If you’re a seasoned shopper or great hunter at finding cheapest deals on online retailers, you may already know all internet marketplaces and retailers have different prices, even hugely varied for the exact same products.
Let’s say there’s a hot product called “A”. The “A” is selling on Ebay at $100. Then let me ask you a question. Does it mean that it ultimately values $100 in the universe since it’s sold for $100 on Ebay?
I know most of you would say “No“. And we can simply guess there might be some price differences on other online retailers and we could easily discover it if we decide to go over it further.
It’s always possible that the “A” valued at $100 on Ebay is even more valued and sold at higher prices on Amazon or Shopping.com or other numerous different online shopping places. It can be hugely different in price, that can be even $150 or even doubled, depending on products.
Then, would you be just happy finding the cheapest deal and save some money to buy at the cheapest price?
Like “Oh I saved single or few tens of dollars! Yay It saves me money and my life!!!“
Would it be your first reaction to finding a good deal in your personal shopping online?
Yeah I know that must be for most of people and shoppers in general. Me? Me as well, I could’ve been in that same sorts even a few years ago before I opened my eyes to E-Commerce and online business things.
But let’s just try to think a little deeper at the point like “wouldn’t it be possible to make money by benefiting from the price gaps between marketplaces and flipping items here to there??!” Ebay to Amazon or Craigslist to Ebay, for instance?!
Yeah the question popped out at this point is the thing we’re going to talk about in today’s post. Let’s go ahead and see the possibility of making money flipping items online!
Is It Possible To Make Money Flipping Items Online?
How To Make Money Flipping Items for Profit Online
This would be the first question coming out to your mind. I understand that it might not make much sense to some people who don’t have an experience in e-commerce and how the whole system works there. It was totally beyond me too when I was never more than a shopper with the perfectly consumer mindset. Back then, I just thought it only allowed “SERIOUS people(Pro Merchants) and SPECIAL products to go around in marketplaces.”, and I didn’t think I’d ever be involved in their special league! So It was a total out of my league to me at that time!
I guess it was after a while, a chance came along unexpectedly and I just spontaneously got into sort of e-commerce business with my own online shop. I started selling stuff on my online store and also on online retailers like Ebay and Amazon as a seller at the same time.
It was a sudden start and I, just mere a newbie in the business, had to learn everything about online retail business from scratch. Besides lots of stuff I had to learn of, the toughest, challenging, at the same time, the most exciting part of what I dealt with in my beginning learning period was about ” product sourcing”.
At first, I thought there was only the way to compete in market was dealing with wholesale products from wholesale marketplaces like Alibaba or GrobalSources.com and bought cheap and sold high to net myself profitable margins. I really thought that was only the single way I could go for in my product sourcing.
By that time, it was my daily routine browsing around on Alibaba and a bunch of other online wholesale places to find good deals. And as much effort as I put in, I soon, discovered glamorous items with handsome prices which were seemingly so profitable. It was awesome and I felt so great. I remained feeling so excited….until I faced with the fact that it had, of course, the minimum quantity requirement..
Huh… minimum 1,000 pcs purchase…… I was really about to run to order it!!….. “massive 5pcs” which I only afforded for, just the happiest few seconds before I had myself check the minimum quantity..!! I might’ve been so laughed at if I really ordered that cute amount of 5. It was a little like beginner’s silly mistake.
Gone through a few of funny situations, I realized that Alibaba and such wholesale sites weren’t the place so fit to me with the tiny scale of business although I found a few of not-too-bad deals through there.
Well.. then something in my mind urged me to look at some other types of places. “What about Ebay?, speaking to myself. I might be able to buy stuff at good prices even if it’s a small quantity to buy.. There I might find stuff at as good prices as even to resell!”(although Ebay is supposed to be a retailer supposedly with higher prices than wholesale prices in general)
Then I promptly got my way onto Ebay.com and started browsing for items briefly. Then I was like “Wow!! It’s full of hot deals and awesome prices!!!!” Yeah Ebay was absolutely better than my stereotype and it was like they were even able to resell in another reselling stage because they were so favorably economy in their prices. I loved their sorts of prices totally! Especially home IP Camera sets as cheap as around $10, and some women cosmetic products which were 50% cheaper than the average prices of other online retailers!
P.S. In my country(South Korea), the exact same product, the IP Camera is sold at around $40 -$60 which leaves me a margin of at least $30 per sale. Sorry by the way, I was looking for some images of the said item all around on my laptop and Ebay pages, I failed since it was fairly long ago!!
I know that quite many have a doubt about the worthiness and profitability of sourcing from Ebay, Amazon, Aliexpress or other online retailers to resell on another retail market. I was one of them too exactly with the same thought. But after my experience with sourcing items from Ebay and succeeding to sell them on other retail marketplaces with handful margins, it totally broke my bias of it.
Now, I’ve got to say it’s really possible to earn a nice amount of net profit, flipping items from a retailer to another retailer. Sure it does work as long as there’s a price gap that you can snatch between markets. And it’s actually a so proven way to make money online from a good side hustle to earning a living by many people. Many are buying on Ebay or Amazon and selling on other retailers or vice versa. It doesn’t have to be only from wholesaling markets to get yourself a good profit if you pick up right products with right prices.
How flipping items online leaves a good profit
How To Make Money Flipping Items for Profit Online
Even if it’s exactly the same product the prices really vary depending on where it sells and who’re selling it. The price range is fairly different between markets and that’s how a profit margin is made.
The basic theory is really simple: Buy Cheap, Sell High
All the amount left after your expenses deducted (Sourcing price, shipping costs, transaction fees etc) is your profit you win out of this method, simply flipping items from a market to another market online.
You would better figure out how after checking these pictures. I picked up some example products in a huge price gap between markets.
Just in 15 minutes of my time, I could find a bunch of hot deals from a couple of online marketplaces that all are able to resell for profit. You may do find a lot more than few if you spend a longer time looking into it, I guess. There’re really tons out there being able to be flipping for a good profit, all you do is sign up as a seller on each market site and find one cheaper from a place and resell it to the other places that values it higher. That’s really all. Quite simple, right?!
If you know of certain products well it can be a big plus because it means you may also know the average prices and the level of the market demands and also where to sell it most effectively. For picking up those three types of product examples, it wasn’t as tough to me because I knew of them all well and I experienced in selling them previously.
As many of you may know, using price comparison websites or apps can be a smart way to find hot deals in order for flipping items online!
Which online marketplaces recommended for flipping items for profit
How To Make Money Flipping Items for Profit Online
- Ebay: Usually great to source products since it has the cheapest average price on stuff compared to all retailers online.
- Amazon: Although it depends on each product, generally it has higher prices than Ebay. Good place to sell on. (flip to)
- DHGate: Chinese wholesale market place that allows for a purchase of single piece of goods. Occasionally hot deals detected.
- Craigslist: World largest local classified ads. Pretty easy to find hot deals of ridiculously cheap prices because people tend to sell things off on here.
- Gumtree: Similar to Craigslist. It’s the most loved regional marketplace, especially in Australia, perhaps UK too (?)
- Other local classified ads or regional marketplaces: I bet you each one have a great classified ads sites that serve your local people! I make good money using Korean local classified ads sites!
- Mobile selling apps (Which is HOT!): item selling apps are awesome and be able to make fast sales since it’s more mobile users friendly in consideration of the fact that mobile users are more than 70% on the internet these days.
- Using brick and mortar distributors: Basically I don’t really desire to specify this part of “Brick and Mortar method” on this post since it’s in focus on online marketplaces. But I still cannot deny using some types of offline channels is excellent ways for product sourcing. For example, pawn shops, flea markets, thrift markets, clearance sales!
Things to consider for calculating your margin
How To Make Money Flipping Items for Profit Online
Here is important! To know what sorts of prices are to make you a profit, this is the first thing you should carry out! “Margin Calculation”.
No worries, it’s pretty easy like a simple math as below.
It’s all for your net profit after the deduction of the general expenses as listed above. One thing I’d like you to note is, for most of cases, the cost prices(sourcing/purchasing prices) must NOT exceed 70% of your selling prices or else you’d net nothing for your own profit, it gets all in vain!
The percentage of your final margin should be at least higher than 30%: If the projected margin of the product you’re looking at is below than the rate, then simply move forward to next, never ever look back.
For example, if a product you purchased is $10 as the sourcing price, and the average market price is around $13. Then you’d hardly get anything left after all the deduction charged like shipping costs (if not a free shipping one unluckily), and fees for the market transaction and fees for E-payment transaction etc. It’d end up even not meeting your break even. It’s not an item that gets you profit so leave it off and find another better!
It’s really essential anyway that you do your margin calculation before deciding to source one. Always keep that little formula(the image) in your mind!
Conclusion
How To Make Money Flipping Items for Profit Online
It’s quite tricky though, I know this is a good way to make money from home flipping items online.
I have met many people from who’re earning a side income to who’re a little bit more serious, even earning a living out of this method.
Just in case that you feel skeptical or even guilty that it looks like fooling with consumers, that’s really no need. It’s basically how the whole merchant marketplaces go with the simple basic principle: “Buy Cheap, Sell High”.
It’s no matter where you source, but it matters how much profit you can leave for yourself. That’s the ultimate point that makes you money!
No need to look far. It’s just anywhere near you where you can find a handful of items with profitably cheap prices. Go catch them and make benefit of the price gap, I know you will make money with it!