CONCEPT OF SELLSUMER
All of us work hard to earn money for our living. But we would also like to get some
secondary
money, by some other reasonable means. The Week magazine dated Sep 20, 09 discusses this topic on its cover feature. Written in a humourous style, it gives several examples for getting
secondary money, even though the returns may be small. We need not be end consumers, but with our foresight we can also sell a bit of ourselves, our possessions or their insights. Such persons are being called sellsumers. This trend has taken a good turn. We can lease out the unused terrace of the house for setting up mobile phone tower on a monthly rental, lease out car parking space for use as office space, give the vehicle lying unused for use on daily rental basis for use as taxi, hire out spare room/barsati/apartment, arrange bed and breakfast or home stay type boarding for tourists or paying guests, organize a garage sale, sell surplus items of kitchen garden and arrange occasional research or tutoring or writing a blog or citizen journalism etc.
Advertising space of different types e.g. on our vehicles or car windscreen can be rented out. Human billboards (someone offered his forehead as a billboard) and Sporting badges with a message have been in use. Also there are many products for selling e.g. hair, video tapes, sperms, Ova, womb etc. which give money. Exchange offers are successful in many fields. Big Bazaar encourages people to exchange their junk for shopping vouchers. Making money from selling personal assets, properties and creations involves creativity. In India sellsuming is a culture. We recycle things, collect newspapers and other unwanted things and sell them to raddiwala and exchange old clothes for stainless steel utensils. In addition, we may also economize in an overall way e.g. purchase a diesel vehicle to save on running expenses. Railways have found out that they can use the space in coaches for advertising in a big way. Sellsuming may not necessarily be a seasonal affair, and with passage of time, the things may get varied and refined.