Big Issue to become the world’s first ‘resellable magazine’ to help earn sellers more

The Big Issue is to become the world’s first “resellable magazine” as it launches a scheme to help sellers earn more money.

The magazine, which offers employment to homeless people and those living in poverty, will team up with digital bank Monzo to help sellers earn as society becomes more cashless.

Copies of the magazine will now have an individual QR code and it is hoped it will allow readers to pass the publication onto a friend, who can pay the original seller again.

The Pay It Forward scheme is launching with a limited number of trials and only 20 vendors around the UK will be using it at first.

Aaron Dunn, who sells the Big Issue in Covent Garden said the Pay It Forward method of selling has already seen a copy of the magazine passed over 20 times.

He said: “It’s great because you get to earn extra money on top of the sales you make of the magazine. You never know how far it’s going to go.”

Owen Lee is chief creative officer for FCB Inferno, who helped create the Pay It Forward system.

He said: “By turning every Big Issue buyer into a potential seller, we’ll activate a huge and untapped force for good with each vendor being the head of a chain of entrepreneurship.

“While all Big Issue magazines are made to do good, this means that every magazine can keep on doing good.”