Learning from other flippers is a great way to grow in the reselling business. Jenny Fyksen, a Flipper University alum, will share her insights into her business and how she’s stepped out of her comfort zone in the last year. She had one of her biggest flips this last year, too, so we’ll dive into that.
How Did You Turn $5 Into $2,300?
Jenny started reselling six years ago after the birth of her third child when she became a stay-at-home mom. She started by reselling things the kids weren’t using anymore. She sold the items on Facebook Marketplace for porch pickup; it was all local. Eventually, Jenny’s husband got more into the flipping and started looking for items at thrift stores and estate sales. Jenny found a training with Flea Market Flipper and learned to start looking for larger items to flip.
Her husband had at one point picked up a Native American birch bark canoe at an estate sale for $5. For a while, it was just a conversation starter in their home. Eventually, they looked at comps on eBay and learned it was made by Bill Haman, who had one in the Smithsonian and had presented one in the 1960s to President Johnson. They found one for $6,000 at a gallery and listed theirs for a couple thousand on eBay. It had sold by the end of the four-week training with Flea Market Flipper. I had called Jenny to welcome her to Flipper University, and we talked through how to ship it. It sold for $2,300.
Tell Us About Flipping The Air Fryer?
Recently Jenny picked up an air fryer for $225 and sold it for $6,600. There was an issue with one of the bays that needed a technician, so she paid for the service and ended up selling it for $6,100.
She found the huge air fryer one evening on Facebook. It was restaurant quality. She was scared but kept thinking about it. The next day, Jenny was listening to a podcast featuring flipper Joanna Bradley who talked about how she used to watch other people be successful and then realized she could do these things too. That inspired Jenny to reach out to the seller, who said it was still available.
She went to our Flipping For Profit Facebook group for advice, and someone said it’s a great flip if you have a truck and trailer and a place to store it; Jenny didn’t have either of those things, but she pulled the trigger anyway.
They told the seller they needed a few days to figure it out and paid him over the phone. They borrowed a neighbor’s trailer and got a storage unit lined up. It was a four-bay unit, approximately six feet long and 1,200 pounds.
What Was The Tipping Point For You To Say Yes?
Jenny says asking questions and knowing her husband backed her got her to do it. He had done enough freight shipping to be confident they could do it. She asked the owner questions about it being in a basement, and he said they had guys working and had a forklift so they could get it loaded. That was the encouragement she needed to commit to it. She says she was still scared the whole time.
Did You Have The Same Fears You Did With Your First Large Flip?
Jenny says some of the fears were the same, but they went away after she had the fryer in their garage. The fryer wouldn’t fit in the storage unit, so she had to put it in the garage and move stuff from it to the storage unit.
Once it was in their possession, there was less fear to freight ship than there was with their first freight shipment, a Schwinn Airdyne exercise bike.
What Happened With The Refund?
When Jenny got a note from the buyer that there was an issue with the item, she went straight to the freight Facebook group to talk through the next steps. She didn’t want an unhappy customer, and she didn’t want to return it either.
The item arrived three weeks late because of an ice storm. Once delivered, the buyer immediately hooked it up, and two fryers worked great. The one fryer didn’t turn on, and she knew it had an intermittent issue because the owner had said that when they picked it up, that was disclosed on the listing. But there was an unknown issue on the back of the panel. When they went to hook it up, the wires had been disconnected. The buyer messaged Jenny, showed pictures, and then Jenny started asking questions. She asked if there was an indication of damage, and that was a great first question because it let the buyer know she was responsive and would help her figure it out.
Whenever the buyer communicated with Jenny, the buyer would praise some aspect, like her communication or packaging job, and also deliver a critique because she wanted it fixed. It was a good interaction throughout the process. Jenny hadn’t heard from her for three weeks and thought she might not, but then the buyer got a $60 bill from the freight company, and that spurred things on, so she reached out again.
The bill triggered the buyer to be upset the fryer wasn’t fixed. Jenny realized they hadn’t called a professional because the fryer wasn’t something they necessarily needed since the other two were working. She looked into the hourly rate to fix it, and it was roughly $400 for two hours of repairs, travel fees, and whatnot for a professional. Jenny refunded the buyer that amount so they could get the repair if they chose to; the buyer was thrilled.
Would You Sell The Fryer Again If You Had To?
Jenny says she would sell the fryer again if it came up. After this sale, Facebook’s algorithms started giving her more large items to purchase.
She found a free commercial-grade Total Gym from a physical therapy place, and although she didn’t want to deal with it because it was around Christmas, they picked it up. Jenny says she still notices she sometimes has barriers but is trying to push past them.
Are You Still Doing Flipping On The Side?
Jenny is a stay-at-home mom, and her husband works full-time, so flipping is her gig while her kids are at school. She loves working fewer hours and making more money.
What Are You Averaging Per Month?
Jenny says it fluctuates, but in January, she made $9,000. In the last six months, it has been between $7,000 to $8,000.
What Would You Tell Someone To Get Past Roadblocks?
Jenny says it’s helpful to talk with other resellers if your confidence drops because they can help you walk through steps or boost you. You can gain so much knowledge from seeing and learning from other people’s wins.
Show Notes
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FURTHER RESOURCES
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