If you’re looking for a side hustle to try, flipping should be a top choice!
Seriously, flipping is awesome.
Here’s why flipping is great: you don’t need any money for startup costs, you don’t need experience to start, you can make money pretty fast, and flipping is flexible, so it’s perfect for people with busy schedules.
If you’re interested in learning more about flipping, I’ll be sharing how flipping works, what things to flip for profit, what platforms to use for flipping, and where you can actually find things to flip.
How Flipping / Reselling Works
Here’s the basic idea of flipping: You will get something for free or cheap and then resell it for more money (this is why flipping is also called reselling).
Here’s the longer version:
- Find an Item to Resell – If you’re just starting out, you can sell something from around your house, you can also purchase things from retail store or thrift stores.
- Research the Item – You should be looking up how much similar items have sold for, and any details you need to include with the listing (like size, weight, etc).
- Pick a Platform to Sell the Item On – After researching your item, you should pick a platform to sell the item on. If you’re just starting out, I highly suggest just going with eBay, but you could use Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, or another platform.
- Gather Shipping Supplies – Before listing your item, you should get the shipping supplies ready. You could use old boxes around your house, or you can order FREE shipping supplies from the United States Postal Service (you can also go to any Post Office and pickup shipping supplies for free).
- Photograph the Item – Make sure you take a lot of photos of the item, you want to get as many angles as possible so customers know what to expect, also make sure you photograph any flaws in the item.
- Draft the Listing – Now you can take all the information you gathered and the pictures you took, and create a listing. Make sure you have a complete description of the item included, and that you have a catchy title, and check that you have the right shipping information and price.
- Double Check For Errors – Before you hit the “list” button, make sure you double check the listing for any errors – DOUBLE CHECK THE PRICE AND SHIPPING COST.
- List the Item – Now you can hit the list button!
- Sell and Ship The Item – While you wait for someone to purchase the item, you might have some questions from potential customers – make sure to answer these in a timely manner, it could help the item sell. Once the item has been officially sold, you can package the item, and drop it off at the post office (or with whatever shipping service you used). If you’re shipping the item using the USPS, you can request a free pickup!
- Rinse and Repeat – Rinse and repeat this process with other items!
40+ Things to Flip For Profit
Now that you know how reselling works, here are over 40 items that you can sell to make some cash.
Clothing and Accessories
Clothing in accessories in general can be pretty profitable if you know what to look for, and can get items cheap enough.
Women’s Clothing
Women’s clothing in general can be pretty lucrative if you know what to look for.
Look out for higher end clothing brands like Free People and Eileen Fisher. Reselling Revealed has a great list of Women’s Clothing brands you should be on the lookout for.
Also, plus-size clothing, higher-end jeans, and clothing in petite sizes can be good finds, too.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, consignment store
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Poshmark
Watches
Watches are great to resell, there are many collectors out there who love vintage watches (and are willing to pay!).
Older watched and designer watches are great to sell. You can also sell parts of watches or broken watches.
Make sure you do your research! Watch buyers can be incredibly picky.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, consignment stores, estate sales
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, consignment stores
Vintage Swimwear
Vintage clothes and accessories have made a huge comeback in the last 10-ish years.
Almost anything vintage will sell for money (if it’s in good condition), including swimwear!
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Poshmark, Mercari
Designer Items
If you love designer items, you can turn that knowledge into some extra cash!
There are well-known brands that will sell well (Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, etc), but don’t forget about other brands.
Learn how to spot lesser-known designer brands (like Loewe) so you can pick up items that others might leave behind!
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops
Best Platform For Flipping: Poshmark, eBay, Tradesy, ThredUp Luxe
Shoes
All kinds of shoes sell for good money – and they don’t even have to be NEW shoes!
I’ve seen many resellers find Rothy’s at thrift stores and then sell them for a pretty nice profit on eBay and Poshmark.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Poshmark
Concert Tees
Concert tees can also be a great way to make some extra money (just make sure you can get them cheap enough!).
Vintage and new concert tees can do well, but I think vintage ones could make you the most money!
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, maybe Poshmark
Snow Gear
Snow gear can get pretty expensive if you’re trying to buy it new, so it makes sense that there’s a market for secondhand snow gear.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Facebook Marketplace
Vintage Eyewear
Vintage and vintage-inspired eyewear could make you a nice bit of profit.
Make sure you aren’t overpaying and that the glasses are in good condition.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Poshmark
Cufflinks
Believe it or not, there are cufflink collectors out there!
These collectors are willing to pay for cufflinks that are vintage, made out of special material, limited edition, or for cufflinks that are just plain cool-looking.
Texas Gal Treasures has a great video about reselling cufflinks, and she shares what to look for.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Etsy
Ties
This is a category that might surprise you: tiesss!
A lot of ties aren’t worth too much ($10-$25), but if you can get them cheap enough, they could still be worth your time since ties are fairly easy to list for sale, and they’re also very easy to ship.
Be on the lookout for Brooks Brothers ties, Donald Trump Ties, and other high-end tie brands.
A reseller by the name of Steve Raiken, has a video all about ties and tie brands that sell for a nice profit.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Poshmark
Home Items
Home items can be very profitable, and most items don’t require any specialized knowledge. Just make sure everything is in working order!
Wooden Furniture
If you can find wood furniture pieces for a good (ahem, LOW) price, you could make a profit on it, if you’re willing to sell them locally.
Some wood furniture may need some refinishing / rehab, and if you’re willing to put in the work to do it, you could make even more money.
Check out YouTube for wood furniture restoration ideas and tutorials.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, LetGo
Upholstered Furniture
Upholstered furniture is a bit similar to wooden furniture – it’s great if you can get it for a low price, and you can increase the selling price by rehabbing the furniture yourself.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, LetGo
Outdoor Furniture
If you’re lucky you can acutally find outdoor furniture for free! Lots of people will set it out on their street to have someone take it away because they no longer use it / want it and they don’t want to go through of trouble of throwing it out themselves.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, LetGo
Rugs
Rugs (especially vintage rugs) can sell for quite a bit of money.
If you can find a good vintage rug that’s in great condition (no stains or rips), get ready for some major profit!
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, LetGo, eBay
Vintage Picture Frames
This is another great category that can make you some serious profit.
You can find frames at estate sales and thrift store, and they’re usually in pretty good condition.
When trying to flip them online, you might have some issues with shipping them (finding a box), but you can always sell the frames locally to avoid that.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, LetGo, eBay
Vintage Knobs
If you can find knobs and cabinet pulls that are in good condition (and come in sets), you could easily resell them online!
If they’re antique or have a unique design, you could also try selling them on Etsy
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, LetGo, eBay, Etsy
Vintage Kitchen Appliances
Kitchen appliances are great items to flip. Make sure you do your research and that you have all the necessary parts for the appliance (and make sure to test it!).
If you have an item that isn’t working, you could also try selling the different parts.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, LetGo, eBay
Tupperware and Pyrex
Vintage Tupperware and Pyrex items can make you a decent profit. There are a lot of collectors out there looking for certain pieces.
Make sure you do your research to see what your items are worth and make sure you have all the necessary pieces when reselling (lids, etc).
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops
Best Platform For Flipping: Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, LetGo, eBay, Etsy
Vintage Mason Jars
There are mason jar collectors out there!
If you can find some mason jars with special / unique designs, you might have more luck selling them on Etsy.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Etsy
Coffee Mugs
Depending on the design and rarity, you could make some cash from coffee mugs (even if they’re used).
A few years ago the Starbucks mugs from the “We Were There” series resold for quite a bit of money!
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops
Best Platform For Flipping: Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, LetGo, eBay
Other Kitchen Items to Flip For Profit:
- Flatware
- Tea Cups
Sports Memorabilia
Sports memorabilia can be pretty lucrative and it’s such a big category, you’re bound to come across something that you can sell!
Baseball Cards
This category might be a bit tricky, but if you’re willing to do the necessary research, you could make a nice profit.
Not every card is worth money, so don’t forget to check what other cards have sold for.
If you’re interested in learning how to sell and ship sports cards, JP Breaks has a video all about that.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay
Vintage Jerseys
There are many hardcore sports fans that would love to get their hands on a vintage jersey featuring their favorite player or team.
Make sure you have an authentic jersey and take note of any flaws (so you can add the information to your listing).
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay
Hats
Hats can easily be found at estate sales and thrift stores. If you’re able to find vintage hats featuring sports team, you could make some money.
Look out for baseball caps and beanies.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay
Other Sports Memorabilia You Can Resell:
- Bobble-heads
- Figurines
Collectibles
Think about hobbies that have a large number of collectors, those could be potential opportunities for reselling!.
Pokemon Cards
It seems like Pokemon card collecting has become super trendy lately (Twitch Streamer Ludwig recently paid $30k for a Pokemon card box to unbox live), but even before the recent hype, Pokemon cards could be a good source of extra cash.
Depending on the condition of the card, and the rarity you could find cards worth $50 – $10,000 (or more).
Make sure you do your research first! And if you do end up with a card that you think is worth a decent amount of money, get it graded by PSA or Beckett.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay
Legos
If you have complete Lego sets, those could go for a lot of money (even if they’re used).
If you don’t have sets, you could sell the Legos by the pound on eBay and still make some extra money.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, LetGo
Barbies
If you’re able to get your hands on vintage Barbies, those could go for a lot of money.
There are also some newer types of Barbies that are worth a decent amount (Holiday Barbies, etc).
Make sure you look up the other Barbie listings to see how much they sold for.
If you have damaged Barbies or Barbies that don’t have boxes, you could always sell them as a lot to get some money.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay
Electronics
Video Games
New, used, and vintage video games will always be something that you can make some money with.
You can resell items from your own collection, or find video games at thrift stores and garage sales.
If you want to know the potential selling price, you can use Price Charting to see how much other copies of the game sold for on eBay.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Amazon
Gaming Consoles
Video game consoles are other things you could flip. You can find these at thrift stores and garage sales, just make sure you test them first!
You can use Price Charting to see the sold prices of gaming consoles on eBay.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Amazon
Remotes
I was super surprised by this one, but it’s true – you can resell remotes on eBay (and make real money).
This category might be a little difficult since you have to look up each remote to see if it’s actually worth anything, and you may need to test it – but you could hit the jackpot and find something good!
The Radical Reseller has a short video about how to test and sell remotes on eBay.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay
Power Tools
Power tools are something that you can easily find at thrift stores and garage sales.
The trick is making sure everything works and that all the parts are included.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay
Photography and Videography Gear
This one will require some research and a little bit of knowledge – but it can really pay off!
If you’re well-versed in photography and/or videography equipment
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay
Car Parts
This is similar to the photography gear, you need to know what the parts are and how much you could make.
So make sure to do your research and when you do go to the list the items, try to describe everything as accurately as possible.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, junkyards
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Arcade Games
If you somehow are able to get your hands on an arcade machine (vintage or new), that is something that you can resell.
Make sure it’s in working order, and think about shipping options if you plan on mailing it.
Retro Only has a video about places where you can sell your arcade machine (that you haven’t heard of).
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, locally
Other Items
Here are some other items that you could resell for money:
Books
Out of print books, textbooks, and bestsellers are all good options for flipping.
You will most likely get the most money by selling them on Amazon, so check out the Amazon listing to see how much you could potentially make from the books.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, college campuses (buy their used textbooks!)
Best Platform For Flipping: Amazon, Bookscouter
Records & Record Players
Both vintage and new records can sell for some good money.
Like other types of media and electronics, you want to make sure that you test the records and note any flaws.
Finding a good box for vinyl records might be tricky, but luckily Commonwealth Picker has a video all about how he ships the vinyl records that he sells.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay
Strollers & Baby Items
Strollers and other baby items are good money-makers!
You can find baby items at thrift stores and garage sales – also you can ask people in your network, you can probably find at least one person who just wants to get rid of old baby items and will give them to you for free.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Stuffed Animals
There are some stuffed animals that can go for hundred of dollars (and I’m not talking about Beanie Babies!).
Generally, oversized stuffed animals and certain vintage plush toys can go for a lot of money.
Look on YouTube for other resellers that sell stuffed animals for other ideas.
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay
Board Games
You can make some good money from selling vintage and hard-to-find board games.
If the board games are used, make sure all the pieces are there (if some are missing, you could order pieces on eBay to complete the set).
Where to Find: Thrift stores, estate sales, consignment shops, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, garage sales
Best Platform For Flipping: eBay
Other Items to Flip For a Profit:
- Vintage Perfume
- Discontinued Perfume
- Discontinued Beauty Products
- Bicycles (and bicycle parts)
- Yard Equipment
- Puzzles
- Yarn
- Fabric
- Craft Kits
Places to Find Items to Flip For Profit
If you’re already gone through your house and sold all of your unused items, here are some other places where you can find items to resell for cash:
- Ask family and friends
- Yard Sales, Garage Sales, Boot Sales, Church Sales
- Estate Sales
- Library Sales
- Flea Markets
- Thrift Stores
- Consignment Stores
- Retail Stores
- Auctions
- Abandoned Storage Units
- Dumpster Diving
- Free Items Left Out
Platforms to Use For Flipping Items For Cash
There are quite a few platforms you can use to resell items, some of the most popular choices are eBay, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, and Mercari.
These four platforms have a large variety of categories that you can list items in, which make them great for almost any item you have to resell.
If you want to get started with an easier platform, I highly suggest trying out eBay.
Once you have some experience you can start trying out different websites and apps. Here are some platforms you can use for reselling:
- eBay
- Amazon
- Mercari
- Poshmark
- Facebook Marketplace
- Etsy
- LetGo
- Craigslist
Ready to start flipping?
Reselling can be a great way to make some extra money, and if you enjoy it and are willing to put in the time, it could also become a legitimate business for you!
If you want to try out flipping, just start with things around your house. Signup for an eBay account and try listing at least 5 things!
Once you’ve built up the confidence, you can use the money you made from your first few sales and purchase some other items that you can flip for profit.
If you’d like more information about reselling, there are tons of youtubers who share what sold for them and strategies they use to increase their flipping income, and there’s also an active community of resellers on Instagram, check out hashtags like #reseller #reselling #ebayseller #poshmarkseller, if you enjoy using Reddit, there’s also a subreddit for flipping, r/Flipping.
Happy flipping!
FAQs About Flipping Things For Cash
What’s the best thing to flip for money?
The best things you can flip for money are things you can get for free – because then everything will be profit. But generally speaking, electronics, video games, designer clothing, and collectibles are all great items you can flip for money.
What are the easiest things to flip?
The easiest things to flip are the items that you are the most knowledgable about. When you know a lot about what you’re selling it just makes the entire process easier – you will have an easier time researching the item and listing it because you will know everything about the item.
How much money can you make flipping items?
You can make anywhere from $50 all the way up to six figures. There are people that resell (flip items) full time!