Gamer Levels Up Life With eBay Side Hustle

Notes from Chris

Episode 564

For Rodney Wittenhagen, video games have always been a passion. Ever since he was a little kid, he’s loved nothing more than spending an afternoon, or sometimes the entire weekend, being transported to another universe. And now he’s found a way to turn his “love of the game” into a profitable side hustle.

It all started when Rodney was on the hunt for some classic Pokemon games. He’d played them as a child and was itching for a trip down memory lane. After searching, he came across the games in great condition on eBay, bought them, and played them through to completion as soon as they were delivered.

Rodney enjoyed the ease of the process and began to wonder if it was something he could use to earn some gold coins on the side. He’d already amassed a collection of video games and had some extra money to invest. So, he figured he’d test the idea.

He took the Pokemon games he’d bought and uploaded them to eBay. He set the price a little higher than what he’d originally paid for them, took pictures to show the quality of the cartridges, and wrote a quick description. He didn’t think much would happen, so he went about his day job as a production supervisor. But, much to his surprise, the games sold within a few hours! He’d made a few dollars from each game.

Rodney says the first sale was exciting, but he didn’t really do anything to celebrate. He just accepted his next quest: to grow his inventory and make more money from flipping his favorite games. To accomplish the first part, Rodney set himself a limit of $200. He felt this was enough money to get a good return on his investment, but if he couldn’t replicate his success, he wouldn’t be upset to lose it. If nothing else, he’d have some games he loved to show for it!

Rodney hopes to refine the system as the business grows, but right now it’s simple enough for him to deal with around his day-job and allows him to invest more of his $500 to $800 a month profit back into the business.

Looking to the future, Rodney wants to expand what he sells and create a larger inventory of games. He’s already started selling consoles and bundles through his website and wants to be able to cover more types of games and accessories. And, eventually, move his venture entirely away from eBay and create an online Pixel Warehouse empire! If he does that, he’ll be playing on expert mode.

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Pixel Warehouse: Take a trip down memory lane—pick up some of your old favorites over on Rodney's website
• Shopify: Rodney used Shopify to set up his site for Pixel Warehouse, and they're offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
• Facebook Marketplace, eBay, & Craigslist: The three platforms that Rodney uses to source the video games he flips

SEE ALSO:

• Engineer Makes $64,000 Selling Nerdy Playing Cards on Reddit: It started with a single Legend of Zelda playing card she drew for a friend and posted on Reddit—then it became a side hustle selling more than 6,400 full decks
• Childhood Game Master Earns $1 Million from Nerdy Kickstarter Campaigns: This Ohio man loves board games so much that he made his own—and when he tries to raise $6,000 through a Kickstarter campaign, he ends up with much more than he ever imagined
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,