Two weeks into October, a garage eBay seller turned on his camera and admitted he was disappointed. In the first 14 days of the month he had done only $1,754 in sales.
Then he went to work. In the next 14 days, he says, he did $5,638 in revenue, a jump of 194%.
His Single-Car Garage Usually Brings In About $10,000 A Month
The seller behind the Flippedit channel runs his store out of a single-car garage. On average, he says, it generates about $10,000 a month and nets about $4,000 in profit.
So $1,754 in two weeks had him feeling a little disappointed in himself. He decided to document what he did about it, and he made six or seven videos over the next 14 days.
“There Is Absolutely Nothing Wrong With The eBay Platform”
His results for the second half of the month were $5,638 in revenue, the 194% jump, with 71 items sold in 14 days, a 184% rise in the number of items sold. His average sale price stayed at $80.
He says there was no other change besides working on his store and “putting time in each and every day, committing to a game plan.” His gross for the month reached $7,099.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with the eBay platform,” he says. “There is proof over the last two weeks.”
His Weekend Included Ten Sales Over $50 And Several Over $100
Over one weekend he rounded up ten sales, all worth $50 or more, with several at $100 or more. Here are some highlights:
- A brand-new, sealed Nintendo Switch football game sold for $47 after 144 days. He paid $17.50 for it, and he says most of that lot sold for $30 to $40 and netted only $3 or $4 each. He has stopped buying them.
- A hiking water bottle from a private pick sold for $50 after 117 days. It cost him $10.
- A Pokémon card from a bulk buy sold for $60 in eight days with $25 profit.
- A set of four seasons of “When Calls the Heart” DVDs sold for $100 in 21 days. He found them at a flea market for a dollar each.
- A Panasonic CD player sold for $140 in six days. He paid $35 at the flea market and made $60 in profit.
A $1 DVD Set Beat A Blu-ray Bulk Buy
He says the four DVDs were a much better result than a Ted Lasso Blu-ray set, which sold for $75.22 after 150 days listed and made only $18 in profit. He points out that the Blu-ray bulk purchase from JB Hi-Fi is now in profit by about $235, with five listings left.
“You’re going to have much tighter profit margins” with retail arbitrage, he says, “but hopefully you’re getting faster sell-through rates.”
A Factory Sealed LEGO Set Sold For $415 In 24 Hours
His number one sale was a LEGO Star Wars set, number 75409, still in its factory box. He cut it open, took photos, resealed it carefully, and a buyer paid $415 within 24 hours.
Two more are listed, one at about $500 and another, number 75331, at $1,150. Another sealed Star Wars set sold in three days for $139.
These come from a consignment deal with a flea market seller he calls “the Loungefly lady,” who also supplied a lot of Loungefly bags. On consignment, there is no cost of goods, so the profit is split 50/50 after fees and shipping.
Four Days Of Consignment Brought In $1,880 In Revenue
He picked up the LEGO consignment only four days earlier. Revenue was already $1,880 on about ten sold items, with roughly $1,600 in profit, which works out to about $800 each.
One set sold in two days for $109, leaving $80 to split, so $40 each. Another $139 set left $107.50 to split after about $20 shipping.
“Sealed LEGO sets at this time of year is kind of like a gold mine,” he says.
Why He Only Says Yes To Consignment On $100 Items
He is picky about it. He only agrees when the item is great quality and sells for over $100, because items listed at $20 or $30 do not leave much after a 50/50 split, fees and postage.
He recommends talking to sellers at the flea market, telling them you are an eBay seller with a well-run store, and offering to sell their stock for half. It is a way to “build up some good quality stock into your store without having to actually pay up for it.”
He credits six years of selling from the garage for the traffic that lets new listings sell quickly.
What You Can Copy From His Month
- Spend time on your store every day, and keep a written game plan.
- Be careful paying extra for sealed games that net only a few dollars each.
- Look past the obvious. People still play CDs, so working players sell.
- Price in the sweet spot. His Panasonic player was worth about $140, he priced it at $140, and it sold with no best offers needed.
- Keep an eye on your sell-through times, since several of his best earners sat for months.
His takeaway after a slow start was plain: it is possible to flip the switch on an eBay store with steady daily work. “Mission accomplished,” he says. “We’ve had a really good October.”
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