I get asked all the time “what is the weirdest flip you’ve ever done?” I would have to say hands down one of my flips definitely sticks out more than the rest. It has been the most memorable ebay sale among my friends and family so I have to share it with you all. 
While I enjoy looking for weird and fun items to flip, I do purchase some normal items for resale – like new tennis shoes, liquid cleaners, exercise equipment, appliances and baby items. All of them produce pretty good profits as long as you buy them right.
When I’m researching a potential eBay sale, prior to buying them I always try to find out what the item retails for. Sometimes when your looking to buy weird stuff it’s hard to find information on the item. But most of the time if you look hard enough on Google you can find some type of information on pretty much every item out there.
Now back to the weirdest item I’ve ever bought and resold. I was at the flea market a few years back, and while I was walking around I came up to a vender who I had seen there every weekend. I had never purchased anything from him before. He had a strange looking silver metal object that was cylinder in shape and about 18 to 20 inches long. One end of the object was flat like a shoe horn and the other end had some type of joint that would move back and forth. There also was a small little plugin spot that looked like a small USB outlet. I had no idea what this item was but it looked very expensive. (That is another way I tend to find awesome items to resell, just keep an eye out for expensive looking merchandise.)
I asked the vendor if he knew what it was and he replied “no”. I then asked him how much money he wanted for the item he replied “$35”. While I was looking the item over and trying to figure out if I wanted to take a chance on flipping it, I found a small label that said Otto Bock. So I took my phone out and googled Otto Bock. After a few minutes of surfing Google I 
found out the item was a prosthetic leg made of titanium with knee joint. I couldn’t reference any type of price for the prosthetic leg but I figured it should be expensive so I decided I would offer the vendor $30. The vendor agreed so I paid him for the item and went on my way.
When I got home I took pictures of the leg and posted it later that night with a “buy it now” price of $999. I thought I had priced it a little high but I figured I would give it a shot to see if it would sell. (Sorry, I don’t have a photo of the actual item, this was several years ago before we started the blog, and eBay only keeps pictures for a short period of time).
The item sold in less than an hour and the buyer paid for the item right after he won the auction. I was excited that it sold for what I was asking, but then I kicked myself for asking too little. Surely if it sold that fast I could have gotten more. But, then I don’t want to get to greedy. I was happy with that ROI. That’s a 3,333% return on investment. Not too shabby for one eBay sale. 😉
So in conclusion my weirdest flip was a prosthetic leg made of titanium. I had no idea what it was when I first laid eyes on it but I took a chance that paid off big in the end. I will take a $30 risk like that any day!
There are a few things I won’t take a chance on. Check out my list of 5 items I never buy at the flea market. You can download the PDF HERE. (This will be e-mailed to you and will also subscribe you to our list to receive our latest flea market flips and eBay tips. You can unsubscribe anytime.)
Last weekend I picked up an item that may top this knee. It might not make quite as much profit, but it is definitely something different than I thought when I bought it.. Just have to keep things interesting around here. Ha. Will share it with you soon. Happy flipping!
I want to hear from you!
What has been the weirdest thing you have purchased from a flea market, yard sale or thrift store? Did you keep it or turn it into an eBay sale? Comment below!
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