Can I Sell Empty Toilet Paper Rolls?
The next time you see an empty toilet paper roll, you should see dollar signs! We should be considering everything that we throw away and make sure we aren’t throwing money in the garbage!
So can I sell empty toilet paper rolls? Many people like to buy empty toilet paper rolls for anything from seed pots to cord holders to craft items. You can most definitely sell them for a decent amount on eBay, Etsy, Amazon, etc. Empty toilet paper rolls are usually sold in higher quantities and sold as a lot.
Who doesn’t want to collect things they normally throw away and make easy money on it? There are great ways to collect and make money with empty toilet paper rolls! It might seem a little silly, but it is easy money that anyone is crazy not to try. In fact, all you need to do is make one listing on eBay and as you’re collecting and ready to put more out, just duplicate your listing and post the next lot. The only real work you’ll have is making sure the excess toilet paper is removed from the roll (which is easier depending on the brand you get).
This is a great way to get kids involved in learning how to resell items and to teach them profit and loss. We’ve had our kids do it multiple times and it was a great experience for them.
Here is everything you need to know about selling empty toilet paper rolls!
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Where Can I Sell Empty Toilet Paper Rolls?
There are quite a few options for reselling clean toilet paper rolls online. Here are a few ideas for you!
eBay
A lot of people sell their empty toilet paper rolls on eBay. You can see that there are various quantities, but we recommend that you sell as many as you can to make it completely worthwhile.
Also, the nice thing about toilet paper rolls is they are inexpensive to ship because they are lightweight.
Our kids have sold toilet paper rolls a couple times our the last few years and it was a great experience for them and almost like free money! Here is a breakdown of how much they made by selling 100 empty toilet paper rolls.
14.99 Sale Price0.00 Shipping14.99TOTAL MONEY RECEIVED
(0.00)Item Cost (7.50)Estimated Shipping Cost (1.50)eBay Final Value Fee (10%)(0.73)PayPal Fee (2.9% + $0.30) (9.73)TOTAL COSTS
TOTAL PROFIT: $5.26 (that’s a 35% profit margin!)
Etsy
While we’ve never actually sold toilet paper rolls on Etsy, they are a great option for people to buy craft supplies. Etsy selling fees are a little bit cheaper than eBay and your market is going to people looking for crafty and homemade supplies. This may be a better option for you.
Another idea is to collect enough empty toilet paper rolls to put one listing up on eBay and another on Etsy to see which one sells for more money and faster.
Here is a breakdown of the selling fees so that you can see how much you could make selling 100 empty toilet paper rolls for $14.99
14.99 Sale Price0.00 Shipping14.99TOTAL MONEY RECEIVED
(0.00)Item Cost (7.50)Estimated Shipping Cost (0.20)Etsy Listing Fee (flat $0.20)(0.75)Etsy Transaction Fee (5%)(0.70)Payment Processing Fee (3% + $0.25 ) (9.15)TOTAL COSTS
TOTAL PROFIT: $5.84 (that’s a 39% profit margin!)
Amazon
Yes, you truly can buy anything on Amazon… even empty toilet paper rolls!
The fee structure is a little more complicated on Amazon so figuring out the profit is a pain, but you can definately sell them on Amazon if you know what you’re doing.
They seem to be priced a little bit higher on Amazon too, so you might even be able to make more money than on eBay and Etsy. Also, note that you can sell paper towel rolls as well on Amazon for a decent amount!
Here is your estimated profit if you decide to sell your empty toilet paper rolls on Amazon.
14.99 Sale Price0.00 Shipping14.99TOTAL MONEY RECEIVED
(0.00)Item Cost (0.00)Estimated Shipping Cost (0.99)Amazon Listing Fee (flat $0.99)(2.25)Referral Fee (15%)(3.24)TOTAL COSTS
TOTAL PROFIT: $11.75 (that’s a 78% profit margin!)
How to Sell Empty Toilet Paper Rolls
Here are some tips for how to sell your empty toilet paper rolls. These are the things we did when we collected and sold ours on eBay.
Ask for help from friends and family.
Only about 120 rolls of toilet paper are used per year in the average household of four people. It will take you a long time to collect enough rolls to sell. Ask your family members, coworkers, church family, etc to help you collect more toilet paper rolls.
Clean any remaining TP off the rolls.
Nobody wants to buy toilet paper rolls with remnants of toilet paper still on it. Try to remove all the toilet paper off the rolls. If you can’t get it all off, just discard the roll… no one will be able to use it anyway.
Throw out the smashed ones.
People will be using these for crafts and such so they won’t be able to used the crushed and smushed ones. Throw out any that aren’t still round or have creases in them.
Collect at least 100 before listing them for sale.
It’s not going to be worth your time and effort to only sell a few at a time. You need to list at least 100 of them to make it worthwhile.
Show a picture of the rolls neatly stacked in the box that you’ll be shipping the rolls in.
Neater looking lots sell for more than a random pile of toilet paper rolls. Try to get a box that you won’t have to add extra padding too but is filled up all the way. Try not to squish them in the box so much that the tubes bend either. It’s okay if they shake around a little bit so that they’re not too tight.
What Do People Do with Empty Toilet Paper Rolls?
Electrical Cord Holder. Instead of using a twist-tie or rubber band, people like to just wrap a cord up and put it inside the toilet paper roll to hold it together.
Seed Starter. By filling them with soil and planting seeds in them, you can have an easy way to start seedlings indoors. They can then be planted and the toilet paper roll will breakdown into compost.
Fire Starter. By filling the inside of old toilet paper rolls with laundry lint, you can make a super easy fire starter for your next camping trip.
Mold for Homemade Sidewalk Chalk. Empty toilet paper rolls make great molds for making your own toxin free chalk using plaster of paris, food coloring, and water.
Store Wrapping Paper. By cutting a slit down the side of the toilet paper tube, you can slide it over your wrapping paper roll and keep it from unraveling when you want to store it.
Bird Feeder. By covering your toilet paper roll in peanut butter and then rolling it in bird seed, you can make a really easy bird feeder to hang outside.
Arts and Crafts. From puppets to calendars to windmills, there are so many ideas of crafty things you can do with toilet paper rolls. Just do a quick search on Pinterest 😉
Related Questions
What is the cardboard in a toilet paper roll called? People refer to them by different names and you can find them in more than just toilet paper. Here is what they are commonly referred too as: cardboard tubes, paper towel rolls, TP rolls, toilet paper rolls, and wrapping paper rolls.
Are empty toilet paper rolls recyclable? Toilet paper rolls are made out of cardboard just like your cereal boxes and therefore should be recycled just the same. You should consider keeping a recycle basket in your bathroom to help you remember.
