How I Made $5800 Flipping Items in 2018

What’s going on everyone? I hope your side hustles businesses are going strong. If you’re flipping items online in some sort of fashion, you know that the results can be up and down depending on the month and the season. If you stick with it, there is a chance to make some good money when you sell stuff online. In 2018, I made over $5800 last year selling other people’s shit online. I know you are probably asking yourself some questions. How did I do it? What the hell am I selling? In today’s article, I’ll discuss the things I did to make $5800 flipping items in 2018.

Flipping items in 2018

EBay

Over $4800 of the money came from eBay. I’ve been selling on and off with eBay for 10 years. I started taking it more seriously in 2016. It’s been growing since then. Last year, I opened an eBay store, Atlanta Mart. It was time to take things to the next level. At the time I had over 100 items listed. Opening an eBay store was the next logical thing to do. With the store, I was able to find more of the best items to flip and list them. Also, I’d save money with it as well. The store also gave me the ability to run promotions on my items. It was a no brainer.

Related Reading: 45 Items to Sell on eBay This Week

Multiple Platforms

I love eBay, but it’s not the only platform that I use for flipping items. I have items listed on a few different sites. Crossposting, as it is called, is a must if you want to make money selling stuff online. Here are the different places where I have items listed. Many of them have apps where you can sell the items.

Bonanza

Bonanza is a website where people can sell their items. The site doesn’t get nearly the amount of traffic that eBay gets so the sales aren’t as consistent. One thing that I like about Bonanza is that the selling fees are cheaper. Also, you can import your items from eBay to Bonanza for free. That’s clutch because you don’t have to do it manually. For more info about Bonanza, check out this link.

Letgo

Letgo is a mobile app that allows you to sell all types of items. It’s pretty simple and very easy to use. You take pictures and list the item on the app. If someone wants what you’re selling, they message you. If they send you a good offer, you accept it and you choose a safe location to meet. It’s straightforward, I have about 30-40 of my items listed on Letgo.

Craigslist

Craigslist has been around for years. I have about 30 items listed on there. The best items to flip on this site are bigger things since I don’t have to worry about shipping. Craigslist gets a good amount of traffic due to the fact that it’s a well-known site. I’ve done well with sports-related items and glasses on there.

OfferUp

OfferUp is another selling app that I use. It’s similar to Letgo. One major difference is that OfferUp has a shipping option. You have the opportunity to sell items to people all over the country. I haven’t had the most sales on this app, but it’s free to use so I’ll keep listing.

Facebook Marketplace

The next place where I list items is Facebook Marketplace. Facebook is still a very popular website. People are on there for all types of reasons, including to buy stuff. I have about 30 items listed on FB Marketplace. Facebook Marketplace is another site that is good for flipping items that are too big to ship.

Mercari

Mercari is one of the favorite places to sell items. It was second behind eBay last year in sales. Mercari is an online selling app that’s similar to eBay. There is no bidding involved. You list your items to sell directly from your phone. When a seller purchases something, you ship it to them. I have 40 items listed on Mercari ranging from jerseys to bobbleheads. If you’re interested in Mercari, check them out here. They are giving new users a $10 coupon when you sign up with them.

Instagram

Believe it or not, I sold a few items on Instagram last year. I usually share the items that I pick up with my audience on social media. A few folks saw some things that interested them. They messaged me about the items and from there, I made the sale. The transactions were done with PayPal and CashApp. I shipped them off the next business day. It was super easy. I’m hoping to make more sales on Instagram this year.

Poshmark

The final place that I used for flipping items is Poshmark. I only made two sales on the platform in 2018, but that was because I wasn’t as serious with it. I already surpassed that amount in 2019. The majority of people sell clothing and accessories on Poshmark. They are really big on following other users and constantly sharing their items. That’s something that I’ve gotten much better at this year. If you’re interested in selling stuff on Poshmark, visit their site here.

As you can see, I have items everywhere. Most of my focus is on eBay, Posh, and Mercari at the current moment. Some items sell quicker on a certain site than the others. I audit the inventory that’s on each platform every couple of months. I update prices, change titles, and even take new photos from time to time.

Different Items

I’d like to call myself a student of the online selling game. I’m always learning about different items and trying to see what the best items to flip are. In the past, I stuck with what I knew, which was tennis shoes, jerseys, and other sports-related items. Last year, I expanded on that. I started selling board games, glasses, clothing, and more. That definitely helped me get more sales. To make more money when you sell stuff online, don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone.

Keep Listing

I try to list items whenever I can. I list on eBay a few times per week. When I’m not listing on eBay, I try to list something on another platform. Listing items help to you get more traffic to your account. That leads to more sales. If you want to make serious money when you sell stuff online, don’t be afraid to list your items.

Fair Prices

There are thousands of people that are flipping items online. Some of them have some wild price points. I tend to offer fair prices. I check out what a certain item has recently sold for and price them accordingly. If something doesn’t sell, I’m not afraid to lower the price.

Source in Different Places

Last year, I started sourcing in different places, I started going to new thrift stores and I attended more yard sales. Also, I found a couple of websites where I could but items to flip. Doing those things have allowed me to get more inventory and sell more things. When you sell stuff online, you have to do that. You don’t want the well to run dry. Try looking for different places to source your items.

Advertised my Listings

The final thing that I did was advertise my listings. I schedule tweets several times per week of my eBay items. Search traffic is cool, but tweeting my items allows more people to see them I also share some of my listings in some of the selling groups that I’m in on Facebook. Lastly, I pin some of the items onto my eBay board on Pinterest. Doing those things will get you more potential buyers.

Last year was a hell of a year for selling other people’s stuff online. This was money that I made in my spare time. I believe that you can do the same thing. Follow the tips that I gave above and watch the sales start to come in.

If you are looking to increase your income with eBay, check out my free webinar eBay for Starters. In the 35 minute webinar, I talk about the basics of setting up an eBay account and more. If you’re not sure where or how to start, check it out.

Have you thought about flipping items online? What platforms do you use?