Start an online used video game store

Gamers, retro collectors and parents looking for cheaper games and consoles.

You sell items for more than you paid for them. Stock comes from yard sales, thrift stores, local trade-ins and bulk lots, and you keep the margin after fees and shipping.

• Knowing game and console values
• Testing and cleaning electronics
• Photographing and listing items
• Packing and shipping carefully

• Check whether your state or city requires a seller's permit or sales tax registration (marketplaces may collect some tax for you)
• Check for secondhand dealer rules in your city or county, some places regulate buying used goods
• Counterfeit or modified games and consoles, avoid reselling anything fake
• Check HOA or lease rules for storing stock and shipping from home
• Marketplace fees and returns can cut into your margin, price with them in mind

Startup costs are typically around $300 to $3,000, depending on how much stock you buy and what testing, cleaning and shipping supplies you need. Marketplace fees and returns can cut into your margin, so price with them in mind.

Monthly revenue is typically around $500 to $4,000, depending on your stock, pricing and how many hours you put in. That is revenue, not profit, so factor in marketplace fees, returns and what you pay for games.

Check whether your state or city requires a seller's permit or sales tax registration, as marketplaces may collect some tax for you. Also check for secondhand dealer rules in your city or county, and HOA or lease rules for storing stock at home.