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Start Flea Market Flipping to Make Extra Income
Looking to earn an extra $200, $500 a month for you and your family?
If you are looking for a side hustle, besides your main job or because you’ve been laid off, reselling can start generating some income for you.
You probably heard of Flea Market Flipping. It’s a popular way to make money by improving an item and reselling it.
Often, flipping items to a forgotten market can be very profitable.
If you have some free time during the week or on weekends, you can use it to do Flea Market Flipping.
This enterprise is flexible and it’s all up to you how many hours you want to put in.
Below you’ll find some of the best items for flipping, along with where to buy and resell them.
Flipping it – You have an item you can fix or improve and have a customer in mind to sell it to. There will be some costs you will incur to improve the item, besides the price you pay.
To make a profit you’ll try to sell as high as possible, while keeping your costs down.
Some people can turn a one dollar item into something valued at $20 or more, it’s a skill. So, if you’re handy, crafty and into DIY projects, Flea Market Flipping may work for you.
Here are some tips from Sicilian Mamma Vintage, eBay shop owner, who flip items she loves to a niche market.
I’ve always loved antique and estate sale shopping. I love to feel an item’s history. I began watching “Thrift with me” videos on youtube and was amazed at all of the great finds available in local thrifts and Goodwill centers. I started venturing out on weekends and buying things that I loved or just had a good feeling about.
The internet has a wealth of sites that help identifying and pricing your finds. Ebay Sold Searches will give a more accurate estimate of what is selling and for how much. I only use auction formats if its something that I’m not certain of and let the demand dictate purchase price.
It’s a great idea to set your items on timed start so that a new listing starts everyday. It seems the Ebay algorithm favors the daily listings. I began with a 5.00 limit to my purchases allowing room for profit without hurting our budget should an item not sell. I take more risks now but only on items that I’ve seen successful in the past. Mostly, I buy what I love so if it hangs around in inventory it’s pretty to look at.
For me, the key to succeed in flipping is to keep informed, watch the experts and follow their lead. Some people frown upon reselling, thinking we’re taking advantage of the thrift system. I love to think of it as a great opportunity to re-home a much loved item that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.Our items are usually not immediate sellers, someone has to literally search for a vintage depression glass etched cordial set for the sale that makes it all the sweeter as those glasses will find a forever home with someone that will cherish them.
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Best Items to Flip for Profit
There are sought-after items to flip in different Markets from Home Decor to hobby items like Baseball and games cards.
Flipping Furniture
Furniture pieces are among the more popular items to flip for a profit. It can be a dresser, a table or chair. They can be improved and place for sale.
The best pieces of furnitures to flip include:
- Furniture with hidden compartments
- Pieces with character
- Vintage and retro pieces
- Furniture for small places
- Pieces for small apartments
Where can you Buy Furniture to Flip
Flea markets are desirable places to buy furniture for resell, also estate sales, Craiglist and garage sales.
Flipping Used Golf Club for Profit
Preowned golf clubs, designer golf clubs and mini golf clubs are on demand items to sell on platform like eBay.
Good brand new golf clubs are not cheap and for budget minded golfers, buying them second hand is a good deal.
Cards and Sports Memorabilia
This category is one of the most wanted in the second hand market. So, cards and Memorabilia items are good candidates to market flip.
If you have an affinity for identifying valuable Pokemon cards, NBA cards, Baseball cards and others, you can also flip them.
Places where you can find cards and memorabilia for flipping include, Target, Walmart and local yard sales. These can be resold on platforms like, COMC,eBay, and Beckett.
Baby Gear
Sometime it is easier to donate baby items to Salvation Army or Goodwill. But, if you’re in need for some cash and have some good conditioned baby gear, flipping them is a good option.
You probably are familiar with Craiglist, where you can find free baby stuff. Craiglist also list baby things for sale locally. So, does Facebook Marketplace.
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Books
You can sell used single book or sets of books for a profit. Older, vintage and antique books have value for some buyers and collectors in the secondary market.
The better the condition the books are the more value it will hold over time. But, as long as you disclose the book’s conditions any book can find a buyer.
Places to sell used books include; Amazon, garage sales, Decluttr and Letgo.
Here are some of the top books to resell or flip.
- Cookbooks
- Harry Potter
- The Lord of tThe Ring
- DIY books, like cabinet making, wood projects
- Test preparation, when current
- Business and Money books
- Medical books
- Travel books
- Children books
Designer Bags
Used designer bags can sell for top dollars and are good items for flea market flipping. Brands such as Marc Jacobs, Gucci and Channel are highly sought-after in the secondary market.
There are several platforms where you can flip designer handbags including; eBay, Amazon and Poshmark.
Related: 9 Places to sell used designer bags
Vintage Clothes
Whether you’re selling your own pre owned clothes or someone else’s used clothes, flipping vintage clothes can be done for profit.
The best places to find vintage clothes for flipping include your own closet and thrift shops.
Depop, Wardrobe and Vinted are some of the specialized Apps for selling used vintage clothes.
Watches
Flipping watches is something mainly done by watch enthusiasts. Usually, people starts by focusing on some brands and develop a hobby for collecting their watches.
Like any other items for resale, you need to buy low and sell high to make money flipping watches.
Platforms for selling watches besides eBay are Chrono24 and WatchRecon.
Want to supplement a watch flipping side hustle?
A watch blog promoting affiliates can help you make extra income to supplement your flipping activities.
Flipping Sneakers
Sneakers are another way to make money flipping. Sneakers that lead to better profits are the new ones.
The sneakers flipping business is so large that there are conventions for hosting buyers and sellers.. To learn the tricks of the trade, you can attend conventions and online communities.
Some of the sneakers community include; HypeBeast.com and KicksOnFire.com. In these communities you can find out about the goings in the trade.
Stadium Goods, Fight Club Consignment and eBay are places to buy and sell sneakers.
Marketplaces to Flip Items for Profit
This is a list of general platforms where you can resell your items or flip them for a profit. It’s a good idea to first research what is the best platform for your specific items.
- Facebook Marketplace
- eBay
- Amazon
- Mercari
- Poshmark
- OfferUp
- LetGo
- Depop
- Mercari
- ASOS
- Vinted
Some Basics in Flea Market Flipping
For a successful flipping side business, there are things you generally have to consider. Besides gaining some skills working your hustle, here are some prep basics for your items. Ensure that your pieces are;
- Good condition
- Good price
- Low supply
- High demand
- Good pictures
- Be mindful of keywords – SEO Keywords for beginners
- Shipping costs
- Cleaned
- Take into account shipping supplies, like boxes.
Final Thoughts
In the secondary market, you can pretty much resell anything for a profit, by flipping it.
Not all items flipped have to be used or collectible. New items that you can buy for a lower price and sell it for more are eligible for flipping too.
If you’re looking for a side hustle to help your family with extra income, flea market flipping is a popular and doable choice.
Garage sales, estate sales, thrift stores, wholesalers, and retail department stores are places where you can obtain items for flipping.
Check communities like Reddit and Quora for information from the selling and buying sides in many markets.
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