Making cash simply by spending time using social media might sound like a pipe dream, but it’s a reality for one thrifty Aussie mum, who has leveraged her presence on Facebook to fund the ultimate treat for her daughters.
Indeed, Olivia White of Melbourne is a self-proclaimed anti-hoarder – and boy has the stance worked wonders for her.
Taking to the social media platform’s on-selling mechanism, named Facebook Marketplace, Olivia has now sold hundreds of unused household items and pieces of clothing, resulting in a profit of more than $15,000, and a trip to Disneyland with her daughters to boot.
So how did she do it? Well, going right back to when she was a teenager, Olivia always had her eyes peeled for a bargain.
And it wasn’t just buying vintage and second hand shopping that she revelled in doing – she also loved to sell her own clothing to make a buck.
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The first turning point came when she managed to sell a hot-pink Cue skirt which she’d originally purchased second hand for $4, for a whopping $350.
Yep, that’s a casual $346 profit…
“That was the first time I realised I could really make a living from it,” Olivia tells Now To Love.
Throughout her uni years, she continued doing the same thing – buying and selling vintage items. But it was the creation of Facebook Marketplace, and concurrently becoming a mum, that really provided the ultimate opportunity for Olivia.
“I just love giving things a second lease on life, you know I might not need it anymore, but someone else might. And selling it on Facebook brings about a sense of community,” she explained.
Olivia loves selling things on Facebook Marketplace, so much so that she’s made more than $10,000 from her work on it!
(Image: Instagram @houseofwhite_)With a number of baby items that her children had grown out of before they’d worn out of, Olivia utilised the platform to sell things like baby clothes, prams and even a cot.
“It was sad to see the cot go because it was such a milestone for me, but the mum that it went to was so excited because it was a certain brand that she really wanted, and she said she wouldn’t have been able to afford it otherwise,” Olivia explained.
“It’s so nice you can do that for someone – it’s the whole mums helping mums thing – there’s no other platform like Marketplace that really encourages that.”
Olivia also finds Marketplace a positive platform to encourage sustainability.
“I just want to break that stigma – it’s okay to have second had things, especially when you have babies and kids,” she said.
“With Instagram, it can seem like everyone has the perfect life, but if you’re resourceful, you can absolutely still feel the same.”
The mum-of-two funded a family trip to Disneyland in 2018 through her Marketplace earnings!
(Image: Instagram @houseofwhite_)Three years on the platform later, and Olivia can proudly declare she’s made more than $15,000 – no small feat for the mum, who also spends her time blogging about motherhood on her lifestyle website House of White.
But she hasn’t done it just by selling clothes and baby furniture.
Nope, the Aussie mum-of-two has actually taken to selling anything and everything around her house (much to her clutter-free-minded joy).
“My husband always jokes that if it’s not bolted down I’ll sell it,” she laughed.
And he’s certainly not wrong – Olivia even managed to sell the family’s garden shed.
Yep, you read that right. The old concrete structure sitting on their farm in Victoria was about to be knocked down to make way for a new workshop when Olivia had a brainwave.
“[The old shed] was fully cast into the ground, so we got quotes to move it and it was going to cost upwards of a thousand dollars, so I put it up on Marketplace for $100 and and I had like, a hundred enquires!”
“Everyone was falling over themselves for this shed, and the people that bought it came and removed it and everything, so I not only saved money, I made money!”
She even sold a shed!
(Image: Instagram @houseofwhite_)Olivia said Marketplace has also proved itself as a preferable platform for selling her second hand goods due to its ease and freedom to post items and interact with users.
“You can link to the buy swap sell pages already existing on Facebook, and there’s community pages too,” she explained.
“And sometimes you don’t have to sell something, you can just put it up for free and pay it forward. I just love that you can have all of that with it, as well as making money.”
Olivia’s top five tips for success on Facebook Marketplace
Take lots of photos, and ensure the item is in a well lit area.
Make the item look well presented, because as Olivia puts it: “There’s a reason they call it pre-loved. The item was loved, it’s still loved, and it can be loved by someone else.
Ensure your pictures of the item are taken in a place that makes it easy for the buyer to envision it as their own. For example, if it’s an appliance, take photos of the item in the kitchen or if it’s outdoor furniture, ensure the pictures are taken outside.
Be completely transparent about the item you’re selling by putting detailed descriptions. Think of any question that might be asked and ensure this information is included in the listing.
Have open channels of communication. As Olivia says, “You’re always going to get the people that try to barter you down, but still be friendly to them, and still be open to those lines of communications.”
