings per thirty days. After that, it’s 35p per further itemizing.

Just bear in mind that eBay just lately warned of a significant change to postage prices forward of Christmas.

This consists of small and medium parcels (Standard and Signed for, 2nd Class) – going up by 15p to 65p per merchandise. Read extra in our information.

Don’t fall foul of the tax guidelines

Under a latest crackdown, platforms akin to eBay should now share vendor data with HM Revenue & Customs.

The purpose is to make sure that people who increase their earnings with a facet hustle take discover of their tax obligations.

It additionally offers the taxman extra visibility of how a lot you’re bringing in.

Sellers who get greater than the ‘trading allowance’ of £1,000 in 12 months are required to declare these earnings, and pay earnings tax on them.

To do that, you will have to finish a self-assessment tax return.

Man holding up a medal.

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Ben bought his his Asics sneakers for £75, having purchased them new for £150Credit: Ben Andrew
A black Garmin smartwatch with a dark screen and black rubber strap on a light brown wooden surface.

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He additionally bought a Garmin watch on eBayCredit: Ben Andrew
Lego Star Wars Death Star set box.

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Plus he is made a made a revenue by promoting numerous Lego unitsCredit: Ben Andrew

This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you possibly can go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/36860690/make-money-sell-old-gadgets-toys-clothes/
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