My eBay Flip - $10 Profit for 15 Minutes of Work

I love flipping listings. It is kind of like gambling. (No, I don't need a 12-step program...yet.) This is a great way to get inventory to sell, to try new things, and to leverage the power of eBay. Here is my latest flip and how you can do this, too! Thousands of new listings hit eBay every day, so the opportunity is ALWAYS there.

Here is my flip:

I found this item using a misspelling tool. I use Typohound.com - it is free. I searched for the words "cashmere sweater." The tool generates a list of possible misspellings, including typos, common misspellings, etc. I found this item:


Fatal errors on this listing:

1. Two words in the title are misspelled.

2. No return policy. (Read more on the importance of a return policy.)

3. The shipping is really too high for this item. It only weighs a few ounces.

4. No measurements on the listing. Always include measurements on clothing!

5. Keywords in title not optimized. Did not use the word NEW or NWOT in title.

The starting price was $3.99. I bid $5 using a sniper. You always want to snipe these items because bids on auctions encourage more bids. Stay under the radar and let a sniper win it for you in the last few seconds. I use Gixen.com - it is free.

I received the item in the mail, took my own photos, and relisted it. Here is my listing:

What I did differently (better!) than the original seller:

1. Use the word NEW as the first word in the title. This helps you place higher in searches.

2. Included free shipping. This also helps you place higher in searches.

3. Spelled all of the words correctly, added the color to the title, and used all of the space for the keywords in the title.

4. Included a 30 day return policy.

5. Included the measurements in the description.

6. Included international shipping.

So, did I make any money on this item:

Original cost: $16.99
Listing fee: .20
Final value fee: $3.95
Profit: $11.81

Not a huge profit but this is an example of what you can do on eBay without even leaving your house to find inventory. And you can do this many times a day, every single day. All you need is the internet, time, and your imagination. Some tips on flipping listings.

Focus on what you already know. Brainstorm within a niche you are familiar with. Do you know about books, guitars, cameras, tools, leather goods, or anything collectible?

Browse websites that carry expensive products such as Nordstrom, Saks 5^th Avenue, Bloomingdales, Macys.

Zone in on international sounding words as these are frequently misspelled. Good categories are apparel, shoes, fragrances, cosmetics, electronics, musical instruments, and tools. Avoid handbags and watches as many of these on eBay are cheap imitations and if you resell a fake one, you may be suspended.

Avoid fragile items as they will have to be shipped to you, and then shipped out again to your customer and this opens up opportunities for damage. Choose items that are easy to re-ship.

Create your own list of words to search for arbitrage. The key to this process is knowing what to plug into the misspelling tool.

Do this process regularly. I spend about a hour a week looking for items like this, set up my snipes, and win (or lose) the items throughout the week. This process is not intended to be the base of your eBay business, but is a fun way to find things to resell.

Related articles:

Flipped listing - Dansko Clogs

Flipped Listing - Eileen Fisher Pants

Flipped Listing - True Religion Jeans

Learn to Flip eBay Listings in 5 Minutes

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Flipping Listings - Keywords to Search #4

Flipping listings is a great way to make a nice profit with very little work and a small time investment. The most common stumbling block to this process is thinking of words to plug into the misspelling tool. Let me help you out! I have been selling on eBay since 2003 and have sold over 20,000 items, so I can make some great suggestions.

Every week I will be posting 5 brand names, words, or phrases that you can plug into a misspelling tool. You can just copy the list and keep these ideas in a spreadsheet or WORD document.

This week's keywords:

Gucci

Jamie Sadock

Calvin Klein

Juicy Couture

Banana Republic

If you aren't familiar with these brands or items, take a moment to research them on Google so you will know what you are looking for. To learn how I flip eBay listings, click here for a free 5 minute tutorial.

Happy Selling!

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Diesel Jeans - eBay Flip

Diana sent in her eBay flip. The original listing:



Diana's improved listing:



Diana's cost: $14.99
eBay selling price: $63.00
Profit before fees: $48.01

This is great! Diana is one of my coaching clients and we covered "flipping listings" during one of our sessions. I am so proud of you, Diana! Way to go!

Send in your eBay flips and if you want to learn how to make money flipping listings, click here for a 5 minute tutorial.

Happy Selling!

Read More

Flipping Listings - Keywords to Search #2

Flipping listings is a great way to make a nice profit with very little work and a small time investment. The most common stumbling block to this process is thinking of words to plug into the misspelling tool. Let me help you out! I have been selling on eBay since 2003 and have sold over 20,000 items, so I can make some great suggestions.

Every week I will be posting 5 brand names, words, or phrases that you can plug into a misspelling tool. You can just copy the list and keep these ideas in a spreadsheet or WORD document.

This week's keywords:

Citizens of Humanity

Estee Lauder

Dansko

Pfaltzgraff

Brighton

If you aren't familiar with these brands or items, take a moment to research them on Google so you will know what you are looking for. To learn how I flip eBay listings, click here for a free 5 minute tutorial.

Happy Selling!

Read More

Learn to flip eBay Auctions in 5 minutes - Free Tutorial

You may have seen my posts about flipping listings using a misspelling tool. Here are the exact steps for how I do this.




Key Tips for Flipping Listings:

1. Know what you are looking for! What brands of clothing, electronics, fragrances, or other goods do you purchase? Think about what is expensive and plug in those keywords. I look for brands like Burberry and Ralph Lauren that have products in lots of different categories - clothes, shoes, fragrances, household, accessories, etc. Browse websites that carry expensive products such as Nordstrom, Saks 5th Avenue, Bloomingdales, Macys. Keep a list of brand names to search for. Zone in on international sounding words (French, Italian, Spanish) as these are frequently misspelled. Good categories are apparel, shoes, fragrances, cosmetics, electronics, musical instruments, and cameras. Stay away from handbags as they are usually not authentic. Also be careful with jewelry if you are not an expert.

2. Do your research. Know what the item sells for on eBay. If you aren't paying for a research tool, now is the time to start. It will pay for itself in one flip. Try Terapeak or Hammertap.

3. Sort search results by ENDING SOONEST. Focus on items you can win in the next few hours. Watch items a few days out and check on them later.

4. Set your limits. The objective is to win the item at a low enough price to resell for a profit. Do the math and stick to your high bid. If you don't win, move on. My limit is at least $30. If I can't make a $30 profit (after fees are deducted) it is not worth my time.

5. Watch shipping fees. You will need to add shipping fees into your total cost of the item. Remember that you will have to re-ship the item. Avoid fragile items as they will have to be shipped to you, and then shipped out again to your customer and this opens up opportunities for damage. Focus on items that are easy to package and ship and aren’t fragile.

6. Always snipe. The more attention an auction receives, the more costly a bidding war is which is not what you want as a buyer. Stay under the radar, watch the item, and use a sniping tool.

7. Prepare to lose. You aren’t going to win every auction. That is ok. You only want to win the auctions for items you can resell for a nice profit. There is no sense winning an item just for the sake of winning it - we are in this to make a fast profit. I lose about 60% of the auctions I try to snipe.

8. Stay positive. Millions of new listings are added every day so there will be plenty of opportunities to win other auctions.

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My eBay Flip - Brooks Brothers Pants

Here is an example of a recent flip. (Click here for a 5 minute video tutorial on how to flip listings.) You can really make arbitrage and Best Offer work for you if you take your time, do the research, and use this technique on a regular basis.

1) I purchased these Brooks Brothers pants on eBay on November 26. Click here to see the actual listing. I found these on a misspelling search. Fatal errors include misspelled brand name in the title ,the word NEW not used in the title, poor photograph, returns not allowed. Here is the listing:



Womans pants Brook Brothers size 8 NWT!!

2) Received the pants in the mail, created my own listing with a better photo, better keywords in the title, 30 day return policy, more measurements. Did my research and determined the selling price for these pants is $49. Put the item on a 7 day fixed price listing for $49 with Best Offer. Here is my listing:



NEW NWT $118 Brooks Brothers wool dress pants black 8


3) Offer received on Dec 12 for $45. Accepted the offer.

4) Bottom line:

Profit = $26.11
Days to flip = 16
Time investment = 30 minutes

By using this arbitrage technique, I can make $50 - $100 an hour without even leaving home. Imagine doing this several times a week, getting a steady stream of inventory coming to you, and making this kind of money with such a small time investment. With some practice, you will learn what items and brand names to look for on a regular basis. Click here for more information on how to do eBay arbitrage, also known as flipping listings.

Happy Selling!

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