We have two upcycle shops in my town so I go into them periodically to see what they are selling and the prices. Then I try to do ‘more’ to my pieces - add interesting artisanal paper, decoupage or stencil to the doors/drawers of items. Most of the dressers in these stores are simple chalk painted and distressed. So I have embraced a combination of paint & refinishing - sand/refinish the drawer fronts or top and paint the rest. Dressers are my main focus these days and I’ll pick up a random nightstand for cheap to ‘match’ the color and sell them as a set.
I think you’re bang on with your analysis of the 3 stages. I’m stage 2. Stage 1 doesn’t interest me. It’s simply business. Buy cheap, flip for more. Stage 3 is not something I could sell in my area. I think I have those artistic skills, but the market is not in my area. Stage 2 is still tricky, because as you said, pretty much anyone can slap on some paint and improve the piece. But can they? There’s so much more to it than that. Most people don’t realize the amount of product needed to finish a piece. And the tools. To finish and sell a piece, the tools needed, would impress or scare off most people. It’s crazy what you need to work on these pieces to create a sellable piece for the most money. You can’t do level 2 without all the investment. Just can’t.
You're right- there's definitely investment in Stage 2 both in materials, time, and education. Thanks for pointing out that not just anybody can make a painted piece look beautiful! I shouldn't have said something that came across as dismissive. Hurrah for Stage 2!! Go get 'em!
So happy for you that your channel got monetized! I really love your presentation style and you give excellent information in a really organized way. I have subscribed and this is the first time I have ever turned on notifications for a You Tube channel.
The way you broke this down was very helpful! My husband is retired and I am still working wanting/needing to retire. We feel this may be our avenue to adding some much needed income for us. Thank for this great advice!
Congratulations on getting enough hours and views to get monetized on TH-cam Amy! You provide very informative content and do a great job of adding color to all of your techniques and perspective. I know creators are always looking to others to stay informed on what's out there, and how trends are moving, what other resources do you tap in to?
Thank you! I like to watch the other TH-cam flippers and chalk painters. I've watched Debi's Design Diary for years because I love Boho style vibes. I also go to an upscale consignment furniture store frequently to see what's selling and for how much.
The strategy I use depends on the piece. I don't have a truck, but my SUV is big enough for most things I find. Thank you for your pricing worksheet! What about accepting payment? I prefer CASH ONLY, but too many times customers prefer to use plastic as ATMs are not easily available/close by (I'm rural). After researching the subject, I found there are lots of online-type of pay processors: which is the best - easiest - cheapest to work with, and how do I know which to use? Do I register my business with the state and/or feds (do I need an EIN)? Should I trademark my business name and/or logo? Should I invest in a branding iron, or is an inked stamp enough (I'm afraid an inked stamp is too easily painted over)? How do you 'sign' your pieces? These are the kind of questions I have & don't know where to get answers. I expect to use Facebook Marketplace primarily; my eldest set me up a Facebook account for just that reason (no personal stuff). Thanks for the tutorials & videos!
There are great questions/ideas for future videos! Thanks! I won't leave you hanging on a couple of those questions though. For accepting payment it's not hard to set up an account with Zelle, Paypal or Venmo. They are just very highly secure third parties who enable people to send you money without (your customer) needing to know any of your bank account info; they just need to know your phone number or email address. A lot of people just don't keep much cash around and this makes it easy to get paid. I use both Paypal and Zelle and have had no troubles and I plan to set up a Venmo account just to be sure anyone can pay me no matter which of those three they prefer. You don't need to register your business if you are just a sole proprietor using your own personal name-- don't overcomplicate it in the beginning. If you want to do business under a different name you will need to file an assumed name certificate (usually in your county) but it's not hard to do. Good luck and thanks for watching!!
My main question is how to get started flipping if I live in a rural area. I'm about 60 miles from the closest smaller city and 90 minutes from larger cities. What do you recommend? Should I look, for instance, into putting my furniture into a consignment store? (I'm in New Mexico and Santa Fe is loaded with consignment shops.) So what are some strategies for buying cheap and selling my pieces if I'm in a rural area? Thank you.
Yes that's tricky! I got a similar question from another viewer and she has booths in antique mall/mercantile shops in more touristy areas. I'd say you should consider either getting a booth in a place like that or trying consignment shops (that's probably a better start because you're not putting out money up front.) The advantage to being in a more rural area is that when you do find furniture to buy, it will be priced lower because you're not in a big market. (Which is the same reason you can't sell it for as much in your small market.) Good luck!!
Great advice!! Thanks so much. Love watching your channel. I do all 3. But when it takes more time then money I’ll see it’s very frustrating. And yet I keep doing it. 😃
We have two upcycle shops in my town so I go into them periodically to see what they are selling and the prices. Then I try to do ‘more’ to my pieces - add interesting artisanal paper, decoupage or stencil to the doors/drawers of items. Most of the dressers in these stores are simple chalk painted and distressed. So I have embraced a combination of paint & refinishing - sand/refinish the drawer fronts or top and paint the rest. Dressers are my main focus these days and I’ll pick up a random nightstand for cheap to ‘match’ the color and sell them as a set.
Adding value for the win! Thanks for sharing how you do it :-)
I think you’re bang on with your analysis of the 3 stages. I’m stage 2. Stage 1 doesn’t interest me. It’s simply business. Buy cheap, flip for more. Stage 3 is not something I could sell in my area. I think I have those artistic skills, but the market is not in my area. Stage 2 is still tricky, because as you said, pretty much anyone can slap on some paint and improve the piece. But can they? There’s so much more to it than that. Most people don’t realize the amount of product needed to finish a piece. And the tools. To finish and sell a piece, the tools needed, would impress or scare off most people. It’s crazy what you need to work on these pieces to create a sellable piece for the most money. You can’t do level 2 without all the investment. Just can’t.
You're right- there's definitely investment in Stage 2 both in materials, time, and education. Thanks for pointing out that not just anybody can make a painted piece look beautiful! I shouldn't have said something that came across as dismissive. Hurrah for Stage 2!! Go get 'em!
i do both strategy 1 and 3, with a little 2. its worked out really really really well for me so far.
Oh good to hear -- you are the smart one! I need to push my model in that direction LOL! Thanks for watching ;-)
So happy for you that your channel got monetized! I really love your presentation style and you give excellent information in a really organized way. I have subscribed and this is the first time I have ever turned on notifications for a You Tube channel.
Thank you so much! The positive comments are inspiring :-)
So glad I found your channel thank you for all your expert tips. Just getting started your help is a big help lol
I'm so glad! Thanks for watching!
Nice way to look at breaking down the approach to flipping furniture! Which of the strategies did you do most when you first started?
I always painted furniture, since I started selling it, so I've always been a #2. Thanks for watching!
The way you broke this down was very helpful! My husband is retired and I am still working wanting/needing to retire. We feel this may be our avenue to adding some much needed income for us. Thank for this great advice!
You are so welcome! Good luck!
Congratulations on getting enough hours and views to get monetized on TH-cam Amy! You provide very informative content and do a great job of adding color to all of your techniques and perspective. I know creators are always looking to others to stay informed on what's out there, and how trends are moving, what other resources do you tap in to?
Thank you! I like to watch the other TH-cam flippers and chalk painters. I've watched Debi's Design Diary for years because I love Boho style vibes. I also go to an upscale consignment furniture store frequently to see what's selling and for how much.
The strategy I use depends on the piece. I don't have a truck, but my SUV is big enough for most things I find. Thank you for your pricing worksheet! What about accepting payment? I prefer CASH ONLY, but too many times customers prefer to use plastic as ATMs are not easily available/close by (I'm rural). After researching the subject, I found there are lots of online-type of pay processors: which is the best - easiest - cheapest to work with, and how do I know which to use? Do I register my business with the state and/or feds (do I need an EIN)? Should I trademark my business name and/or logo? Should I invest in a branding iron, or is an inked stamp enough (I'm afraid an inked stamp is too easily painted over)? How do you 'sign' your pieces? These are the kind of questions I have & don't know where to get answers. I expect to use Facebook Marketplace primarily; my eldest set me up a Facebook account for just that reason (no personal stuff). Thanks for the tutorials & videos!
There are great questions/ideas for future videos! Thanks! I won't leave you hanging on a couple of those questions though. For accepting payment it's not hard to set up an account with Zelle, Paypal or Venmo. They are just very highly secure third parties who enable people to send you money without (your customer) needing to know any of your bank account info; they just need to know your phone number or email address. A lot of people just don't keep much cash around and this makes it easy to get paid. I use both Paypal and Zelle and have had no troubles and I plan to set up a Venmo account just to be sure anyone can pay me no matter which of those three they prefer. You don't need to register your business if you are just a sole proprietor using your own personal name-- don't overcomplicate it in the beginning. If you want to do business under a different name you will need to file an assumed name certificate (usually in your county) but it's not hard to do. Good luck and thanks for watching!!
Congrats! I'm looking forward to even more of these videos!
Yay, thank you!
My main question is how to get started flipping if I live in a rural area. I'm about 60 miles from the closest smaller city and 90 minutes from larger cities. What do you recommend? Should I look, for instance, into putting my furniture into a consignment store? (I'm in New Mexico and Santa Fe is loaded with consignment shops.) So what are some strategies for buying cheap and selling my pieces if I'm in a rural area? Thank you.
Yes that's tricky! I got a similar question from another viewer and she has booths in antique mall/mercantile shops in more touristy areas. I'd say you should consider either getting a booth in a place like that or trying consignment shops (that's probably a better start because you're not putting out money up front.) The advantage to being in a more rural area is that when you do find furniture to buy, it will be priced lower because you're not in a big market. (Which is the same reason you can't sell it for as much in your small market.) Good luck!!
@@amydillardGypsySoul Thanks so much for your answer. I appreciate it. :-)
Let me know which strategy fits you! Which one do you think will make the most money?
Great advice!! Thanks so much. Love watching your channel. I do all 3. But when it takes more time then money I’ll see it’s very frustrating. And yet I keep doing it. 😃
@@connielaplante7275 Yay for you! Keep it up and thanks for watching!!