First sale: Litter Robot 3 Automatic Cat Litter Bin for $300 cash, 22 lbs:
The story behind it:
After staying up all night to list items for sale, I talked myself into starting my recycling hunt walk at 5:15 AM. Sigh. Exhausted, and not wanting to throw my sleep pattern off too much, I made a deal that I'd go home as soon as I found one item to resell.
After 2.5 avenues, I found a nice item I've saved before. It's a control system for a boiler worth about $200 untested. Thankfully this control had a maintenance log with it to prove its functionality up to recent months.
At this point, I'd earned my ticket home and should've turned around. But, per usual, I decided to be the stubborn person that I am to check one more pile of recyclables 15 feet down the road. Well, it was a damn good thing I did!
In the next pile, I saw something distantly familiar. It was a Litter Robot 3 split among two clear bags. This is a $500-$600 automatic cat litter box when new that's very popular. To prove that, the first one I found (previously posted on Hive), sold for $300 cash the following afternoon after I got it. Even better, this unit here was only 14 months old, and was in far better shape than the prior. I patted myself on the back and hauled it all home...
Above is the actual the Litter Robot at my friend's place two days after I found it. Her cats are already using it and it'll make her life a lot easier. Joey is pictured there. She's a sweet cat. Despite trying to only accept very little for this, my friend insisted and paid me on Sunday. This was another quick flip as I'd found it on Saturday AM. High demand!
While I couldn't find the original 15V power supply, I dug through all of the ones I had here and finally found a compatible adapter that fit toward the end of my options. Running out of hope, it was meant to be. With no surprise, it worked well, and I was able to examine its functionality and history via its mobile app.
The funny thing about this find was that the "litter full" sensor kept flashing no matter what I did. After a maintenance check and sensor cleaning, it still kept flashing. I then went the extra mile to remove the sensors and their clear covers to make sure that all litter dust was removed (which can block them). When I went to reassemble the four parts, I realized the issue and laughed... Why, you may ask?
Well, the prior owner had removed the sensors for some odd reason and put them in backwards!! The sensors were basically staring at plastic walls and sensing "full" at all times because of this. Perhaps this is why they threw it out, but I was thrilled to figure out the challenge so I could sell it with confidence. It wasn't easy to notice this at first, but I enjoyed the troubleshooting on this one.
Soooo, after I got home with $500 worth of stuff from the two items, did I go to sleep? NO. I'm absurdly driven and went back outside for another 90 minutes to do the entire curb route so I could make sure that I maximized my effort. That's how you win. I was tired for the next two days, but I did everything I could. Ironically, listing the items all night before was harder than the walk.
Again, $300 cash and 22 lbs saved!
Vintage 18.5" Tall Brass Cactus & Roadrunner Candleholder:
- Sold online for $130.
- This was found on the same recycling night as the item above, but during the late afternoon when I was donating some stuff to a local thrift store. I found this and several rare vintage Bandai Mighty Morphin Power Ranger blasters then. Did I let this be enough of a prize to not go out later? Well, you know the answer.
- This was in great shape, but I accidentally broke the foot of the roadrunner when trying to dust it off.
- I debated tossing it back outside due to the damage, but then decided to get creative and list it broken for repair. Prior sales of much smaller pieces sold for $80-$90, so a broken one that was twice as large seemed like it could be worth $130 for its rarity.
- I was right, and it sold the next day (Saturday).
- Recycled weight with recycled packaging of 15 lbs.
Pair Of Math Textbooks:
- Sold online for $95.
- I had these for a while and was slow to list them.
- A few days after I finally listed them, they were out the door.
- Recycled weight with recycled packaging of 10 lbs 14 oz.
Marrekech Starbucks Mug:
- Sold online for $38.
- This was in mint condition with the label still on the bottom.
- It was slow to sell since it's not a common location for Starbucks "You Are Here" mugs, but it was more than worth saving.
- Recycled weight with recycled packaging of 2 lbs.
Complete Miele Vacuum:
- Found at 8 PM and sold by 4:15 PM the next day for $120 cash.
- This was a layup. It was in a clear bag right outside my gym and a complete set.
- The only issue was a partial plastic close hangar arm had been caught in the top of the hose. This took me 5 minutes to remove. It ran like a champ and was in great shape.
- It was worth $20-$30 more, but I gave the buyer a discount for picking it up quickly.
- Interestingly, I took pictures of this 5 minutes before my acupuncture appointment. I listed the item with about 15 needles in me on a table. I then arranged for pickup from the same table, went home, and met the guy.
- None of these vacuum pics and sales are repeats. I literally find these all of the time.
- Recycled weight of 17 lbs 4 oz.
Computer Power Supply:
- Sold for $50 cash.
- I gave the buyer a discount because it was an annoying item to keep on my shelf with its dangling wires.
- I was able to test this as I found it in a computer tower that had the motherboard intact (which will sell soon for parts/repair for $100).
- Recycled weight of 4 lbs 15 oz.
Summary:
- 6 items sold for $733 revenue = $122.17 revenue per find.
- 64% of the $733 was received as cash.
- 3 of these items sold within half a day to two days of finding them.
- No costs outside of 3 shipping labels with their cost built in to the sale price.
- 72 pounds salvaged between the items and recycled packaging!
Additional:
- My neighbor is away for a month and gave me his key to use two of his rooms in his apartment to shift inventory over into to help me reorganize in my own place. This will be a huge boost for my living space and allow me to unbox tons of recycled and thrifted finds I've had stashed away for a while. My listings and sales will increase dramatically.
- My neighbor will return for 4 days and then go away for another 2-3 weeks. This is a huge and much needed break for me. I'm thrilled.
Hopefully some of the determination above motivates some people to push themselves a little more to get better results.
Thanks for your interest and support,
Matt