How to Become a ReUser

How would you like to help the world around you & make some money either part time or full time while doing it?

By becoming a ReUser you help reduce rubbish, lower the need to use resources to recycle stuff & every time you find a use for a container as a shipping container it equals one less cardboard box that has to be manufactured.

Say Gidday ReUse is not trying to save the world but our ReUsers can give it a helping hand.

Look around your current workplace or your home with a different view – can I reuse that container for shipping or storage. Then think where can I sell that & who is likely to buy it.

We all reuse items to different degrees – the idea for Say Gidday ReUse came from this. I bought a bulk lot of plaster figurines to sell on my online shop.

After the first sale I had wrapped it in bubble wrap & went looking for a small box in the garage. All I had was at least twice the size of the item then I saw an old screw top plastic food container in the recycling bin.

A quick rinse & a minute to peel off the label & in went the bubble wrapped figurine. The container was small enough to fit in a post bag so ended up being cheaper than a larger box to post.

75 sales later & I have saved a bunch on postage with about 40 containers diverted from recycling or 40 boxes that did not need to be made.

Its not a perfect process but most customers will either reuse the container or recycle it & every reused container is one less box in the waste stream. We won’t solve all the worlds problems but little wins do add up.

To become a ReUser you need

• sources for containers
• a place to give them a clean
• somewhere to sell the containers
• a delivery method

Sources

• your own home, friends, neighbours
• your workplace
• local businesses which can supply you & save on their own waste charges such as gyms, health shops, chemists
• local drop zones – places you set up to to collect containers
• see www.saygidday.com/reuse/info/how-to-become-a-drop-zone
• local free cycle sites
• Think ice cream, food supplements, vitamins containers, coffee tins, baby formula, hair gel – anything with a screw top or push top

Cleaning

• a big sink, hot water, dish washing liquid & some elbow grease
• a dishwasher
• the fun job of peeling off labels – some are easy some need work
• a pot scrubber is great to remove labels – peel the top layer off, soak the next layer then scrub
• meths is a good cleaner for getting label glue off plastic

Where to Sell

• Your own website is best – lower fees & good for return customers.
• Woo Commerce is an easy to learn programme to design an online shop.
• Sites such as Big Commerce or Shopify can create & manage a store for a fee
• Auction sites such as EBay – some of these also offer stores
• Local markets can be a great place to sell items & also a Drop Zone
• Great photos are important to show what you are selling. You can start out with your phones camera & a clear background such as a table or my favorite an enclosed cupboard shelf

Delivery

• Most containers will be bulky & cost a bit to post or ship
• We advise you focus on local customers to start with by charging higher rates for long distance delivery.
• Charge a small fee for local deliveries & deliver items yourself – this is a great way to find repeat customers
• Offer pick up but be clear with the times so you don’t waste time sitting around waiting for a customer
• Always be careful when doing deliveries or offering pick ups – let a friend know what you are doing

To get started head to your recycling bin or rubbish – grab a few things & see how easy it is to clean them & remove labels.  Then practice taking photos & writing descriptions –  keep it simple & clear.

Now try selling them on an auction site such as EBay – no need to spend anything on promoted or upgraded listings.

It won’t cost you much & you might even make some money. If you are still interested after the experiment check out our plan options.

You can create a listing on our website to promote your business & separate ones for your products with links back to your shop. All sales will be processed via your shop

You can also get a Say Gidday ReUse username to make it easier to promote your business to customers & suppliers

Give it a try & if you have questions email us  hello@saygidday.com

Have Fun