You just bought a bottle of fine wine and you open it. What do you usually do with the wine cork?…
If you are going to throw it away, think again. You could be using wine corks for various purposes, some of which could help you
earn some extra cashHow to Get Cash for Old Wine Bottles & Corks
Some people have been
recycling used wine corks, turning them into a wide variety of things. Stamps, Wreath, Coasters, Key Chains and business card holders are some of those things.
Just one step away from ending up in the garbage bin, these wine corks have been given a new lease of life by these artists and crafters who actually make money by selling these creations.
If you are one of those artists, then great, keeping making money. But if you are not, yet want to profit from old and unused wine corks, there is a way. You can become the supplier for those artists!
I am sure you don’t think they get all their corks by emptying out wine bottles one after another. They are more likely to have gotten them from somewhere, for example on eBay where they can buy wine corks in bulk.
That is where you come in. You can be their supplier. Instead of throwing those wine corks away, you recycle them. No worries if you do not have many wine corks at home because you can ask your friends and family to keep theirs for you. They will probably be more than happy to do that for you.
1. Collect Bottles & Corks
Just like wine corks, if you have plenty of leftover wine bottles, do not throw them away. Clean the bottles with hot water and soap and they are ready to be sold.
You do not need to remove the labels from the bottles because some people, crafters for example, like them the way they are.
One tip is to collect the bottles until you have about a dozen of them before putting them up for sale online.
2. List them on eBay
For starters, eBay is the place to try selling your wine bottles and wine corks. Create separate listings for the bottles and the corks. It is possible to earn more money this way.
You might have noticed that the wine bottles are sold in lots of 10 or more. People also sell the wine corks in lots of 20 up to 500.
Wine bottles can be sold at 50 cents each. The fancier bottles such as Cobalt blue bottles, however, can be sold for more, that is at around $5.00 each. As for the wine corks, you can get 10 cents for each one of them.
3. Ship to the Buyer
Do make sure that you clearly list out your items on sale and state the shipping costs. No doubt that the wine bottles are heavy and it would be costly to send them out.
To get an idea of how much you should charge for the shipping, do a survey on other similar auctions and take note of how much the other sellers charge.
Always check that the wine bottles are packed properly so that they do not break during the shipping process. The sellers are usually held responsible if the bottles were to arrive broken at the buyer’s doorstep.
Other Sites
There are a number of crafters and artists there so you could be marketing to your target group of buyers. Take note that published listings on Etsy cost $0.20 each.
Bottom Line
As the saying goes, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. This works well with the wine corks. Instead of ending up in the landfill, they can be kept and be sold for money, even if it is not much. Who knew there could be value in something so small? Those in the creative business certainly see the value in them.
You can also take one step further by going round to your local bar and restaurants to save their used wine corks for you. The same goes with family and friends.
So, remember. The next time you uncork a bottle of wine on your birthday or at a friend’s cocktail party, do not immediately throw it away. Keep the wine cork instead.