When you think about Craigslist what comes to mind? For some people they may think about great deals, job opportunities or the go to place to find a rental property. For others, the thought of Craigslist could trigger old horror stories of murder, theft and police stings. But, for those select thousands who are in the business of flipping for profit, access to unreported income may come to mind. In writing my book The Craigslist Hustle, my intentions were to give individuals the straight forward tips on how to make extra money through Craigslist. I have been successful with this mission and I receive several emails monthly from individuals who were inspired by my story and decided to start their own “Craigslist Hustle.”
As I thought about my own personal success as well as the success of others that I’ve inspired, I couldn’t believe the revelation I received. The Craigslist Hustle, if done properly, could be an example of tax evasion at its finest. In no way do I condone the information that I am about to share in this article, and I am a tax paying citizen, as I’m sure most flippers who hustle Craigslist are. However, I was so intrigued by what I discovered that I felt led to share. I know without a doubt that I could earn, as well as teach others to earn, at minimum $40,000 a year tax free by hustling on Craigslist. I have personally met individuals who make more than double this amount “under the table” by hustling Craigslist. In America, Craigslist reports that over 60 million people use the site each month. There are hundreds of thousands of people who have learned how to hustle Craigslist for profit, and there is plenty of room for hundreds of thousands more to get in on the action.
When I first started buying and selling on Craigslist I was in a tough spot financially. I had gotten laid off by my employer along with dozens more due to company downsizing. I filled out applications everywhere with no prevail and my unemployment benefits were weeks away from ending. As fate would have it, my brother worked for a moving company gave me a Kenmore dryer that he received for free from a client. I didn’t know much about Craigslist at the time, but I decided to post the dryer for sale on the site that evening. Within two hours the dryer was sold for $100, and that was my light bulb moment. I had just earned in a couple of hours the amount that normally would have taken me eight hours or more at that time to earn. There wasn’t a check stub showing Federal taxes, Social Security taxes or Medicare taxes withheld. Instead, just five twenty dollar bills placed into my hand to validate the transaction.
I share more details of my personal story in my book The Craigslist Hustle. For the purpose of this article, I am got to walk you through this underground world of how a person could earn thousands of unreported dollars a month hustling on Craigslist. There a dozens of untraceable items posted on Craigslist that can be purchased and resold for profit. Some of the top items are appliances, cell phones, computers and furniture, all of which can bring in $500 to $2000 or more a week. I was in contact with an individual located in Colorado who was consistently making over $1000 a week selling used mattresses. I wrote another article entitled “Craigslist for felons: When employers won’t hire Craigslist will.” In this blog article I talk about a convicted felon I contacted through Craigslist to repair the HVAC system at my residence. I didn’t know he was a convicted felon, but he felt led to share his story with me before he left my house. He served 25 years for murder in a state penitentiary and had been released three years prior to coming to my home. While incarcerated, the gentleman was taught how to repair HVAC systems and was used to repair systems at various facilities. After his release, his girlfriend introduced him to Craigslist where he later starting promoting his services on the site. In a three year period he informed me that he earned over $200,000 repairing HVAC units. The majority of his work came from new clients via Craigslist, and the rest came from word of mouth. I know without a doubt this gentleman wasn’t reporting his income, because the only form of payment he would accept was cash. Do I believe he was telling the truth about how much he earned in the amount of time? Based on my personal experience buying and selling on Craigslist, yes I do.
I am in contact with several people who have read my book, watched my YouTube videos and started flipping appliances on Craigslist. These are people located all around the country, but they have similar success stories. They are all averaging $1000 a week working less than 40 hours a week. The main way a person could continue to earn unreported income is by keeping it simple. Avoid the overhead costs that come along with starting a business, conduct business transactions out of their home, or out of a rented storage unit. A person could buy three used washer and dryer sets over a five day period for $300 (yes, $100 per set.) Within three days, that person could sell the sets for $300 each and profit $600. This is a real life example on the low end of what appliance flippers are making weekly. Experienced flippers located in populated areas can consistently purchase at minimum six washer and dryer sets a week. If a person gets six washer and dryer sets that I teach my readers to purchase, they could sell each set for $200 profit.
A lot of people are turning to the underground world of flipping on Craigslist so they can make undocumented income. As sad as it sounds, I know fathers who choose not to work because the majority of their income is deducted for child support payments. On the flip side, these same individuals make a few thousand dollars a month buying and selling items on Craigslist. Instead of pickup up a part-time job, people are learning how to buy and resell items on Craigslist. Most part time jobs pay around $12 an hour, or maybe less. Working 25 hours per week a person will earn $600 before taxes. After taxes and any other deductions or garnishments, they may bring home a $400 check. I have purchased a washer and dryer set for $100, and had the set sold in four hours for $300. I purchased two more sets three hours later for a total of $250. I sold both sets within twenty four hours for $650 total. Within a day’s time I was able to profit $600 tax free. It didn’t take me 50 hours of work away from my family while sleep deprived. This took a couple of hours browsing Craigslist, driving out to pick up the sets, cleaning the sets and waiting on the buyer to purchase the sets.
Craigslist has opened up the door for individuals to make unreported income like never before. Mobile mechanics, carpet cleaners, seamstresses, carpenters, graphic designers, piano teachers, and the list goes on. These are services that can be done under the radar and bring in big time profits. As mentioned earlier, not reporting your income is not a practice I neither teach nor promote. However, I am a proponent for individuals earning extra legit income. If this article has ignited your curiosity about using Craigslist to earn some extra money, then let me show you how. Check out my book The Craigslist Hustle on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble and other online retailers. Go to YouTube and search the Craigslist Hustle and check out the videos as well. The Craigslist Hustle, let’s get it!
