An angle that is very successful in all environments is buying and selling electronics. These electronics can be functioning or broken. You will obviously find more success with broken electronics that need fixing (from experience), but well get to that in a second. It is also possible to find electronics that are undervalued by the seller. Typically, if you see an ad on Craigslist that says, I am willing to negotiate. Or I need to sell this ASAP the seller has probably underpriced the item or will make a deal, to sell it quickly. Perform a quick price check of the item in question on eBay and make an offer on the item. Do not be afraid to lowball them, but be willing to compromise. Negotiation is key! Generally, you can talk the buyer down about $20 if its priced under $100. To give you an idea of how this negotiation process works, lets look at this example.
EXAMPLE:
A person is selling an IPod Touch 2nd Generation for $70 stating they need to sell it ASAP. Text or email them that you are willing to pay $40. Most likely when they see your offer they will respond with, I cant go that low. I need $60 at least. You should then raise your offer to $50; to which the buyer will most likely respond with $55. Accept the offer and be proud that you saved $15 on a purchase. Sometimes the buyer will accept your first offer and this is when you can make money off of someone elses product. When you purchase the IPod for $40 take it and relist it on Craigslist, or eBay; asking $70 for it. Now, you will not sell the IPod right away, it will take a few days; but it will sell and you will be $30 richer with little effort involved. Now wasnt that easy?!
Most of the time though cheap electronics on Craigslist will be broken. DO NOT BE ALARMED THOUGH. Electronics, especially the really popular items on Craigslist (iPod, iPhone) are very easy to fix! The most common issue people experience with iPhones/iPods is damaged screens; these screens can be purchased for ten to thirty dollars, depending on the age of the iPhone/iPod. The iPhone screen for example can be bought pre-assembled, all that you have to do is unscrew two screws on the front of the iPhone, remove the ribbons from the motherboard, and reinsert the new ribbons and snap on the new screen. Viola! Here is a video providing you with step by step visual instructions. If the prospect of taking apart your broken electronics intimidates you, dont worry. You can still make money with broken electronics. You have two possibilities: One is to sell electronics online for a higher price on Craigslist or eBay. This method will yield success, but the payout may not be astounding.