Can You Make A Living Metal Detecting
In order to make a living from metal detecting, it will take being creative and doing more than just swinging your coil over a few coins or rings if you hope to earn enough money to live sustainably, because fact of the matter is, just solely metal detecting will not provide a living for the majority of us.
If you’ve ever thought about trying to be able to make a living from metal detecting, you’re not alone. Being able to build a career around doing what you love is something many people strive for, and for those of us who metal detect, that is no different.
In fact, finding enough treasure or a Roman hoard of gold to be able to live off of and retire on has probably at least crossed your mind once while you’ve been out swinging your metal detector.
However, in this article I will showcase a variety of ways to make money and go beyond digging crusty pennies in the park so that by combining any number of them, it could be possible to make a living from the hobby of metal detecting, but you’ll have to work for it.
**DISCLAIMER - As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The links in the article are affiliate links that help support this blog and my channels. Metal Detecting Life is supported by you, the readers! When you purchase something I recommend via my links, I may get an affiliate commission (terms of service) — but it never affects the price you pay. Cheers!
Become A Metal Detector Dealer
Al, Owner of Pro Stock Metal Detectors in Plainwell, Michigan. Photo credit: Pro Stock Facebook
One way to immerse yourself in the world of metal detecting and to try to make a living from it is to become a metal detector dealer. To achieve this, you could open your own business and have a store front to sell detecting items to the surrounding community, or you could open an online store and ship detecting equipment all over the world. But, which of these business models is the right one for you?
Brick and Mortar
Home of Pro Stock Metal Detectors as a brick and mortar store.
Having a store front where customers can come in, see and test the equipment, and interact with you as you provide them with superior customer service and a hands on sales approach can be very rewarding and you’ll be able to witness the fruits of your labor as you see the entirety of the sale through.
However, there are many costs that come along with owning, leasing, or renting a brick and mortar storefront. Be sure to do your due diligence on operating costs such as electricity, gas, water, trash, property taxes, purchasing and carrying inventory, etc. All of those things and more go along with owning and running a brick and mortar storefront.
Al from Pro Stock Metal Detectors, located in Plainwell, Michigan, has been in business for more than 30 years. When visiting his store and searching for your next piece of detecting equipment, he is committed to:
Teach you how to use every feature of your equipment
Offer hard-to-find books to help you with your hunt
Help you choose the right tools to support your search
Utilizing these customer service skills can help set you apart as a business as they don’t necessarily apply when one is making a purchase from an online vendor. Providing that in-store experience also ensures customers don’t accidentally end up ordering the wrong piece of unnecessary equipment.
Online Store - Website
Choosing to build a website that will be able to host all of your equipment and metal detector sales is relatively easy to do with today’s technology and friendly website applications. The cost to start can be relatively inexpensive and you don’t have to carry as much overhead because you can choose to use methods such as drop shipping for your product sales.
Selling online generally means you are selling to more than just the local community. You’re potentially selling to customers all over the world! This also means you are in competition with all other metal detecting retail shops that operate online.
Why does that matter? Margins. With so many online businesses fighting for a share of customers, that means you’ll be pricing items very competitively, which in turn will effect your overall profits and bottom line.
Which Business Model To Choose?
Running a brick and mortar storefront can carry a hefty price tag upfront in order to get things started. However, if your customer service skills are exceptional and you are located in a large market (Chicago or Tampa) that could support such a niche market, then this may be the route to go.
Pro Stock Metal Detectors is in a town with a relatively small market and Al noted that he has actually lost money 3 out of the last 5 years he’s been in business. So, if that’s you and your target market area is small, “don’t quit your day job,” Al said.
If you are selling online, you’ll need to sell a lot of volume of product in order to generate enough revenue to make your business feasible due to the possibility of having lower profit margins.
Also, consider learning or understanding internet marketing so that you are able to take advantage of Google’s SEO to insure you are appearing on the top of every search page when someone looks up “metal detectors.” This will help drive those online purchases to your website because they are clicking on that suggested link from Google’s first page or snippet feature.
Photo Credit: Solen Feyissa - Unsplash
Finally, make sure you have a firm understanding of shipping logistics as this will be the primary way to get product to your customers and you’ll be relying on those shipping programs to safely handle each detector as it makes its way across the country.
Which is right for you?
I personally would choose the online store - website business route. You have the potential to scale the business and reach a much larger audience all over the world.
Photo Credit: Roberto Cortese - Unsplash
Having an online shopping platform also means that you have the ability to sell items 24/7 rather than having a storefront that needs to be opened and staffed in order to complete sales. The upfront cost to start your business can be much lower by having an online store, not to mention you would save on the remaining overhead when it comes to running a brick and mortar store.
However, at the end of the day, do your due diligence and make the decision that best fits your situation should you choose to become a metal detector dealer with the hopes of making a career out of metal detecting.
Join An Affiliate Marketing Program
If you do not have the means or are not ready to branch off and start your own business as a metal detector dealer but still want to partake in promoting the detecting equipment you use or recommend, then consider joining an affiliate marketing program.
Photo Credit: Austin Distel - Unsplash
An affiliate marketing program acts as a partnership between an established business or brand and an individual, where the business will pay a percentage of total sales for any leads that you the individual refer directly to them within a given timetable.
Most of these affiliate programs are free to join and can be found and executed online, although some local businesses may offer you an in-person word-of-mouth commission.
Once you’ve joined a company’s affiliate program, you are able to create personalized links online that you’ll use to help inform potential customers about a certain product or item that you’d recommend from that company. These links often carry an “HTTP cookie,” which is a text file with small pieces of data to identify specific users and improve their web browsing experience and can last for a set amount of time i.e. 30 days.
When someone clicks the link you’ve provided them, that cookie will automatically become installed for that individual. In the example above, any sale within the 30-day window of when they clicked your link will credit you with your affiliate percentage commission should they make a purchase within that affiliate’s cookie timetable.
The cookie does not add any additional costs to the customer’s total bill, but rather just provides the seller the information of who provided that customer to them so they can pay out the affiliate commission. The bonus with most of these affiliate programs is that your commission is not applied to just the item you’ve promoted, but rather the entire purchase that that customer made on your behalf!
There are a wide variety of affiliate marketing programs available, some of which I’ve listed below in reference to metal detecting.
What makes an affiliate marketing program so great is that you are able to generate unlimited amounts of revenue without having to carry any overhead or worry about shipping and receiving products yourself. All you truly need is an internet connection, an audience to provide your recommendations, and of course the approval of your selected affiliate partner program(s).
Start A YouTube Channel
Creating a YouTube channel is a great way to build upon your affiliate marketing programs that you may have just joined. In a way, having a YouTube channel is like having your own website that potential customers can land on and even better, is free for you to use as there are no website hosting fees!
YouTube is the 2nd largest online search engine that people use when looking for answers or to learn a new skill. This means it is a great place to help educate and teach people about the hobby of metal detecting, so if you are willing to share your experience and knowledge online, YouTube is a great place to help grow your business.
Below is an example of creating a video that is informative for anyone wanting to learn more about metal detecting, how to dig, and properly retrieve a target.
In the video’s YouTube description, you’ll notice I’ve included links to my equipment that I use. Those are all affiliate links that I can earn a commission on should someone click one and make a purchase within the given “cookie” timetable according to my affiliate partner.
With YouTube, you are also able to monetize your videos by allowing Google to place ads alongside or within them. To qualify for monetization, you’ll need to set up a Google Adsense account (more on that below) as well as achieve 1,000 channel subscribers and have 4,000 hours of channel watch time within a 12-month window. Once you’ve met the minimum requirements, you’ll be able to start earning money as people watch more of your videos.
The YouTube analytics show the data from my video example above. Since the time of publishing, that specific video has earned $1.37 in Adsense revenue from a total of 494 views. You may be thinking that a $1.37 is not a lot, but keep in mind that is from a small YouTube channel with 1,933 subscribers at the time of this article. Imagine a channel with 500k subscribers and a video that has 125,000 views. How does that effect the potential YouTube revenue?
To understand and forecast the potential of YouTube revenue, you’ll need to dig deeper in to your analytics. Looking at your revenue per mille (RPM) and cost per mille (CPM), “mille” being Latin for thousand, can help give you some insight to help project potential earnings if you were to grow your channel.
MediaShark notes that a decent YouTube video will have a CPM between $6-$8 on average. This particular video that I published is just above that $8 mark, coming in at $8.15. I’m above average, hurray! Using my own YouTube analytical data, I can assume for every 1,000 views, that I will make $2.79 based on my RPM.
So in theory, if I was able to grow this video to 125,000 views as mentioned above, it would have earned me $348.75 just from Google Adsense revenue. That just paid for a brand new Nokta Simplex+ metal detector from Kellyco!
Now imagine making 100+ videos with those types of returns each year, you’ve got a $35,000 YouTube salary just from making metal detecting videos! Note that RPM & CPM will vary for everyone and will not necessarily reflect the same rates as described in my example.
Hopefully you can see from this one example that it is possible to make a decent amount of income from YouTube, however it will take time and a lot of hard work to help build up your channel and an audience.
For many “YouTubers,” making a full time income solely off of videos is usually not a reality, so take in to consideration some of the other suggestions in this article to help supplement your income.
Sponsorships
Make a living by becoming the face of a brand like our friend" “King George” here, star from the TV series “Diggers.” Photo Credit: Garrett Metal Detectors
Utilizing brand sponsorships through influencer marketing is another way in which you can help generate additional revenue while trying to make a living from metal detecting.
Companies utilizing influencers (average Joe’s like you and me) to help showcase their products or get their message in front of people has grown to become a 15 BILLION dollar industry. This means there is money to be earned!
The reason a brand, such as Garrett Metal Detectors, may want to partner with you is because you have a unique audience or following that trusts and respects your judgement and opinions.
For example, if a company provides you with one of their products such as the Garrett Ace Apex, which I currently own and is a fantastic, light weight metal detector and can be found at Kellyco, whom I also am an affiliate partner of… remember talking about affiliate partner programs above?
The hope is that you’d be willing to recommend that sponsor’s item to your audience, who again trusts you, and that in turn it will help drive awareness and/or sales for Garrett Metal Detectors and their dealer Kellyco.
And no… Garrett did not pay me a sponsorship for a mention in this article. You’re welcome Garrett for the freebie! However, that is an example of an affiliate link for the “Apex,” so feel free to use it if you’re in the market for any metal detecting gear!
Often times these sponsorship deals begin with companies sending out products for you to test and use. In return, you may write an article, post photos on Instagram, or publish a video on YouTube detailing your thoughts and if you’d recommend the product.
You may be able to keep the product yourself as a means of payment from the company who sent it to you to test, use it as a giveaway to help you build your own audience, or send the product back but be paid by the company based on an agreed amount per a sponsorship contract.
The company could also provide you with a unique discount code that not only gives a deal to your audience that you refer, but will pay you a commission for anyone who uses that code which will indicate to the company where that sale was referred from.
As time goes on and you develop the relationship with the brand, you may be able to negotiate a straight cash payment fee for sponsorships.
The key to finding the right sponsorship is aligning yourself with a brand that you trust, can relate too, and would recommend based on your own use. Be sure not to “chase the money” and simply take on any sponsorship deals that don’t align with your audience because they will see through the marketing, know that that product isn’t relevant to them, and it could jeopardize your relationship and the trust of your followers.
The goal is to make it a win for everyone so that you are bringing some type of value to your audience at the end of the day, whether that is recommending a good product or finding a way for your audience to save money, being on the look out for their best interest is key.
Use Your Metal Detecting Skills
While in Mexico, I helped this couple find his wedding ring that he lost while playing volleyball out in the water and was treated to an all-inclusive day at their resort!
To help you make a living from metal detecting, you could consider putting your skills to work. You’ve spent hundreds of hours learning the in’s & out’s of your machine. That knowledge could prove to be very valuable in various industries, so consider putting yourself out there and see if someone would be willing to hire you for your metal detecting service.
Recovery Service
Consider starting a lost item recovery service with your metal detecting skills. This business model can be very straight forward where you charge a set fee to come out and search for a lost item, a ring perhaps, that someone lost while playing at the beach.
Get rewarded for helping recover lost items.
That fee helps cover the cost of fuel, equipment, and time spent searching for the item. If the lost item is recovered, a bonus reward could be given, thus increasing your payday from metal detecting!
You can read more about how to start a lost item recovery service and finding rings in my previous blog.
Police Assistance
Often times police departments are in need of using metal detectors to help aid them in crime scene investigations as they attempt to recover possible evidence. This could including finding bullets, casings, knives, guns, etc. that were possibly used during the crime.
Having a trained person with knowledge of the metal detector can help speed up the search and investigation, so making yourself known and available to your local departments could help lead to a new job in metal detecting.
I recommend setting up a meeting with the police chief and coming up with a payment contract prior to starting, especially if they require additional training when it comes to working side by side law enforcement officials.
Museums & Archeologists
If you love history and recovering relics (odds are you do if you metal detect) while out metal detecting as a hobby, then why not get paid to help recover those items lost long ago so that they may be saved and displayed for all to enjoy?
Working for a museum or with a team of archaeologists to help locate and recover various items of historical interest could lead to a potential job in metal detecting.
Using a metal detector at an archaeological site could help save lost items from potential damage during excavation because you would be able to help locate targets prior to anyone digging deeper and then mark their location so that the team can go in behind you knowing exactly where to dig and carefully extract the relic from the area.
Write & Sell A Book
Writing and selling a book can be an excellent way to start earning an extra income from metal detecting. This is something you may particularly want to consider if you have a solid set of writing skills and know of a topic that you would like to be able to communicate more clearly to an audience in a written format.
Andy Sabisch practices what he preaches in his books as he too is an experienced and avid detectorist.
A great example of a metal detecting based author would be Andy Sabisch. Mr. Sabisch has successfully written numerous, in-depth, user guides for metal detectors such as the Minelab CTX 3030, Minelab Equinox 600/800, Nokta’s Simplex+, and the XP Deus.
These detailed handbooks help give owner’s a deeper understanding of their metal detectors, allowing them to unlock their true power and features so that they are able to effectively and efficiently find more of the targets they are searching for while out in the field.
These books sell incredibly well throughout the detecting community and Andy has become highly regarded when it comes to understanding and using many of the metal detector’s in today’s market.
However, that didn’t happen by chance. He has spent countless hours studying, researching, and testing each machine all while documenting his findings so that he could share them with the rest of the metal detecting world. A lot of work goes in to writing a book!
Imagine if he kept all those secrets to himself. He would be finding troves of treasure while we’d be out “pulling tabs!” The work he has put in and the value of information Andy has provided makes it easy to see why his books sell between $20-30 each, and even that is a bargain for us!
SOME THINGS YOU JUST CAN’T LEARN ONLINE
Andy Sabisch will teach you everything you need to learn to effectively use the Minelab Equinox 600 & 800 series metal detectors.
Pretend Kellyco Metal Detectors sold 10,000 Minelab 600/800s units in 2020. Now let’s imagine that 10% of those people also bought an Andy Sabisch, The Minelab Equinox 600/800 Metal Detector Handbook. The book currently retails on Amazon for $24.94 and hypothetically, we’ll say Mr. Sabisch makes an 8% royalty per book sold from his publisher. That would equate to $1,995.20 in book royalties from just those individuals through the sales at Amazon.
There are still all the sales that are taking place at other local and international metal detecting shops, book stores, and of course the rest of the world shopping and using Amazon. Also, don’t forget about all the other versions of user handbooks Andy has written for different detectors that are selling simultaneously alongside the Equinox guide.
Now remember, this is all just a hypothetical example, so please don’t go asking Mr. Sabisch for a loan because those numbers are not truly representative in this scenario, but you can see how the process of writing a book and monetizing it works. It becomes a numbers game to make a living beyond that.
Don’t forget, a lot of time and work goes in to writing a detailed book like these, so if you break the revenue down per hour that you spent working in total, make sure that number is worth it for your individual aspirations.
Assuming that you have provided a valuable product to your end user and it has met their demands, you have an audience to sell to, and a way to distribute your product, then writing and selling a book could indeed be a worthwhile endeavor that is able to pay dividends as people will purchase your books for years on end.
Start a Website
Photo Credit: Kevin Bhagat = Unsplash
Starting a website is another great way to help you to being able to make a living off of metal detecting. A website offers so many opportunities to create income and different revenue streams.
In fact, having a website in of itself is like hiring your first employee. Once you have built and setup your pages for your site, everything can run automatically, thus giving you the opportunity to earn an income 24-hours a day! So, what are some of the ways you can monetize your metal detecting website?
Selling Website Advertising Space
Photo Credit: Mitchell Luo - Unsplash
Allowing website advertising is a form of monetization which can help aid you in making a supplemental income from metal detecting. Setting up your website to allow the hosting of advertisements is an easy way to bring in passive income so that while you are sleeping, in the shower, or even out detecting yourself, you’ll still be earning an income as visitors to your website interact with your pages and the ads placed on them.
In order to setup online advertising for your website, you’ll need to setup an account and then be approved with an ad agency. The easiest and most prominent ad agency to do this with, especially if you are a newer website, is with Google Adsense.
The reason this generates income for you is because millions of advertisers are purchasing ad space across the world wide web and as long as you have a website, you have ad space available for sale. These advertisers bid for the right to use that space to place their ads, some of which you may have noticed on this page (yes, I use Adsense) along with others throughout the site.
Google sells that space to the highest bidders which means more money for you. Google then takes care of placing and optimizing those ads for your audience so that they are relevant to each user who visits your site, making for a customized and pleasing experience.
As visitors interact with your site and the ads that are served, you will get paid out based on the ad set performance. Below is an example of what a Google Adsense report looks like.
Photo Credit: Lewis Keegan - Unsplash
Creating an online course, much like writing a book, is a great way to be able to provide valuable information to others in the metal detecting community. Once you have completed the formatting of the online course, whether it be in video or word, people will be able to find and download it at their leisure.
An online course may be beneficial for you to create because you would have the ability to go back in and update the file as needed so that your material stays relevant to your students. This may because a new piece of technology comes out and effects previously recorded or written content and you’ll want to update your file so that it is up to date for anyone who previously purchased the download as well as for future customers.
Below are several platforms that will help you to create your online courses and will pay you a commission based off of every sale or from a subscription pool. Here you can compare the differences:
Merchandising
If you’ve created a YouTube channel or website, it is likely that you’ve probably taken the time to make some type of logo for your brand to help establish an identity with your audience. What better way to help showcase that brand which you’ve worked so hard at creating than by putting it on various merchandise for your friends, family, and supporters? Here are some of my options for the Swing4TheRing brand.
There are also plenty of options when it comes to having your merchandise made and even shipped for you. This can be very convenient because just like being an affiliate marketer, you don’t have to bear the cost of the original product nor do you have to carry the constant inventory or worry about storing excess product. Working with these companies is like having your own promotional department team ready at the helm!
Again, just like an affiliate program, you get paid a percentage of every sale plus once you’ve created several designs and set your store to go “live,” it will be just one more way in which you could potentially be earning money 24/7!
Several companies you can consider when looking to host a merchandising platform include: Printful, TeeSpring, and Spreadshirt.
Metal Detecting Fame
Photo Credit: Justin Aikin - Unsplash
There are a few final ways to make a living from metal detecting, although they are more like hitting the lottery. Think of it as making it to the NFL of metal detecting. You may be asked to sign a few autographs at this level!
Land A TV Series Contract
If you’re okay with being in front of the cameras and on the big stage, becoming the poster child of metal detecting for a TV series could be a great way to achieving a full time income from metal detecting.
Most people that follow the hobby of metal detecting are familiar with “Ringy and KG” from the TV series, “Diggers,” which started airing back in 2012. Before becoming stars on TV, they were just two everyday guys who picked up an interest in metal detecting, made a few videos and DVDs of their detecting hunts, and wrote a short book about the hobby.
That was enough to get the attention of National Geographic who sought them out to shoot a pilot episode for what would become the “Diggers” we have become to know.
“Detectorists” is another TV series that originally aired on the BBC and was casted as a sitcom about the hobby of metal detecting. Many treasure hunters can relate about the day to day lives and thoughts of the main characters, Andy and Lance, who do an excellent job portraying what it’s like being a “detectorist.” Now even though Mackenzie Crook (Andy) and Toby Jones (Lance) are paid, professional actors, that doesn’t mean little ole’ you couldn’t have gotten a starring role in that or any similar series.
Working with big budget TV producers can of course lead to big time salaries, especially if your show becomes a hit! Just be ready to handle legal contracts, long hours, lots of possible travel that would take away from family time, and of course, dealing with the fact the camera may add 10lbs.
Achieving this status of fame could bring unintentional attention. This may not be ideal for you, especially if you enjoy metal detecting for the solidarity of the hobby and are not looking to be in front of the camera or the spotlight. But, if you have the go big or go home mentality, either of these ways may give you something to work towards.
Find Treasure
Photo Credit: Evgeniy Kozlov - Unsplash
Perhaps the holy grail of being able to make a full time living from metal detecting is to actually find a hoard of treasure! For many detectorists, this is just a dream and the thought is, “it will never happen to me,” but the reality is that just by having a metal detector and going out and searching, you’ve greatly increased your odds compared to the “Average Joe” who stands on the sidewalk and watches you dig from a distance.
Photo Credit: Andrej Sachov - Unsplash
To prove that finding real-life treasure is actually possible, in 2009 Terry Herbert set out along the English countryside with his metal detector, only on this outing, Terry would swing over something that changed his life. The Staffordshire Hoard ended up containing over 3,500 pieces of artifacts including Anglo-Saxon gold and jewels, value — $4.1 million and is now on display at various museums.
Photo Credit: Kanchanara - Unsplash
In 2014, a California couple were walking along their property and noticed a rusty can just off the side of the trail. Upon picking it up, they discovered it contained a US gold coin.
They later returned to the site with a metal detector and uncovered a total of 8 cans that contained 1,427 gold coins, many rare and in uncirculated condition with a total estimated value of $10 million. This treasure find has come to be known as the Saddle Ridge Hoard.
While each of those finds happen to be by chance, there are plenty of references detailing lost caches and treasure around the world. With a bit of detective work and a “go-get’em” attitude, you could greatly increase your odds of finding such a life-changing treasure, thus being able to make a living off of metal detecting.
Summary
Making a full time living from metal detecting may have a different meaning for everyone. Needing enough income to support a family of five will be significantly different when compared to supporting just oneself who may lead more of a minimalistic lifestyle in a region that has a lower cost of living.
Thus, depending on your situation, it may take more than one of these income generating ideas to help fulfill your full time living expenses. However, there is light at the bottom of the plug!
A pile of gold I’ve found over the years from metal detecting.
With the majority of Baby Boomers now entering the retirement phase, realty TV shows highlighting the chase of treasure, youngsters seeing YouTube and social media figures detecting, and the price of precious metals continuing to rise, the demand for metal detectors and treasure hunting accessories has never been higher. This can make for the perfect storm to help you begin making a full time living from the hobby of metal detecting.
Start Finding Treasure Today
The versatility of the Minelab Equinox 800 is the perfect detector whether you are hunting on land or in the water. Get yours today!
To be successful using any of the above mentioned suggestions, it will take a bit of work on your end to initially set up and it may also take more than one of those things to get you to making a full time living from metal detecting.
Once developed however, a few of those tips can act as a great passive source of additional income and can at least start paying for some metal detecting vacations and/or new metal detecting gear for you to enjoy along the way!
Whatever you choose to do, I wish you success and even if you choose to do none of the above to help earn a little extra income, there will always be plenty of crusty pennies out there to metal detect and dig!
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
