Britain has become a nation of Del Boys – by buying and selling second hand goods to make ends meet, it has been revealed. Research revealed more than two thirds of us have traded items ‘Trotter-style’ to make extra cash – with clothes, books, DVDs and even furniture the most popular goods.
It also emerged more than one in four have bought items purely to sell them again to make an immediate profit.
Worryingly, almost one in three second-hand sellers admitted flogging something KNOWING it was faulty – just like David Jason’s character in Only Fools and Horses.
And with the average adult pocketing around £137 a year, that means Britain’s Del Boy’s banked a cool total of £4.6billion.
It also emerged we’re not just selling off unwanted items- the study also revealed millions of Brits are haggling in store or using discount codes and vouchers to avoid paying full price for goods.
Andy Oldham, Managing Director at cashback site Quidco, which commissioned the research, said:
”Since the credit crunch and the recession, Brits have really had to re-evaluate their spending and find ways to save money, as well as bring in extra cash.
”Selling our unused or unwanted items is becoming more and more popular as a way of earning some extra money.
”But while Del-Boy might have been a fictional character, the recession is bringing him out in more of us than ever before, as many people admit to selling something they know isn’t as good as it once was and even things that don’t work at all.
”Others are doing their research to avoid buying anything at full price by using discount codes and vouchers, or even haggling with shop assistants.
”While this sort of behavior might have been reserved for a small minority in the past, savvy Brits are becoming more clued up on the different ways to save and make money to get them through tight times.”
The study of 2,000 Brits found that 69% of people sell their unwanted items, with another 28% buying things to sell on at a higher price.
One in five of those even consider themselves to be a ‘professional’ eBayer or car boot seller, with 23% of people treating their second-hand selling like a side line business.
But the average Brit earns an extra £137.20 every year from selling their unwanted goods, with clothes, books and DVDs the most popular items to flog.
CDs, shoes, computer games and even furniture are other items Brits exchange for cash.
Most second-hand sellers put the extra cash they make into savings, while 20% use the money to replace the things they have sold.
Another 19% put the profits towards a holiday.
Other uses for the money raised from selling things include putting it towards the cost of decorating the house, or to cover the cost of Christmas or birthday presents and even simply paying the bills.
But researchers also revealed that a shocking 27% of people even admitted to selling an old item knowing it was broken and didn’t work properly or ever at all.
And a fifth of those didn’t give the buyer any indication that there was anything wrong with what they were handing over their cash for.
Worryingly, half even admitted they didn’t feel at all guilty about letting someone pay for something which wasn’t in a great condition.
The study also found that 54% of people regularly haggle when buying things in stores to try and save cash, and almost three quarters always search for discount vouchers or codes before buying something to avoid paying full price.
But this has worked for many with the average savvy shopper saving £122.23 in the past year by haggling or using discount vouchers before buying something.
