Recycling isn’t just about bottles and cans. With some effort, you can create a thriving side hustle by flipping a number of different items for significant profits. But, a quick search online will have you sifting through endless lists of things to sell to make money that might end up leading you nowhere, and since nobody wants to waste time trying to sell a dud, here are the best five things to sell to make money that are not only in-demand, but also guarantee hefty profits.
Bicycles
The first item you can sell for massive profits is bicycles. You could literally buy a used bicycle for less than $100, then sell it for $300 or more, and that’s what makes bicycles a top answer when you ask for things to sell to make money. But, that doesn’t mean that any bike can work. You need to go for bikes that have features like a carbon frame, hydraulic brakes, and rockshox suspension, so high quality bikes from brands like Trek Bikes, Yeti Cycles, and Santa Cruz Bicycles. Bikes from these brands carry more value right off the bat just because of the name on them.
Just like how there are brands you should seek, there are brands that you should avoid. Don’t buy low quality bikes that anyone can find in Walmart (NYSE: WMT), like Mongoose Bicycles and Huffy Bikes, because they’ll sell slow and have really low profit margins. After learning about the brands, you should also learn about components, especially when it comes to the suspension, drivetrain, and brakes, because these components are what the buyers pay the most attention to, since they’re the most noticeable when it comes to how a bike performs.
You can find really good bikes to flip on Facebook marketplace, or on websites like Craigslist and OfferUp. But, like with any other items people flip, you need to be really knowledgeable about bicycles, especially since you can buy one for very little money because it needs some repairs, and then fix it yourself and sell it for profit. You also shouldn’t be afraid to negotiate the prices. Most of the time, when it comes to used goods, sellers are willing to reduce the price because they expect that people will offer under their asking prices, just keep your offers reasonable and don’t lowball the sellers. For example, if the bike is selling for $200, offer $100 or $150, but make sure to tell the seller why you’re offering less money, maybe the bike’s condition isn’t as good as you thought, maybe it needs a tune-up or a wheel replacement.
Aside from repairs, you could also clean the bike to make it look better before you take pictures of it to list it on eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) or Facebook marketplace to sell, and there are tons of free resources online or YouTube videos that show you how to clean or fix many types of bikes, so it’s something that you can learn on your own as a complete beginner. Now, let’s talk about how you can actually get it to sell, and this is a tip that you can apply to any item that you flip. Write a well-detailed description in the listing. You don’t need to write an essay, just try to give all the info you’d want to know if you’re buying that item yourself, and make it as clear and simple as possible.
The most important things to include in the title are the bike’s model, size, and the year it was manufactured, especially if it’s a rare discontinued model. Then, in the description, include things like the bike’s condition, specs, components, and any upgrades you’ve done. When it comes to finally selling the bike, don’t get frustrated if the buyer tries to negotiate the price with you, because just like how you negotiated to buy the bike in the first place, they’ll do the same because they want to save money. Try to meet them somewhere in the middle, so you can ensure that you make a profit.
Furniture
This item is a bit trickier, since it needs you to own a car or at least have a friend or family member willing to drive you around to pick up the furniture. Still, furniture is one of the best things to sell to make money, since it’s one that people can’t live without, which means high demand. Additionally, it’s readily available, since people are constantly moving out or moving in, which means that they’re always looking to get rid of old furniture.
This is why you can find old furniture being given away for free from people moving out in your area, or for a very cheap price on Facebook marketplace. The amount of money you spend on the furniture depends on where you are, but the cheaper you are able to get them, the higher your profits will be. After finding the pieces of furniture you want to sell, see what you can do to polish them to get more money. Maybe they need a new paint job, and you can do that yourself by buying paints specifically formulated for furniture, like urethane or alkyd paint, because they are self-leveling so they leave you with a perfectly smooth and professional-looking finish. Keep in mind that if you’re working with furniture made of manufactured wood or have a piece with a glossy finish, using a primer before painting them is essential. Don’t skip this step, especially if the wood has already been painted before or has some imperfections, which a primer can completely smooth out. The right primer can also hide stains and odors you may find in older pieces.
And just like with bicycles, there are a lot of free resources online that can help you learn how to flip furniture as a complete beginner, but one important thing you should learn to do is how to tell the difference between real wood, which is really desirable in the furniture market and where the real money is, and manufactured wood, which sells for much cheaper. For example, if you see things like grain patterns and natural variations in the furniture, then it’s real wood. After you’re done with the clean-up and polishing, you need to stage your furniture and take professional pictures of it with some decorations to really present it in the best way possible, and that increases your chances of selling it. When you price the items, account for the total investment you put into it, so all the products you used to clean or paint the furniture piece, and also the time you spent on them. For example, if you buy an old table off Facebook marketplace for $50 and get a lot of work done on it to make it presentable and marketable, you might want to sell it at $250.
You can list the items on Facebook marketplace or eBay, and make sure to include detailed descriptions with things like the dimensions and if the furniture is completely refinished. You could even ask for a non-refundable deposit of about 20% before the sale. With furniture, it could take you a week or two to sell one item, so don’t get discouraged and take a lowball offer right away. Instead, be patient for a few weeks and if you still can’t find a buyer, you can slightly lower your price.
Books
if you don’t have a vehicle to move things around, or don’t want to do big transformations on bulky items, you can always flip books. Buying and selling second-hand books is a very profitable niche to get into, and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has made it very easy for people to sell books, as you can buy books for less than $5 or less, and sell them on Amazon for something between $20 and $25. If you sell books on Amazon, then you’ll have to pay the platform’s fees. For example, if you sell a book for $25, you’ll be making around $16 in profit, which isn’t a lot of money, so this type of item can only bring in a lot of money if you’re selling multiple books.
You can also find books that are very niche and very hard to come by for some people, which can be very expensive. For example, academic books can sell anywhere from $40 to more than $300. But, the downside to selling books is that you need to be extremely knowledgeable about what books will sell well, and for a big amount of money, so you can buy the ones that will actually do well and not just pile up a bunch of books that won’t end up selling.
Video Games
Video games are one of the best things to sell to make money because they’re quite easy to store, and you can learn about them very easily and very quickly. You can source video games by going to a Game X Change or a Half Price Books, thrift stores, or garage sales, and you might want to start by looking for older video games for the PS3 or the PS Vita because their values can be very high as they get treated as collectibles.
For example, there’s a Japanese horror game for the PS2 called Kuon, and it’s so rare that it sells for $600 to $1,000 on eBay. You can find out which games are more popular and which games sell best by going to eBay and searching for something like “PS Games” and sort the results by the highest price and sold listings, to understand what people are buying and what you should keep an eye out for. Most of the time, you can buy games for a price from $10 to $20, and sell them on eBay or Amazon for $30 to $60, but before you buy a game, you can check its current market value of on websites such as PriceCharting or GameValueNow.
You should also try to build good relationships with people working in the stores you source your games from, which can allow you to get better deals, as well as tips and advice on where to find games and what games sell better than others. A big downside to flipping video games is that you need to have at least some passion for them because the video game market is constantly changing, and this passion will help you stay up-to-date on market trends and demand. There’s also the fact that a lot of people are flipping games, so it can be a very competitive space to enter, especially online, so it’s important to price your games competitively and offer good customer service.
Vintage Radios
You might’ve never heard of vintage Grundig radios before, but you’ll definitely recognize one if you see them. Vintage radios sell pretty often on eBay, with used units and units that are in a good working condition selling for $500 to $750, which is why these vintage radios are a great item to be on the lookout for. You might be able to find them at estate sales, a thrift store, or a yard sale, but you should also check antique stores where you can find a working one for around $100 or $200 that you can sell on eBay for $500 to $750. These radios also sell in non-working conditions for around $150 or $200.
The Bottom Line
To sum up, there are a lot of things to sell to make money and niches you could get into for flipping. But, we tried to give you five items that are some of the best and are always in demand. Still, flipping is a tough business since it’s competitive, and there are risks associated with them because there are scammers out there who might sell you unauthentic products, so you need to do your own due diligence and research the item extensively before you make a purchase.
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