Online games seller with market stalls

Hobbyists, collectors, parents buying gifts and retro gaming fans.

You buy stock at trade or second-hand prices and sell at a margin. Extra income comes from buying collections and selling items individually.

• Knowing games and what collectors want
• Spotting good-value stock
• Photographing and listing items clearly
• Packing and posting carefully

• Register as a sole trader with HMRC once you are trading regularly
• Check for fakes, bootlegs and region-locked or faulty items before you sell
• Marketplace fees and postage costs can eat into margins, so price carefully
• Check whether you need public liability insurance and permission to trade at each market
• Keep records of what you buy and sell, including stock bought from private sellers

Startup costs are estimated at typically around £500 to £3,000, depending on how much stock you buy and whether you build your own web shop. Marketplace fees and postage costs can eat into margins, so price carefully.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around £300 to £3,000, depending on your stock, the marketplaces you use and how many fairs you attend. This is revenue before stock, fees and postage costs.

Check you register as a sole trader with HMRC once you trade regularly. Also check for fakes, bootlegs and faulty or region-locked items, whether you need public liability insurance and market permission, and keep records of stock bought from private sellers.