A challenge has been set in our home, to purchase and upcycle an item from Gumtree or eBay and see who can sell it for the best profit. (insert excited rubbing hands together emoji) The Builder and I have been looking for a project that will keep us entertained in our downtime. We each have a healthy love of competition and are both pretty handy. Furniture upcycling has long been an interest of mine, however, I’ve struggled with allocating time to enjoy this. The Builder has a love for antiques and between us, we’re pretty excited to see what this friendly challenge brings our way.
We’ve set a few rules around our little challenge to keep us tight and in a comparable space. Perhaps you’d like to join in and follow these rules as well?
The Rules
- The maximum cost of the item and upcycling $150
- Item must be purchased and sold within 6 weeks
- No outside help is permitted
- Item must be purchased, not found
- Each hour of self labour is to be charged out at $10 per hour (for example if it takes you 6 hours to upcycle your project, you need to add $60 to the cost of the item)
That is it! Simple rules, to allow for plenty of room to improve something. When we first talked about this challenge, it was finding something at a garage sale, or second-hand store, and then selling it online, so that option is also open, however finding something for free is not an option.
Obviously, the Builder and I have different skill sets, but we’re keen to see what each of those skill sets finds us. I’ve been stalking Gumtree this morning, and here are some of my finds… (forgive the photo quality)
Each of these items could be easily upcycled even with my moderate skills. My preference is something I could sand and paint or an item I can create another item from. A quick flip! The Builder, on the other hand, is looking to pick up a bargain antique that he can remarket and sell for a profit.
We would love for you to join in with our challenge, even encourage your friend and family to participate. Let’s see what we can all do with a little creative thinking and time.
Will you join us for the upcycling challenge? Have you ever had a friendly competition with friends or family?
Nicole xx
We’ve been the opposite and selling our stuff on Gumtree (and FB marketplace too!) We’ve been desperate to get rid of our items and have priced them to sell. I’m sure some of them have been upcycled and sold on. I can’t wait to see what you get up to!
We have been the same, now that the thrill of selling is gone, we can create a new thrill!! Fingers crossed it actually works ?
Love it! Can’t wait to see the results. I’ve been the same as Sammie. Selling stuff to get rid of it out of our home. Amazing what can be upcycled though! And some things have been seen in a different light to what we’ve viewed it as. Looking forward to the next post with the final project.
Funnily enough, we’ve been a bit the same, selling some stuff we no longer need or use. It’ll be interesting to see if we can make a profit! ?