Old timer at the dump told me not to throw away those 5-gallon buckets

I was at the transfer station in Burlington last Saturday tossing a stack of clean buckets from a job site. Some retired farmer saw me and yelled 'hey, those are worth $5 each on Marketplace!' I laughed it off but checked when I got home. People actually buy those things for gardening, paint mixing, whatever. Now I clean them out and list them for $3-$4 a pop. They move in 2 days tops. Anyone else sit on a goldmine of stuff you thought was trash?

2 comments

2 Comments

karen2751d ago

I gotta disagree with the whole "goldmine" thing here. You said "they move in 2 days tops" but that's still your time cleaning them, listing them, meeting people who flake. And $3-$4 each for a used bucket that costs $5 new at Home Depot? That doesn't sound like a goldmine to me, more like a sideline hobby. If you figure in your gas driving to the dump, the time scrubbing them, and dealing with buyers who show up 30 minutes late, you're probably making less than minimum wage. Plus, you're taking up storage space in your garage or shed for what, maybe $20 a month? I'd rather just toss them and spend that energy on something that actually pays the bills.

jade4722h ago

Have you ever had a buyer show up, look at the bucket, and say "I thought it'd be bigger" before walking away? Because I swear that's happened to me more times than I can count. Yeah, I feel you on the flaking thing. I once sat in my driveway for an hour waiting on a guy who ghosted me and I could have just been napping instead. The math on this stuff is brutal if you actually track it. I'm pretty sure I netted about $2.50 an hour on my last batch after factoring in the bleach burns on my favorite jeans. Honestly, if your time is worth anything at all, you're probably losing money before you even start. But hey, at least my garage smells like a swimming pool now.