Oy, me hearties!
I heard you’ve run out of ideas what to buy and resell. That sucks.
But worry not, because today I am sharing with you the 11 items that I wish I’d started flipping sooner.
These are my top 11 things that are usually very easy for me to sell, because they’re in demand. Which means people are searching for them.
Which means more chances for you to make a quick sale!
(Or, in other words, just a list of items that I’ve noticed to sell quicker and for higher profit margins than other stuff I’ve tried to flip.)
Keep in mind, though, that these are only generic suggestions – flipping these may not benefit everyone. As always, I recommend you to trust your guts and try flipping whatever you feel like, and find what sells and what doesn’t.
Why?
Because you’ll learn so much more that way – if I hadn’t tried and failed when trying to flip all those items, I wouldn’t be able to recommend the best flips right now.
But enough talk. Let’s hop right into the 11 items I wish I started flipping sooner.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. iPhones
2. Books
3. Black skinny jeans
4. Stockings
5. Desks
6. Shelves
7. High-quality coats
8. Leather jackets
9. iPads
10. Apple watches
11. Bluetooth earbuds
CONCLUSION
1. iPhones
Ah, I can still remember my first iPhone flip as if it was yesterday.
I bought a used iPhone 8 at an online auction site for 90 euros (before making the bid, I was, of course, smart enough to watch a YouTube video like “what you need to check when buying a used iPhone 8“, and asked the seller additional questions about the battery health, locks, etc.).
When it arrived, I was so nervous and certain that there would be something wrong with it, but I couldn’t exactly test it, because I didn’t have an iPhone charger (yes, I was a proud Samsung user).
Eventually, I got myself a Lightning cable, and was relieved to see that the phone worked as it was supposed to.
I took better pictures of it, listed it online on two local sites, and about a month later sold it for 160 euros.
Now that’s what I call profit.
Used and underpriced iPhones are usually quite easy to find on the market, because there are a lot of people looking to get rid of their used iPhones and sell them quickly (maybe because they’ve purchased a slightly newer model. I will never understand these people.).
This creates the chance for you to buy low and sell high.
Flipping used iPhones does, of course, come with a risk of getting scammed, as you may end up buying an iPhone that is missing some of its functions.
That’s why it’s important to check that EVERYTHING works before sealing the deal.
Otherwise, you could easily come across a dysfunctional speaker, etc.
If you’re interested in learning more about flipping iPhones, watch this video on how to start phone flipping in 2024.
2. Books
Alright, books isn’t what I normally sell (I think that the whole ‘book flipping’ business is more of an US thing), but it’s an awesome way to go from practically zero cents to a few dozen bucks.
You can typically get undervalued books from thrift stores, garage sales, online auctions, etc.
After you’ve got your books, next step would be to list them online for a higher price, and sit patiently and wait for them to sell.
Yeah, that’s pretty much it.
Not all books are profitable to buy and resell, though.
You have to search for books that people actually want to buy – so typically either new releases, books that people collect (Harry Potter??), or something else high in demand.
TIP: You can also use tools like ScoutIQ to make the process easier – simply by scanning the QR code of a book, you get its price on Amazon.
3. Black skinny jeans
Where are my fashion gurus at?
Everyone knows that there are some basic clothing items that are pretty much a must-have in every gal’s (or guy’s) wardrobe. A little black dress, a white shirt, a trench coat…
And my favorite fashion item to flip – black skinny jeans (from a popular brand, like Zara or H&M).
Oh, you want to know why it’s a great item to flip?
a) Black skinny jeans are usually easily found in any thrift store that I go to, and for a cheap price.
b) Selling them is easy-peasy too, because there’s always someone who wants to buy a new pair.
4. Stockings
No, I don’t mean those regular stockings that you can get from the supermarket for a few cents.
I mean those fancier stockings that have snakes or moons or little hearts on them:
These badboys sell themselves.
About a year ago, I bought 9 pairs of such stockings from AliExpress for $2 each, and I was able to sell them online for 10 bucks each. (5x return rate? I’ll take that, thanks!)
5. Desks
Alrighty then, let’s get to furniture now.
One of the first pieces of furniture I sold was an IKEA desk that my relative gave to me (apparently, their office was getting new desks, so the old ones were just given away).
I listed that desk on Facebook Marketplace, and about a week later sold it for a solid 120 bucks. (Yeah, it sold so quickly that I probably could’ve asked for an even higher price).
If you can find a desk that is in good condition (or, if you know how to renovate it), made by a well-known brand, and priced too low, it’s your chance to make some money!
You could find such desks at garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets, etc.
6. Shelves
Aaaand next up in home decor, we have… shelves!
Floating shelves, bookcases, shelf organizers, etc. Whatever you can find.
Shelves are one of my favorite pieces of furniture (can I call it furniture? or is it just home decor?) to buy and resell, because:
a) they’re relatively small so you can transport them easily
b) comes with a low risk – it’s easy for anyone to figure out whether a shelf is in a good or a bad shape
c) you can find them for cheap or even free, because there are tons of people who just want to get rid of them quickly.
7. High-quality coats
There’s this second hand store near me that has a 50-cent-day once a month.
Yes, as in, you can buy any item of clothing for 50 cents that day.
Once, I went there on a 50-cent-day, and found a long wool coat in perfect condition. Needless to say that I bought it.
I ended up selling it for 60 bucks.
Well, guess we’re buying some Burger King instead of McDonald’s today.
So, turns out that flipping coats can be really profitable, if you know what type of coats to look for.
Extra points if the coat is:
- Made out of wool (even partly)
- Vintage, but in a good condition
- Made by a designer brand
8. Leather jackets
Am I the only one obsessed with leather jackets?
They look so cool.
Leather jackets are another one of my favorite clothing items to flip, because there’s just so much demand for these.
Whether it’s a vintage oversized jacket made of real leather, or a more modern leather jacket with silver zippers and studs, it will probably sell!
9. iPads
Jumping back to Apple products now.
There’s not much to say here, actually – just about the same as for iPhones: search for underpriced iPads, make sure it works before buying it, and list it online for a higher price.
The main difference between flipping iPhones VS iPads is that even if an iPad is already an older model, people are still likely to buy it, whereas when it comes to iPhones, people usually aren’t as quick to buy older models.
And, I mean, it makes sense.
If you want to buy a used iPad, chances are that you are going to use it just for surfing the internet in the evenings, or that it’s meant for the use of a child.
Doesn’t have to be perfect, just has to work.
If you’re buying a used iPhone, however, you still want high performance, because in today’s world, you can’t do shit without a good phone.
10. Apple watches
Oy, this just reminded me that I still have an apple watch sitting somewhere around the house.
A few years ago, I bought an apple watch with a broken screen, and was determined to fix it up and sell it. Ordered the parts from AliExpress, but I got stuck at a step in the process of fixing it, and I never finished.
Yeah, I’m lazy, ok?
But I will, probably, try and finish fixing it. Sometime. In the future.
Anyways, if you buy an undervalued working apple watch with a working screen, you’ll probably be able to make some profit.
11. Bluetooth earbuds
You know these beautiful Bluetooth earbuds?
So far, I have bought about 20 of these (and other similar cute-looking ones) from my best friend, AliExpress, for around $4 each.
And I am proud to say I have sold them all, for around $20 each. And you can, too!
“What makes people want to buy these for such a high price instead of just ordering them online,” you ask?
Well, not everyone knows that they can order stuff from China for such a cheap price (or they don’t want to wait a whole month to receive the product), plus they look pretty and actually still quite cheap compared to other Bluetooth earbuds.
CONCLUSION
That’s it, partner, the 11 items that I wish I’d started flipping sooner.
I hope you got some ideas that you can take with you for the next time that you head to a thrift shop or a garage sale.
Now, it’s your turn – do you have any items that are a go-to for you when you’re looking for items to buy and resell? Leave a comment!
Peace out, hustlers!