What Flips [2024] Best Items to Resell – Most Profitable

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Americans know how to make a buck. That’s why we have so many small businesses – 33.2 million¹ and counting. 

And flipping items is one way to make money.  

You’ve heard of flipping, right? It’s what people do with houses on TV: Buy them for cheap, fix them up, and sell them for more. Not a bad business model!

And here’s the thing: You can do that with more than just houses! In fact, you can flip all sorts of things.

Below, I’ll tell you exactly what flips – and I’ll explain how you can successfully flip it.

What Is Flipping?

Flipping involves buying something, then selling it for a higher price. 

Let’s say you find a chair at a yard sale that costs $10. Imagine buying the chair, fixing it up a bit, and then selling it online for $25. You just made yourself an easy 15 bucks!

Of course, flipping isn’t always that straightforward. You need to know what flips, and you need to know how to flip it. 

So read on!

How Does Flipping Work?

Here’s my simple 5-step process for flipping:

• Step 1: Decide what to flip. My list below will give you some good ideas to start with!
• Step 2: Learn the market. If you understand typical prices, you’ll know a good deal when you see it.
• Step 3: Buy the item. Check out websites, yard sales, vintage stores, and other discount vendors. See something available for less than the typical price? Then buy it!
• Step 4: Fix or clean the item. This might not be necessary, but it depends on the item's condition. If you can add value cheaply, go for it!
• Step 5: Sell the item. Try using popular sites like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, and Poshmark.

Best Items to Flip

So you’ve got the general idea of flipping, but you’re probably still asking the most important question of all:

What flips?

Here are seven items that can give you a tidy profit. 

1 – Websites

When you hear “flipping,” you might think of physical items like a house or a chair. But a website is actually a popular – and lucrative – item to flip.

Websites are bought and sold on Empire Flippers, Flippa, and other online marketplaces. You can buy a website, improve it so it becomes more profitable, and then sell it for someone else to run.

When you buy an existing website, you should have a strong foundation to work with. The content will already be there. Your task is just to make it even better. 

Of course, you could also build your own website from scratch, then sell it for a profit. 

If you take this “build-it-yourself” approach, don’t forget to use a website builder. Any of these top website builders will save you serious headaches. 

You’ll also need a hosting service – and I’d recommend SiteGround. It gives you the best value, hands down. 

2 – Email Newsletter

An email newsletter is another digital item that’s great for flipping. The idea is to build a newsletter with lots of subscribers, then sell it to a business. Cha-ching!

Your first step, of course, is to create a killer newsletter that gets lots of subscribers. You’re going to need valuable content – you know, the type of stuff that people will really be excited to read. 

You’ll also need some help from email marketing technology. Here's my list of the best email marketing software.

Once your newsletter has a hefty list of subscribers, look for businesses interested in taking it over. Then, reach out and see if you can strike a deal. They’ll end up with a valuable, popular newsletter to enrich their marketing – and you’ll end up with a fat wad of cash. 

3 – Furniture

When considering what flips, people often start with furniture – for good reason.

I mean, just think about it. When people move away from a place or downsize, they’re often desperate to get rid of their furniture. That means you can buy it for cheap!

And when people are moving to a new place or furnishing a larger home, they’re desperate to get furniture. That means you can always find buyers!

So yeah, furniture was practically made for flipping! 

Start by looking for places where furniture often sells for cheap. Yard sales are the obvious choice. Then, fix it up, clean it, and list it for sale online. 

It can turn into a pretty lucrative side hustle – or even a full-time job!

4 – Sports Memorabilia

Sports fans are natural-born collectors, buying all sorts of jerseys, cards, and other team-related memorabilia.

Sometimes, an item goes on sale for less than its true market value. Scoop it up, resell it for what it’s actually worth, and – voila! – you’ve got yourself a tidy little profit.

You can imagine how it goes. Someone finds a bobblehead of a who-the-heck-is-he baseball player in their grandfather’s basement. They sell it at a yard sale for $2, just wanting to get rid of the thing. But then there’s a baseball fanatic who needs that particular bobblehead to complete their collection – and they’re willing to pay $500 for it on eBay.

Your job is to be the person who finds the bobblehead at the yard sale, puts it on eBay, and pockets the $498!

Learn more in my article on “Is it worth selling on eBay?”

5 – Appliances

Appliances are big, heavy, and a total pain to move. So when people don’t want an appliance anymore, they’ll practically give it away – as long as you pick it up and move it.

Do you have a vehicle that can carry appliances? And are you willing to sink some sweat equity into your flipping business? If so, you can pick up people’s appliances for cheap, then sell them for much, much more. 

And if you’re handy, you could also buy appliances that aren’t quite working, then fix them up and sell them for a profit.

To get started, look for appliances on Facebook Marketplace and similar websites. Tell sellers you’re happy to pick the appliance up, and they’ll be ecstatic!

6 – Designer Shoes and Sneakers

Some people know nothing about shoes (or clothes), while others are obsessed with rocking designer threads. As a professional flipper, that dynamic should have you rubbing your hands with glee. 

Because here’s what happens: People sell designer (or otherwise highly desirable brands) items at yard sales and thrift stores without knowing their true value. If you understand the market, you can buy those items cheaply, then resell them to the folks who know their true worth. 

Your first step is to research the apparel and shoe market until you know what flips. If this is an intriguing prospect to you, let’s be real – you probably already are a thrifter already, or you know someone with a good eye. While you’re out at thrift stores or yard sales, keep your eyes peeled until you find an item that you know has value. 

From there, it’s easy: Buy the item, post it with an online vendor, and enjoy your profits when a designer connoisseur comes calling! Popular vendors include eBay, CSD, and Poshmark – Poshmark is more well known, especially for designer goods, but check out both options and see which one works better for you!

7 – Exercise Equipment

“I’m going to get in shape, for real this time – and that’s why I’m buying this expensive piece of exercise equipment!” 

We’ve all heard that one before. Heck, most of us have said it ourselves. 

And we know what happens a few months later: Life gets in the way, habits slowly fade, and the treadmill moves to a closet where it sadly rusts away.

What that treadmill needs is someone to save it – someone like you, who can buy it from the person who no longer uses it, then sell it to someone who’s just starting their I’m-getting-in-shape-for-real-this-time journey!

The downside is that the equipment can be expensive, so you’ll need some serious funds to get started. But if you pull it off, the profits could be substantial! Check out eBay, Facebook Marketplace, yard sales, and even estate sales for exercise equipment that you can pick up for a fraction of the price. 

Common Questions About What Flips

Best Items to Resell?

Looking to buy low, sell high? Then you’ll need to pick the right items.

Here’s what flips:

• Websites (check out Empire Flippers for listings)
• Email newsletters (click here for the best email marketing software)
• Furniture
• Sports memorabilia
• Appliances
• Designer shoes and sneakers (sell luxury items on CSD)
• Exercise equipment

Be sure to look on eBay for discounts on popular items.

What is The Most Profitable Item to Flip?

A website is one of the most profitable items to flip. That’s right – you can buy an existing website, work to make it more profitable, and then sell it for way more than you bought it. Honestly, it’s a pretty cool idea for a business! Check out Empire Flippers for available listings.

Best Things to Flip?

Here are some of the most popular and profitable things to flip:

• Websites (find available sites on Empire Flippers)
• Email newsletters (read about the best email marketing software here)
• Sports memorabilia 
• Furniture
• Appliances
• Designer shoes and sneakers (check out eBay)
• Exercise equipment

Best Things to Resell?

These are some of the best items to buy cheap, then resell for way more:

• Websites (find sites for sale at Empire Flippers)
• Sports memorabilia
• Furniture
• Exercise equipment (find stuff on eBay)
• Appliances
• Designer shoes and sneakers (sell pre-owned luxury items on CSD)

Best Items to Resell on Ebay?

Sports memorabilia is often what flips best on eBay. You can find cheap items at yard sales and estate sales, and then collectors will pay more for them online. 

What Else Can I Flip?

There’s practically no limit to what flips – but furniture and appliances are great options, especially if you can transport heavy items. 

If you’re limited by a smaller vehicle – or by having no vehicle at all – then I’d try smaller items like sports memorabilia or designer clothes and shoes. Be sure to check out eBay for discounted goods.

What Are Examples of Flipping? 

Here are two great examples of flipping:

1. You buy a pair of designer sneakers for $5 at a garage sale, then sell them for $50 on eBay.
2. You buy an existing website (check out Empire Flippers), make it even more profitable, then sell it for a hefty sum.

Is It Legal to Flip Items?

Yes, flipping is 100% legal. Just make sure you follow the rules of the websites you use to resell the items. Otherwise, you could find yourself booted from your favorite sites!

What is Flipping Products on Amazon?

Flipping products on Amazon involves buying something out in the world, then reselling it on Amazon for more than what you paid. 

Is Flipping Stuff a Good Way to Make Money?

You can make serious money by flipping if you know what you’re doing. Of course, “knowing what you’re doing” is the hard part! Study the market so you know what flips and scout out places to buy cheap items. Little by little, you’ll gain the insider knowledge you need.

Related:

• Best Website Builders
• Best Email Marketing Software
• Low-Cost Business Ideas With High Profit
• Flippa alternatives
• How to Make $800 Fast
• How to Make $400 Fast
• Is it worth selling on eBay?

Sources:

1 – https://www.uschamber.com/small-business/state-of-small-business-now

2 – https://unsplash.com/photos/kIPct2PcXYY

3 – https://unsplash.com/photos/ViiRLSV1Aio