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Today we are super stoked to be talking to Jon with Flippin Aint Easy. Jon is a reseller on eBay and runs his own YouTube channel sharing eBay tips for sellers about how to grow their business on the platform. He’s going to share some of the reselling tactics he’s tried over the years and how he found his niche of selling items from liquidation pallets.
How Did You Get Started In Flipping?
Jon started flipping back in 2002 when a friend told him about eBay and it being a way to make some side money. At the time Jon had a full-time job working from 3:30 to midnight so he had time in the day to pick up this side hustle. The two would go to the computer swap meet they’d have every Saturday and would pick up items.
Back then he had a Nokia flip phone which allowed him to go to eBay and go to search and type the name of the item and lookup comps. He was able to pick up $100 items for $2 to $5 at the computer swap meet, take them home, test them out, and list them. That was how he got his first taste of the reselling business.
Are You Doing This Full-Time?
Jon has been a full-time seller since 2019, but it wasn’t really by choice. He had a 26-year career working for Amtrak in California. He was there taking calls the first 12 to 13 years on the job and then got into management. Eventually, they said they were closing the office and Jon could move to Philadelphia and step down from management or take a severance package and separate from the company. It was a tough decision, but Jon was selling part-time already, so he decided to go all in.
Working for yourself is great because with reselling he doesn’t have the moments of having to wake up and go into work. He can develop his own routine that works for him, but it’s important that he keeps himself motivated. To succeed as a reseller you need to have self-drive and motivation.
Are You Still Selling Computer Components Or Have You Branched Out?
Jon started with computer components but stopped to spend time with family, and then had the opportunity to sell some pool tables from a bowling alley. They had some Harley Davidson coin-op pool tables. They had four of them, and Jon helped them sell the tables for $7,000 to $10,000 a piece. And then the owner started bringing in other merchandise from Taiwan for Jon to sell.
The owner brought in a bunch of stun guns and Jon got his first warning from eBay for listing a flashlight stun gun because you can’t sell stun guns that represent everyday items. He also got suspended for listing with the phrase stun stick, but finally got around it by using a different phrase and sold out of the items.
Jon has also tried the whole bulk.com thing, which he does not recommend because it didn’t make money. Eventually, he went back to liquidation on a part-time basis and then found out he was losing his job. So he went all-in on flipping.
Where Do You Source Your Items?
Jon works with local liquidators and occasionally buys b-stock pallets. Lately, there’s been a shortage of liquidation items, and his theory is that a lot of bin stores are popping up and demanding the merchandise, making it harder for a smaller seller to get two to three pallets.
What Is Your Average Monthly Income From Reselling And Where Do You Sell?
Jon is mainly selling on eBay right now and tried a bit of Mercari and Amazon last year. An average month is $10,000 to $12,000, depending on the type of merchandise he can get his hands on. Summer is usually a slower time of year. His margin is about 50 to 60% after eBay fees, shipping, and costs of goods sold.
What Is Your Most Memorable Flip?
You get your home runs every once and a while with a liquidation pallet where you’ll find a thousand-dollar item. One of his recent scores was an HP Switch that was brand new and ended up bringing in $1,100.
What Piece Of Advice Would You Give Someone New?
Jon says he would advise that people don’t quit their day job while they start flipping. First, try it on a part-time basis to see if it’s something you even want to do.
Jon had a friend who went into a pallet purchase with him, and the pallet didn’t have what was expected, but they were going to work to get their money back. After a few weeks, the friend asked Jon to buy his half because he just didn’t enjoy it.
If you’re just getting into reselling, sell things you enjoy doing. So if you have a hobby or something you like dealing with, try to venture into that. Don’t even buy anything. Start off on the stuff that’s in your house that has been collecting dust in your closet for months. You can get started selling items from your house today!
Show Notes
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FURTHER RESOURCES
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