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Making Money from Moss

by pentupentropy

First thing's first. You need to find out what moss looks like. Here are the type's you can sell:

  • Fern Moss
  • Spanish Moss
  • Moon (Cushion, Clump) Moss
  • Rockcap Moss
  • Haircap Moss

To find out what this moss looks like, find it online, and definitely stop by a wholesale floral distributor and tell them you have an online gig or something. Ask them for a sample of any of that moss that they have in stock. It will usually be quality moss, so you can see what you should be getting. Ask them in advance "What quality is it?" It makes it sound a little more like you know what you're looking for and they're pretty honest about it. Most of the people who buy it from them aren't getting it too many other places.

OK, now you know what to look for. Find out what's in your area. Google it, whatever. Spanish moss is easy. People who live by it know what it is. Other mosses are more common in North Carolina and northward and westward.

Find some in the woods. If you can't get a good idea what you need, find some, take a picture and send it to me or someone like me. If it's good, I'll buy it from you at a basic market price.

Ideas for finding it: Go (without the garbage bags) to large wooded lots for sale. Ask people who have lots of land. Look near land that was logged for lumber 10 years ago or more. Loggers can tell you just about everywhere they've been. They're good buddies to have to help you find new spots on a constant basis.

Found some? Get some 30 gallon garbage bags (100 LB onion sacks for spanish moss). Start picking. It should be pretty dry. You should be able to fill the bags to 2 bushels. Get a good look at the area, one time out can teach you whether you've got the nuts to do this or not. When you're done stuffing your bags with pieces that are at least 10"x8" (most should be at least 1 sq ft or larger), take em home. If it's wet (it weighs very little when it's dry), dry it out. Lay it on some rocks ot gravel or even your lawn. If you lay it out on grass, it's going to dew in the morning, so beware. Also if you leave it on grass too long, it bleaches easily. No good. If you don't have a non-grass place to dry it, get some pallets from a grocery store or something.

OK, dry moss. Box it. 1 Bushel boxes. Can get em from u-line or anyone. Regular cardboard corrugated. 20x12x10 is also acceptable size.

Boxes should be filled enough so that the top wants to press upwards a little, but it's not crushing the moss severely.

That's it. Sell it.

How to set up accounts:

Go to floral wholesale distributors. They're easier to find in metro areas. Take them the moss, see if they'll buy it. If they ask how much? Charge $10/box plus $1 per box for every 20 miles it is away from your home. In other words, if the place is 100 miles away, that'd be $15/box.

These guys will buy 10 - 20 boxes a month. Sometimes a couple will buy 30-40. If you don't want to do this, you can always just sell it to me .. I can usually buy 500 boxes a month aside from what I pick myself. However, I'm buying in bulk, so try to get your own accounts. I'll still give you $5 a box though (remember, I have to pay shipping too).

Go as far as you possibly can. Call and set up appointments with people and have about 100 boxes ready (don't worry, it stores up to 6 months in cool, dry places). Set accounts up as much as 300 miles away (only if there are multiple accounts. 3 or more who will buy 20 boxes/mo make it worthwhile).

Transporting this stuff...

This dependson where it's going. If you find far away accounts, they will pay you if they know and trust your product. You can mail order this. If you want cheaper shipping, check truck routes in that area and hook up a deal with a company to ship 60 boxes a month for you for $100.00 or so. It's time consuming to find, but it saves a shitload later on.

Use a van. If you don't have one, make deliveries of 120 boxes or more at a time in a rental. 6 deliveries x 20 boxes each. This way the van cost you about 50 for the day with gas and mileage.

Sell it to me. I'll pay shipping.

Once you know what this stuff looks like and how much is required in an area to pick a worthwhile amount from, you can look for spots. Find em, pick it, box it, sell it.

If you have any more questions about it, drop me a line [email protected]

 
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