I am thinking about starting an service in my area, which would be something as follows
Do you have a sewing machine that is just sitting there that you never use? Have grandmothers singer that you haven't been able to sell, and you just don't have room? We'll take any sewing machine no matter the condition for free, in the ________&_________ area. Other areas please call _____________ and if you want to get rid of it, we will give you a place to drop it off. or, we'll come pick it up.
for free. This saves you the time and trouble of trying to sell it, and you are saving space!
Do you think anyone would do this? I would like to start a small business cleaning and repairing sewing machines, and selling them as well. My way of thinking with this is some people may not want to take the time, and not want to spend money to take it to the dump. This way, I'd get parts from machines that are non-useable, fix and sell ones that are..
Thanks for your input!

i think it sounds like a winner! i've been racking my brain trying to think of something to do at home to make a little extra money to supplement ss check.

it costs you virtually nothing to try. i think you might do better to pick up the machine yourself.

my thoughts are if people are willing to put it in their car and drop it off they are going to take it to a charity and get a tax right off.

in our area there's a service that picks up electrical and non electrical sewing machines, restores them, and gives them to poor people in other countries.

OOps! That is one thing I forgot to put in there that we would pick it up unless it was out of _____ & ______ area. Thanks for catching that!

I think you'd need to offer a pick-up service for this to work, but it sounds like a great idea to me. Maybe start with posters on bulletin boards in grocery stores; the kind with a tear-off telephone number. A short ad in your local newspaper would be great if it's not too expensive; that would reach a lot of people who live near you (to keep pick-up area small).

Where you may run into difficulty is selling machines. Many people are so busy working jobs they are not interested in sewing anymore.

are you asking people to donate/give their old machines to you?

in exchange for your picking them up if they are within a given area?

it might work.


there will be people that want to know what you are going to do with it/them

You could post on Craigslist, too, if you have one in your area.

What I will say, if asked is,
I am gathering experience on repairing sewing machines, and I am fixing/cleaning them and selling enough to pay for my gas and time, and then the rest I will donate to people who need and cannot afford one.

but is that what you're really going to be doing or are you just saying that. what someone's time is worth is a subjective thing.

i think if you're going to make this a charity type business you should get a license so that people can have a tax right off.

I am and I am not. It would be more something on the weekends, and I would really do it, at my time being worth about 10 an hour.