Make Money: Reselling items for profit
Do you know the best items to resell for profit? There are a variety of items you own in your closet or garage that you can buy low and sell high to earn extra cash.
If you’re looking for a side hustle to make a little extra cash to pad your pockets, you’ve got a ton of options.
But instead of pounding the pavement in search of a part-time job, you can make just as much money — and often a lot more — by working out of the comfort of your home. And one way to do that is to buy products at a discount and sell them for a profit online.
It’s becoming pretty popular among those who are looking to make some extra money. In fact, plenty of people are making a great income selling items they find at lower prices.
Not only that, but there are many who even do this as their career, allowing them to make enough money to sustain them without having to trudge through the traffic to and from a 9–5 job every day.
So…it can be a side income or a full- time business. The truth is, you can buy and sell just about anything.
What Are The Best Things To Buy Low And Sell High?
There are so many items being sold at thrift shops, yard sales, auction sites, online sites, and on clearance racks at department stores that you could potentially sell yourself.
You can also hit up popular stores for clearance or discount items and sell them. It’s called retail arbitrage.
But that doesn’t mean every product will necessarily bring you the same type of revenue. You want to make sure the products you’re selling are in demand.
Further, you want to make sure you’re able to sell at a price point that will help you realize a decent profit.
And finally, there are always shipping costs and listing fees to consider, not to mention your time dedicated to this side gig.
How Much Does It Cost To Flip Items?
The nice thing about flipping items is that you can start small without a lot of capital.
A few things I have flipped cost me under $25.00 and others have cost over $200.00. I have flipped camera lenses, bicycles, plant pots, concert tickets, and various sporting goods.
There is nothing like experience when it comes to buying at the right price or in other words to buy low and sell high.
Here Are The Best Items To Resell For Profit
1. Books
Probably the simplest and most popular items that are being bought used and flipped for a profit are books. It’s pretty much how sellers on Amazon got started in the e-Commerce biz.
The good news is that there’s a seemingly endless supply of books out there that can be found in a variety of different places, including library sales, garage sales, thrift stores, and in clearance sections at department stores.
If you can find vintage novels or first edition books, you stand to make a bigger profit. And if you can manage to put together book sets, you can make even more money. Then you can simply list the books you’ve picked up on places like Amazon, eBay, BookScouter, or Cash4Books.
Check out Cash4Books.net for selling your used books and textbooks. Shipping is FREE!
2. Sporting Goods
There are plenty of second-hand sporting good stores out there where people go to trade in their old equipment in exchange for something else. These stores are turning a profit with this business model, so there’s no reason why you can’t too.
Considering how expensive sporting equipment can be, many consumers are willing to get something gently used in order to get a discount, and you can capitalize on this demand. Just make sure that the equipment you buy is in relatively good condition and free of any unsightly stains that might be tough to get out.
3. Video Game Consoles
Video games aren’t just for kids. In fact, you’ll probably find just as many adults enjoying their time spent playing video games as children. Given this, video games are in high demand and are always being searched for by gaming enthusiasts.
That’s great news for you because there are always used video game consoles (and games) to be found, both on online venues like eBay as well as thrift shops.
4. Toys
Toys are an easy sell online. Parents are always looking for toys that are no longer being sold in stores to please their little ones, and they typically look online for such items.
Whether you search your local thrift store for toys, garage sale or search through clearance online stores like Ebay or Amazon. The best place to look for toys to sell.
Alternatively, check out clearance items in places like Target or Walmart or your favorite big box store.
5. Furniture Made Of Solid Wood
Good-quality chairs and tables carry a high resale value, especially if they’re made of solid wood.Many of the pieces that are sold in furniture stores these days are either hollow or are made with sub-par wood material.
Any items made of solid wood carry a much higher price tag.As such, consumers are often willing to buy solid wood pieces. You can find thrift store items at just about any thrift store. And if you sand them down and restain them, you can make them look like new and demand a higher resale price.
6. Picture Frames
Frames for photos are always popular consumer items. And the more embellished, larger, and older frames tend to be the most valuable.
When looking for photo frames to flip for a profit, look for ones that are in relatively good condition. If necessary, you may want to touch them up. Also, look for frames that already come with photos in them, as the frames themselves may be worth a pretty penny.
Just keep in mind that smaller frames will be easier to ship than larger ones.
7. Electronics
Aside from video game consoles, other electronics are usually quite popular in the resale realm.
Consumers are always on the lookout for things like cameras, stereos, CD and DVD players, and even VHS players.
You’ll even find people looking to get their hands on classic Walkmans and portable CD players, which are selling for a mint on places like eBay.
8. Watches
Finding used watches and fixing them up can be a great way to make some extra cash on the side.
All you need to do is polish them up and add a new battery if necessary to bring them back up to par. Just make sure that they still work before you buy anything.
9. Brand Name Clothing
Everyone appreciates a well-known name in the world of fashion, and many people are willing to pay top dollar for such items.
You should be able to find plenty of items with brand names on them from thrift stores and on clearance racks. While you might have to do plenty of digging to find something decent, it could be worth your while.
And if you’re able to find something that still has a tag on it, your profits can be even bigger.
10. Antique Goods
There’s something about antiques that makes them highly appealing and attractive to people. Perhaps its the fact that antique items are no longer manufactured today, and this allure has people mesmerized. There’s certainly something nostalgic about antique goods.
Either way, many antiques — regardless of the type of items they are — tend to hold value, so you can realize decent profits if you’re able to find old products at thrift shops or garage sales.
11. Old Sewing Patterns
Remember shopping at the local fabric store with your mom while she picked out a handful of patterns to sew your next new outfit? Well, these vintage sewing patterns are still in demand these days, especially those that are at least 20 years old. You might be able to snag a few at yard sales for a couple of bucks, after which you can flip them at as much as five times the price!
12. Tools
Take a look around your garage or shed and see if there are any tools lying around that haven’t been used in eons. You might think they’re worthless, but you’d be surprised at how many people would be interested. Sometimes they’ll use them as a whole tool, while other tools might be used for parts.
Otherwise, check out used and auction sites like eBay and free online classified sites like CraigsList for any tools that you think might be worth more than what they’ve been listed for. You can make a little extra cash selling common tools like hammers, saws, screwdrivers, or even powered tools like weed whackers and chainsaws.
13. Bikes
People are always selling bikes. Often they were a novelty purchase that ends up sitting and collecting dust. You can find bargains on craigslist, garage sales, or Facebook Marketplace and turn and flip them at pretty nice profits.
Tips For Buying And Flipping Products
Now that you know which types of items might make a good source for buying and flipping, there are a few things you should know before you begin your side business in order to make sure it’s as profitable as it can be.
Check online first before buying in-store. If you’re looking for products in stores, make sure to compare how much a particular item is selling for in places like eBay or Amazon before you head to the cashier.
The price that’s listed on eBay will usually be rather accurate as far as what you can expect to sell your goods for (if in comparable condition and).
Look for defects. If you’re buying used goods, odds are they won’t be in the same condition that they would be if you had bought them brand new. As such, make sure you assess each item very closely before buying and look for any markings that could affect what you could sell them for.
If there are any defects, make sure they’re fixable before you commit to buying.
Buy in higher-end stores. Clearance sections are always the best spots to look when shopping in stores.
Clearance items in a higher-end store will likely be much better quality. Therefore, you can command higher selling prices than clearance items in a place like Walmart.
Shop on advertised deal days. Many stores designate one day every so often where they offer deals and discounts to shoppers.
Be sure to sign up for e-newsletters so you can stay in the loop about these upcoming deals and get even more of a discount when you buy. The lower the price tag, the bigger your profit margin.
Factor in shipping costs. If you are including shipping in your sale price, be sure to calculate how much these charges will be, as they will directly influence your profits.
Usually, larger, heavier items are pretty expensive to ship, so you might want to stick with smaller, lightweight items, at least when you’re first starting out.
Sure, you can always make a few extra dollars to help cover the cost of groceries, the electrical bill, or a monthly dinner out by flipping average products for a profit. As we’ve already mentioned, there are tons of items that you can easily find — even in your own home — that you can flip for cash.
Final Thoughts
There are so many creative ways to make money online. With a little legwork and research on the resale value of different consumer products, you can make a nice little side cash — or maybe even a full-time income — buying discounted items and selling them at marked-up prices.
Do you have any suggestions to add to our list to buy items to resell for profit?
