I've found the ‘best summer job' that's made me £2k – I don't even do the work, but it's not for everyone

The Sun

2 hours ago

A SAVVY teenager has revealed how she raked in a hefty £2,000 thanks to her unusual side hustle on Vinted.
Ella Woodland, 18, from Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, has described it as ''the best summer job in the world'' - and she doesn't even do the work.
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The 18-year-old is flogging paintings done by her pet rats on the marketplace and says she plans on keeping the side hustle going for ''as long as they are alive''.
Ella was curious to see whether her eight pet rodents had any artistic qualities and decided to let them play with paint in February.
The teenager initially got the idea to explore their creative side after seeing a Facebook creator, TooGoods Tiny Paws, selling her rats' artwork online.
To nurture their talent, she bought watercolour and kids' paints and encouraged her rats to run over them, using their paws to 'paint' on mini canvases.
The student, who is currently waiting to start a degree in clinical psychology at the University of Worcester in September, now sells the unusual prints on Vinted.
Prices started at £10 and demand has seen Ella increase her monthly sales from £80 to £500.
Since taking to Vinted in March, Ella has made a staggering £2,000 thanks to her rats - Gubler, Rumple and Reid, aged one, and Hotch, Morgan, Luke, Rossi and Gideon, six months.
The majority of the earnings goes towards the rats' care - including a £250 premium cage, tunnels and food mix with pasta, cereal and mealworms.
However, Ella is also using the money to save up for driving lessons.
Ella said: ''I didn't expect it to take off - I just posted a few pictures on Vinted and now it's my summer job.
Why the 3-minute rule is essential when shopping on Vinted & how woman made £450 using it
''They just walk around [canvases] in kids' paint - then I sell them for £10 each with a mini easel.
''It just randomly blew up one day - it's a win/win because I can save up for a car and lessons to drive, and the rats have so much fun running around and eating lots of baby food.
''I plan to keep it going as long as the rats are alive.''
She went on: ''I started putting them in a little playpen I'd bought for them. They walk around in the paint, which is laid on the floor.
''Sometimes I have to put my finger in a jar of baby food and let them follow it around, so they can walk around the canvas.
Do you need to pay tax on items sold on Vinted?
QUICK facts on tax from the team at Vinted...
The only time that an item might be taxable is if it sells for more than £6,000 and there is profit (sells for more than you paid for it). Even then, you can use your capital gains tax-free allowance of £3,000 to offset it.
Generally, only business sellers trading for profit (buying goods with the purpose of selling for more than they paid for them) might need to pay tax. Business sellers who trade for profit can use a tax-free allowance of £1,000, which has been in place since 2017.
More information here: vinted.co.uk/no-changes-to-taxes
''The paint varies between watercolours and kids' paint, like poster paint.''
In February this year, the student began selling the mini-easels on Vinted for £10 each. S
For the first few weeks, the sales were slow, with Ella only able to shift two to three easels per week - making £80 total in February.
But just one month later, Ella says a stranger posted a picture of her rats' paintings on X, garnering seven million views - and since then, she's taken the marketplace by storm.
''I put 20 paintings on Vinted a week,'' she said.
''They each sell straight away - people really love them.
''It's become a summer job for me, and I'll continue to have it as my part-time job when I start uni.
''People are really positive - aside from a couple of people telling me how much rats scare them, I've only ever had good feedback.