I’m 25 and make £200 an hour from old phones – you don’t need a degree and anyone can do it
BRINGING in a bit of extra cash each month can make a real difference – and there are ways to do it with very little effort.
Eliot Davey, 25, told The Sun he can make up to £600 in three hours “flipping” phones from the comfort of his sofa.
The tech influencer from London stumbled across reselling app Twig online and realised he could use his knowledge to make some extra money.
“It happened just by chance,” said Eliot.
“I’ve got lots of knowledge about various pieces of tech which I review through my page Tech Drop, so I already have some insight about what to look for.
“When I discovered Twig online, I knew I could make this work to my advantage.”
Unlike other reselling platforms, Twig buys your items directly so you’re not waiting around for a buyer which can take weeks.
Eliot says you don’t need to have the expertise he has to make money flipping phones.
He works out which phones are selling for the highest prices by looking at the app’s valuations.
Then he goes in search of the same phones being sold for less by scouring sites such as Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, Nextdoor and eBay.
“It’s simple to do – it’s a bit like reverse engineering my instant income potential,” said Eliot.
The savvy technophile spends as little as an hour a week finding phones that he knows will make money.
“In a lot of cases I don’t even need to pay postage as I’ll find them locally and can collect them myself,” Eliot said.
“I do need to check them over but as long as they’re in reasonably good condition, I can then flog them to Twig.”
Eliot explained that the thing he loves about selling to Twig specifically is that once the phone is approved, the app transfers the cash into your account instantly.
“It’s so easy to do and the cash is a welcome boost to my bank balance.”
Eliot said he’d encourage anyone to give it a go, but warned that it’s important to do your homework before you buy any phone.
“The phones must be from reputable sources, and you have to know what you’re looking for including damage and flaws to the phones themselves,” he said.
“But once you get into the habit and then are diligent with selling to Twig, the money can start rolling in quickly.”
Other ways to sell stuff you don’t want
Reselling is becoming more and more and more popular as the cost-of-living crisis eats into family finances.
It’s easy to do and has the added benefit of decluttering your home, raising cash and it’s good for the environment.
There are lots of apps and sites online that make it simple to list and sell items from old clothes to toys, books, furniture as well as electronics.
If you don’t want the hassle of listing your items yourself, resellers such as sellmystuff.co.uk will look after the whole process for you – but they come with a hefty price tag and will take a third of the money you make.
If you’re happy to make the effort, you could try car boot sales, or local bring-and-buy sales.
Facebook Marketplace and Nextdoor are great if you want to buy and sell locally.
It’s also worth looking at MusicMagpie.co.uk, which is great for getting rid of CDs, games, electronics and even Lego.
Specialist items might do best on a bespoke site, for instance, stillwhite.com will let you flog your wedding dress rather than leaving it in the attic to moulder.
Webuybooks.co.uk is a good way to get rid of unwanted books, and all you need is the ISBN number.
Get started
If you want to follow Eliot’s lead and start phone flipping on Twig, here’s how to get started.
- To get a valuation, upload photos of the item you want to sell, and Twig lets you know what it will pay then and there.
- The valuation is based on its database of prices of both new and second-hand products. Twig says it evaluates the highest and lowest prices to give you the best offer.
- If a brand isn’t in the database, you won’t be able to sell there, but you can request for brands to be added in future updates.
- Once you’ve got your valuation, you’ll receive a Royal Mail shipping label that you take to your local post office along with your items.
- When they’ve received your parcel, they’ll deduct the postage cost and transfer the rest of your earnings.
- Twig then sells your items through the second hand market, or upcycles or donates them.
- It’s free to spend your earnings at companies registered with Twig, but if you want to send the money to your bank account there is a 3% charge.