Sharetown: Profit From Returned Goods

Obtained a present for reselling used merchandise? Sharetown could also be value a glance. This web site helps you revenue from reselling returned items.

What’s Sharetown?

Sharetown helps on-line retailers deal with cumbersome returns — issues like mattresses, furnishings and fitness center gear. However, in actuality, “return” is a little bit of a misnomer. A lot of this stuff actually can’t be returned to retailer cabinets. In any case, you possibly can’t re-sell a used mattress as if it had been new.

Thus, as an alternative of returning gadgets to a retailer, Sharetown enlists freelancers to choose up, clear and resell that cumbersome merchandise as utilized in alternate for a portion of the gross sales proceeds.

 The way it Works (for freelancers)

To hitch Sharetown as a freelancer, you have to:

• be over the age of 18,
• have a truck, van, SUV or trailer that may carry cumbersome gadgets,
• have the flexibility to carry massive and heavy gadgets alone or with a helper (who you rent your self)
• have a clear, dry and safe space for storing to retailer gadgets till they promote
• be keen to drive as much as 50 miles per pick-up

In the event you meet these necessities, you signal as much as get notified when somebody has a cumbersome return in your market space. You’ll coordinate straight with the client to schedule a very good day and time so that you can choose up the merchandise.

When you’ve bought the returned merchandise, you examine and clear it as essential after which take photographs to submit on resale websites, comparable to Fb Market and OfferUp.

The ultimate gross sales worth is in the end as much as you, however Sharetown has a minimal marketed worth you could’t go beneath. (That is to maintain you from undercutting the gross sales costs of different Sharetown sellers that could be in your space.) If an merchandise isn’t promoting, you possibly can privately comply with promote it for lower than the marketed worth. You simply can’t say that in your ads.

As soon as items are offered, you remit a portion of the gross sales proceeds to Sharetown and preserve the remaining.

Sharetown evaluation

To know what makes Sharetown tick, it’s important to perceive the large shift in retail gross sales over the previous twenty years. The place just one.4% of all retail gross sales had been made by on-line retailers in 2000, some 22% of sales moved online by the end of 2024. That large and nonetheless rising on-line market share requires an internet technique even for merchandise that had been historically powerful to promote with out a showroom.

What’s powerful to inform on-line? Large ticket gadgets, like mattresses, that you just’d wish to check out in particular person and are arduous to return if you happen to’re dissatisfied. To counter purchaser reluctance, many on-line mattress sellers now supply prolonged trial affords, the place you possibly can check the mattress at dwelling for a month or extra. And a few supply long-term warranties. 

Business specialists estimate that roughly 10% of mattresses offered on-line are returned, which is when Sharetown steps in.

Reselling returns

Sharetown enlists freelancers, with vans and space for storing, to choose up, clear and resell “returned” mattresses and different massive ticket gadgets, comparable to furnishings and fitness center gear. When freelancers get notified that there’s a qualifying merchandise of their market space, they settle for it, contact the client straight to rearrange the pick-up, consider and clear the merchandise for resale.

The freelancer then listing the merchandise on the market on standard native gross sales websites like Fb Market, CraigsList and OfferUp and waits for a purchaser. There’s no must pay Sharetown to your stock till after the merchandise is offered.

Sharetown’s take

The quantity that have to be remitted to Sharetown following the sale varies based mostly on the precise merchandise offered, its unique retail worth, it’s present situation and different elements. Nonetheless, freelancers report incomes about 40% to 50% of the gross sales proceeds or roughly $100 to $250 per sale, earlier than prices.

You get the fee upfront out of your purchaser. You remit Sharetown’s take as soon as every week, after you’ve reported a number of gross sales within the web site’s app. 

Sharetown Execs…

Flexibility: You set your schedule and work as a lot or as little as you need. This makes it ultimate for facet hustlers or anybody craving independence.

Profitability: Many reps report making $150 to $250 per flipped merchandise, with some seeing month-to-month revenues exceeding $2,000.

No-cost stock: You don’t pay to your stock till it sells.

Independence: Many reps reward Sharetown for actually serving to freelancers be their very own bosses.

Sharetown’s cons…

Prices: When you don’t should pay for stock, the price of selecting up, cleansing and storing Sharetown returns are shouldered by the freelancer. And, these prices will not be at all times incidental, notably with pick-ups.

Particularly, the positioning requires that you just take returns which can be inside a 50-mile radius of your own home. Since these are massive gadgets, you’re possible driving a big car with low fuel mileage. To get a perspective, the IRS mileage deduction is 70 cents per mile. So, if you happen to’re selecting up an merchandise 50 miles away, you’re driving 100 miles roundtrip. That prices you roughly $70 based mostly on this IRS charge. To mitigate this usually substantial expense, experienced reps recommend scheduling multiple pickups in a day to reduce the per-pick-up costs.

Bodily calls for & assist: Moreover, the bodily calls for of lifting and storing massive gadgets may be substantial. Sharetown means that freelancers rent — at their very own expense — an assistant that can assist you with choose ups. 

Time: It’s good to funds time to deal with pick-ups, cleansing, photographing and itemizing Sharetown gadgets on the market. You additionally want to satisfy potential consumers and reply their questions. If the gadgets don’t promote promptly, you possibly can have extra storage prices. And, naturally, chances are you’ll must spend extra time spent to take down and re-list the stale gadgets. So whereas Sharetown estimates you possibly can earn $50 an hour with this gig, that’s based mostly on a best-case state of affairs. In different phrases, you’d solely make that a lot if the pick-up was shut; the merchandise was comparatively clear and it offered comparatively rapidly.

Progress: The expansion of your Sharetown facet hustle is admittedly less than you. When you can enhance your likelihood of getting gadgets on the market by responding promptly to affords on the app, whether or not or not there are affords in your space is out of your management. Some areas help regular enterprise, others don’t. The identical holds true with gross sales. Some markets help brisk resales. In others, freelancers sit on unsold stock for months.

Suggestions

Many reps like the chance to be their very own boss with out having to fret about stock prices. And general, this is usually a better-than-average facet gig in case you have all the correct components. Equivalent to? Muscle, a big car, cheap space for storing, resale expertise and reside close to a big metro space that has loads of potential clients. (Reps in rural markets complain that gross sales are sluggish and it’s arduous to get near Sharetown’s instructed worth.) Have all that? You may sign up with Sharetown here.

Different gigs which may curiosity you embrace transferring gigs with GoShare and Citizen Shipper and resale alternatives with Poshmark and eBay.

What their freelance reps say (from Certainly)

You’re your personal boss. No cash upfront you schedule pickups in your time and make revenue based mostly in your gross sales. Its all as much as you. Do it half time or full time.

It’s a nice facet hustle to make some more money & relying on the place you’re positioned chances are you’ll even be capable to do it full-time if the world is busy & has loads of work. As an impartial contractor, you possibly can set your personal schedule/choose up appointments which is good. The account managers are very supportive & are at all times keen that can assist you out and work with you in case you have any points. Very optimistic work tradition. That is undoubtedly the perfect facet hustle I’ve ever had.

I like Sharetown! We stumbled upon advert for Sharetown and have cherished it as a facet hustle! We’d like to make it full-time however sadly we reside in a rural space that makes that tough. Our supervisor is at all times making an attempt to help us and are paid effectively per hour of the work we do! Even in our rural space we make $1,000 to $2,000 working like 10 hours a month.

(from Reddit):

I’m really on my means out as a ST rep. To begin, they’re a legit firm and it’s a very good alternative for the correct particular person. I’m stepping away from it as a result of stock was simply not transferring the place I reside – didn’t get a single hit on my on-line postings. I reside in a small metropolis (~150k metro space) The associated fee to retailer the gadgets, along with the time required to choose up, clear, and listing the gadgets simply wasn’t value it to me.

I’ve been doing it for 2 years now. It’s been okay. Final yr I revamped $12k in revenue after deducting prices like fuel and packing provides. I don’t like doing it and would like to have my storage and time again, however it’s first rate revenue for the few hours I put in. However, I scoff on the praises of individuals in massive metro areas that promote like 15+ mattress per 30 days or one thing. I’m like, guys, I reside in an space with lower than 1 / 4 million folks. Most of my mattresses sit for no less than a month earlier than they promote, regardless of updating advertisements and making them interesting. It’s what it’s with completely different areas and demographics.