I’ve recently started making money on the side by selling duckweed on eBay, thanks to my garden ‘lockdown pond’.

At the start of the UK lockdown in March, we dug a pond in our garden.  What was once a patch of grass is now a thriving, plant-filled pond, brimming with wildlife!

We’ve got no end of water snails enjoying the pond vegetation and rapidly growing pond plants that are taking over.  We’ve had lots of red damselflies and even spotted one newt. 

My first flowers came out this week, which you may have seen if you follow me on Instagram.

The pond really looks like it’s been there for years.  It’s amazing how quickly it has developed in just over three months.

And, without planning to, I am even making money from my pond.

Read on to see how my small garden pond has turned into a side hustle, making extra money for us every month!

How to make money selling duckweed on eBay

I purchased all my pond plants on eBay during the lockdown.  I ordered a variety of sinking oxygenators, floating oxygenators, flowering plants, grasses, lilies and more.

I’d heard around 75% of the water should be covered, so I ordered duckweed, which rapidly grows to cover the top of the pond.  I had no idea quite how rapidly it would grow, and before we knew it, the pond was covered!

So, what to do with the excess duckweed from a garden pond?

Well, I read it’s really good for compost, so that’s great, as we have compost bins for our vegetable patch, but never being one to miss a money-making opportunity, I thought I might be able to sell it. 

But where to sell duckweed? And how to sell duckweed the best possible way to make some profit, and easily do it in my spare time?

The answer was obvious...

After all, I bought mine on eBay, so why not sell it there?!  I'm a keen buyer and seller on eBay already, having had both private seller accounts and business accounts in the past, so I already knew how to use the platform with success.

I could sell duckweed on eBay.

The only issue was that there were loads of listings for duckweed on eBay already, so I wasn’t sure if mine would be successful, but in just one month, I sold 60 packs of duckweed!

Wow! Amazing!

I only make a couple of pounds profit per pack, but money is money, and it’s all adding up.  In fact, that’s over £100 profit from this unexpected side hustle already. For something that would have either gone into my compost bin or regular bin.

And, I'm seeing it as a way to get more fit and healthy, by packing up the orders as late in the day as possible, close to the last posting time, and using the opportunity to walk to the local post box for a bit of exercise.  Win-win - money from something that I have excess of and just keeps growing, plus a spot of exercise every day with a purpose. 

Our vacuum cleaner quite literally blew up this month, with a big bang, so I was able to use this extra money I'd generated to help cover the cost of a new one. 

That’s why I love finding side hustles, as they help to pay towards unexpected household costs that would otherwise cut into our budget. 

Interested in even more side hustle ideas? You can find loads of ways to make money online and at home on my blog.  I share 60 ways to make money from home that I’ve personally tried and tested, along with many more ideas and success stories from others.

My pond today!

How to successfully sell duckweed and other small pond plants on eBay

If you’ve got a pond and you’re now thinking you could also make money by selling the pond plants that take over, then here are my tips for selling pond plants on eBay for success:

1. Make sure you have some waterproof or suitable packaging.  You need to sell the plants as fresh as possible, so you don’t want to dry them out or for them to dry out too much in transit.  As I sell duckweed, it’s tiny.  I sell it in tablespoons worth and pack it in sealed baggies as moist as possible.  I wrap in tissue paper for extra protection and then a mailing bag or padded envelope.  I use recycled mailing bags and envelopes that I save from our own post!
2. Take clear photos.  I have a photo of the plants in the pond and packaged in their baggies, so buyers know what to expect.  That way, there are no surprises.
3. List some information about the plants.  I sell two types of duckweed, and they have different qualities.  I describe them in case people don’t know the differences.  Some buyers are new pond owners and don’t know all the differences between pond plants or what to do with them when they arrive.  Share as much information as possible.  Be helpful, and people will choose to buy from you.
4. Offer multi-buy discounts.  If you have plenty to sell, then offer discounts if people buy two or more.  This will tempt people to buy more in one go to get a discount.
5. Promote your listing.  The eBay promote tool is really good.  You can promote your listing for extra exposure, and you set the rate you are willing to pay, even if only a few pence.  You only have to pay this fee if the plants sell via the promoted listing.  Most of my duckweed has sold via the promoted listing.  There is a lot of competition for some plants, so it definitely pays to get your listing up to the top!
6. Dispatch quickly, but close to the postal collection.  These are fresh plants, and they need to be in water and daylight, so the less time spent in an envelope, the better!  I try to pack mine as close to the last postal collection time as possible so they spend as little time as possible in an envelope.  Luckily, I have a sorting office a 15-minute walk away, and the last collection is at 6.45 pm, so I can package my orders late in the day.

I’ve no idea if I’ll keep selling so many packs, but it keeps growing fast in my pond, so I’ll keep the listing live indefinitely, or until it stops growing when winter hits.  Some duckweed can disappear or sink in the pond and lie dormant in the winter if it gets too cold.  But it comes back in the spring and summer when it gets warm enough. 

If you grow plants, vegetables or fruit, then selling them could be a great way of making some extra money on the side.  It’s amazing the money-making opportunities you can find at home!

 

The progress of our lockdown pond

Honestly, my pond is very small, but it has surprisingly turned into a money-maker with the above method! 

Here are some photos of our pond from the start to today:

 

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