Thrifting & Upcycling Resale Tips Series - Remote Controls

For anyone interested in thrifting, upcycling or selling some household items for income, I'm going to start elaborating on some profitable niches to help people who follow along make some extra cash.

Today's Niche: REMOTE CONTROLS

Demand Concepts:

• Some people can't live without their remotes.
• Once they lose them or theirs doesn't work, it's a code red mission to replace it.
• When people buy used items without their remote, getting one is the next logical step.
• Discontinued remotes are huge sellers as a function of supply and demand.

Some Ideal Examples:

Revox "The Signature" Remote:

• Bought for $2 and sold for a discounted $175 to Russia because it was untested.
  

Sealed new Logitech Harmony 880:

• Bought for $38 and sold overnight for $220!
  

Big Tip:

When you find expensive remotes, check around the store to see if the unit it belongs to is there. These clues can lead you to more money. They're often donated together but get split up when they're bring processed and priced.

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I've found some nice ones over the years, but they're not very common. The bread and butter for this post's purposes is the more liquid $25-$40 sale range.

Example: Here's a media server remote I got with the server that had a cracked LCD touch screen. I bought the set for $10 knowing that I could sell the remote to cover the cost and enjoy selling the internal server parts for pure profit. With the broken LCD screen, I could tell that the rest was perfectly functional. Easy money.

Side Note: I bought a second working media server at the same time for $54 and sold it for $425. I knew the parts on the one with the cracked screen would have good value.

Realistic Target Scenario:

• Quality remotes that cost $1-$2 at thrift stores.
• Sale prices between $25-$40 give a solid profit after fees and shipping.
• I'll still grab remotes for $1 if I can sell them for $20+ since shipping is cheap.
• Remotes are often overlooked by the general public and ripe for picking.
• Researching the recently sold listings of the remote on eBay helps me value my potential ROI on the spot.
• If they have internal batteries, assume they'll need to be replaced and advertise as such.

I also often find remotes when upcycling on the street curbs. Since they're free and most often for common brands like Sony or Panasonic, I take them as long as I can get $15+ to make it worth the setup and shipping time. Every little bit is effort in the right direction.

Overall, remotes are very solid way to turn $1-$2 into $25+ in profit per remote if you pick the right ones. If you get 2-3 remotes on a trip out, that could be $50-$75 profit at $3-$6 cost/risk. Smart business.

Remotes for devices that aren't common are also potentially valuable. Here's a brand new telescope remote I got for $5, which is worth about $50.

More Tips:

• Wiping them down them with rubbing alcohol also helps remove any surface marks or residue to make them look like new.
• If you buy something with the remote, consider the ROI on selling them separately to maximize profit.

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Show's over for now. Stay tuned (cough) for more niche resale tips.

Please share this with your followers if you feel this can beneficial. Comments are most appreciated.

@steemmatt