Sell, sell, sell

Using the resources we have at hand is one of the best things college students looking for fast cash can do.

Looking through your closet is one way to take advantage of the things you have on hand, and make some money, is practical for almost any student. Old clothes that you are done with or that don’t fit anymore are always fair game. With so many options of how to do so, however, it can be a little confusing to know which outlet is best for you.

First, deciding between flat-out selling clothing and putting things on consignment is the first step in figuring out how you want to approach the reuse route.

“Sometimes with consignment, people think they are going to get money right away,” said Jill McIntyre owner of Carousel Consignments, 1780 W. Grand River Ave., in Okemos. “You have to wait for the items to sell before you get the money.”

Selling them straight away can sometimes yield less cash for your items, but putting things on consignment can take time to get money. So deciding the urgency behind getting cash is vital to knowing which way will produce the highest level of satisfaction with your actions.

“If you have a month or a few weeks to wait, you make much better money,” McIntyre said. “No one is taking a 100 percent risk, so you’re going to get 50 percent (yield) instead of a third.”

McIntyre said if you did need the money right then, putting old clothing on consignment is not something she suggests. But she still notes selling items of clothing is the best way to make a quick buck in a hurry.

Carousel Consignments sells exclusively women’s and children’s clothes. But because many consignment stores are specialized, finding one that fits your needs is more than manageable.

For those looking to get a little extra appreciation for higher-end designer clothes, there are even consignment stores looking exclusively for that group.

K2 Boutique, 4980 Northwind Drive, specifically requests ladies’ “upscale” clothing, along with fine home decor.

McIntyre says that with consignment, people are mostly just happy making a couple of extra dollars nowadays.

“Since the economy has been bad and is getting progressively worse, our consignors have been increasing,” McIntyre said. “They’re not just donating their clothing anymore, they’re finding a way to get a little extra money out of them.”

For most students who want to sell used clothing, the most frequented establishment near campus is Plato’s Closet, 2843 E. Grand River Ave., where the store will buy popular brands of gently used clothing at an up-front cost. If you don’t have the time it takes to sell things on consignment, Plato’s Closet is in the business of buying for the MSU age group. And being located so close to campus, it is easily accessed.

This can be cost-efficient for those students simply looking for leisure money as well.

“You buy clothes anyway. So if you sell them, you can just get something else back in return,” said prenursing freshman Emily Smith.

Traveling saleswomen and men

If you’re not into the idea of selling your own stuff, many companies offer independent selling programs that give a certain amount of profit back to the salesperson.

Another avenue for making money includes selling beauty products through companies like Avon Products Inc. and Mary Kay Inc., or other various products like Kirby vacuum cleaners or magazine subscriptions. Tips on Associatedcontent.com suggest using a Web site such as Magsforless.com to turn a profit on magazine subscriptions.

“I’m not the best salesperson, so I don’t think I would personally do that kind of thing,” Smith said. “But I think it would be a really good idea (for others).”

Mary Ablao, a Laingsburg, Mich., resident and independent beauty consultant, said she first started selling Mary Kay more than six years ago in order to buy the beauty products at a discounted price. But the longer she did it, the more she found it to be a practical way to earn extra money. With flexible hours, she said it’s a great job for people on the go — like students.

“Why it’s great for students is that it’s part-time hours, full-time pay,” Ablao said.

When she began selling Mary Kay, it was mainly to her sisters-in-law, but eventually they were buying hundreds of dollars in products from her.

Independent beauty consultants earn about 50 percent of the suggested retail price of the products, including skin care, makeup, body care and fragrances that they sell online, from catalogs or at parties. Ablao said she also gets a certain percentage from the company for “team building,” which consists of recruiting and sponsoring other beauty consultants.

Although economic times are hard, Ablao said the company remains in the black.

“Because of the economy these days, a lot of people are not buying big-ticket items anymore,” she said. “Because of the economy, women want a pick-me-up, so they’re investing in skin care.”

Sell yourself

For those that can stand the prick, poke or prod of a needle, money can be made.

Christine Kuhinka, manager of corporate communications for ZLB Plasma, said plasma is used to manufacture biotherapies used for a variety of medical conditions. These include anything from coagulation disorders to wound healing.

“Plasma is truly life-sustaining. Without these products many individuals would live severely impaired lives or potentially could die,” Kuhinka said.

Kuhinka said there is a great demand for plasma, and that it takes approximately 130 donations of plasma to collect enough raw material to manufacture a product to keep one patient with primary immune deficiency healthy for one year.

Kuhinka said that while donation center compensation rates may vary, up to $300 a month can be made from plasma donation. Plasma can be donated twice a week as long as there are two days between periods of donation. Kuhinka also said the compensation is for donors’ time, not for plasma.

To qualify, a plasma donor must be between the ages 18 and 59, weigh at least 110 pounds, live in a certain radius of the donation center, possess a valid I.D. and complete a medical screening and questionnaire. Donated plasma is also tested for viruses.

John Benedetto, an accounting freshman, first began donating plasma at the beginning of the semester at ZLB Plasma Services, 5015 S. Cedar Street, in Lansing, and has donated on four or five different occasions. He said the often busy center is not especially popular with students, a fact he attributes to discomfort surrounding needles.

“I got a little extra money,” Benedetto said. “I went online and read the brochures. It was a safe thing and a good way to help out, like giving blood.”

Benedetto said that when donating twice a week, he would be paid $20 for his first donation and $35 for his second. Though donors are allowed to give plasma up to twice a week, granted they are in good enough health to do so, Benedetto says that his donations vary depending on his schedule.