How do I afford new hobbies and business endeavors? Over the years, as we have gained free time and higher levels of disposable income, there have been two glaring results; too many new hobbies and too much additional clutter. We will talk about issue number one in this post. My husband went on a little bit of a hobby/small business launch bonanza a few years after college ended. He also tends to get a little bit compulsive when it comes to new activities and that can get expensive. 

He has always held the same belief in both small business and new hobbies:

“Fail Fast and Fail Cheap”

Sometimes he is full of it, and sometimes he has some profound thoughts. This mindset really does allow him to test experiences that catch his interest, and also leaves my mind at ease that he isn’t going to go overboard and manically spend on fleeting interests. 

When kicking off a new hobby we all want the latest and greatest, but do we really need it? Shopping is fun, I get it, but shopping for something that might find its way into the garage or the back of the closet is just bad business. On the other hand, you don’t want to buy the worst and cheapest equipment out there as bad equipment can ruin the experience of a new hobby. We are in a conundrum.

My husband is the king of locating and sourcing Premium-Used items.

Thankfully, there are easy ways to find great quality items that you won’t feel bad beating up. There is also the upside that you should be able to unload the items for a minimal loss once you realize you weren’t destined to be a garage blacksmith, archery expert, or Miata race driver (actual examples…). Below is a ranked list of our favorite places to search for pre-loved items.

1. Facebook Marketplace

   This is our favorite and first stop. You can find essentially everything that used to be on Craiglist without that sometimes shady feeling of meeting with a complete stranger as is the case with Craigslist. We love that the person you are dealing with has a profile, and if they are active, should have ratings. Sure you have to take this with a grain of salt, as it is easy for anyone to create fake profiles and scam you. Always use your best judgment, we also try to make any transaction in a public place. Facebook is by far our favorite thanks to ease of use, breadth of items, and speed of transaction. We have had needs filled within 20 minutes for a fraction of the price. For instance, we were doing a diy wood-working project and needed a jigsaw. One quick search in our area and we found someone 2 blocks away getting rid of one for $20 on marketplace. He answered immediately and we were able to pick it up and continue our project. This was way better than an hour spent going to the hardware store and dropping money for retail-new on a tool we may use once ever.

2. Craigslist

   In recent years we would say most people that would have listed on Craigslist are now listing on Facebook. We have found though that we have not found what we were looking for on one and have found on the other. Additionally, it seems that there are just people who do not use social media and are used to using craigslist. The primary issue with craigslist that we have encountered is that people are slower to respond as responses tend to go to email rather than Facebook that they may use more frequently. The other downside is that the person on the other end is truly anonymous. We urge any transaction on this platform to be approached with caution and use your best judgment.

3. eBay

   If you can’t find it cheap and local, the surefire way to get something you need at a discount is eBay. This is 3rd on our list of places to check primarily because due to shipping costs, and the inability to see the item first hand. We prefer to be able to see the product and negotiate if needed. The plus side is that eBay has been around for a while and has the same built-in vetting system that is available on Facebook marketplace.

4. Facebook Groups - Interest Specific

   We join interest-specific groups within Facebook that align with our hobbies. Within these groups, you can join a community and converse with all kinds of interesting, like-minded people. We have found that these groups also end up becoming marketplaces for gear that group members do not list on marketplaces. This is a fantastic opportunity to pick up gear from people who theoretically were very into the hobby and take care of their equipment. The marketplace also becomes two-sided in that you can see that group members will request items they need and receive offers from other group members who may be selling what you need. The downsides here are a hybrid of craigslist and eBay. If it is a general interest group, you will likely be paying for shipping. There is also a chance that you may be scammed since these users are not protecting a seller's profile, and there is no real recourse for a bad transaction other than calling them out within the group. If you buy anything via this channel, I suggest thorough due diligence on your end. Ask the group about them as a sellers, gain as much personal information about them as possible. Again, this is a great method to find specific items on the cheap, but keep in mind that you need to approach with caution.

Our parents laugh at our frugal nature, particularly when we purchase these used items off of secondary marketplaces. We really don’t care as we ensure that we do not buy junk, and are happy to walk away from a deal or renegotiate if it does not match up to what we are comfortable paying. I assume their idea of what we are doing is making back-alley deals with unsavory characters. If that is your idea of what it is like to purchase via a secondary market, then hopefully some of our thoughts might help change your mind!

If you come across a new hobby or small business idea, start as fast and cheaply as possible.